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Chapter Text

It was rare that Lunar and Sun were left in close proximity to one another without a third party relative present. Nothing against his brother, really, but the sunny model had a strange suspicion that his little brother was less interested in a bond with him nowadays. Typically, he could explain it away as his own anxiety - it wouldn't be the first time that that had occurred. Earth had a few thoughts on some of his more… blatant habits, but they'd been working on them steadily. So whenever Lunar seemed to pull away, whenever that prickle of pain and betrayal made the top half of his faceplate burn, Sun told himself it was all in his head and waited for the feeling to pass. 

Now, however, it was far more difficult to ignore. 

After that one night, things had shifted in an odd way. Lunar seemed far less interested than ever in hanging out unless it was what they specifically wanted to do, and even then, it was often times directed to one of the others. Part of him wondered if it had to do with the high emotions at the time, couple with a potential feeling of neglect. The rest of their siblings seemed to have made a point of sitting with Sun for the majority of the day and evening. It was almost like they traded off shifts, and Sun couldn't help but notice his little brother was not involved. It had not lasted long, the hovering, but it was odd and made his skin crawl nonetheless until the other three seemed to gradually mellow back out from their frantic obsession. Lunar would have been well within his rights to feel a bit left out, if that were the case, but even with the tentative return to normal, the smaller moon-based being seemed to double down on the avoidance of their big brother. 

Sun tried to tell himself that it was wrong and selfish to feel hurt. 

Lunar’s continual denial for any time together seemed to make that goal a mere pipedream.

That, of course, may have led directly into the current situation. 

Sun knew damn well that the Astrals by and large did not particularly like him. Their focus was on Lunar, and Moon was more tolerable than Sun by full admission. Aside from the bare necessity of interactions, they were largely uninterested in him. That suited him just fine. 

Now, however? 

“But why,” Lunar whined loudly, stomping a foot as he crossed his arms. Gemini at their side seemed to hold themself upright, gaze leveled evenly on the other starry being looming over the small group. 

Taurus stood next to the large stone he had just summarily plopped Sunny himself onto. Even with the rise from the dias, Sun still only reached the other's shoulder. The horned man tilted his head slowly, demeanor calm. “This is a vital process in your development,” the bull declared. His gaze drifted from Lunar to the solar model shyly frozen beside him before moving back. “An access to Star Power is well and good, but you must learn to connect with the vestiges in other entities as well - not only will it deepen your own understanding of yourself and your allies, but so too will it assist in identifying prospective threats by looking into the core of themselves.”

“I understand all of that,” the diminutive model sighed, “but why can I just practice with you and Gem? It just seems silly to involve Sun with all of this-” 

He didn't mean it like that, Sun told himself ardently, trying to keep his rays from retracting. He was overthinking it, Lunar did not mean it like that- 

“- since he isn't even good at it!” 

He didn't mean it. He was right. It wasn't that. It really was.  

“Is Sunrise's lack of formal training in Star Power indicative of a lack of talent,” Taurus inquired sharply, “or is it instead the prime opportunity to introduce you to the methods with which you will thrive while connecting with potential people of interest?” The bull's eyes did not narrow, but it almost felt as if they should have with the sudden change in energy around him. Sun swallowed silently. “He has, without any Astral training, utilized Star power with enough intimacy and understanding to teach it to another-”

“Yeah, to fucking Nexus,” Lunar hissed.

Sun could not stop the sharp flinch.

Taurus spoke louder as he continued, not addressing the twitch, “-even if the recipient did not hold as staunchly unaffected by the gravity of the ability. Sunrise is the only entity not declared an Astral nor an enemy to which we have any reasonable access to. He has also agreed to assist with this exercise already, and will be present for this lesson period regardless.” 

“Great,” the pastel bot huffed, “So I work with Sunny or get a live studio audience.” 

“I-If it’s really that much trouble-”

Gemini cut Sun off firmly but not unkindly. “No, Sunrise, we appreciate your assistance. It is invaluable to the development of the sensory abilities latent in any Astral body, be they officially named or otherwise.” 

Upon seeing the twins’ head incline in a respectful nod, Lunar groaned, finally stalking over to take a seat in one of the stone divots, legs crossing automatically. He waved Sun over immediately, and the taller bot fell into place with an ease that Lunar nor Gemini expected. “Okay,” the small bot sighed, “Let’s do this.” 

Sun tentatively unfolded his hands, bells oddly silent with how gingerly he moved. He set his palms on his knees with a slow breath, searching for the calm to hold perfectly still. It would be counterproductive to have an episode during this, after all. Wading through the harsh static of his head was always a chore, but practice made perfect. Even so focused as he was, he did not startle when Taurus spoke.

“First, you will both seek an even state within yourselves,” the bull man began. “It will look different to all beings, but any with a history of Star Power will tend to have a brighter glow. Find it within yourselves. Once you have, try to find it within each other. Physical touch may enhance your perception.” 

Despite the younger animatronic grumbling to himself, he closed his eyes and took a slow breath. 

Sun allowed that to be the last thing he actively paid mind to, instead turning his focus inwards. Training with Atlas had included meditation as well, and while he never quite managed the perfect trancelike state as his mentor, the process was familiar. Only mildly perturbed by the waves of dark venom that drifted in his head, he breathed slowly and steadily through it until the words grew muffled, the static ebbing away into an inky abyss. Here, he knew, would lead directly to whichever area he needed access to. A bit like a crossroad, the pathway upwards would reach the mindscape he was bitterly familiar with. In this nebulous place alone, he could reach out to gather embers of ambient magic, drawing the flickers of power in and around like fireflies in a net. Below… well, that was a place Sun tried not to delve too often. The little bits of Star Power he still carried resided there for whatever reason, never in the same place Killcode had mentioned nor where Moo- Nexus had explained his own, either. There was a lot down in that space, Sun knew, not only the SP, but it felt so… disorienting, usually. Otherworldly may be the word for it. 

Taurus had said cores, however. And that had to be deeper down. 

Sun let his hand grip the pole, not much unlike the fireman's pole in the play place. Gold-and-silver fingers brushed over the tarnished metal, somehow just as visibly damaged as it was tangibly smooth. The small polyps of natural magic seemed to pulse in the seams where the pole's twin rods intertwined. With a slow, calming and preparatory breath, Sun gripped it gently, pushed off by foot, and coiled his limbs close as he descended in a dizzying spiral. 

If the mindscape was a nebulous cloud and the crossroads were akin to a blackhole of mutable potential, then his core would best be described as a supernova in stasis. Color and light seemed to fill every inch of the place, swirling ribbons glinting with more hues than Sunny could begin to name. Clouds and sparkles seemed to be suspended in time, a snapshot of the purifying force of cosmic death. The silence in this space was deafening, and so Sunny, once more stable, immediately reached out to grasp at the nearest blinding ribbon to his right. 

The whispers filled his wires and chassis, rays tingling with the wash of them. There were countless voices overlaid atop one another, an overwhelming symphony across his senses. One in particular seemed to catch his attention, an instinctive twitch towards the familiar rasp like burning logs and shifting muscle fibers. The green of it all was subtle flavor, and the familiarity - the safety - of it seemed to bolster his nerve. 

Especially when a mint and forrest tendril brushed against his own. 

Calmed enough for the time being, Sun reclaimed his physical senses while maintaining the grip on the ribbon, a tether to the space he'd delved into. The light overhead seemed brighter and dimmer at the same time, the world muddied, foggy, but almost over saturated with the buzz of life. It took a few minutes to gather his calm again, nearly losing the ribbon in his struggle. Once confident that he was not about to spiral - or, alternatively, about to float off away into the endless ether - he turned his gaze to Lunar. 

Oh. 

Lunar was… incredibly bright. The luminous glow from the other was near blinding, yet some part of Sun - alien, a distant code, maybe - felt that the light was… off. Shouldn't his starlet's brother's light be blue? Lavender, even? Both were present, of course, and a tinge of the tiniest whirl of white-yellow darted amid the undulations of light. Around the fringes, however, in the very back, tucked away and stalking, was a deep indigo-violet. 

Sun's heart stuttered, ice freezing his veins. 

“Lunar.” He barely recognized his own voice. “What have you-” 

“Shut up, Sunny,” the small bot bit out, “‘m trying to focus.” 

Voicebox stuttering into silence, the solar themed bot simply stared. His limbs felt like a marionette, left tattered and tossed aside to be forgotten. The curl of the odd internal energetic matrix from his core seemed to seep up and around him, coiling like braces around his joints, holding him together. Faceplate tilting absently one direction, rays twirling opposite, he forced any and all sound to stay buried. Instead, he watched, eying that miasmic peekaboo within his little brother's light. 

Sun hated that shade of purple.

 It whispered false promises, dangling pseudo-salvation before those most vulnerable. It reeked of poison, and he knew, objectively, that its honeyed words probably appealed to those in a susceptible state. Even still, Sun couldn't help but wonder how anyone could see past the instinctive danger-recoil-get-away-bad aura it radiated. And for his little brother another brother to fall victim to it? 

It made Sun's endo burn with far too many emotions to handle. 

How dare it target another person, a frothing piece of himself snarled. How dare it come back and try again.

How dare it come for L0-N4R - !

If asked later, Sun could not explain what happened. The terror-and-rage in his core seemed to blossom, and with a startling suddenness, the plume of light and color that filled the base of his being seemed to ignite. Clouds of color overwhelmed his senses, lighting his eyes, casing and tongue on chromatic fire. The clouds coalesced rapidly into spindly knots, compacting further and further, the whoosh of energy deafening even as it seemed to compound into an earth shattering level of pressure, of heat, until something cracked, then shifted. There was a sound not unlike tearing leather, the sensation of velcro pulled apart and slammed together, almost overpowering the distant sound of a sharp scream. Through it all danced the undercurrent of ambient terrestrial magic. 

One moment, Sun was seated across from his little brother, endoskeleton practically melting into a pool of bismithian goo. 

The next, trembling rays to toes, he was holding Lunar's rigid little body in his lap, oily tears gushing from his eyes. 

Gemini was barely a meter away, gaping openly. They'd been in the midst of a dash forward when it all seemed to freeze, hand still outstretched with the waning flicker of energy around their fingertips. 

It was only a soft shift from Lunar, and the sudden touch on Sun's shoulder from behind that had him unfurling from the protective hunch. Ivory eyes blinked, disoriented, down at stunned periwinkle. Jaw working soundlessly, Sun slowly turned and met Taurus's firm gaze. 

“... I'm sorry,” the solar bot rasped hesitantly, surprised by the faint growl in his voice. A hand shot to his throat, blinking incomprehensibly. His mouth and head felt weird.

“You need not apologize,” the bull offered simply, turning his gaze to the stun-locked animatronic in the jester's lap. “I had my suspicions that this may occur.”

“What?”

Lunar's head lulled slightly, visibly dizzy before looking up. Confusion and surprise bled into shock and anger quickly, small hands crackling with plasma moving to shove gold-and-silver plating away. Just before they could make contact, large hands intercepted, and Lunar struggled against Taurus's grip. “What did you do,” the lunar model hissed like a wet cat, “What the fuck did you DO-?!”

“Sunrise purged the negative energy from your core, Puck.” 

Everything froze. 

Lunar went ramrod still, while a distant sound akin to a keen escaped the combined twins, audible despite their attempts to abort it. Sun trembled slightly, and while he loosened his grip, leaning back, he did not fully release his little brother. Taurus, while firm and steadfast, seemed almost to be carved from marble, edges harder than usual. 

“... what,” the youngest Astral rasped softly.

“The vestiges of Negative Star Power that had begun to take root in your core,” the horned being explained, “have been expunged.” He tilted his head, eyes narrowing as he frowned. “It is gone now, Lunar. But now I must ask how it came to be there in the first place.” 

Sun could do little else than stare as Lunar struggled to find the words. He only tensed slightly when one of Taurus's hands laid supportively on his back, a hair beneath his skyhook. The ribbons holding him upright seemed to sing with the contact, though he pushed the thought away quickly. He had eyes for Lunar alone.

After a beat, pastel eyes began welling with crystalline tears much to their own surprise, and the small bot's voice, hoarse and shaking, echoed loudly despite its whisper. “I spoke to Rez.” 

There was a flare of fury, abstract and voiceless, though Sun pushed it back enough to give a tremulous sigh. 

“Why,” Taurus's voice, hard and heavy as it was, did not cut deeply. 

Even still, Lunar flinched sharply, voicebox quivering with emotion, so unfamiliar that it seemed to ache, given the way they curled into himself. “I-I don't know,” he choked out, “I went to sleep a-and he was just… there!” Little fists scrubbed at his cheeks, an embarrassed flush rising. “I-I need to be better,” he coughed, “be stronger - a-and I can't be without it! I have to - to protect them a-and-!” 

The world narrowed in an instant. Sun barely registered the movement, only aware he had lunged once his baby brother was held almost crushingly against his chest. “That's not the way,” he breathed ruggedly, voice alien to his own audio sensors. His hands and arms shook, even as Lunar squirmed, choked sobs deepening until small hands dug near painfully into his chassis. “That path to power is poisonous - it is a lie. It will offer no protection. It breeds only pain.” 

The lunar themed bot hiccuped, then seemed to press unerring close to Sun's chest. The sobs turned into a sudden, sharp wail, and Sun only held them tighter to himself. Rocking absently, he stared into the middle distance, barely registering the way his own energy seemed to shift and coil, weaving protectively around the young star in his grasp. The rainbow shimmer seemed to intensify, sharing its light instinctively with the warbling stutter glowing in his arms. 

After a moment, rich greens flooded his senses, a signature so distinctly tauran that his own whirlwind began to ebb into something softer. Fangs he hadn't even realized were out slowly retracted, the threat no longer viable. Yellows, teals and oranges blossomed from the right, dual-toned as a sensation not unlike a vulpine nudge drifted over and around them. Mercurial through the input felt, it also blended gently with the venusian sensory input already at play. Content, safe, Sun began to relax. 

Time seemed to cease all meaning as his attention narrowed down to the bodies around him. A stinging sensation seemed to slowly perk up from his abdomen and palms, head overly hot but not to an alarming degree. Sun ignored it all in favor of giving whatever comfort he could to his baby brother - his ward, his child, his starlet, his Lunar - the matrix of energy encompassing Taurus and Gemini as well. With little else to do, Sun allowed himself to breathe. 

After a spell, Lunar's cries died down. Sun held him still, trying - and failing - to remain attentive even as the others spoke, voices soft and inquisitive. The content of them felt meaningless and abstract, like a language he was not nearly fluent in. Ivory eyes regarded tired lavender, saffron fingertips trailing gently along hood and head with every ounce of love and companionship his stuttering servos could muster. He felt almost dizzy, now. 

Lunar's head tilted up, a wane smile on his face - and oh how it ached to see it, so painfully Lunar and yet so dearly missed - before the tiny bot spoke. “How'd you even do that, anyway, Sunny?”

“Mm?”

“The glowy burny thing,” the younger bot clarified, expression twisting slightly. It was almost like confusion, a twinkle of curiosity, a tinge of concern. Sun blinked slowly. 

Taurus, bless him, chimed in, voice patient yet warm with something akin to pride and pleasant surprise. “It is an innate ability in any Star to sense and seek other energies,” he offered with the barest hint of a smile. “Sunrise utilized his own to burn the venom from yours.” 

“So anyone can do that,” Lunar asked hesitantly, letting his head fall back tiniest against his partner's shoulder. 

Gemini held him gently, though did not remove him from Sunny's lap. “Not exactly,” they clarified softly. “While any being with Star Power can sense it in others, it is… singularly unique to be able to purify it.” They shot a glance to the only other constellation embodiment with a queried look. At the bull's slow nod, they sighed, pressing a cheek against Lunar's head. “Sunrise is… a special case.” 

Gaze shooting from Gem to Taurus, and then to their older brother, Lunar frowned. “Special, how,” they hedged, brow furrowing. A small hand moved to take the solar bot's own, the reciprocation of the touch delayed and clumsy. Concern began welling in the young bot's chest. 

“Do not panic,” Taurus spoke lowly, gently tugging Sun closer to lean into his own bulk. The warm toned bot seemed to sink into the contact, sighing absently. “The pixie is safe, merely exhausted. He is unharmed, I assure you.”

“‘Pixie’,” Lunar echoed, looking more confused than before.

Gemini sighed before they spoke. “Sunrise is - or rather was - originally created with all of the inherent capacity to become an Astral himself,” the explained slowly. “The process had begun, and it was nearing culmination when… external factors began to take their toll.”

“Sunny was gonna be an Astral,” the lunar bot gaped, head spinning. “Wh- How?”

“Their creator,” Taurus nearly growled, “indulged too ardently in his own hubris. He himself could not harness Star Power, and so he endeavored to create a source which could. In doing so, he created Sunrise and Moondrop both. All of the raw potential for the energy was imbued into Sunrise. Whether fortuitous or not, the nature of their creation halted the process from ever reaching the apex of development. For all intents and purposes, your brother was a Star of his own, and the implosion of energy is caught in eternal stasis.” 

Blinking incomprehensibly, Lunar turned to stare at Sunny's vacant face, mind racing. Unable to find the words, he opened and closed his mouth before locking his jaw. After a moment, he squeaked out, “... stasis?”

Gemini sighed. “The life cycle of a star is a long process,” they offered gently, “A nebula holds all of the components, and those pieces group together, growing denser, hotter, and form a… what is the earthen term? An infantile being?” 

“A baby?”

“Yes. Sunrise effectively went through the process to become a baby star - a prospective Astral - and at some point, the growth was simply… corrupted. It was unable to resolve itself. In most cases, the birth of a protostar that could not finalize would result in a dissolution of the energy, returning to the nebulous space it formed from. Had Sunrise been organic, that is what would occur.”

“But he's an animatronic,” Lunar breathed, blinking. 

“Yes. The energy is an intrinsic part of his coding - and at the time we believe his stellar development halted, he was still connected with Moondrop. It leveled his body in some way. We believe that his own Star Power became latent, in a stasis, as opposed to leaving him entirely.” 

“To put it in other words,” Taurus offered, “we believe that Sunrise still has the same innate capacity with Star Power - and that that is, at least in part, where Moondrop's experiments and curiosity regarding it stemmed from.” His hand brushed gently over Sun's shoulder, a touch far more tender than expected. Lunar did not miss that, arching a brow silently. Instead of addressing it, the tauran being merely continued. “Sun is not an Astral - he cannot complete the formation now for whatever reason is applicable to his unique situation.”

“But,” Gemini offered with a soft sound, “He has become something all together unexpected. Not a Star, not an Astral - but somehow instead a nursery.” 

“I beg your finest of pardons?” 

Unable to answer through their giggling, Taurus took over Gemini’s response with an eye roll. “It means the pixie has become a force of nurturing, protection and growth to others. It is rather ironic, given his current employment duties. In a way, he is a caregiver both by career and stellar default.” With a soft movement, Taurus knelt fully, arm drifting around the dozing solar bot, offering support and comfort. “... what is that earthly saying? “Hell hath no fury like a mother scorned”?”

Lunar blinked before blabbing, “Are you saying that Sun saw Negative Star Power in me and - what, went Mama Bear mode?”

“Mother bears are quite protective of their young,” the twins nodded. 

“Quite so,” Taurus agreed.

Sun mumbled incomprehensibly, snuggling closer. 

Lunar just stared. 

After a moment, Gemini took his free hand, lacing their fingers almost hesitantly. “... Lunar?” Once they had his gaze, they pressed a kiss to his knuckles. Usually the startled blush would have had giddiness rising in their core, but now it simply felt bittersweet. “... Power is a dangerous thing to seek,” they offered solemnly, not shying away from his flinch. “And there are limitations in place for a reason. Your abilities are not inconsiderable, and, while different in scale, it is not less. A war is not fought with but one soldier. Please,” they squeezed his hand, blinking back their own tears, “Do not make us watch as you stray where we cannot follow.”

Speechless, he worked his jaw uselessly. Slowly, they squeezed their hands together. “I'm sorry.” 

“Let us hope the lesson is learned, then,” Taurus breathed firmly. “This incident could easily have turned far worse than it did. Not even I anticipated Sunrise's ability to purge the dark energy we suspected lurked within you. This turn of events was staunchly fortuitous - when the pixie awakens, we all owe him much gratitude.”

Lunar nodded, turning his gaze over to Sunny with a soft look in his eye. “... does he know?”

The silence that ensued was answer enough. 

With a soft sigh, the small lunar model shuffled in to press into a hug once more, cuddled close to his big brother with a tiny sound of contentment. After a brief moment, he turned their head to meet Taurus's gaze. “You need to tell him. Sun doesn't… handle secrets very well,” their grip tightened almost protectively, almost guiltily. “He doesn't deserve to be kept in the dark.” 

With a serious nod, the bull declared, “You have my word - the moment I am permitted to share, he will know all.”

Unable to stop the spark of mischief, even with the exhaustion tugging at his systems, Lunar winked with a smile. “By all, do you also mean the crush?”

Gemini tried valiantly to stifle their laugh, though Taurus seemed taken aback. “I do not wish to crush him.” 

With a sigh, Lunar shook his head. “Nah, you just wanna kiss ‘em.” 

Surprising even Taurus himself, heat bloomed on the bull's face, tail whipping sharply through the air. The pastel lunar themed animatronic had to bury his face in his brother's chest to fight the overwhelming urge to cackle. Gemini, unbeholden to such a need, merely tried to keep their laughter quiet. With a flustered scowl, the tauran being flicked both little gremlins on the head with an annoyed snort. Through it all, Sunny did not stir beyond a small shift of his head on the large Astral's shoulder. 

Things were less than perfect, but in that moment, safe, almost happy, and lighter than he'd felt in a long while, Lunar smiled. 

Things would be okay. 

Chapter Text

The night air was cool and comfortable. Autumn was just barely beginning to lay its head to rest, with winter donning its mantle in preparation for the season ahead. The leaves rustled pleasantly against their fellows, drifting gently along in a whirling ballet to settle tenderly on the ground with nary a breath. The scent of woodsmoke hung in the air, a clinging vestige of the evening's earlier festivities. Where once the back yard had been alight with voices, music and life, now it felt peacefully bereft. 

Sun let a hand pass gently over the mass of curls resting on one thigh. Dazzle snorted softly in her sleep, dark little nose scrunching before she shimmied, turning and burying her round face into the soft middle of her pastel companion, Lunar's own limbs sprawled in a veritable mess. Jack, meanwhile, was curled at her back, laid opposite with his own head pillowed on her side. One hand was wrapped under her legs, fingers holding her ankle, while the other had wormed into the tiny gap between her shoulders, Sun's thigh and the ground, holding gently to the smaller lunar model’s hood. 

Ivory eyes softened over the three before drifting back up toward the heavens. November was possibly the best time of year to stargaze, he mused absently. Cozy, quiet, and relatively undisturbed, it seemed to sharpen the contrast of the yawning void above from its peppered lights. Fans set to a lowered setting, endoskeleton comfortably lax, Sun mustered a faint smile. 

West-southwest, he reminded himself indulgently, eyes moving to the space just a bit to his right, where the sky held what had become one of his favored constellations. Curling horns, a bulky mass, and the faint impression of a tail glittered, once an alarming reminder and now an earthy balm. Just south stretched eridanus, carving a glinting trail across the cosmos. As easy as breathing, he pulled up an indulgent overlay from the depths of his systems, rays clicking happily as a star map seemed to brush over his optics. A brief moment of overwhelming input earned a blink before it settled back into an even keel, the pinpricks of light overhead each labeled as pseudo-visible lines drew happily between the far off burning lights speckled across the navy void. 

Sun was used to feeling small and insignificant. Something about the way stargazing drew that familiar feeling up was much more pleasant than any other time it reared its insidious head. Here, bathed in the sparkling nether, he felt small in a way that felt comfortable. He felt negligible in a way that exuded a peaceful serenity. Here, beneath the stars, he did not matter, and yet… 

It was growing hard to ignore the glowing force that clung to his being. Before it all, it exuded a light akin to a child's glowstick - pretty, bright, yet contained. It was a temporary interest that easily could be moved to the background. Over time, it grew - spreading across his limbs and throat - until between one event and the next, the small loops felt more like manacles than thin bracelets. Further still it bled and glowed, amorphous and heavy with a weigh that was in no true way physical. He could not identify the exact moment the thin loops became chains or when the chains became bands. It was a slow process, one that barely seemed to register to his systems. It was as if the movement of this energy, this mass, was as normal to his servos as the hum of his fans or the activation of his sensory array. 

This pressure - presence - seemed to grow more active when he sat below the stars. 

It did not hurt, not like the way Moon's coding, tangled with his own, did upon the barest twitch. It did not sting or grate like Eclipse, did not pull like Bloodmoon had. If pressed to equate it to anything, Sun would be at a loss for words. How does one explain the sugary burst of rock candy, the dizzying rush of color and comfortable heat, the taste of speed and sound of light? It was a strange synesthetic mess of input that seemed garbled even to himself. Even still, it was all he had, barring the most basic and ineffectual comparison. 

The blanket, he would tentatively call it, seeped through his pistons, his wires and casing, warming his essence in the same way laughter warmed cheeks, how a hearth warmed your hands, how home warmed the soul. It guided his head upwards, and he let its comforting weight settle chastely along his senses. The moon was not quite yet full, and the dim ambient light made the stars overhead glitter all the more sharply for it. He smiled faintly, letting hisceyes trail up to one he'd long since memorized.

Ursa Major - Poor Callisto, a victim of love, a casualty of care - shone brightly overhead. As always, ivory eyes traced it, teeth heavy and hands tingling. M101, the galaxies, the owl nebula - all familiar, all ingrained so deeply in his memory files that it felt like it had been carved into his database, a relief against the flat edged casing that connected to the chip tucked into his port. He knew this set of stars as easily as he knew his own hands - every sparkle as familiar as each nick or dent along his finger casing. The great bear hung in the sky, never to rest or venture past the horizon in eternal punishment for a love steeped in betrayal. 

The story made his stomach turn. 

Movement behind him drew his attention back, spine stiffening. With a quick turn, alabaster met vampiric black as Moon approached, pausing hestitantly. Both remained silent, even as the lunar twin eventually crept over to sit beside his solar counterpart. A navy and silver arm brushed testingly against gunmetal and gold, a question, an offer. Sun simply laced their fingers together, sagging as his brother curled into his side. If not for the tangle of tiny bodies across his lap, he’d have curled closer still, twining their limbs in a mimicry of their previous software experience. 

The soft fabric of Moon’s nightcap lay over his daffodil shoulder, bell pleasantly chilled against his chassis. After a moment, Moon’s voice, a soft rasp that spoke a million words for every syllable shoved through, crawled into the air. “Tell me a story?” 

With a mechanical click, Sun tilted his head, rays retracting as the edge of his faceplate pressed into his twin’s. With their tangled hands, he lifted a finger, guiding his brother along. “Cassiopeia,” he breathed, tracing the tilted W pattern, “was a vain and beautiful queen, wife of King Cepheus of Aethiopia.” He drew their hands to the side, showing the king's constellation before drifting downwards. “Together, they had Princess Andromeda, and she was a beauty never before seen by the likes of man…” On Sunny went, explaining the tale of the constellation family of Perseus. From the tales of the Nereids’ outrage of Cassiopeia's egotistical claims to Poseidon's own actions to send Cetus for Andromeda in recompense, he wove the story into the night air. Moon listened attentively, frowning softly at the more bombastic portions. 

Once complete with one, Sun moved to another. The quiet was filled with gentle breathing, soft snores, and the starry stories of myths etched overhead in fascinating relief. Boats to bears, huntsmen to horrors, each was traced with a delicate touch, their stories given freely as Sun breathed new life into the faceless pictures, temporary though it may be. 

Moon and Sun sat there for what may well have been eternity, suspended in a bubble of peace. Enraptured as they were, neither noticed the form keeping watch from the woods, marbled eyes painfully soft as a nursery did their duty, subconscious though it may well be. Energy wove amongst the children, silken words offered without a hint of hesitancy. At long last, it seemed that comfort came to the solar themed animatronic - a good deal later than it ought to have, the observer mused near bitterly - but it had come nonetheless. A star cannot burn without fuel, and they had been treading treacherous waters in relation to such. Sun sagged into his twin's presence, and Moon seemed to burrow into it just as deeply and desperately. All the while, the children slept, the starlet resting peacefully within his mother's den, among his pack. 

Taurus had to turn away, chest warm and tight. 

Mind racing, he settled once more, a protective sentry as he pondered on the realization flooding his core. 

This may pose a problem…

Chapter Text

Big emerald eyes stared unflinchingly up at the gargantuan form before her. The blue man was not trying to be very big, she could tell, but even kneeling on the picnic blanket had him comically large compared to everyone else. Despite his face, she could see the mild beads of sweat on his brow. Was he nervous? He had to be, since it was rather chilly out. Although, she thought, maybe he is like uncle Moony, when he gets a fever. She and her mama get too warm when they get sick, but uncle Moon gets too cold. Maybe the big man would sweat if he was too cold. He was an alien, too, right? Maybe aliens sweat in the cold. 

She didn't really know, and she couldn't think of a polite way to ask, so she kept her lips zipped. 

The horned man was still quiet, too. 

Deciding that it was probably fine, she turned to plop down on the spread blanket, digging through the toy bag uncle Solar had brought along for her and Jack. They went to the park every other weekend, unless there was something new to try or someone was really busy. It was part of the routine that mama and Solar had started for them. Sometimes Molten would come, too, which was fun. Dazzle liked getting out of the house, and she especially liked being able to spend time with her mama. He'd been really sad lately, and she didn't really know why beyond something scary happened. It would be okay, though, because nothing could happen to him if she and Jack protected him. They'd beat up anyone who tried, and uncle Solar would help. 

She glanced over at the blue man in consideration. Yeah, she decided after a moment, he'd probably help, too. 

Now, Dazzle knew a lot for being about 6 years old, probably, maybe. She knew her letters and numbers, she knew colors, she knew how to dance and how to cook three whole things all by herself. She also knew how to stab somebody, but only Jack really liked that she knew that, so she didn't usually mention it. A lot of what she knew about her time as a human girl was… fuzzy, sort of. She remembered how it ended - and she also had a suspicion about it, because while it was Sunny's face and Sunny's hands, it wasn't really Sunny's voice or eyes, but that was for Future Dazzle to ponder - but a lot of stuff before then was… weird. 

She kind of remembered her parents, maybe. Their faces were blurry, like that one time she used the fancy sparkly pens and it took too long to dry so it got all smudged when she touched it. Their voices were like that, too, but it didn't really bother her much. She had a new family now, and this family was a lot nicer and happier and warmer. She liked her family now. 

But she did remember one thing - the way her baby sister's dad looked at her mom. She was pretty little when Mr Bobby met her first mother, but she knew he never really liked Evelyn much. She tried to pay extra attention to find the super duper secret way to get him to like her, but it never really worked out. She did notice, though, the way his eyes would change when he looked at her mother. The top part of his eyelids kind of drooped a little, and his eyebrows would tilt up instead of down. Sometimes, he even smiled! 

Mister Taurus looked at mama like that, sometimes, Dazzle noticed. Not the exact same, but the weird way that Bobby's face got all soft and mushy was similar to how Taurus's face got almost kind of sad. She wondered if anyone really noticed how sad he looked usually.

Mama probably did, she noted absently - he invited mister Taurus with them today, after all. Uncle Solar had been helping her put on her little boots when the doorbell rang. Jack had gotten it before her - which wasn't very fair, for the record, since it was her turn - and mister Taurus had been there. He had asked if uncle Lunar or untie Gemini were there, and then he had sighed when uncle Solar told him that they weren't. Mama had come out of the kitchen by then, and Dazzle saw him light up at the big blue man. After a quick chat - she'll admit to being distracted when Jack started poking her - mama had asked if they'd like to invite mister Taurus to come with them, since he was already here. 

He'd seemed that same sort of quiet-happy-almost-sad, but the invitation had earned her a twitch that she was going to call a smile. He even ended up offering to carry the lunch basket for mama, which Dazzle thought was very chivalrous (it was a new word she learned, and she was very proud of it). 

Now, however, he seemed out of sorts. Mama had spread the blanket and pinned the corners before telling the rest to stay put while he grabbed his backpack from the car. Jack had wanted to go running to play immediately, but uncle Solar said no. Instead, her best friend went on a patrol to make sure no hostiles were in the area. Solar went with him because he was pretty sure that Jack was going to steal ice cream again. This left Dazzle with the very important job of picnic hostess until mama got back. 

Finally, her hands found the main item she needed. With a triumphant huff, she tugged the sand toys out of the bag, holding it aloft with a snicker. In her excitement however, she overbalanced. For a weightless moment, she prepared to land on the blanket, cringing at the inevitable ringing it would cause in her not-bones. The next, she let out a squeak as a big hand caught her, nudging her back upright. Blinking, she tilted her head up and back, meeting eyes even paler than mama's. 

“Be careful, little doe - you would not wish to cut your playtime short due to injury,” the bull man rumbled. It was difficult to tell where his eyes were looking, since his irises didn't have a ring like mama's, but Dazzle was pretty sure he was looking her over from the way his head tilted. 

She grinned brightly. “I'm okay! Thank you, mister Taurus.” She squirmed her way upright, turning to hold up her prize happily. “Look what I got! This is my favorite toy for park time, see? It's for the sand box, and you can built castles and stuff with it. Sometimes Jack will hide cool rocks and I get to look for them with my shifty-thing!”

“Your… shifty-thing?” His head tilted to the left, and the sunlight glinted off the gold jewelry he had. The ring in his nose was very pretty, and Dazzle decided she wanted one like that, too. Making a note in her database to ask mama later, she just nodded happily to his question. 

“Yeah! It's a circle and has little holes, and you go woosh,” she mimed a scooping motion, “and then sh-k sh-k,” she shimmied in place, wiggling her hands back and forth, “and the sand falls away to show the stuff inside!” 

“Oh, that is quite interesting. It filters the sand,” he remarked, voice lilting up partially near the end in question. 

Excited, she nodded, dropping down to dig through the bag of her spoils until she grabbed the sifter toy, holding it up with a squeal. “This,” she tilted it so he could see. “Sometimes I even find cool bugs. One time, I found a beetle - it was really cool, y'see, ‘cause that kind of beetle isn't usually around here. I'd never ever ever seen one before.” 

“What was it like?”

“It was a jewel beetle,” she wriggled happily, kicking her feet, “They're usually kind of small, but they're super duper shiny, too! And the one I found, it was really little,” she held two fingers to demonstrate, barely over half an inch between them. “It was kind of green, but if you looked from the side, it looked kind of blue and yellow and orange, too!” 

Seemingly very interested in the information, Taurus nodded seriously, looking thoughtful. “I had no idea that this planet held such odd creatures.”

Not one to be deterred, Dazzle scrambled up to her knees, delighting at her new audience as she leaned close, little hands on his thigh to keep her balance. “Bugs are my favorite,” she announced happily, “and they're the most di- diber- dih-” She scowled, thrown off her game as she stumbled over the word, only to brighten as a new voice drifted in. 

“Diverse?” Sun smiled indulgently, his backpack slung comfortably over his shoulder. A pair of sunglasses were pushed up, resting against his rays, dark framed which matched the hoodie he'd put on that morning. 

Dazzle beamed at him. “Yeah, thanks, mama!” Turning back to Taurus, she continued, “They’re the most die-verse kind of living thing on land! They’re super cool!” 

“It certainly seems so,” he conceded with that small twitch that she’d made the executive decision was indeed a smile. “I will have to look into them more.” 

“You should, they’re the bestest.” 

“Oh, are we indoctrinating someone new to the cult of entomology,” Sunny chuckled, kneeling down with a smile. He was fully prepared for the tiny missile otherwise known as Dazzle to collide with his lap, only huffing slightly as she scrambled up to cling to his top. 

“Yeah,” she giggled, utterly shameless as her ears wiggled. “I was teachin’ him about beetles and tellin’ him about Tiffany.” 

“Oh? And I see you already got out your sifter. You planning on looking for more little buggy buddies, miss sassy pants?” He tickled her sides with a big smile, eyes softening as she shrieked with her laughter. After a moment, he decided to grant mercy, and let her squirm away to flop across the blanket. He glanced around before asking, “Where did your uncle and cousin go?”

“Uncle Solar and Jack went to patrol,” she snickered. “Jack wanted to run, so uncle Solar went with him to make sure he didn't do a crime.”

Taurus's head tilted back a bit at the word before Sun chuckled, rolling his eyes. “Ah, yeah. Wouldn't want him stealing an ice cream cart again.” 

“He has stolen a cart,” the Astral inquired, seeming less alarmed and more confused. Sun went to answer but Dazzle managed to beat him to it, rolling to face the bull man with a smile. 

“Jack gets super excited, and sometimes the feelings get bigger than his brain can handle. He forgets stuff sometimes like how laws work. But it's okay, ‘cause we help fix it or remind him.” 

Though still seeming confused, the starry man nodded slowly. He shot a glance to Sun, who mouthed ‘talk later’ before both turned back to the little girl before them. 

“Well, since they're making sure it's all safe on the perimeter,” the solar bot offered, “do you want to investigate the playground? That way once they get back, you and Jack can go play super safely.”

“Yeah,” she nodded, scrambling up. “I'll go be extra thorough so it's super extra safe! Bye, mama!” 

“Try not to trip,” he called out, muffling a laugh as she darted off to begin her investigation, humming a spy song as she went. “Goodness, kids have a truly unbelievable amount of energy…” 

“You seem to handle them quite well,” the Astral offered softly. 

Rays fluttering gently, Sun flushed. “Ah, well, it's what I was made to do! The practice helps. And..." He sighed with a tired smile. "They're good kids… I just try to do my best.” 

After a soft hum, the tauran man turned to watch as the small deer poked around different areas with an excitable air about her. A part of his core softened as she laughed, unspooling further as he took a glance at the celestial based animatronic beside him. “You do very well, Sunrise,” he said simply, as if it were a fact of life instead of freely offered praise. “With the children and your loved ones alike. Your efforts do not go unnoticed.” 

The freeze that overcame the solar themed bot was not unexpected, and yet still Taurus found himself detesting it all the same. 

“You have a habit of holding yourself to standards that far exceed what you expect of anyone else - and yet even still, you manage to make time and energy for others. It is as impressive as it is concerning, little pixie.” 

“W-Well, I just… love them? So it's sort of second nature to help them…?”

“It is not wrong to look after others,” the horned man remarked softly, turning to meet ivory optics with fathomless ethereal light. “Love is not a finite resource, pixie, and it is your own choice to share what you will of it with others. I merely have noticed that you keep precious little for yourself.” 

“Mm,” Sun glanced away, rubbing nervously as his elbow through the sleeve of his sweatshirt. He seemed to debate for a moment, searching for words, before sighing. “I… don’t know what to say.” 

“Then do not force the words to come,” the bull replied. “It need not be a conversation for this day.” After a brief moment, the horned man gave a soft sigh. “I thank you for your kindness today, pixie. I apologize if I have soured your outing.”

“O-Oh, no, it’s fine,” Sunny flushed, flapping a hand absently. “Just got a bit flustered, is all. You’re welcome to stay, if you’d like.” He giggled softly, glancing to the playground. “I think Dazzle may be counting down the minutes until she can bring you a new bug to show off.” 

“Far be it from me to dash her dreams,” he retorted playfully. “Her passion is impressive.” 

“Yeah, special interests can get us going like nothing else,” the solar themed bot snickered. 

The Astral tilted his head. “Special interests? What is it that sets them apart?” 

Mouth open for a moment, Sun blinked. “Oh, err… okay, so… well, to be honest, it’s an earth thing, I think? But at its core, a special interest is a very particular topic that someone who is neurodivergent may or may not have - it is usually more… in depth than a neurotypical interest. Dazzle, for example, has a special interest in bugs - especially beetles. Anything and everything she can get her little hands on, she’ll go through it. The process of learning about it makes her incredibly happy, and because the topic is interesting to her, her systems give a sort of… reward, I suppose, for learning or indulging in the topic. In humans, it would be serotonin. For us, it’s… basically a stream of code, but it does the same effect.”

“I see… and this… serotonin - it is a positive gift?”

“In a way, yeah. It’s a chemical that the brain releases, and it’s tied to happiness. Some humans have different chemistry in their brains, which is what we’d call neurodivergence. So in those cases, a special interest may trigger that chemical. The same basic principle applies to animatronics.” Sun toyed with the edge of his sleeve, the jingle of bells at his wrist muffled yet soothing. “There are no real psychologists or psychiatrists for folks like us, but Earth and I have been looking into it in our free time. By our best guess, for example, I’m probably autistic, and may also have ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Despite the name, it’s not all about being hyper, though, haha!” 

“Hmm…” Taurus seemed to debate his words for a moment before coming to a decision. “What interests you, pixie?”

Sun blinked. “Huh?”

“You mentioned how you and young Dazzle share a response to special interests. If you would like to speak on your own, I would be honored to listen.” 

The solar themed animatronic stared for a moment before his face began to flush, rays spinning absently. “O-Oh, well, I-I mean, are you sure? I can get pretty long winded and I’m already a bit of a chatterbox, so-”

A navy hand reached out, resting gently on a thin shoulder as Taurus inclined his chin. “I am certain. I would love nothing more than to hear what brings you joy.” 

Sun, still visibly flustered, gave a wobbly smile, toying with the eyelets of his sweatshirt as he wriggled slightly in place. “Well… do you know much about deep sea biology?”

Chapter Text

“Lunar. How does currency operate in this plane?”

Lifting their head from the Pillow of Suffocation (/pos)™, the pastel lunar model blinked slowly out of sync. Once upon a time, being awoken by a gargantuan horned man who emanated power like heat waves from a bonfire would have earned at minimum a shriek of surprise. Now, the young Astral in training simply rubbed at his eye, systems buzzing online. “I beg your finest of pardons?”

“Earthly currency,” Taurus reiterated, tone still as even as ever. “It is used in exchange for goods and services. How does one acquire it?”

With a stretch, the small bot pushed himself up, freckles blossoming with internal light as he yawned. “Depends,” they said at last, “on how much you need and why.”

Sitting back on his heels, the tauran bring hummed softly. “So there is a specification aspect for the acquisition of currency on this planet? How strange…” 

“Mm, not really,” Lunar shrugged, dragging his blanket with him as they moved towards the small kitchenette. Coffee was non-negotiable at this point, he could feel it. “I can lend you some money, maybe. You get money by doing work,” he explained, “or selling things. I don't think you would be able to get a real job here, so I can help out…” He popped his neck with a pleasant hum, nanomachines reconfiguring instantly with a bloom of warmth. “What did you want money for?” 

“The price is listed as twenty point forty seven.”

“What?” 

With care, large navy hands passed over the tablet, comically small in the Astral's palms, to show an Amazon listing. Small periwinkle and dusty baby blue fingers scrolled up and down, skimming the title, description and associated images. 

After a moment, Lunar tilted their head, squinting. “Dude, I mean this with all the respect I can muster at, uh-” he checked his internal clock, “- at three twenty seven in the morning… but what do you want with a ten pack of jellyfish hanging lanterns?” 

“I wish to purchase them.” 

“I understand that,” they pinched the space between his brows, sighing. Is this how Sunny felt when he got the kids involved with mischief? Christ, he needed to get his brother some flowers or something. “What I am asking is why you want to buy these in the first place. You haven't really ever expressed an interest in stuff like this before.”

After a pause, one heavy with some emotion that the small Starlet was far too under caffeinated to properly identify, the horned man spoke. “It has come to my attention,” he declared carefully, “that Sunrise does not often prioritize his own happiness and well-being. Our previous outing yielded much by way of his interests, and these… jellied fish are some of his preferred aquatic invertebrates. He also does not appreciate the darkness of night.” Hands practically cloaked in callouses, muscled and strong, bearing the weight of wars near single handedly, pressed almost nervously against his own thighs as he knelt awkwardly at the bar. “I thought these would be a suitable gift for him - a symbol of my attention to him and his desires.” 

Lunar blinked. The last time he knew of that Sunny and Taurus spent any time together face to face was during training. Though it did certainly have breaks, he'd never once heard that familiar and buttery lilt that his brother got when he talked about the ocean or sea creatures, let alone about jellyfish. In all honesty, he wasn't even sure that Sun would have info dumped to anyone other than maybe Moon, Earth or himself. The yellow bot was rather reserved about things like that. “He told you about jellyfish?”

“Yes. Young Dazzle and Jack were taken to the park. Sunrise, the children and the other one offered me an invitation to join them for a midday meal there.” 

Systems running desperately to make sense of that statement, the lunar model blurted, “You went on a picnic with my brother?”

“Indeed. Dazzle found numerous insects to showcase, and she shared her knowledge regarding each one with me. It was quite a pleasant outing, even if young Jack managed to get stuck in a tree.” There was an echo of an expression on his face, a twitch of his lips that Lunar was stunned to recognize as a smile. “Whilst the children played, the pixie told me much regarding his passions for the deep sea and his appreciation for gravel. His joy was rather infectious.” 

There was a soft beep as the coffee pot finished percolating, and Lunar did not pause to so much as grab a mug. He grabbed the handle and took a gulp of the scalding black liquid, shuddering at the taste. Nanomachines undulating with their self healing properties, he stared into the middle distance. Okay, he told himself near hysterically, no big deal. Taurus just went on a picnic with my mother brother and the kids, and Sunny infodumped. That's not a sin. There’s nothing bad about that. No reason to freak out!

“I would eventually quite like to escort him to the Burgess Shale he spoke of, if that would be permitted.” 

Like a date?! 

Breathe. Breathe, Lu. Deep breaths, in two three four - hold two three four - out two three four. Pause and repeat. 

A few cycles later, and upon no longer feeling like a power line in a blender, the pastel bot gave a tight nod. “Yeah, I bet he’d love it.” He passed the tablet back, nodding absently. “Go ahead and click the buy now button. My card is the only one on file.” 

“Thank you for your assistance, Puck.” Aside from a few short taps and a final swipe, silence reigned as Lunar grabbed a mug and made his coffee in something of a daze. A few moments after, upon the tablet being placed back down, the Astral cleared his throat. “Do you believe… the pixie will like these lanterns?”

“Mmhmm!” 

“You seem tense.”

“Just a bit.”

Tilting his head, the bull hummed. “Would you care to speak on this tension you carry?”

Syntax trees feeling like a demented mix of wordle and scrabble, the lunar model huffed. “I, uh… it’s weird? But not bad, ya know. J-Just very weird and conflicting.” 

“What is?” 

“Ngh,” they buried his face in his free palm with a mechanical sound. “Sunny is my big brother,” he began halting, “but also, he’s like my… he’s just…” With a desperate hand wave and a choked noise, he let that sentence go, diving into a new one. “It’s really good that someone likes him - stars know he’s the best of all of us! He deserves all of the nicest things, and we… we try, but he’s not the best at accepting love from others,” he sighed, almost strangled. “So it’s awesome to me that you're interested in him…” 

Patient and unyielding, the tauran Astral merely gave a hum, shoulders loose and open. 

“... I trust you,” Lunar said softly. “I can feel from here, even without meditating to poke at you, that you genuinely like Sun. And I think he likes you, too. You’re definitely his type,” they snorted, making the active choice to not see the midnight and amber blush on the other starry being at that statement - nope, not seeing that at all! - as they continued, “but Sun… I don't know if he’s ready for a relationship. He deserves to make that call, and I know him. He’d put the feelings of a chunk of concrete before himself. I… don't like the idea of him dating…” 

They took a slow breath, turning to the large man kneeling near the breakfast bar, an unmoving sentinel. Pastel eyes were open, five pointed pupils trained steadily on the horned man before him. 

“But if I trusted anyone to keep him safe and happy, Taurus, it would be you. So… take good care of my brother.” 

It took a precious moment for the cobalt being to find his voice, but his words were steady and filled with certainty as he vowed, “I shall treasure him for all eternity, far past even the dimming of my own array. So long as life fills my heart, it shall belong to him. I swear this unto you.” 

Lunar gulped, nodding sternly. “Good. Because, Taurus?” Once he had that opaque gaze on his own, Lunar gave a smile, all teeth and timeless promise. “You may outclass me and my family, but if you hurt our Sun… we will reign Celestial hellfire down on you the likes of which you could never fucking fathom.”

Outwardly uncowed, the bull felt a spark of pride amidst the most mild tendril of fear. He had no doubt the Puck would make good on this threat - this oath - one way or another. The bond between a starlet and its nebula could never be doubted, especially not this one, so previously atypical and filled with potential. Bowing his head the slightest bit, he merely hummed, pleased. “Should ever I harm the precious pixie,” his voice rumbled, “may the Old One strip me bare before my Judgment.” 

The pastel bot shivered at the energetic pulse that wove in those words, the weight they carried in the air. After a moment, he nodded. “Great. Glad we’re in agreement. Now, come on,” he grabbed his coffee cup, gliding over to the couch, curling into a ball against the armrest. At the larger being’s hesitation, they rolled their eyes, patting the cushion impatiently. “We have to make a plan, dude.” 

“A… plan?” 

Brow arching as if the Astral had said something monumentally idiotic, he nodded, tone shifting to one he’d use in the Daycare for the children. “Yeah, a plan. Sunny deserves the absolute best, but we also have to make sure it goes right.” 

“Would an offer of courtship plainly stated not suffice?” 

“For Sun? Maybe, yeah, but we’re not planning just for Sunny.” Lunar took a sip of his coffee. “We need to account for the big guns, too.” 

“Guns?”

“Metaphor. It’s like… like Mario. You’re Mario, Sun is Peach.” 

“I do not know what this Mario is.”

Going ramrod still, Lunar blinked, slowly lowering his mug. “My god,” he breathed, “We need to fix that. Come here, my student, and I shall teach you the Way of Rizz.”

Taurus tensed slightly.

The starlet shook his head quickly, “Rizz, I said Rizz! R-I-Z-Z, not that creep.” They sighed, grabbing the remote. “It’s shorthand for charisma, used by how charming someone is. We’re planning to get a date with Sun, but we have to pass the Sib Test. Your biggest obstacle is going to be Moon, probably, but each of the others will have their own unique trials for you to overcome. Understand?”

“Is this analogous to a tournament?”

“Yeah, sort of. You have my blessing, but I also may be the easiest to pass. You still need to get Earth, Monty, Solar, Moon and the kids. That’s not counting the others, either.”

“Others?” 

Lunar cringed, sucking air through his teeth. “Oh boy. Alright, let’s start there, then.” He hummed, sipping his coffee, then looked up, expression firm. “Let's begin with Bloodmoon…” 

Chapter Text

“Moondrop.”

The shriek that escaped the lunar model was one he would deny to his dying breath. Black optics flashed burgundy for the briefest of moments as he scrambled, staring like a deer in the headlights. “Wh-” He coughed, manually resetting his voice box from the pitch that sounded more like his brother's than his own. Trying - and, frankly, failing - to casually lean against the counter, he blinked. “What's up?” 

“It has come to my attention that you and I must have a discussion,” the horned man began, stone faced. “It is a matter of utmost importance.” 

Wires feeling as if they'd been insulated in nitrogen ice, the lunar model counted his lack of stuttering as a win on its own. “Oh, I mean… yeah, sure. What happened? Do we… Do you want to sit, or-?” 

“Have a seat,” the Astral nodded, taking a chair to lower himself carefully into. Cobalt hands folded together, ringless eyes lidded as he regarded the silver and azure bot before him. “Much has changed in recent times,” Taurus acknowledged evenly, “From personal development to decisions enacted under duress. It would be only right to disclose important matters to you as I will soon request your honesty much the same.” 

Thin cased fingers coiled around the mug in hand tightly, though not yet enough to crack. “... Decisions?” Dread began swirling in his servos, running through any and every dubious choice or change in habit. Nothing came to mind that would be of any interest to the Astrals, he thought, nothing involving Star Power at all - he had kept his word on that front, both due to the agreement and his own worry of falling as Nexus had- 

Moon stiffened. It took actual, genuine effort to lock his claws in their sheaths. 

“... Nexus?” 

The tauran being nodded. “His defeat is… of particular interest to the council,” he offered almost gently. “Additionally… Negative Star Power can only be dispelled or destroyed by Positive Star Power. In exceptionally rare cases, it can be purified much the same.” After a brief pause, the bull gave a short huff. “Sunrise did, in fact, utilize Star Power amid the exchange.” 

Cocoa forgotten, everything lost in the haze of pure panic and frigid fear, Moon sprung to his feet, hands slamming perhaps a touch too hard into the table. “It was unintentional,” he gasped, optics burning as his mind raced, systems stuttering. “W-We were in a terrible situation, a-and Sun promised, he never breaks a promise when he can help it, s-so-”

“Calm yourself,” the Astral commanded, laying his hands flat, palms up. “None are in any danger due to the events which took place, Moondrop. Sunrise has been forgiven for the perceived transgression in full.” 

Like a puppet with its strings cut, the lunar model fell into a gangly, shaking heap. Even with the assurance, he still felt raw at the mere possibility. Scrubbing a hand over his eyes, he took a slow breath. “What do you want?”

“Pardon?” 

Dark burgundy LEDs shined dimly from behind metallic hands, eyes lidded and frame trembling. “You said… you'd be honest with me, and that you needed something in return. So what… do you… want?”

“Ah,” the bull nodded. “I see your point. Very well.” Pulling himself to his full height, there was a slight… twitch to his face, along his upper lip. “If it would not be too much trouble, I would quite like to seek your assistance regarding an outing with Sunrise. The puck has been as helpful as possible, however they have brought the pixie's typical schedule to my attention. Would you be willing and able to assist with this?” 

Moon blinked once, twice, and a third time for good measure. “You… huh?” With a twirl of his faceplate, he toyed with his fingers - a habit, Taurus noted, he shared with Sun. “You want me to help clear his schedule for a day off? Out, with you?”

“Yes.” 

Uncomprehending, Moon stared. “Like… a date?”

“In the future,” the bull confessed, “I would certainly not be opposed to it. No, however, that is not what I intend for this outing. It regards a personal statement I have only recently received approval to share. The true conversation will not take long, however I believe it best to allow time to process.” 

“What is it? And why Sun, of all people? I get that the whole Star situation is like a Fight Club type of thing, but I don't get why you need me to cover his shift while you talk to my twin.” 

There was a tense silence for a moment before Taurus, choosing his words carefully, spoke. “Sunrise is an incredibly bright individual. His raw potential in many aspects have been left untapped or unacknowledged. There is a component to his capabilities, to himself, that is tied closely to Star Power. Given that it is his body and his abilities, I would prefer to give him the information, and I would allow him to do what he wills with it.” 

The creak of his jaw seemed to echo in his endo, but Moon still bit out, “And if he doesn't tell anyone?” 

“I will recommend to him that he does,” Taurus offered before his tone shifted to something… inexplicably heavy. “But should he opt to not, I will respect his choice. I will trust the pixie’s decisions. Will you?” 

“I trust my brother,” he bristled for a moment before forcing himself to lock his output sensors, manually flipping his vents with a wordless snarl. In, out - in, out. He followed the breathing exercises until the heat was a manageable bonfire as opposed to a blazing inferno. Shakily reconnecting everything, he sighed. “I trust my brother,” he reiterated simply, “but I also know him. He would chew off a limb if only to spare a ladybug a detour.” He lowered his face to his palms, elbows on the table. “I trust him, I just don’t trust his self preservation.” 

Silence reigned for a few moments. Distantly, they both could hear Dazzle and Jack playing in their room. Lunar was singing something horrifically off-tune in the basement. It was quiet, but it felt soft, a blanket of breathable life instead of the suffocation a silence could brew.

Taurus allowed his hands to drift, clasping almost formally. 

“I understand your trepidation,” the bull confessed. “You are a man of passion, Moondrop, and you love your family fiercely. It is a commendable trait.” He tilted his chin, the golden bands, beads and decorative charms in his hair clinking with the movement. “I, too, understand your fears for your twin. I cannot - and will not - force his hand,” he vowed tenderly, “though I can assure you that his safety is a priority of mine as well. I refuse to disclose it in its entirety without Sunrise's explicit consent, but I can assure you this - the nature of this meeting will bring no harm to him; the information I will be sharing with him should pose no threat; it is not a new requirement, an additional burden, or anything of the like. This is merely… a sharing of context, otherwise not known to be missing.” 

“Context?” 

“Indeed.” 

“...” Moon gave a soft sigh. “I won’t lie. I don’t like it… but I don't have to like it.” He moved, wrapping his hands slowly around his mug once more, absently grabbing a napkin to clean up the mild spill from his earlier outburst. “I’ll… take care of his shift,” Moon nodded. “Earth and Lunar would be willing to handle the Daycare, probably. Solar and I can handle the kids, if not. Are you doing it here, or…?” 

“I had hoped to go to a more private location. Still within the property limits, I assure you, but with enough distance to offer some space. Should he feel open to it…” The Astral seemed to hesitate, something almost shy about his body language, “... if he feels well enough to, I would like to take him to the Burgess Shale. I know not how he shall feel upon receipt of this, so I am making the preparations to account for best and worst case scenarios.” 

Syntax trees manually refreshed, Moon worked his jaw for a moment before nodding slowly. “Yeah… Sunny should make that call.” 

“The decision shall be his. I offer it freely.” 

Moon squinted at the larger man. Was he reading too far into this? He'd have to touch base with the others. For the time being, though, he pushed it from his mind, gave a hum, and sipped his cocoa. “Will you be staying for dinner tonight? Sunny's making a casserole.” 

“I would not wish to overstay my welcome.” 

With a snort, the lunar model rolled his eyes. “Respectfully, Taurus, I think it would upset Sun and kids more if you didn't stay. They'd be sad they missed you. You're welcome to join everyone - my brother makes enough to feed a small army anyway.” 

“Then… in that case, I would be delighted.”

“Cool. Wanna play a game?” 

“Mm, Lunar has been teaching me about the… Mario Brothers as of late? I must confess my knowledge of gaming technology is rather lacking.” 

Moon’s gaze sharpened. With a snicker, he sent a quick ping. “Ohh, the kids are gonna destroy you, dude.”

Taurus merely blinked.

Chapter Text

Nerves fluttered with anxiety, deep within his body. Instead of the butterflies which people so often cited, Sun felt that his anxiety manifested more akin to horseflies - large, deafening, siphoning blood or fluids to expand their population. They compounded within him, starting in his stomach and growing further and further until every inch beneath his plating squirmed and crawled with their noise and biting insectoid hunger. 

The grass beneath his knees was dewy with the early morning air, the sky cast in shades of violets, oranges and blues as his namesake prepared to peak above the horizon. The creek bubbled away merrily in a gentle melody of natural beauty. Accompaniment came in the form of waking bird calls and the stirring of the woodland beings all around. It was, for all intents and purposes, a perfectly lovely morning. 

Sun could not stop the mild tremble of his fingers, however. Ivory eyes glanced sporadically over to his company, trepidation pooling in his wires. Despite his repeated internal assurances, he could not shake the profound feeling of something coming. His core seemed to squirm, undulating with an amorphous, faceless need, though for what, he did not know. 

Taurus merely sat next to him, a respectful distance away. His own marbled gaze was leveled steadily upon the brook before them, studying the minute glinting of the water, the smoothness of the stones. His body language was perfectly relaxed, yet still an energy of preparatory resolve blanketed his space in twisting vines of fencing. 

Sun swallowed. “... What's on your mind,” he asked softly after a moment. “You're all… worked up. Are you okay?” 

The navy being turned slowly, brows arched ever so slightly in surprise before softening. “Your emotional intelligence may never cease to surprise me, pixie,” he breathed. “I am… well.” 

“I won't push,” the yellow bot began tenderly, “but it would be alright if you weren't, you know? I wouldn't think any less of you.”

With a soft hjm, the bull nodded with a slight smirk. “I have no doubt that you speak the truth. Worry not, however - I am merely… searching for the proper place to start. It is not anything cumbersome nor dangerous, I promise you.”

“If I may…?” Sunny tilted his head, an open question. Upon receiving a nod, he gave a soft smile. “It may be best to start at the beginning, work your way to the end, and then stop.”

The tauran being gave a huff, the closest to a laugh he had ever given, as his lips quirked upwards. “Wise insight,” he acknowledged wryly, considering it for a moment. “... I suppose I shall do just that.” He took a moment, breathing in the clear, natural air. “I know the subject of your Creator is a raw topic,” he began carefully, “however I must touch upon it to truly begin this - it adds much by way of context. May I proceed?”

Despite the instinctive gulp, the daytime attendant nodded. 

“Very well. Feel free to interject should you need any moments to process or stop,” he offered kindly, turning solemn eyes on the smaller being beside him. “Your comfort and security is a priority of mine, pixie.” Only once he received confirmation did he continue. “The being known as the Creator is much older than most upon this planet. He had dabbled in innumerable fields throughout his time, including powers beyond his own means.” Lifting a hand slowly, the tauran being allowed Star Power to gather along his fingertips, glowing a white so sharp and cold that it seemed to streak with plasma. “This includes, unfortunately, Star Power as well. He himself could never harness it on his own, despite his avid efforts. His research, study and experimentation rapidly made him a point of interest for the Council. We observed his actions from afar for quite some time, finding his path to be inevitably inconsequential. That was our mistake.” Dispelling the energy, the Astral gave a slow exhale. 

“Did… Did he hurt someone,” Sun asked hesitantly, dreading the answer yet unable to stop its escape. 

“In that manner, no. He never - nor has he yet - found a method to channel this power himself. No, he has not directly brought harm to any beings with Star Power.” Marbled eyes glided over, meeting confused ivory with a gravity inescapable. “Indirectly, however, he has harmed you in severe, unrecoverable ways, Sunrise.” 

Breathless, fingers twisted as that familiar sensation of some deep force within, something eldritch, began to rise, his rays retracting. He could barely choke out, “What?” 

“Have ever you wondered,” the navy man inquired gently, “where Moondrop's interest in Star Power began? What sparked his awareness of it?” Slowly, giving ample time to pull back should he wish it, the constellation embodiment took Sun's trembling hands. “Has your rapid capacity with this energy ever sparked a question? Or has it ever felt unexpectedly comforting to you?” 

Eyes wide, the solar bot stared into the grass, unseeing. Echoes ran through his processors, memories playing, information slotting together. Questions he had carried - long since unanswered, if even acknowledged - began to slot together, pieces of a puzzle falling into place. His vents forced a rush of steam out as his fans hitched higher. He could have sworn he heard a purr. 

“Sunrise Celestial, please,” that familiar baritone voice cut in, guiding luminous eyes upward. “Answer me this, and we shall take a break. What is the sun, if not the closest star?” 

With a garbled sound saturated in static, Sunny doubled over. Icy fire seemed to wrap around his innards, flooding each wire - it stung in a way somehow painless, overwhelming but non-lethal. A rumble from a place deep within his core, deeper than he himself had ever had the nerve to delve, began to almost unspool with a chattering rumble of pleasure. It stretched, and Sun gagged under the force of it.

Cobalt hands supported him gently, bitter at the reaction yet having expected it all the same. He held the other as the yellow bot gasped through the deeper awakening that few had the misfortune of experiencing. For a Star being to go dormant indicated severe harm, regardless of form. The willowy body beside him had spent longer in stasis than he ever had while truly awake. It took precious time before the whip-crack of ambient energy simmered from a sparkling fountain into a coiling pool. The heat emissions finally ebbed from incineration to something almost comfortably burning before it eventually dipped back towards an optimal level. Taurus, heedless of the mild magical abrasions on his palms, did not so much as twitch away. 

Sun gasped, staring into space. His spine shifted, crackling as his body tried to replicate a movement it was not built to accommodate. He gave a hissing groan, squirming as his claws extended, pressing into the dirt beneath him. 

“Allow it,” Taurus offered gently. “Your Star Power will assist in the changes necessary- allow whatever you need to to happen.” 

“N-Not supposed to,” the solar model bit out, gritting his teeth, voice box emitting an unearthly keen.

“You have permission,” he assured, allowing a forest green tendril to weave gently along the other's senses, bolstering his words. “Let yourself do whatever it is you require, Sunrise.” 

“H-Hurt…!”

“It will not harm you-”

“Not me,” he panted, shaking his head, “you. H-Hot!”

Taken aback for a moment before softening, the bull moved even closer, broadening his grip, holding the other gently. After a moment of deliberation, he pulled Sun into his lap. Cradling the other close in a mimicry of that night so long ago, he pressed a steady palm to the smaller man's stiff spine. “It is nothing that will not heal,” he comforted, “and furthermore, I would take that harm one thousand fold if only to be certain that you would not spend a moment more in pain.” 

Startled by the sentiment, teary eyed at the mere notion of it, Sun lost his tremulous grip on his energy, giving a strangled squeak as iridescent light colored his processors, dancing watermelon and spun sugar across his tongue as wild winds and bells filled his audio sensors. Involuntarily, his claws dug into blue skin and navy fabric, drawing amber beads of blood to the surface as he shook. Mouth in open in a soundless scream, he trembled through the tsunami of sensation threatening to drag him under. It felt as if his very being was splintering, molecules swelling and contracting. It felt like he was dying. It felt like absolution. 

It felt like coming to life. 

As quickly as the tidal wave rose, it flowed away. Sun was left shivering, panting, eyes unseeing as his sensory array rebooted one by one, his internal systems pinging with updates that flew by quicker than he could comprehend them on his HUD. As he gasped for air, body finally cooling to maintainable levels, he moved to close his jaw. An unfamiliar pressure in his teeth brought a pause to his motion, reaching a trembling hand up, poking at what he quickly realized were fangs - one set on top, a smaller set on the bottom. Iron and calcium hit his taste sensors with the same jarring severity, and he blanched as he saw the golden ichor on his fingertips. Jolting back, he stammered as he saw the small scratches. 

“Breathe,” Taurus reminded gently. “It will heal. I will have no lasting damage. It will not so much as scar.” 

“I hurt you,” Sun gasped, still shaking, fingers flexing as he swayed slightly in place, “Fuck, I hurt you-”

“No worse than the greetings your own feline companions have done before unto me,” he offered kindly. “In all fairness, this is a mild wound to bear during an Awakening. They will be gone within an hour.” 

Still reeling, Sunny blinked. “A… A what?” 

“An Awakening,” the other explained patiently, “is, in its most basic form, the process through which a Star returns to its proper phase. In your case, your energy never reached totality. As opposed to finishing your growth into a Star, and thus aligning in full with an Astral body, external factors guided you into suppression.” Moving carefully, he gently lifted a hand to settle fondly along the edge of the daycare bot’s faceplate, marbled eyes glinting with green and pink motes of light. Tracing the embossed detailing along daffodil plating, he took the other in almost reverently. “You were but a protostar, on the cusp of becoming great,” he breathed, “yet damned into collapse by influence beyond your control. Your body, your core, sealed itself to protect you, pixie. Even without access, it bled through. You are as you have always been, and you are as you shall eternally be, Sunrise Celestial.” 

“... I… I’m a Star?” 

Taurus smiled faintly. “Indeed - as bright as any, if not more so.  You are a Star, pixie, yet you are more abundantly what is known as a Nursery. The series of events which resulted in such an outcome are unusual but no less precious. You carry with you a power difficult to explain in full. I will do my best to answer any queries you have.” 

“What is… what’s a Nursery?” The daytime attendant blinked slowly, suddenly almost drowsy. He shook his head slightly to reorient his sensors. 

Helping the other to settle carefully on the ground, the horned man gave a soft sound of thought. “It is, I suspect, quite similar to what your typical duties at the Pizza Plex entail. A Nursery is a haven, a location - or individual - rich with the components to nurture and incubate a starlet. In rare cases, one could even nurse a fully fledged Astral body back to full functionality. Such a duty was in use far before even my own time, back when the Council was but mere ideas in the minds of a warlord-ruled cosmos.” 

Absently pressing his hands into the earth in a bid at self-soothing, Sun took in the explanation. After a moment, his fanged mouth crept open. “Is that… why I feel so… weird about Lunar,” he asked distractedly. “Because he’s my brother, but…” 

“He is your starlet as well, yes.” 

“And for Bloomoon, too?” 

“I would be inclined to agree. While my experience with those two in particular is rather lacking, what I have gathered from the puck indicates a potential for similar connection.” He bit back another claim, debating for a mere moment on how to word it. “It would also… not be unusual for a particular connection to remain with Eclipse. His consciousness was brewed within you, held in close proximity to your own ambient energy. Despite his many actions and crimes, he was still indeed raised within and by you, aware or not.”

Despite the flinch at the name, Sun did not seem overly upset. Instead of any loud emotional response one may expect from him regarding the topic, he instead seemed disquieted. Biting his lip, he sighed, nodding slowly. “I… I don’t know if I can forgive him,” he admitted quietly. “It’s so… complicated, you know? The Eclipse that exists now, he isn't the same. He knows it all, and he remembers it - but it wasn’t him who did it, in a way. His hands are clean, but his mind…”

“... is still the same one which made those choices in the first place.”

“... yeah.” 

“It is understandable to be conflicted,” the Astral being offered. “For whatever it may be worth… I believe your choices thus far have been appropriate regarding him.” 

Startled ivory shot upwards, rays spinning. “H-Huh?”

“You respect the differing of perspectives regarding his actions and past. You allow him the space to grow and improve without fixation upon the negative aspects he has enacted. The scars remain,” he acknowledged, “and you will carry them for a very long time. You make an active effort to not allow that to control you. I am proud of your own growth, little lynx.”

Trying to subtly wipe away his tears, Sun choked out a little laugh. “Lynx is new,” he commented, both joking and curious. 

“As is the knowledge of your array.”

“Pardon?”

The bigger man merely gestured vaguely. 

Upon tracing the motion to behind him, however, Sun blinked. Then he blinked again. Gunmetal and gold fingers moved slowly, poking at the translucent appendage behind him. Upon finding it to not, in fact, be a particularly benign hallucination, he slowly took it into his hands, in a state akin to shock. It was surreal to pet over his own tail, he noted absently. Upon a dawning curiosity, he lifted a hand, brushing around his ray casings, and paused as he felt the familiar tingling fruity sensation of Star Power, almost coalesced into something conjured, almost solid.

 He blinked slowly. 

“... Taurus. Be so fucking for real right now.” 

“Yes?”

“Am I a cat?”

“A lynx,” he confirmed, nodding. “These will fade in time, but your array is certainly Lynx.”

Caught between somewhere amid joy and utter exasperation, he just nodded. “Cool. My creator made me a into a super weapon, fucked me up, shit when to hell and now I'm a cat. This checks out.”

Fondness warming his chest, the blue man gave a soft hum. “Would you like to relax for a bit, to process this information?” 

“Yeah,” Sun nodded. “At least for a tiny while. I… my head is spinning and I'm frankly exhausted. Sorry.”

“You need not apologize,” the Astral declared. “It is understandable to require rest - you have experienced much in the past few hours. I merely wished to give you the chance to decide for yourself that which would best suit your needs.”

Nodding absently, the yellow bot continued exploring his temporary appendage. The limb certainly felt like a part of him, and the yellow portions matched his casing, but the rest of it was almost watercolored. Hues bled into one another smoothly yet somehow sweetly, a pleasing visual sensation that had an involuntary purr igniting in his chest. He blushed at it, clearing his throat to put a stop to the sound. “I think… maybe I just want to think. Take a nap, maybe. Then… I don't really know. I guess I can clean the house?”

“If you'd like,” the bull offered, “I could take you somewhere enjoyable. We need not think on nor address this topic should you feel it ill advised, but I did plan for an outing if you would require one.”

“Outing? Where?” Sun arched a brow, not upset but certainly confused. “What do you mean you planned for it?”

“You expressed a desire to visit the paleontological site,” he offered plainly. “I did research on the location, and have managed to isolate the coordinates to access its area. The Burgess Shale,” he offered, “within the Canadian Rocky Mountains, correct? Coordinate 51°26′N 116°28′W.”

Sun gaped for a moment before nodding. Slowly at first, then excited, his rays clicked as they shuddered. “Yes. Yes! That- You- You remembered that?”

Tilting his head as if uncertain as to why he would not, the bull nodded. “Of course. You were quite excited when you told me of the fossils commonly found there. Whilst the jellied fish may not be as abundant, the ancient arthropods were also a point which held your joy. I thought it would be… proper,” he hedged carefully, “to allow you opportunity to experience that prospective joy in actuality - especially given in response to a taxing exchange such as this. Even if not today,” he nearly hurried to explain, “I would still escort you there at any point you wish, should you allow me the honor.”

The expression on the solar model's face was nakedly vulnerable, something almost fragile in the surprised set of his brows, the curve of his lips. “You… You knew this would be hard on me,” he breathed, “so you wanted to… to take me somewhere after?”

Nodding sheepishly, the other flushed slightly. “Only insofar as you wished to go,” he reiterated. “I wished to allot options so that you may receive whatever it is you desire. Be it rest, a distraction, or even for me to leave you be for a period of time - whatever it is that you wish of me, it will be yours. I will respect any decision you make.”

“Then,” Sun spoke before he could think better on it, “can we stay here for a bit? Just a while, just a rest… and then we can go? Together?”

Smiling faintly, the blue starry being nodded, tipping his head. “Of course. Would you like to lay down? You seem tired.”

Before he could second guess himself, the yellow bot nodded. Shuffling closer, he tucked himself into the bull's side with a blush. “Is… is this okay?”

“Yes,” Taurus breathed. “This is perfectly acceptable.”

It took precious little time for Sunny to begin fighting his eyelids. His namesake overhead had begun to fully warm the small clearing, and between that and the blue and black arm coiled protectively at his back, resisting sleep was a lesson in futility. Slumber fell onto his systems in a gossamer quilt, drawing him under in pastel technicolor delight. The waning scent of his companion followed him into his dreams. Just before he drifted off entirely, his audio receptors caught a sound, a voice. 

“Rest well, sweet pixie.”

And so Sun did.

Chapter Text

There was a level of rage that only a mother can reach. Fury failed to describe it. Anger was too pale, too bland, to use. The maelstrom of emotions that it encompassed dripped with venomous winds, a miasmic burgundy cape of raw, unfiltered wrath. To attack a mother's child was to waltz hand in hand with the reaper. 

Sunny typically tried not to let his temper get the best of him. On a personal level, he did not enjoy the inevitable spiralling that strong emotional waves could drag him through, following the storm. It was safer and more comfortable for everyone when he kept the feelings tightly lidded and carefully contained. Luckily, anger was usually a last ditch reactive emotion once the rest had run their course. He could handle that, more often than not. 

Unfortunately, what was not usual was the moment that Taurus tensed at his side, Dazzle's little ears twitching as she turned to stare at the rigid blue skinned man. Trying to hide his own trembling hands, Sun carefully settled her into the cart, passing her the discount devil-pumpkin and witch-axolotl squishmallows from the vestiges of the autumn sale. While the little deer animatronic cuddled the soft toys, he drifted closer, not quite touching but making his presence known nonetheless with a mild energetic nudge. 

Marbled eyes turned, strict and unyielding. “The Beast,” he rasped lowly, cautious of little cervidae ears, “approached your home. He is in no mortal danger, but… there was an injury.” 

Endo carved from electrified ice, wiring lanced with panic, ivory optics grew wide and utterly panicked. “Jack,” he breathed tremulously. 

“He was bitten,” the Astral relayed softly. “There are plans being made currently to manage his needs. The effects seem mild, if any at all. Nebula has attended to him, and Solar is with him now. They are… reviewing options.” 

There was a roar of undulating whip-cracks of raw energy within his core. Rays quivered ever so slightly as Sun’s body went ominously still. The air suddenly felt heavy with an indescribable force, tingling with bristled motes of energy that instinctively nestled protectively around Dazzle, guarding her from the brunt of it. White eyes, luminous pupils shrunk into jagged slivers of fluorite, regarded the bull beside him unyieldingly. “Explain.” 

Releasing his own verdant energy in an attempt at wordless reassurance, the Astral did as commanded. “The Dark Star Power that was left in his system is minimal,” he offered quietly, “but exposure to any more may have devastating effects. For the time being, Nebula has advised any additional exposure to typical applications of Star Power may pose a danger. The current plan is to isolate him to allow the energy to dispel naturally… however…” 

Sun narrowed his eyes, arms folding across his chest. “Go on.” 

“... It may leave him vulnerable to NSP toxicity, should it be filtered organically. Should you feel comfortable or capable, you may be able to purify it within him, as you did with Lunar. It is a gamble, admittedly. The nature of your abilities is atypical for any Star being, Greater, Lesser or otherwise. The decision is ultimately up to you.” 

Despite the ache in his jaw and fingers, Sun kept his sharper features carefully tucked away. With a slow shake of his head, he barely registered as a seeking palm rose to close around a ray. “No,” he breathed through the tsunami of emotions, “It'll be up to Jack and Solar, too… but we can try. I'll talk to them.” The familiar push-and-pull of his magic began wafting upwards before he froze. “Shit, fuck - Dazzle, what do I-”

A cobalt hand closed over a saffron shoulder. “Allow me,” the bull offered, “to form a portal. I can complete the necessary transactions quickly and return her home.” 

“A-Are you sure? I have the list uploaded internally, so-”

“Forward it to the little doe, perhaps? Or alternatively, we may focus on the bare necessities for a fuller list another time.”

“Right,” Sunny sighed, startling as blue fingers brushed gently at his wrist, drifting upwards to intercept his palm, a buffer between his squeezing fingers and abused ray. Sagging softly, he nodded. “Right. Okay. Yeah. Thank you, Taurus - you're amazing.”

“I am merely acting in my own interest,” he offered in a comically deadpanned manner. “With you otherwise distracted, the doe and I will be able to acquire more chicken nuggets in the most covetous of shapes.” 

Biting back a snort, Sun shook his head with a wane smile. “Ah, truly the most nefarious of plans,” he remarked. “Corrupting my daughter, are you?” 

“Frankly speaking, I believe the truth is reversed.” 

“Well,” the sunny model huffed playfully, “Let's go get our mastermind caught up to speed, then. Come on, big guy.” 

Perched in the cart still - and caught red-handed as her dark fingers froze just shy of the cookie packets - Dazzle gave a faux-innocent blink as the duo returned. “Hi.” 

“Hello, Dazzle,” Sun pressed a kiss to her curls, expertly moving the sweet temptation under the trolley. “Listen, baby - Jackie got a little booboo while we were out and isn't feeling too well right now. Can you be a big girl for me and help Taurus with the grocery list if I send it over?” 

Peridot eyes grew wide as she frowned. “Is Jack gonna be okay?” 

“Yes,” the Astral rumbled soothingly, large hands wrapping gingerly around the handle of the cart, barely wide enough for both of his palms. “Your mother is going now to check on him. If he cannot assist, then they will be finding ways for young Jack to rest and heal, little one. Your friend shall be well regardless.” 

Dazzle glanced between the adults almost suspiciously before nodding. Two tiny hands rose upwards, small cloven pinkies extended. “Promise?” 

Sun immediately met her finger with his own, the bull following soon after once witnessing the odd earthen ritual. The yellow bot gave a soft smile at the little girl. “I promise, baby.” After a brief moment, he forcibly brightened his emotes, twirling his rays. “Ooh,” he cooed, “Why don't you get a special snack for him, huh? That way you can help, too!” 

“Okay,” the fawn nodded hesitantly, still nervous. “I help.” 

“Yes,” the daytime bot sighed, “You do help, Dazzle - so much more than you realize. I'm gonna send you a list, okay? Can you help Taurus get it and check out?” 

“Yeah, I can do it,” she offered a gentle smile, turning it to the Astral being with a scrunch of her nose as it widened. “We can do it!” 

The navy and cobalt man nodded with a smile smile. “Indeed, we can, little one. Let me know once you have the list, please. Then, we may bid your mother goodbye for now.” 

With a long hum, she bobbed her head. Nose twitching, she straightened. “Oh! Got it! The eggies and flour and ‘tatoes!” 

“Right,” the yellow bot breathed, “and the others, too, right?” 

“Mmhmm! There's one, two… seven thingies!” 

“Good girl, Dazzle. Now, you and Taurus be good. You can get a treat as a reward for your hard work, but try not to go too crazy, okay, baby?” 

“Yes, mama! Give Jack kisses from me, please?” 

Smiling, he nodded. “Of course, glitterbug. You both be safe, and I'll see you later, okay?” 

With the confirmations given, Sun handed his wallet off to Taurus, turned in place and promptly twisted his head to glance around. No cameras, no prying eyes - he hooked his fingers, wordlessly pulling the ambient magic into his limbs, and let the eldritch energy twine with his own natural accumulation. The barest weave of verdant light twisted among the magic, and Sunny sagged with relief as Taurus snuck enough energy in to place the portal down safely in the living room. 

“Thank you,” he breathed with a final glance back. 

“Go, pixie.” 

Nodding, he turned and stepped through. 

“Second mother!” 

Ivory eyes lit up with affection and adoration. “Hey,” the solar model greeted gently, giving a brief nod to the hooded being before meeting Solar's hard gaze. Hesitantly, he stepped forward, envisioning every ounce of power in his very wires spooling tightly into itself, leaving an almost uncanny absence around his casing. “What's going on, guys?”

“Taurus has explained the situation, I am certain,” Nebula inclined her head slowly, tone inquisitive despite its monotonous flow. “I presume you are here in regards to the final option.”

“Sort of,” he gave a weary chuckle, “I know the gist, and I want to help. I just also know this is a decision for you both to make,” he met his cousin and nephew's eyes evenly, splaying his fingers slowly. 

“What options,” the shorter orange and ochre bot drawled, something almost angry in his tone. Brows pinched, he took a mild step closer to his son, arm wrapping tightly around Jack's little waist. “I thought Star Power was a no-go for this?”

“In most situations, it would be,” Nebula informed him evenly. “Sunrise, however, is a special case, even among other Astral or Star based entities. Exposure to Star Power may be detrimental to your… son?”

“Yes, I am Jack!”

“To your Jack, then. Exposure to Star Power from a Nursery, however, would carry none of the potential negative effects.”

“Nursery,” the eclipse model arched his brow, looking utterly flummoxed. “The hell is a Nursery?”

Twiddling his thumbs almost nervously, Sun fluttered his rays. “That would be, uh, well, me! Long story short, the Creator tried harnessing Star Power before Moon and I even existed, but he couldn't use it. So he… basically made someone who could. O-Only I never quite finished the process to become an Astral or otherwise. A bunch of stuff happened, and the energy just… pooled together instead of dispersing.” He shook his hands slightly, trying not to grab at his rays, less than pleasant images and feelings crawling at his memory banks. “S-So instead of becoming a Star, I became a Nursery. Kind of ironic, ya know? B-BUT!” He splayed his fingers, giving a frankly poor attempt at jingling jazz hands, “I may be able to, kind of, sort of… purify the energy? Or at least siphon it out.”

Blinking slowly at the wall of information suddenly bashing him straight in the face, Solar took a tremulous breath. “You could… help?”

“I think so, yeah,” the solar bot softened. “But I will only do it with your express permission, Sol. I love Jack with everything I have, and I refuse to put him in harm's way.” 

The two rayed bots held each other's gazes evenly for a long moment. Neither moved, and it was entirely possible the pseudo standoff would have lasted longer were it not for the soft spoken interruption. Jack's hand tugged at his father's arm as he spoke. “I trust momcle Sun. I am okay with his sparkle powers. He helped Lunar, too, so it is a tactical decision.” 

“Lunar?”

Cringing, Sun deliberated how exactly to address that particular can of worms. Luck would have it that Nebula beat him to the punch. “Young Lunar experienced an interaction with Rez a short period of time ago. The ramifications of such a meeting could have been far more dire had Sunrise not purified his star power matrix.” 

“D…” The eclipse model gave a sigh so heavy with emotions that it may well have counterbalanced a freight lift. “Did everyone know about this except for me or-?”

“O-Oh, no, I haven't mentioned it,” Sun was quick to wave a hand almost frantically, “in part because I didn't really know how or… or why it happened? And also because Lu wanted to share it on his terms, you know?” Shooting a glance to the pumpkin themed bot still perched on the table, feet swinging, he arched a brow. “I'm personally wondering how you knew, Jackie?”

“Jack sees everything,” he announced shamelessly. His saffron optics curved upwards with the force of his smile. “Everything…”

“That’s not unnerving at all,” Solar huffed, rubbing his temples. “Fuckin- okay, look, Sun, you’re sure you can handle this? Not that I think you’re, like… incapable or anything, just-” 

A gold and gunmetal hand curled tenderly around orange and ochre. “Hey, no. I get it,” the daytime attendant assured. “If I were in your shoes with Dazzle, I’d be terrified, too. It’s okay.” Giving a brief squeeze, he flashed a smile, mildly more confident than he felt. “As for this? I’m positive I can try - and that even if it doesn’t work, I can contain any adverse reactions to not cause him any harm or damage. I promise you, Solar.” 

Outtake vents flicking open, the darker rayed animatronic gave a steaming gust of a sigh. “... I trust you,” he said at last, gripping their joined hands tightly. “C… could I be with him? Just in case? I’m… really not too fond of the idea of leaving him alone right now.”

“Of course,” the taller bot nodded warmly, the center of his optics glinting with an odd yet comforting light. “Hop up on the table or into a chair. Jackie,” he turned, smile widening, “could I take a look at that bite, honey?”

With his brother in all but code sagging into a chair next to him, his nephew presenting the wound to him without hesitation, Sun folded himself to his knees, laid a delicate hand at ankle and knee, and reached deep within himself. 

The supernova within, awake and aware in ways it hadn’t been for far too long, first preened at the opportunity to unfurl. Then, after a frigid pause, it raged at the harm to a cub. Bristling in aghast, the undulations of energy curled and coiled, pulsating around saffron and dandelion casings with glowing starbursts around and within his eyes. Pupils, usually lost in a sea of ivory, trained onto the wound with the precision of a predator, fangs slipping free with a gossamer shower of silver light as chromatic claws danced transparently between reality and illusion. The taste of fruits clogged the air, saturated in sweetened honey and a sensation of crisp dried treats. Awash in the Lynx’s power, Sun inhaled the prism of potential from his core, held it for a moment, and slowly released it in a plume of protective, nurturing life-force. 

Jack and Solar both stared in unabashed fascination as the sickly indigo and violet stains on and in the teen’s leg began to bubble. Like hydrogen peroxide on a wound, it seemed to fizz upwards and outwards, pushing from the punctures and tears. Beading in the air, it was like witnessing the internal liquids of a lava lamp rising. The older orange bot seemed to be itching for his notepad while the younger was watching in ecstatic interest. 

“Like Sakura,” he breathed, barely beating back the urge to flap his hands. His faceplate twirled slowly, orange and midnight violet absorbing the sight with giddy awe. “From Naruto…”

Sun flashed a slight smile, snorting softly at the comparison before refocusing on the task at hand. Each bundle of toxic energy was gathered in what felt like a palm, hovering to his left and framed in iridescent glints of energy. It was painfully familiar, agonizingly easy to imagine the space contracting, heating, igniting - and then there was fire, emitting every color imaginable and then some, bursting to life to leave chromatic white in its stead. The wisps curled, flowering into abstract shapes as they were coaxed inwards, looping around an apricot rayed head like a halo. 

Nebula watched on, outwardly impassive. Internally, however, she did not miss how the verdant energy unspooled from a spinal column, weaving amid the crown of the being before her like luxuriant vines upon a trellis. Taurus and Sun, hm? She could work with that. Earth would love it. 

Solar, despite the dizzying relief at watching the sickness be purged from his boy’s body, found his mind racing beneath the surface. His hands held Jack steady, his eyes held a gratitude inexplicable with words, and his posture seemed to sag under the release of untold burdens. He was happy, ecstatic even! But he was also curious. He was nervous. 

Because he had seen fire like that before. 

And before he could question it, could say anything, Sun was done, was pale and swaying. Steadying his brother came first, bundling his son and the starling onto the couch. Taurus and Dazzle returned nearly moments after. The question was lost in the ensuing bustle, in the delight of snacks and toys, in the pride over no less than six different shapes of chicken nuggets, and a bottle of the bubbling grape juice that Sun favored since he’d cut off the drinking. Solar watched it all, engaging all he could, even as the children managed to somehow rope the bull man into playing Minecraft. He watched over them, mind running wild with theories, questions, and bittersweet hope-and-fear.

Because damn it all to every hell, Solar had seen those - apparently purifying - flames before. 

And he’d watched Nexus be consumed in them.

Chapter Text

There was ringing - a deafening gong of church bells, a ringing choir of shrieks and booms that infused the air with an undulating force that crushed his endo to paste. Lights danced in his eyes, his mouth, his wires, overwhelmingly sweet and thick. Fruit seemed to infuse each sense in a kaleidoscope of input, colors and touch and taste overwhelming him beneath the ebb and flow of pressure. 

His claws dug into the nest he laid in, plush and dancing with tendrils of smoke, motes of ephemeral light. It tasted of sanctuary, and the flavor of home would ordinarily have brought a purr to his throat. Now, it only unleashed a broken keen. One, two, three, he counted, snuggled up and safe - his kits, his wards, his babies bundled together in a tangle of limbs. They breathed and glowed with their own prisms of life, beautiful and cherished, stunning and blindingly adored. One, two, three, four, five-six, it should be, he mourned, and the pain was raw despite its age. One, two, three, four, five-six it would never be again, two-three souls tearing free of the nest, of the light, of the den into the miasma pooled around. One, two, three, it is, and yet one, two, three, four it could be. 

He lifted his head, rayed and bright. He inhaled the rainbow fire around them, the walls of protection forged in grief and carved with the broken, jagged pieces of his own core. Energy swirled in a boneless waltz, fluorite and angel aura quartz reflecting, refracting, replenishing the blaze. The light grew brighter, blinding, scorching hot, yet never once did it lick over the threshold of the nest, never once did it touch the kittens within. The fires rose high, and he swallowed them.

 In, in, in, he breathed. 

A single eye, pulsating with color, high above and looking down through the tunnel of flame, slid open, seven pointed pupil contracted into plasmatic white. It stared, wide and alert, frantic, frenzied. 

Sun inhaled beneath that gaze, heedless of his own tears, and released a scream that rattled the fabric of creation.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Ivory eyes sprung open suddenly. He did not awaken with a scream, no thrashing or flailing. The room was dark, and the barest hint of moonlight drifted in from the balcony door. There was the faint sound of the wind chimes twirling in the breeze, the house’s generic noises echoing in a deep drone in the relative silence. A blanket rested over his lap, spread across himself and the two smaller bodies tucked into the loveseat. 

Jack was propped against the other side, nestled in with pillows to elevate his leg while the epoxy and protective coating cured internally. Tucked around him were spare cushions, blankets, stuffed animals and pieces of nearly shredded sponges. Dazzle had made sure to include everything she thought could even marginally make her cousin/brother/bestest friend feel better with his booboo. 

The deer herself was curled impossibly small between the pumpkin themed lunar model and her solar themed caretaker, little head resting on her folded arms. Pillowed on Jack's hip, she was in a seemingly uncomfortable position, though soundly still she slept. In one elbow, snuggled close, was the newly acquired stuffed witch toy, its counterpart in a nearby orange, ash and ochre grip. 

Sun softened with a faint smile. Moving slowly so as to not disturb them, he rose, tucking the blanket back around the two. Unable to resist, a quick kiss was pressed to each forehead, made only mildly difficult with Solar's body half sprawled on the floor. The extra effort was worth it as he pressed another peck to the young teen's head, recalling the promise he'd made to Dazzle. Kisses delivered - hopefully it counted - he manuevered carefully around the sprawled form of his warm toned brother in all but code. Even in sleep, the mechanic had a protective grip on his son's hand. A forehead kiss to Solar was given as well, endlessly careful so as to not disturb the man, and Sun pulled back with a twirl of his rays. Speaking of brothers, however, he turned and gave a mild sigh. 

Lunar and Moon had somehow managed to tangle themselves in at least three throw blankets, limbs knotted in ways that seemed impossible to manage. Leave it to naptime bots to sleep hard enough to defy physics, he mused, fondly exasperated. The set of twins currently snoozing on either side of his pastel brother did bring him to pause for a moment. Castor and Pollux had sandwiched their small love between them, clutching tightly, the former snuggled almost normally while the latter had thrown an arm and leg into the mathematical anomaly known as the blanket prison. The rest of Pollux's limbs were sprawled over Lunar and her twin. 

The second - or third, depending on perspective - Astral being in the home was not asleep nor within the living room. Taurus sat quietly on the balcony, thumbing absently over a newly made and even more recently gifted bracelet. His marbled eyes were on the messy, uneven knots, lidded and soft. That gentle gaze lifted as Sun approached him on bare, silent feet. 

“Hey,” the bot offered softly, taking a seat once the door had been quietly shut behind him. “Do you need anything?”

“No,” the other replied simply, head tilting. “Did you, pixie? It is quite late. You rarely experience sleep interruptions as of late.” Almost hesitantly, a blue hand shifted, slowly turning to offer his palm. “... Did you experience a nightmare?”

A gold and gunmetal hand fell gently into the offered hand with a quiet sigh. “I don't… know, really,” he admitted, faceplate twirling slowly. “It felt less… scary, and more… disquieting, I suppose.” And real, he hesitated to say. By the stars, it felt so real. 

“Your energy is quite active,” the bull remarked casually, frowning. “It seems less like the hearth you typically bare, erring more towards a bonfire close to spreading.”

Cringing, Sun rubbed a hand over his eyes. “Ugh, yeah, I can feel it, too. I keep telling myself that it’s fine, that we’re fine, but just-!” He rolled his eyes upwards, staring at the canopy, eyes drifting towards the west by habit. “... it feels wʀoռg,” he said, voice almost hollow, as if the stardust in his simulated lungs soaked up any and all inflection. “The… the ɖɛռ… it ɨֆ ֆɛƈʊʀɛ … but ɨȶ ɨֆ ռօȶ ʄʊʟʟ.” 

Marbled eyes widened, then returned to their typical set. Glancing to the side, Taurus heaved a soft sigh. “... I see your dilemma,” he offered as tenderly as he could. “I cannot… bring your cubs to you. I can, however, assure, that you will regain at least one, in time.” 

Sun - Lynx - blinked, gaze hazy. “ȶɨʍɛ?”

“Yes,” the bull assured, rubbing a soothing trail with his thumb over metallic knuckles. “In time, My Lady, things will be well. I ask for your trust in me, in my words to be true.” 

Blinking, head tilting in a way both familiar and completely alien, the newly awakened Starling gave a soft hum. “ɨʄ ǟռʏ ɦɛǟʋɛռʟʏ ɮօɖʏ ɦɛʟɖ ʍʏ ȶʀʊֆȶ,” the feline array admitted, voice multi toned, “ɨȶ աօʊʟɖ ɮɛ ʏօʊ ǟʟօռɛ.” 

Flushing slightly at the words, the horned man gave a soft, tender smile. “Then allow me to safeguard your den for this night,” he offered, inclining his chin in a short bow. “Tend your brood within, and allow myself to be the first line of defense. It would be my honor.” 

Despite how heavily the offer weighed in the air, the two held it with a comfortable ease. After a brief moment, the solar themed bot gave an almost dizzy nod, blinking as his eyes lost their jagged edge. A strangled sound escaped his voicebox, and the yellow hued being sagged into the grounding cobalt touch the moment it met his body. “Mʏ hɛaɖ,” he rasped out, squinting. 

“I am sure it hurts fiercely,” the Astral whispered. “I will explain more once you have slept, pixie.” 

“Nnngh… okay.” Without opening his eyes, he made blind grabby-hands at the other. 

Despite a moment of uncertainty, the other complied. It was only as Sun squirmed that he paused in his movement to rise. 

“No,” the other murmured, nuzzling closer, clinging tightly to the celestial being’s tunic. “Stay. Comfy…” 

Taurus blinked in surprise before he bit back a fond chuckle. Instead, he merely shifted his grip, cradling the smaller being in his arms, tucked close to his chest. Cradling that willowy body had a warmth brewing in his chest, only intensifying as a soft purr rattled from within that tiny torso. Green-moss-brick-oaken energy nudged curiously, melting as sugar-light-heat-chromatism met him, twining like fingers, braiding like fibers. Is this, he mused absently, gaze drifting back to the messy charm bracelet, what love is?

Glinting in the waning light, in mismatched colored beads, centered around little lopsided knots, said a single word. Papa.

No, he thought to himself. This felt like family. And that is much, much more powerful a feeling. 

Chapter Text

“I beg your finest of pardons?" 

“Then beg.” 

Sun blinked, baffled before slowly releasing a sigh. “Guys,” he began carefully with his patience audibly waning, “Please… let me get up.” 

A growl was released into a split toned chassis, nestled into hues of yellow. Two sets of clawed hands clung on either side, talons carefully angled to avoid harm. One vermillion bot continued to growl as the other tapered into a disgruntled huff. Harvest tilted his head up, spiralling eyes narrowed in obstinance. “Denied,” he grumbled again. “It is our turn with the sunny one! That is the deal-”

“That which we demand, to be brought to heel!” 

Allowing his head to thunk back with a tired groan, he toyed absently with a loose thread in the blanket nest up in the attic-that-absolutely-was-not-Bloodmoon's-room. “I know the deal,” he reiterated, “but I do have things to do today. We talked about it last night before the movie, remember?” 

“We did not listen,” Harvest huffed unrepentantly. “Therefore it did not happen. Isn't that right, other?”

“Just so, brother.” Hunter tightened his grip, clinging with arms and legs as if he could spidermonkey-cling the daytime attendant into submission. “It is our time with the Sunman, of that we are sure. Any who intrude will be rended to gore.” 

“Crazy idea,” the yellow bot snarked, “but how about no.” 

“Sunman, yes.” 

“Sunman, no,” he huffed with a feeble squirm. “I know you both heard me because you were asking questions about it and- wait.” Rays springing out, his head shot up and tilted down. No eyes met his as the twins immediately burrowed down again. Manually refreshing the connection with his voicebox, Sun stammered out, “Wh- no… are... are you two jealous?”

“As if we would be jealous of some- some Star!”

“We'd sooner run him over with a car.” 

“We are simply retaining our Sun privileges!”

“As is our right!” 

“... you’re both welcome to come along,” the daytime attendant offered softly, reaching his free hand to pet over a navy hooded head, the other twiddling with the edge of Hunter’s jester cap. “We’re just taking the kids out for ice cream and then swinging by the dollar store. Then, it’s play time the rest of the day.” 

“We do not wish to spend time with the blue one,” Hunter rumbled unhappily. “The children are fine, but him? No!”

“Never would we lower ourselves so!”

Frowning, he gave a wordless churr. “In the beginning, Lunar said you guys had been excited to meet him, though? Not too long ago, I was trying to keep you and Jack both from badgering him for a spar. What happened?”

The twins gave synchronized groans, turning to meet each other's eyes. A silent exchange was given before Harvest gave a strangled hiss and squirmed into a more comfortable position. Hunter, meanwhile, tilted his head up, pentacle eyes lidded with petulance. “The Bullman was interesting to I and my brother, until the damned man put the moves on our mother.”

“Oh.” Sun blinked. 

The twins did not move. 

“... oh. Oh!” Vents releasing a sudden gust of steam, the daytime attendant sat upright, hands slapping over his cheeks in a flustered tizzy. More than used to it, the bloodmoon twins just let themselves be dragged along bonelessly for the ride with minimal grumbling. One plopped across a striped lap while Harvest hung half-trapped in a sudden incidental headlock. Sun, unaware of anything beyond the stunned mortification, gave a strangled squeak. “Th-The moves on-? N-No, he’s just being- being nice! There’s no way-” 

“We can smell it,” Hunter pouted, picking at the hem of the daytime model’s pants. “The Bright Power is not ours to claim, but still we can sense its intentions, its game.” 

“The Bullman reeks of courtship!” Harvest flexed the hand pinned awkwardly next to his face, nose scrunched. “It is disgusting! Abhorrent!”

“Distressing…” 

“Mother is shared with pack alone,” Harvest huffed, “He holds no claim to you!”

Softening at the adamant declarations, Sunny brushed gentle fingers over the boys’ heads, cracking a wane smile. “There’s no claim,” the warm toned bot breathed quietly, “that I would ever accept that excluded my family, boys. That includes you little vampire brats.” He ignored the half hearted glares with efficiency born of experience. “Getting you both settled and safe here - that was rough, remember? It was hard on everyone, and it took a long time. Why would I invest energy like that just to toss it all away over the first handsome man who gave me the time of day, huh?” 

There was mutual grumbling, though Harvest shimmied around until his face was halfway buried against the solar model's chest. Hunter gnawed absently on the taller bot's ruffled skirt hem like a cat. After deliberation, it was the calmer AI who spoke, Harvest's voice quiet for once. “We suppose… you would not dare.”

“Of all of us, you are the most fair…”

Smiling down at them, Sun shifted, tugging the twin in his arm close enough to press a kiss atop his head, legs curling to lift Hunter enough to squish him slightly. Both gave disgruntled, hissing growls, yet tellingly did not move away, merely going boneless in tandem. “I'm glad you think so well of me,” he murmured, “and I'll do my best to live up to it. Taurus is… kind… to me. He's respectful, attentive, and I do enjoy his company a lot. I’d say I'm pretty fond of him!” The yellow bot chuckled, rays twirling as luminous white eyes grew lidded. “I like Taurus. But I love my family. You all will always come first. While I would like it if you tried to get along with him, I won't press the issue.”

Silence hung heavy for a few moments, thick but not heavy. Unspoken words drifted amid the dimly lit space, fairy lights and a single window the sole source of light. Sharp, taloned claws drummed against the blanket nest in thought. 

“... the plans for the day… it is shopping, then play?” Hunter turned, squinting upwards. At Sun's nod, he huffed. “We will accompany you, if we must. But if the excursion is boring, this will be a bust.”

“I'm glad you're willing to try,” the daytime themed attendant beamed warmly. “You both may even like what we have planned for the games, if it all works out!” Upon receiving two arched eyebrows, perfectly synced, he giggled. “I found this thing on Pintrest, with water guns and paint. I ordered a bunch of big white shirts already, so all we need are the colors and everyone’s preferred weapons.” Grinning mischievously, he gave a wink. “There will be war, and then there will be cookies~”

“... We like war.”

“And cookies.”

“Indeed we do, Other. What kind of cookies, Sun-brother?”

“Red velvet with white chocolate and cream cheese filling.” 

Two sets of eyes, ivory and wine hued, regarded him calmly. They slowly tracked to meet their other half, a silent exchange, before giving perfectly synchronized nods. “We accept your terms,” Harvest announced. 

“I have a question, though.” Hunter pushed himself up, disregarding any concept of personal space as he leaned in closer. 

Well used to it by that point, Sun just nodded. “I may have an answer.” Alabaster and vermillion hands pushed him back, and he conceded willingly enough, soon bundled once more beneath cuddly killers. Rolling his eyes, he rested a hand on each, thumbs automatically tracing absent trails between their shoulder blades. 

“We desire carnage! Bloodshed! Or… paint-shed, in this case? But make it red, like blood.” Hunter stared into the middle distance for a moment before shaking off his thoughts. “We wish to battle the Bull for your honor… and our pride.”

Sun bit back the instinctive urge to waive off the honor portion, instead opting to give a slow nod. “Yeah, that's fine, guys. It's sort of a free-for-all anyway, so if it makes you feel better, that's fine.” 

“It will.” 

“We will delight in his death throes.” 

Rolling ivory eyes, the yellow bot sighed. “Okay, but be careful, yeah? The last thing we need is Dazzle catching wind of murder-mode shenanigans.” 

Giving an affronted look, the twins reared back with matching scowls and glares. “We would not scare the child!” After a pause, Harvest tacked on, “Intentionally!”

“Ironically enough,” Sun groaned, “I don't think she would be scared, per se - she might just meet the energy.” He rubbed at the space between his brows, fending off a potential headache at the thought alone. “And that will inevitably rile up Jackie, which will just fuel you both. It’ll be a vicious cycle of Baby Fight Club. I do not need a repeat of Baby Fight Club.” 

“But Baby Fight Club is fun,” Hunter flashed a sharp grin. Harvest cackled with a nod. 

The solar bot leveled a blank, unimpressed look to both. “Fun for you gremlins. For me? It is hell.” Head plopping back against a pillow, he sighed, preemptively exhausted. One hand rose dramatically, fist shaking at the ceiling. “Hell, I do declare!”

“Hear that, brother? He does declare.”

“If only we believed him, so full of hot air.”

“...” The fist came down, bonking Hunter, then Harvest over the head - never enough to hurt, but enough to earn a grumbling hiss and mock-glare. “I hate you so much,” Sun groused. “Betrayed by my kits, my kin! How dare you? I feed you, clothe you, raise you, and this is the thanks I get? Blasphemy!”

“Luckily, we are not religious.” 

“Keep it up, and I'll put the fear of God in you both.” 

There was a brief silence before Hunter snorted a mere moment before Harvest burst into manic cackling, the twins shaking under the force of their mirth at the threat. Sun held his own laughter for a few powerful seconds before joining them. The trio trembled together, tears welling under the heaving levity before finally tapering off. Flopping down, Hunter sprawled atop of the solar model, earning a huff before a second followed with Harvest layering on top. Utterly squashed beneath navy and vermillion clothed bodies, the daytime attendant went obligingly limp. 

“.... I still need to get up, you know.”

“Five more minutes,” the more feral twin rasped. 

“Then, we shall accompany you.” 

“Yeah?” A gunmetal and gold hand lifted to pat absently across the highest back atop him. “You promise?”

“Promises are weak, a pathetic vow-”

“Not even if I say we can get McDonald's on the way?”

It was magic, the way both of the twins sprung upwards, nearly colliding in their haste. Sun bit back a snort of laughter as Harvest blurted, “Now, we can go now.” 

“We promise to be good. I want the cow flesh!”

“And pie.” 

“Mmm, yes. Pie…” 

Losing the war against his amusement, Sun chuckled warmly, sitting up. “Alright, you goofy goblins. Pick a few stim toys, and grab a blood bag from your fridge.” Unable to resist, he ruffled over hood and hat both, cracking an unrepentant grin as they swiped at him with a growl. “I'll get the kids ready, and then we can call Taurus. Do you want to go as one or two?” 

The duo conferred silently even as one drifted to the dresser to pull out their box of toys, the other scampering towards a black mini fridge in the back corner. With them debating, the yellow bot pushed himself upwards, stretching his long limbs out with a pleased hum. Crossing his arms, he waited patiently. Harvest returned with a chewable pendant hanging around his neck, a mini bike chain toy, a squeeze ball full of orbeez, and a textured tangle in his hands. They were swiftly shoved into the pocket of his hoodie when Hunter returned with two baggies. 

“For the trip, we will be one-”

“Two for the play, for maximum fun.” 

Sun nodded easily, smiling softly. “Alrighty then! I'll go get the kids fixed up. You guys get dressed, meet me in the kitchen once you're ready.” Leaning down, he pressed a quick kiss to each head, delighting in their muffled sounds of playful outrage. Hesitating for a moment, he pulled them in for a quick hug, rays spinning as they immediately clung back despite Hunter's theatrical gag. “Thank you both… I'm grateful you are trying.” 

“Shut your face.” 

“We are doing this for food-” 

“And to be bad influences on your brood.”

Chuckling, he nodded easily, absently rubbing his cheek against their own, one at a time. Pulling back, he tilted his head. “Then, thank you for being so easily bribable. Remember to grab a sweater or coat, though! It's calling for rain later.” 

“Eugh… detestable water… fine.” 

The twins stepped back, and, beginning at their closest arms, they seemed to break away into alabaster, navy and vermillion particles, drifting closer in a swirl until they began clumping back together in gradual bursts. The entire process took perhaps a minute, but it was far faster than when they were initially taken in. The transfer from solid bodies to nanomachines was an arduous process, especially when both were as damaged as they had been. Between code corruption, physical damages, and lost sections of memory banks, the two had independently been deemed a bit of a lost cause by most. It was a miracle they'd survived, let alone improved to this point. 

The two would never be as they had in the beginning, nor as they were when under Ruin's thumb, but it was perhaps for the better. This fresh start was good, on multiple fronts. Sun was just grateful to have them BACK with everyone. 

Eyes fluttered open, optics flickering between spirals and pentacles before, with a squint and scrunched nose, they reoriented into a ringed star pattern. It took a moment longer before the fusion gave a huff. “Still strange,” they remarked, “but better.”

“I'm glad,” the daytime bot mused, smiling warmly. “Drink your blood, boys, and we'll be out of here in, say… thirty minutes.”

Instead of giving a verbal response, Bloodmoon simply inclined their chin, lifted a bag to their mouth, flicked the stopper with a single claw and began nursing on the liquid within like a particularly morbid juice pouch. Turning, they stepped over to the dresser, and began rooting around in the drawers within. 

Satisfied with the plan, Sun made his way to the trapdoor, flicked it open and dropped down, forgoing the ladder entirely. With new - amended - plans in mind, he stopped by his room first to grab his wallet and throw on his own clothing. Not feeling up to anything particularly fancy, he opted for blue jeans, a white collared shirt and cardigan. Only once he was ready, he moved on to drop a time reminder to Jack and Dazzle, biting back laughter when the dynamic duo nearly fell over one another in their excited scrambling. Leaving them to get dressed, he made his way down the stairs. 

Sending off an esoteric call, Sun purred contentedly as he packed up a few items in case of emergency needs. Things were a bit odd, and the dynamics were twisted and folded in ways alien to many - but it was so very warm. It was comfortable. It was homely. 

It was enough to nearly distract him from the raw tear still weeping violet within. 

Chapter Text

Armed with cookies, veggie straws and a juice box, she merrily carried her snack back outside with a grin. The shirts hung from a line to the far edge of the yard, splatters of color and handprints alike setting into the pale fabric. It was a lot of fun, she decided, ears wiggling - fun, yet super duper messy. 

Mama had put up tarps, she knew, but things got a little extra crazy when Hunty and Harvey convinced Jackie and her to gang up on the grown ups. It didn't exactly have a winner, per se, but Dazzle secretly thought that if it did, it would have been Sunny. Not even mister papa- Taurus had as many hits land! 

…. 

Dazzle bit into her cookie, brows furrowing. Now that she thought about it, what was Taurus, really? He was Mama's friend, but they weren't very kissy-smoochy like mommies and daddies were on TV. She knew he was like untie Gemini, but he didn't really feel like an uncle. She had quite a few of those, and while Mama definitely loved uncle Moon and uncle Solar, the color of his love for Taurus was much, much different. It was darker, a sort of richer, dusty pink that was sort of red and kind of purple, too. Their bubbles always mixed up when they were together, too. It was quite curious…

Setting her snack on the patio table, she munched on her way through the food as she pondered. Mixed up colors wasn't anything new to her - everyone was all sorts of colors and had a bazillion different patterns. It wasn't even weird to have different, mixed up ropey-things from their chests! Like Lunar was her uncle, and he had some uncle ropes, but he had brother ropes, too. He was mama's brother and baby - just like Hunty and Harvey. Jackie was baby and nephew, and Solar was like her uncle-papa! Everyone uses the main words for things, but Dazzle was a very smart little doe and could see all the pretty layers they held. She still did her best to use the comfiest words for others.

Finding the words for Taurus was hard. 

Sometimes, it seemed like friend was a good one to use. And while that always felt sort of right, it was usually overshadowed by a feeling that it could be - and should be - better. Uncle was close, as was papa, but there were weird little layers on top and underneath that made them feel… well, not really wrong, but also not quite right. The bracelet she made said papa, and her heart said papa, but his heart was… shy? Scared? She wasn't sure. He felt it, too, though - she could see it plain as day. 

He felt it really strongly - especially today, when Hunter and Harvest had challenged him to a duel. It only got stronger when they decided to make it war. War was fun, when everyone played together! With the bloody twins filling their water guns with lots of red and Jack sneaking sips of the paint water, Dazzle herself had been their sleepy agent with her lavender pistol. Mama was very good at dodging and firing the guns, and Taurus even laughed when she got him in the a-key-lees heel. She had, ultimately, been taken hostage and held on his shoulders for a while, but it was worth it when everyone laughed and played. 

She had the added bonus of being close enough to practically taste the colors that the bullman was feeling, up close and personal. It tasted like nothing at all, but also like everything good. The way it made her feel was what drew the comparisons, she thought - warm like the Super Secret Special Moony Exclusive hot cocoa, happy like mama's mini cakes and cookies, comfy like the warm fresh bread and butter that she and her mama make when it gets cold… The tastes were like feelings and the feelings felt like tastes. If she had to put a word to it, it would be cozy. 

Taurus was big and strong and maybe a little teeny tiny bit intimidating - but most of all, he was super duper cozy. 

She hoped Hunter and Harvest could feel that, now. They had always been… kind of timid, if she had to put a word to it. They could see and hear and feel it, too, but it was like they tried extra hard to not let it sink in. It reminded her of the lego blocks she, Jackie and their uncles played with sometimes. They would build up big, hard and sharp walls to stay away from the softer pieces, but they always left little peekaboo holes for special people like her and mama. Dazzle was decently sure that they were scared of letting other people in, and they were scared of the ways things could change. 

The water war seemed to help, she mused. Every splatter and cackle seemed to lift a brick from their walls, and eventually she even saw the special ribbons from inside their bodies start peeking out. Some tickled at her and Jackie, and a few tugged at mama. Most importantly, though, was that she had seen a few times that their own reds met Taurus's dark green and blue. It was a really pretty sight, and it left the scent of campfire smoke on the back of her tongue, burnt sugar and rich chocolate dancing in a pleasant way. 

She bit down on a veggie straw, salted snack mingling with the echoes of the memory. Humming, she watched on as Hunter and Jack rolled around in the grass down below. The sound of her… brother-cousin and brother-uncle-friend wrestling was nice, she decided. They were quiet with their outside voices, but their inside voices were much brighter, louder and happier. She liked when they were happy. It was like music, sort of, and even Harvest was releasing a good melody as he sat, crouched like a gremlin, next to Taurus. She couldn't see what they were doing from her position but by the way the red bot was swaying, the curly-flick of his tail, she was pretty sure they were probably playing marbles. Harvey liked marbles. 

Dazzle liked when her herd was happy. 

Sipping her apple juice, she smiled. Hooves swinging back and forth, she soaked in the sounds and tastes and colors of the moment, content and comfortable. Things were very good, she decided. Nothing could ruin today.

Her ears pricked upwards, eyes flying open as she turned her head. She had a split second to see the air in the yard riple, to feel the way the pressure changed, before there was a loud sound like tearing fabric. Ducking under the table, she did the only thing she could think of. 

“MOMMY!”

B̵͈̰̗̙͍́̿͌̍̌̅̋̇̑͐̈́̽͂͠Ơ̶̛̫͖̘̱̋̎̓͂̐̆̽̌̌̓̂͂̉̈̌͘̚Ō̶̧͇̇̅̿̌̏Ḿ̵̨̟̗͔̲̻̲͈̹̩̺̘͉̺̳̙͚̗̹͈͙͐͆͛̎͒̊̾

Chapter Text

Plumes of color danced at xir ankles, speckled with brilliant twinkling lights that ebbed and flowed like a luminous heartbeat. Barefoot, the rich teal that danced and pulsed within xir body seemed to sing in tune with the swirling life of the cosmos. Golden and glinting, the basins hung heavy on the soundless scales. 

Libra stared, motionless, at xir ward. 

The body before xem was small, even smaller than what xey had expected. The Negative Star Power had sunk its claws far deeper than xey could begin to fathom, it seemed. The purifying force which stripped it bare left little to work with; had it been done any later, had it been purged in any other way, the soul before xem would have passed through the veil without any chance of salvation. The most fortuitous case would have been a simple transition to the afterlife - with such echoes of the insidious energy, it was entirely possible this small being could well have been dragged back to be shackled beneath the miasmic power source he'd been so ensnared by before, perhaps even by another insidious force lying in wait. It was a miracle, xey suspected, that this little ember had survived at all. 

Miraculous, or perhaps more fittingly, a solemn reminder of just what they all were dealing with. 

Libra was old - older than most of xir siblings by far. Excluding Pisces, xey outranked xir shieldbrothers by well over a millenia. Beyond the council itself, only three conscious entities remained among the heavenly bodies with experience equal to or exceeding xir own. There were precious few with more history to their name than the High Judge. 

Libra wondered on occasion if it was a blessing, to be so comparatively old, or instead a particularly ingenious punishment. 

Xey had seen many things in xir lifetime - the rise and fall of planetary systems; the birth of hope and the end of love; the snuffling heat of infantile astrals and their eventual deathrattles; the wars waged across the very heavens they had sworn to protect, leaving scorched remains in their path if only to fuel a far darker, far more dangerous and twisted goal… Xey had seen it all. From cradle to cremation, the array of Divine Judgement had bore witness to every event of note since the day xir gaze faded into being. There was very little which could surprise xem. 

The curled body before xem was certainly the first in a long while.

In theory, it made an odd sort of sense. Loss is a difficult, traumatizing experience to bear, and any mortal entity would instinctively seek to avoid that inevitable end, in themselves and loved ones. Regardless of for whom the bell tolls, those remaining would be awash in the grief of loss. The interconnected nature of social beings may even bypass self-preservation, in specific cases. This one in particular, however… well, even the Judge can be stumped, xey mused with a wane quirk of xir lips. 

A small deep violet hand swung clumsily in the air, florid glowing gaze flitting across the lights and shapes just barely out of reach. Fingers strained in a useless grapple upwards, endlessly enamored and focused upon the amorphous entertainment overhead. A chittering coo escaped with each feeble lunge, infantile and pitiful as it led to further displeased babbling. 

Libra had never considered xemself one to be particularly fond of children, as a whole. They were wonderful from afar, and some were acceptable at closer proximity in small doses. Ursa Major and Minor, for example, were delightful company, if the cub’s typical antics were suitably calmed. Children were precious, ought to be protected, and Libra was unapologetic regarding xir own personal ambivalence of them as a whole. Xey were meant to pass Judgement, not to tend youths. 

And yet… 

Drawing thin, calloused hands over the infant's forehead, xey watched on quietly as the little split face lit into a guileless smile. Attention thoroughly redirected, those dark little palms reached instead for the teal and midnight entity looming above, batting happily at the dangling bandages which seemed to dissolve under his touch. A happy squeal escaped those little lips, and Libra gave a soft hum in turn. This is a miracle, xey mused. This little being, reduced to the perfectly arranged fragments that could slot back together with the infection surgically cauterized with holy fire, was nothing shy of miraculous. 

This was just what xey needed. 

Being among the eldest led Libra to numerous responsibilities, ones layered atop even xir own cosmic alignment. The Convocation of Elders was tasked with advisory roles at bare minimum, lest history repeat itself or patterns go unnoticed. The group had been founded, in a sense, not long after the recession of the most recent cosmic war, cobbled together with what little remained of their celestial forces. Dark Star Power, insidious and infective, had decimated their ranks, fighter and healer alike. They had tried to respect the honor of battle against their NSP foes; the sentiment had most assuredly not been reciprocated. Casualties were high - and they grew higher still when highly specific Astral beings were targeted by their Dark foes. 

Nurseries were something altogether exotic, now. Once, they had been plentiful - wells of energy and birth, refreshing and fierce as they devoted their energy to creating and nurturing life. At present, however, those who remained were severely wounded at best and comatose at worst. Of the thousands upon thousands they'd once had, there were now only two who still served in their fullest capacity. As a result, many young starlets developed an idea of their nebulous brethren as relics of the past, forgettable and too weak to sustain any form of battle. The younglings considered Nurseries to be lesser.

Xey knew better. Xey had faced the truth rather intimately, eons ago when the population of Astrals was easily more than double its size today. The young little lights still learning their ways had never seen the wrath of a Mother protecting their clutch. Nurseries rarely took the frontlines, but when they did, when battle grew truly dire, merely one could easily turn the tides. Of all xey had stood beside on that cosmic battleground, it was the Nurseries to whom xey deferred unflinchingly. 

Many lives were lost during that tragedy - though the casualties lied heaviest with their foes. Xey had watched xir own Mother fall in a blaze of glory, protecting its Den and Nest. Very few alive currently understood or believed the true power of a Nursery, a sentiment that could very well have once proven fatal. Facing extinction following the Great Split, such notions drifted akin to pipe smoke among the ranks. True Nurseries were treated as stories, legends, myths - and that was presuming they earned more regard than merely being dubbed feeble nursemaids. Of those who remained, they were either elderly and waning, or far too wounded to fulfill the entire extent of the duties previously expected of them.

However, the metal-skinned feline xir brother was so taken by, out on that marbled planet under Castor’s watchful gaze…? 

Hm. 

There is nothing weak about a Mother, xey mused, finally lifting the fussing baby from his makeshift bassinet. Be it a permanent role, a transitional title, or even a synthetic simulacrum - the services and energy offered would be delivered much the same. Who could care, truly, if the healer tending your pains carried a heart singing to clockwork ticking or whirling winds? From dawn to death, all are but spacedust given sentience. A Nursery capable of this would have been the most skilled and experienced amongst any Star grouping. To imagine a robot made for far different intentions would manifest in such a way was unfathomable, let alone one with no formal training. Any who could attempt - and succeed at - such a feat as this would be a boon regardless of his physical form. 

Marvelous, Libra considered him. Simply, exquisitely marvelous.

Turning xir gaze back down to the child in xir arms, xey gave a pulse of energy, braiding feathers of light around the lilac cloud bundled closely together. Swaddled soon in blanket and power alike, pink eyes grew lidded before, with a pouting yawn, they finally drifted shut. Even still, the child did not release the iron grip on the edge of their gifted blanket, saffron clenched tightly between indigo fingers. Allowing the child to settle fully, xey held carefully still. Auriga's assessment of the child had been quite positive, and with little else to do, now that the monitoring stage was concluded, there remained only one task at hand to complete. 

Gathering up the energy to step between cosmic planes was, on its own, not particularly difficult. The distance played the largest part in any struggle. The further you go, the more it may cost. It took Libra a scant few moments to bolster xir reserves. Indulging in a rare smile, xey gave the slumbering child a gentle look. 

“Let us return you to your rightful Den… I would quite like to meet your Denmother.” 

With a flash of light and a wafting scent of floral wine, they vanished into the aether.