Work Text:
“Well, I'm so glad you are waterproof..somehow..”
Henry mentioned calmly as he finished drying the larger Animatronic arm,part of him was sure the bodies he made years ago were NOT supposed to be wet, much less pushed into a pound, but he had learned that this Animatronic was not a mere reused model,his parts were created with hidden modifications, adds on and trinkets that basically made him different..and Unique.
Eclipse sighed deeply,shaking off the last drops of water from his legs, the pants looking even darker than before, some leafs had stuck to the fabric after he dragged himself out of the water for a 5th time , the slipper rested on a nearby rock to dry to the real sun, leaving his feet exposed to the dirt , but that wasn't the thing that seemed to be bothering the larger animatronic, his plastic face showed a deeper frown , he was clearly lost on though.
The old man layed eyes on his big face, despite the limited expressions Henry had somehow learned to read him like a book.how could he not? after their shared times.
One late night talking as Charlie rested in her new bed in the new house helped a lot, the magical and all powerful entity was still scared of the darkness and nightmares, despite her clear happiness mask, she felt tense, she needed the company of the other father figure with her, just to feel extra safe, and almost in no time, Eclipse was sitting in the floor, mumbling how much of a waste of time this was..but he stayed there until she was fully sleeping. And didn’t leave.
With the excuse to monitor her sleep, making sure she wouldn’t disappear on her sleep, he stayed, Henry then made small talk, he never expected the usually quiet animatronic to humor him for hours. the old man could see then what his daughter always said “he has a soft spot! but he keeps it hidden”.
Eclipse cared, but it was clear he tried to limit it, he never shared why, but Henry could see it, something..someone.. had made the dark animatronic think he couldn’t really get attached.. maybe his more human nature to relate had him believe he understood it, the lost of his family.. his wife then child and depression had played a major role on the old man, he could see the sadness on those white pupils, the way he barely touched her daughter sleeping body, his exhaustion on his voice when trying to reason he did not choose to be a parental figure, but.. never denied the work, just the title that was put on him.
Since that night months ago, Henry had tried to keep contact, guiding the Animatronic on his own parenthood with three kids, he offered the idea of swear jars and one computer for the kids to use. allowing his ear to the robot, slowly piecing together who he was.
He could see something stuck on that bright mind of his, always thinking,always planning, never resting.. in a way Henry saw himself on that machine, worried on what ifs, what could be, work written on his eye.. never fully appreciating what he had in front of him, the hand that once held a cotton fabric over his arm now gently lifted the heavy faceplate, snapping Eclipse from his own head.
“...What happened?..”
The old man asked the machine, his voice gentle, soft as to not let anyone else hear, brown eyes looking into the white leds, seeing the confusion turn into annoyance, then regret.
“... stuffs…but-”
The hand held him more firmly now, not allowing Eclipse to look away, run away from the question.
“.. I want to know .. so I can help you.,, is Lefty? ..isn't it?”
The wind blew , knocking some leaves off, the silence was loud, the grief and regret heavy and tangible. The voice box made a soft scoff, then the Dark Animatronic spoke, low, husky, rough.
“... I was there.. in that damn chair.. it took me too damn long to snap.. too long to react.. too long..”
The trembling on his voice was the last straw, Henry gently guided the big head into his chest, a movement all too natural for him, for his daughter… for his wife..for Eclipse
..for those he loved the most. He moved his arms over the machine’s shoulder, too wide for him, but it didn’t matter, Henry felt the curved nose on his chest,the rays slightly poking his cheek, but it didn’t matter.
“..You couldn’t have known something bad could happen.. you trusted the guy.. is not your fault.. is not your fault even if you took days to snap.. is not your fault he’s gone..”
The man spoke into the audio receptors, whispering the words only for the darker sun to hear, gently running his hand on his back, feeling the texture change slightly, a mystery for another time.
He was clearly working with crumbs of information, his daughter's portrayal of the events helped paint the picture, but it was the words spoken between the Animatronics that helped clarify why one of the members would never wake up, from there he just knew the loss hit the perfectionist animatronic worst. the anger in those eyes as he had to give up on someone stuck with Henry the night he was called to help repair the dark bear. everyone had seemed to accept his death faster, but Eclipse? he seemed to want to hold into possibilities that weren’t there, unable to accept the fade of the bear, the smart animatronic just insisted for weeks now, everyone was surprised that he couldn’t let go, Henry assumed there was something deeper in his attempts, a darker and deeper reason to not give up that was more complicated that the perfectionis not wanting to lose, or spend money on a new band member.
“..hey..”
Henry gently pushed the shoulders away, as his left hand held the soft cheek, getting Eclipse attention to him once more.
“.. There’s a lot on your plate right now…give yourself a break.. You have been doing enough already.. for the band.. for the kids.. for the world.. I'm sure Lefty wouldn’t be mad if you allowed yourself some happy memories..”
There were the eye rolles and scoffs, typical of Eclipse, then a small silence, a consideration on the words, Henry knew he had to sell the idea a bit more, so he took a risk.
Eclipse wasn’t a touchy guy, and he was really vocal on what he thought of Humans, barely using any positive words, but he was also particular on who got to lay hands on him, not even FC could get his paws..hands? on his metal without a stern look, so it was a huge deal with one of many nights in the calm town , Eclipse basically dragged the man to his own room, and pushed him to the bed, his huge body toweling down on the short male ,eyes whiter than ever as he was looking at Henry with his signature annoyance, mumbling over how inept and irresponsible Henry was to not look after himself., Huge hands on his chest, putting the smallest of force he could manage, Henry could barely believe it.
His heart raced faster..not from fear, but utter embarrassment as his adult mind couldn't see the position that were in as innocent, the machine had his leg in between his, the way the robot’s voice dropped,husky and rough, whispering how much the male needed to be put in place,it sure was something from a novela, but as soon as he realized how stressed the animatronic was, the way his large hand shaked, his rays retracting ever so lightly, when Henry was able to read the clear signs he once helped program into Moon’s AI that lead to read the animatronic better, the tables turned, there was no anger, but something else, a want, a demand.. for attention, eyes on him, closeness.
The moment Henry, maybe too tired to be gentle, held the large metal arm tight, and told Eclipse to stop and listen, using a tone he tried not to use, firm, stern, direct, harsh, suddenly the stoic figure was reduced to soft scoffs and barely finished phrases. The way Henry gently tugged Eclipse into him and guided him to sit beside him, that’s when he saw how much Touch meant to the animatronic by the way his body suddenly got warmer, his eyes barely on the man, his voice so low it was almost a whisper.
Eclipse allowed Henry hands to touch him, rub his casting and even pet him in many places, none of them tried to stop it, none of them cared to stop it, but they both knew it had to end when the clock hit 12, and their moment was postponed. Since then, Henry had wished to come back to that, finish what they have started.. Maybe he was a little selfish.. maybe lonely too, maybe he just felt as close to Eclipse as He was to Henry, enough to trust his 3 reasons to be better safe in another dimension with the old man, enough to allow his hands to hold him closer in that very moment.
Henry placed both hands under Eclipse's faceplate, the hold was gentle, allowing the black Sun to get away if he wished to, but the look on his face indicated that may not happen. With a small smile, the old man gently rubbed his thumbs on the soft squishy cheeks,the silicone still a bit wet,but the feeling was as warm as the first time too.
“ Come on.. you deserve this.. you are such a hard worker.. you're a good man.. you deserve a good day.. After such horrible events.. after your weeks of work alone.. you deserve this..”
Henry spoke in a loud whisper that it was clear enough for the dark animatronic to slowly melt into the attention. Normally he would snap , bark insults and walk away from even the smallest of praise, unless he really wanted an ego bust, normally it would bother him,but this was different.. somehow.
Eclipse couldn't telly why when the human spoke such nice things..it didn't feel annoying.. sure, both Flare and..
the traidor
.. had spoken with some level of care themselves, even Ballora and Roxanne had their moments, for them, the darker Animatronic tried to brush them off before it got too much. Flare mostly tried to highlight his change.. something that sometimes felt too much..but the man in front of him barely knew him and still, his words were filled with love and care unlike anyone else.. maybe he felt his words differently because.. he didn't hold any prejudice or expectation , he didn't see a reformed villain..or a tool, a monster or a mere pawn.. Henry just saw Eclipse.. and maybe that was comforting enough.
The animatronic didn't flinch when he felt the lips on his face, he saw it coming.. and took it, he closed his eyes for a moment,just taking in the praises and comforting words, the warmth and scent of the old man, the sounds around him.. he allowed himself to be present, maybe Lefty would understand,he knew it would make Henry happy, that's something he cared about too.
The darker sun looked at the man in front of him, behind the small grasses,his brown caramel eyes continued to look at him with love, the machine wondered if Henry looked at anyone else like this .. he hoped not.
“.. are you going to be good?..”
Henry asked, then kissed his faceplate again.
“.. Do I get something from being good?..”
Eclipse replied with a slightly sass on his tone, as his lips formed a sly smile.
“ Besides happy kids?.. yeah..I could offer you more..”
Another kiss, another eye stare, another small breathless laugh.
“.. You better make it worth it..Old Man..”
Eclipse felt the small slap on his shoulder, watching the love sick smile on Henry changed into something he liked more, a slightly annoyed and stern look, he loved to see him try to impose himself, holding his heavy faceplace higher and whisper in a lower tone, the animatronic loved this display of dominance, it was something new, something.. funny.
“oh I will, trust me, I’ll make sure you are thankful you accepted it~”
The large metal hands held the small waist closer, making sure to not put too much force into the small playful game of power. He knew if he tried.. he could do something terrible to the human on his hold. but his mind tried to avoid those dark memories, he focused on the surprise and scoff from the man, his hands on his shoulders and rays, his eyes seemingly glowing with affection, something impossible for the human but, his own mechanical eyes saw it.
The romantic display was sickening, but bearable , Henry rarely said or acted too soft , even in the position they were, he focused more on making sure Eclipse promised to actually behave and stop with the bad wording, reminding him to rest too, all the chit chat Roxanne and Ballora gave him, he of course rolled his eyes at the talk , but his hands never left the hip, his face never tired to move away form the warm hands, his attention was still on the man.
Part of him hated that they cared, it make stepping back and push his own wants harder, they constant show of affections alongside their worry made him more self aware of his own ways.. a personality he had dreamed of changing, wishing it could be as simple as just opening up and let the hard walls fall, trust that this was his forever home, believe the illusion of a family ..the reality wasn’t as simple, Eclipse knew bad things would happened regardless of his many plans.. he wished he could not care and simply run away, but the regret would eat his faster than star power.
They cared and he hated to not be able to reciprocate the feeling as exact as they wished..but each one of them seemed to be able to read him so frustratingly well enough to have patience .
The old man in front of him could apparently sense when he spirals down the hole of bad thoughts, maybe due to his own demons and fights with the dark, maybe by just an intense look at his silicone face? Eclipse didn’t know , it didn’t matter when he felt those lips on his once again, the small shake and squeeze of his cheeks and a stern call of his name to snap him back to reality once again.
“..This is getting too much for you?.. Why don't you help me cook? mh?”
And there it was, he read him, understood him and seemed to know exactly what he needed.. a distraction, an objective to focus on. Eclipse sighed deeply, allowing one last tight hold of the soft fresh, he moved his face into that chest ,feeling the fabric of the yellow shirt, the sound of heartbeat and one last sniff before he would be bombarded with smoke,even if he deactivated his nose, he could somehow still be attacked by the intense smell.. but he accepted that if that mean he could be helpful. if he could spend time with the human.
The hours passed,despite the confusing rules of the ghost bodies,Henry was happy these kids could enjoy the foods he had gotten them, he snapped some pictures thinking the Taller Animatronic wouldn't notice, making sure to capture all of those little but important moments, his bickering with Andrew, how he monitored over FC and the utensils he would pick, making sure no one would open the Blue container, and even how the he seemed to count each piece of sweet dessert each kid had on each plate to keep it fair.. the totally not father Eclipse could just put on an apron right there and be confused with a extra sassy Dad..
Henry tried to not get too lost on how the Animatronic would look on human clothes.. that would be for the Night.
As they all seated down, and the kids voices intersected with each other, Eclipse and Henry gave each other a few looks, frustrated, sass, annoyed, sly and some smiled in between, the familiar aura seemed to have an effect on the Animatronic, as Eclipse could tell he was quick to humor things he normally wouldn’t, specially with the other adult, The dark colored bot could even hear the praises the Man was thinking of saying, but never let out of his mind, the way he would just have that smug smile when Eclipse looked back at him made the animatronic want to punch him, and drag him into the nearest room.
In between sharing stories, Charlie cheerfully announced her visit to the other dimension, telling about the other animatronic who sounded as Eclipse to Andy and Jake, as they made surprised sounds Eclipse rolled his eyes, scoffing.
“That guy.,. nothing but a mock on what an Eclipse is..”
“ Yea, the wild card on the multidimensional set of similars, huh?” Andrew mocked The darker sun “ imagine.. A Nice Eclipse? it's easier to spot a four-leaf clover four times in a row!”
“I think.. I think Eclipse is nice! Sometimes we can be a little too much,,” Andy said timidly, looking at the mention with a soft smile, the Animatronic sighed softly.
“..also he is a dad too isn't he?” Andrew said he knew about Jack by mere accident, he could only assume the other one celestial robot had to have fallen into fatherhood as well.
“Oh he is! He has a kid named Jack! He is a Moon model but looks like a Halloween one! and and he is not a dead kid! but a machine too, it was weird but Fun too!”Charlie explained cheerfully.
“Mh.. guess some things are meant to be..”Henry added as he finished his meat, looking at Eclipse with a large grin.
“..what does that even mean?..” Eclipse growled softly , he knew what that look was for, and he hated that he couldn’t just drag the man away right there, he understood the meaning of the joke, of course, but he also knew between then the joke had evolved into something else, a platera of what ifs that neither of them cared to humor for too long.
“..mh! I just think if two of you just happened to be parents~..” He said before he laughed.
Eclipse just rolled his eyes and scoffed, impressed on how in the nose he was being, such a display of both idiocy and bravery.Henry seemed to be getting too cocky on the table. maybe too much.
Jake looked confused and asked someone to explain.
“ I think Mister Henry means Eclipse is Dad material.. or Mom material?.. or Wife material..” FC said loudly and even if the two adults coughed surprised, he continued with his oblivious talking “ they keep giving each other looks like Mom and Dad used to!.. so I guess one needs to be the Momm--” his snout was suddenly grabbed by Eclipse, then shaked softly.
“ PROTOCOLS.. He’s talking about protocols..” Eclipse said between grinding teeths.then sat down once more keeping his hands on the table, ignoring the groan from FC.
“..Aw.. I wanted two dads and more siblings..” Charlie softly spoke, her innocence a strong shield to the true meaning of FC words. Henry tried to explain he ,obviously, was talking about the whole caretaker coding that Sun has, doing his best to keep a calm face, she of course believed her father and the rest just took that as a valid answer.
Soon enough Henry changed the subjects into sometimes less.. adult centric, and more of how each of them wished to end the day, if make a bonfire, watch a movie or get in the pond one last time. The kids debated, Andy was extremely worried of a fire happening, while Andrew made clear he was done with Movies for the week, FC insisted on exploring, talking of secret treasures or greater finds, Andy was quick to like the last idea ,better than a boring fire or movie. Soon enough they all agreed on the last options, then carried their combo into different topics, all while Henry gave a sorry look to Eclipse who just rolled his eyes and hid his smile with his hand.
Finally, as the sun came down and the sky changed colors, everyone was sent to play one last time in the forest, both adults had to discuss the exact limit for only a moment before just deciding to trust then not getting lost somehow.
“even if they are attached to me.. I can’t exactly tell how far away they are.. or if they can somehow get detached if they go too far away..”
Eclipse mumbled low as he took a seat next to Henry, the wooden bench was barely big enough for his backside to lay in there without much balance issue, especially as he spread his legs to better fit, the man next to him cracked open his beer and drinked it, listening. one arm on the table, the other on his leg.
“..I'm sure they won't get too far away.. I trust Charlie to know where to stop..”
Eclipse scoffed, rolling his eyes for only a second before he looked back at the ghostly frames far away.
“..well I don’t.. She gets distracted too fast.. it doesn’t help FC insist on pushing his weird ideas into her..”
Henry laughed loudly, then drinked once more his can before patting the back on the large machine.
“ ah.. She knows better!.. We taught her well..”
“...We?.. Are you drunk already?”
“No..” he gave one last pat before he rested his hand on the table once more , to the clear dislike of Eclipse. “..You helped when I wasn’t there.. You teached her things too.. she sees you and copies you..She’s been more responsible than before, more mindful..and yea she has her moments.. but for an 11 year old who one way woke up as a magical puppet.. I say her attitude is better than expected..”
Eclipse scoffed once more,but didn’t have anything to say, anything to use as argue, Henry would know better than himself if the child he raised showed some changes in her ways, so he just stayed silent. watching.
“.. You've been good..”
Eclipse had to look at the man beside him, questioning what he just said with his eyes.
“ I mean it.. You had many chances to walk off.. but you didn’t.. I'm glad you stayed near us this long...”
The darker animatronic scoffed softly then laid his back into the table, eyeing the man, he could just snatch him right there, but wanted Herny to make a move.
“.. I keep my word.. I did say They could have me present if they behaved.. and I believe someone also promised me something as well …”
The old man laughed once more, then got up, leaving his beer right behind Eclipse, moving so close to him before standing straight up, teasing the Jester in black, he knew Eclipse wanted him to act first, but he would make Eclipse ask for it.
“.. I sure did.. you have been good..” He spoke slowly, hands on his belt, eyes going down on each part of Eclipse, noticing the small changes, how his hand turned into fist, his eyes glowing more, small but meaningful things.
“..But I don't think YOU told me exactly what you wanted your gift to be?” He loved the expression on Eclipse change,sometimes he was imprisoned on how many emotions the silicone face could show, the frown was amazingly realistic.
“.. You want to make this here?..now?..”
The man just shrugged, before letting a soft laugh out.
“ What? I can’t read minds~”
Eclipse sighed loudly and long, then grabbed him by those hips he seems to show off with his hands holding the belt like it was made of gold,, forcing him closer to him again, just like before eating, Eclipse didn’t wait a second to turn on his smell sensors, making a disgusted sound as he smelled the smoke on the shirt from the barbeque, but he ignored it, he let himself melt ever so lightly into the warmth.
“Oh.. That was fast..” Henry laughed, his body shaking slightly, then hugged his shoulders once again, feeling those large hands hold his back and legs tightly.
“..Shut it. I can snap you in half.” The dark animatronic growled, as he looked up at the man,who’s grin caused him to let a soft scoff out.
“You can indeed..” Henry petted his neck pipe and shoulder, his hands rubbing every part he could, slow like a massage.
They didn’t need any more words to be spoken, it would be unnecessary, as they understood each other's needs well enough. The animatronic just wished for a second of comfort, forget about all his troubles as he was asked to by his friends and just be there. just exist for a moment.
The kids always distracted him, he loved them deeply but their needs could get too overwhelming at times, and he was sure he did not have the skills to do a good job to fulfill their childish needs of a parent ,but Henry? he knew better, the dark colored bot wouldn’t deny that fact, the male on his arms was better than himself in being a father, there was no doubt, even if sometimes he questioned some decisions, he trusted the human better than his mathematical mind.
The kids had his time with the male guardian, playing together for hours. He took part in some games but the animatronic felt too unsure if he could even control his force, so he watched them until the kids had run away. It was his turn now, and he wouldn’t waste a second with rambles or beating around the bush of what he wanted, He demanded, just have him for himself, his attention, his body, all for Eclipse.
The crooked nose pushed deeper into the chest, he smelled the scent of lavender and honey, a new cologne? he didn’t cared, his mind just focused on the smell, his brain tried to stick to what he felt familiar, direct thought and patterns, flawless binders on the white sheet of his head that directed him to his memory folder, a place to remember why he even played to be a fool of this individual,and stayed there.
Eclipse sighed deeply, his hold tighter yet softertoo, the soft touche kept him awake, he felt Henry’s hand on his rays, stiff unlike any normal Sun model, he hated how it used to move,but he’s been thinking of loosen them slightly, maybe there was something nice on someone playing with his rays he didn’t see,he could test it out.
The old man looked over at the kids, his heart was happy to see his daughter laughing and smiling, her face was not the same he remembers but that was her little girl, and on his arms was the dark angel that gave her back. the dark jester on his arms gave without asking, Henry couldn’t help the need to pay back, the comfort was good sure, yet he felt he could do better.
“I could do something meaningful when I get to fully know him better, I can’t risk ruining what we have.. I need to be patient.”
He thought, and accepted it, Eclipse was in his arms, what better thing could be done?.
…maybe something else but.. that would be for the night.
END.