Work Text:
"Bye now, have a good day superstar!" Sun's voice rings out as he waves goodbye. And with that, all of the kids have gone home.
You breathe a sigh of relief. You're not out of the woods yet, though. Looking around, the daycare is a mess and in dire need of cleaning and preparation for the next morning.
"Another good day," Sun turns around, stretching his arms above his head. "Time for cleanup! With any luck we can get this mess taken care of soon enough so that you can actually leave on time today!" He bends down to tidy a few stray balls back into the ball pit.
You join him in beginning the long process of tidying and disinfecting. "It would definitely be nice to get to sleep on time," you say, yawning at the mere mention of sleep.
Thankfully Sun is very efficient. With programing and plenty of practice closing with you, the two of you are able to whip the place into shape in a timely manner. All that was left was to disinfect the play structure and furniture.
You grab two spray bottles of disinfectant and a cloth and head into the play structure. The shade is welcome shelter from the harshness of the overhead lights.
As you start to wipe down surfaces, you start to feel a familiar itch in your stomach. One that isn't able to be scratched. It's unpleasant, and accompanied by the strong urge to run away. Where to, you don't know. You no longer feel at ease here. The overhead lights shine through the rope barrier of the play structure. The lights are bright and overstimulated. Your breath hitches slightly and you freeze.
"I need a break, I can't do this. I need to get out of here but I can't until I finish. I-" Thoughts beginning to spiral, you manage to make your way to one of the covered slides.
Making your way to the bottom, you curl up into a ball. The cover of the slide offers some shade from the bright lights. You close your eyes, trying to steady your shaky breath and calm your racing thoughts, but it's easier said than done.
"I can't leave until I'm done but I can't feel better until I leave."
The the thought continues to loop in your brain as your breathing gets more and more unsteady. You run your hands through your hair, anxiously scratching your scalp.
"Oh friend, we're all done! Where are you?" Sun shouts from somewhere inside the play area, but you're too distressed to hear him.
Sun immediately notices something is off. You always answer when he calls you. He noted earlier that you seemed increasingly more exausted with each passing day this week, losing sleep to surprise overtime and nightmares. Stressors in your personal life seemed to be adding up too. Sun was grateful that he could be there for you to talk to, but talking doesn't make those stressors magically dissappear.
Sun makes his way out of the play area and begins to look around, eventually giving up and scanning the large area. He senses you in the base of one of the slides. He approaches slowly, noting your uneven breathing and anxious scratching.
"Superstar? Hey now, let's be gentle with ourselves," He approaches slowly and cautiously, his bells ringing softly. He sits on the edge of the slide and gently takes your hands in his, rubbing them softly so you don't scratch yourself.
"What's wrong, superstar?" He asks softly. You don't respond, eyes still shut and breathing quick, holding back tears. "Oh starlight..."
He thinks for a moment, wondering how to help his coworker.
"Starlight, may I touch you?" He asks, voice quiet, not wanting to startle you. You manage to nod, and he gently places one of his hands on your back, rubbing soft circles.
After a little bit he notes that the touch has seemed to ground you a little bit. "I need you to breathe with me, can you do that?"
You nod again.
He let's out soft guiding breathes through his voice box and you do your best to follow along. After a time, the combination of grounding touch and controlled breathing, as well as the shelter from the lights has you feeling a little better.
"There's my superstar! What's going on?" Genuine concern laces his voice, "what can I do to help?"
You pause for a moment. You want to answer but your head feels like it's full of cotton. Exhaustion seeps deep into your bones, crashing from the emotional exertion.
"The lights are too bright..." You manage to say after a moment of silence.
Sun perks up a bit, "Ooh ooh, I can fix that! Just sit tight and stay right here, friend!" Sun exclaims, bounding over to the lightswitch. He dulls the lights to a dim glow. The change in lighting brings moon out.
"Sorry to bring you out so early, Moonie. Would you mind taking care of our starshine for me? They seem to be going through a lot and could use some care."
"Of course, Brother. They've always helped us, it's our turn to help them."
Moon makes his way to the tunnel where you lay, still curled up, but visibly less distressed.
"Is there anything else I can do to help?" Moon asks softly.
You move to open your mouth, but the words won't come out. You let out a quiet whine. There's a stuffed animal in your bag, and all you want to do is hold it. You curl up a little tighter, holding your arms close to your chest.
Moon notices the whine and the change in your demeanor.
"Are words hard right now, Starlight?" He questions, no judgement lacing his voice.
You whine again and nod
"That's okay, we can work with that," He gently pets your head, and you relax under his touch.
Taking a wild guess, he asks you a question that's an easy yes or no.
"Is there something you need?"
A nod.
"Is it in your work bag?"
Another nod. Okay. He can work with that.
"I'll be right back starlight, stay right here," he leaves, getting your work bag from the daycare break room and bringing it to you, setting it down at the base of the slide.
"May I open your bag, Starlight?"
You nod, and he unzips the backpack and immediately notices a stuffed animal. He never thought his Starlight would have a stuffed animal of their own, but it makes sense.
"Do you want your stuffed animal, Superstar?"
You nod, opening your eyes and looking at moon, arms held out.
Moon smiles at you, moving the stuffed animal toward you. He makes it look like the stuffed animal is walking happily. It makes you giggle.
"Here you are now," He gently pats you on the head again.
You sit up in the tunnel, clutching the stuffed animal to your chest happily.
Moon watches as you hold the animal tight. You let out a yawn and rub your eyes. Moon's eyes narrow slightly at this. He knows you haven't been sleeping well recently.
"You need to get some rest, and driving while tired is very bad, Starlight. Stay here and let me help you get some sleep," He suggests.
You're too exausted and your brain feels too fuzzy to argue much, plus a good night's rest doesn't sound too bad right about now. You nod.
Moon moves away from the entrance of the slide and begins getting some blankets and pillows from the nap corner. You follow him, still clutching your stuffed animal. Seeing the pile of blankets and pillows makes you want to build a blanket fort. You realize the big blocks in the daycare would be perfect for that.
Collecting an armful of blocks and bringing them to the nap corner, moon seemed to be fashioning you a small nest of sorts made of pillows and blankets. He hears you approach and turns around.
"Blocks? What would you like to do with those, Starlight?" He inquires.
You giggle softly, "fort!"
Moving to one of the ends of the makeshift sleeping area, you deposit the blocks. You start stacking them, not too high and in a sturdy pattern. Leaving to grab more blocks momentarily, you return to continue building.
Moon smiles, seeing how happy and determined you look.
"Let me help, little one," He helps you stack a few blocks and complete the support structure around the nest. With his height, laying the sheets on top is easy. A few more minutes and some careful placements later and the fort is complete!
You smile, yawning again, and crawl into the fort, getting cozy for the night.
"Be right back," Moon tells you. Now that you're all settled in for the night he turns off the lights in the daycare fully. A few glow in the dark stars and cutouts on the side of the play area envelop the daycare in a gentle glow. It's not enough to distract from sleep, but it acts as a nightlight for the kids. Moon returns to the sleep area and crouches down, peeking into the fort.
"May I come in?"
You nod in answer to his question, and he carefully climbs in next to you. You make room, smiling softly. The quiet whirring of his servos is oddly soothing.
"Want a Moondrop? It may help you a little," He takes a small piece of candy from the pocket of his pants. You nod, sitting up so you can eat it. He hands it to you and you try to open it. You're so exhausted that opening it is a challenge. You struggle with the wrapper, letting out an irritated whine. You look towards moon and hand the candy back to him, frowning softly.
"Please help," You quietly request. He smiles at you and takes the candy out of its packaging.
"Open wide, Starlight," He says, holding out the candy. You open your mouth and he places it in, pulling his hand back. You make a small noise in thanks and settle back down.
"Want me to tell you a story to help you fall asleep?"
"Please," You answer softly.
Moon gives you a warm smile, patting you on the head and tucking you into the blanket. You sigh contently, finally feeling at ease for the first time in a while
"Very well then, little one. Now, once upon a time..."