Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The best part about being a robotic feat of engineering, he mused, was being able to quickly and easily check on systemic progressions. All it took was a tug, a refresh, and a controlled search to assess how far along a specific program was in its course. In most cases, the function was reserved for emergency scenarios, in case of severe damage or for instances when one needed to closely monitor a flagged system or an anti-virus. In the majority of animatronics, that was the only real purpose. 

Sunrise Celestial, however, was not among the vast majority. 

A notification on his heads-up display flashed a brief albeit bright yellow. Humming, he pulled the data stream over even as he assured little Tillie that her tiny spider friend would be safely relocated outside, and that, no, he would not squish Harold, pinky promise. Excusing himself long enough to slip away to the nearest exit, Sun - and thus Harold The Tiny Spider- made the quick trek. Hand cupped carefully, the yellow bot began a focused search, mindful of the little arachnid calmly sitting in his silicone coated saffron palm. 

Repro_Sim_O > DA.V1-S 

STATUS: ACTI 

INITIATION COMPLETE

LAUNCH : 37%

Lovely, he mused bitterly, carefully shouldering an employee exit open. Part of him wanted to ask Moon to give it a quick once-over, due to how quickly this one seemed to be kicking into gear. The bigger part wanted nothing at all to do with the idea. It would upset Moon at best, make him angry at worst. He'd been trying; the least Sun could do was make things easier on him.

Bidding adieu to Harold, the daytime attendant quickly cleaned his hands and made his way back inside. He would definitely need to ask about options that evening for cycles - the old set up was gone and done for, and what little remained after Terra's injury had relied heavily on Cosmos's help, when Sun could persuade - i.e. bribe - them to chip in. Things were much tighter nowadays, but surely they had prepared for such a thing, he assumed. After all, Moon still had his own ruts to work around, as well, and finding a dimension with secondaries had been a criteria in their search.

Sun huffed a sigh, shaking the thoughts from his head. He had the entire rest of his shift to get through, anyway, and he needed his head in the game. Each hour that passed felt like an army crawl through molasses, and he had the oddest feeling that it was only going to get worse from there. The one balm he could cling to was Jack having apparently decided that ‘sharing is caring’ as the pumpkin bot kept forcing sips of chilled drinks upon the him. Whether the young animatronic was doing it on purpose or if the help was purely incidental remained to be seen. Regardless, Sun was grateful. 

The day dragged on in fits and bursts, interspersed with the occasional squeaks from Jack, “Uncle, taste!” To further divvy up the monotony were several vague gestures and queries from parents, some more respectful than others, some outright inappropriate. 

Of all the things to be similar, he mused bitterly, it had to be social treatment of omegas. This dimension had thankfully begun a bit sooner in the press for equality, furthering the options available, yet still did dissent lurk from those who preferred the old fashioned stances. The thoughts had frustrated tears bubbling in his eyes quickly, abated only by his equally rapid rush to disable his saline ducts. Gotta love the hormones. 

The end of the day came none too soon as, with a shuddering sigh, Sun flicked the lock on the front entry door. Leaning against the cool glass for a brief moment - and absorbing as much of the cold as he could - he gave a slow sigh. Deep breath in, he told himself, deep breath out. He felt about as stable as a faun fresh to the world as he slowly pushed himself upright, tallying the remaining tasks succinctly in his head. Preemptively exhausted by the idea of his ensuing duties alone, he ran a hand through his rays with a gust of steam from his vents. On the way back to the party floor, he stopped by the cleaning closet, grabbing a mop, broom and trash bags, toting them along as he drifted back into the room to take stock and decide where to start his cleaning. 

Imagine his surprise when he saw Chichi and Annie, this dimension's lovingly nicknamed Chica and Roxanne, already hard at work. The bubbly chicken animatronic was clearing away any remaining debris atop each table while her canid compatriot followed along with sanitizer, swiping in even motions to cover the entire surface. They were chattering easily as they worked, pausing only to peek beneath with smiles and soft laughter. The object of their sporadic attention turned out to be Jack, roving around in a demented little scuttle. Armed with a garbage bag, he swept up any plates, cups, or plastic cutlery with a snicker. 

Sun stared in stunned silence for a moment before he found his voice. “Um, thank you for- thanks for the help,” he called, uncertain. When blue, green and gold eyes turned quickly to him, he suppressed the urge to flinch back. “You didn't have to do all this…”

“Oh, don’t you worry,” Chichi beamed, waving a manicured hand, “We wanted to! You've been working your little tail feathers off all day, sunshine! The least we could do is help clean up.” 

Annie nodded, ear flicking as she lifted her spray bottle, head tilting slightly. “I made sure to grab the one you like to use on the tables,” she offered softly. “We wanted to make sure you could rest a bit.” 

Blinking back tears, the daytime model smiled with a wobbling coo. “That’s sweet of you,” he wheezed, swallowing back the swell of flattered affection alongside its accompanying annoyance and sorrow. “But I don't want to put you out-” 

“But uncle is in heat,” a warbled voice piped up, much closer than expected. Jack’s smile did not change even as Sun shrieked with a jump. The pumpkin themed bot twirled his faceplate. “Uncle is in heat,” he reiterated, “and we want to help!” 

Fingers spanning around the broom handle, Sun forced a laugh. “Uh, pre- it’s just pre-heat,” he assured nervously, “but still, it isn’t a big deal!” 

The avian animatronic tilted her head with a frown. “Now that’s just not true,” she scolded with a hand settling on her hip. “Our cycles may have the whole number-percentage-thingy, but anything higher than zero is still applies. Even humans go on lighter duty leading up to it, silly - so it is a big deal!” She pouted with the conclusion of her point before giving him a soft look. “And honestly? Your scent is already pretty strong, sweetheart. So forgive us for fussing just a little bit - you're stressed, and we care about you. We want to help.” 

The solar model took a moment of uncomfortable tension before sagging with the smallest of nods. “Uh,” he breathed, “I just… um…. Thank you…?” 

“You're welcome,” Annie replied, flashing a tiny smile. “Thank you for letting us.” 

Sun wiped beneath his eyes, trying to play off the move as anxious stimming. “R-Right,” he huffed. “I guess I'll just… start on the bathrooms, then…?”

The girls nodded, and Jack bounced in place at the saffron bot's side. “I will help,” the young bot exclaimed. “The trash will be annihilated!” 

“No lasers,” Sun reminded without missing a beat.

“Aw…” The orange and ochre boy swayed for a moment before holding up his bag. “Can I send them to prison?” 

Barely resisting the urge to pull the smaller bot closer, to hug him, to scent this precious little pup, Sun smiled. “That's perfect, kiddo.” 

“Yippee!” 

Watching the boy hurry away with babbled plans for fictitious arrests and cobbled approximates of Miranda rights, the saffron animatronic gave a fond smile. His attention was diverted, however, when Annie approached his side, calm and careful. She met his gaze evenly, a warmth beneath her emerald eyes as she passed over a spare clean cloth. 

“I would recommend you not head towards the back area,” she advised. “I managed to lock Gomer in one of the back closets, and Freddie is occupied in another one. Nova and Frost are handling that area now.” The wolf gave a small smile. “We've got your back. It's going to be okay.” 

And Sun, for the first time in a very long while, allowed himself to tentatively believe it. 

●●●●●●☆☆☆●●●●●●

He loved his job, and he loved his family.

He kept reminding himself of this fact as he fought back tears, picking at a particularly stubborn smear of sticky soda from his rays. The day had begun about as easily as it could, the roster overbooked, even for two and a half responsible parties on deck. In the grand scheme of things, it had even been an arguably good day - the typical spats were minimal, many of the kids were on what classified as their best behavior, and Sun even got two chances to sit down! A new record!

But, as things were wont to do, the small things piled up. From the spills on the floor to the battle royale between Trevón and Natalie, every single little tick frayed at his nerves like rabid termites on a fragile, singular support beam. He had expected things to get rough when Moon and Monty had asked him to tough out one more day of work to make it to their closed days. Having weathered far worse for far longer, Sun had agreed with only mild heshesitancy. Hindsight, he should have put his foot down.

By the end of the final day, he felt only mildly guilty about his antsy uncertainty when Chichi and Annie took over cleaning once again. Feeling as if he were balanced atop a razor-sharp edge, he'd been prepared for them to dismiss him one way or another. He had not been ready for them taking a more divide-and-conquer stance. They seemed to wordlessly trade off whoever was with him during each chore, and both ladies were more than happy to follow his lead or instruction. With every input sensor burning and his processor damn near rattling, he knew well enough that a single inconvenience would result in a catastrophic blowout - and so he was damn near boneless with relief at the minimized work load from the only ones who ever bothered to remember his system. 

Unfortunately, good things rarely lasted in the life of Sunrise Celestial. Right around the time that everything was finished, Moon had stepped out of his hidden little office in search of snacks. The faint billow of patchouli and sandalwood had Sun instinctively turning, eyes wide and searching. His twin seemed unaware for the first few strides until he froze, rigid, and blinked. His silver hued nose twitched, his face blank, before he cringed, turned and ducked back into the employee-only hall with a loud, “Nope!”

The sting of rejection, dulled with familiarity, stabbed at Sun's chest.

It hadn't taken a genius to figure out that Moon's ruts and Sun's heats were linked up like clockwork in the very beginning. Their situation back then had been less than ideal, and the faint lingering scents had driven both up the proverbial wall in wildly different ways. Moon had made a point to try overpowering anything that held the amber, vanilla and pomegranate smell of his twin, and Sun would be drawn to the pockets of patchouli in instinctive search of pack. It had been a vicious cycle up until their separation, and even afterwards, things had been… rocky, at best. 

For the longest time, Moon opted to self isolate during their shared cycles. It had been pretty simple to assume it was only for his ruts, perhaps even a precautionary measure for fear of his temper, but when Sun's own heats began coming sporadically, the truth hit far harder. The lunar bot had been avoiding his yellow-hued half. Accepting that had been… well, easy is not the word to use, but it was certainly necessary. The brightly hued ‘bot had tried to ask once, after a particularly difficult cycle, why his cooler toned twin was so uncomfortable, if it had been something he'd done somehow, or even something he hadn't. It went - …

… 

Sun didn't like to think about those times. 

Things were… better, nowadays. Moon tried more, there were more shoulders to carry the burdens, and Sun figured he was nearly spoiled in comparison to what he'd once had available by way of a pack. The only time he felt a bit… neglected… was during his heats. He was willing to accept the distancing in exchange for the absolute hell he had had to endure every time that awful program rolled around. As an added bonus, Monty had even laid off the sex jokes for the most part, which was miracle enough for Sun. His family all offered what they could, and he appreciated it.

It would just be better if they didn't make that face whenever they caught his scent.

“What was that about,” Chichi mused, toying with her bow. “He literally ‘nope'd right out of here!” 

“He probably smelled me,” Sun huffed, only mildly upset. Overall, he mostly felt numb. “Moon hates when I go into heat, so he usually just… avoids it. And me, by extension.” 

The bird animatronic stared, visibly trying to find some rhyme or reason. When she yielded naught for her efforts, she asked outright. “Why the heck would he hate it? You're sort of sweet, sure, but it's more summery-cake than cavities-and-candy.” She absently lifted another trash bag into the wagon. 

Shrugging, he deposited his own bags. “He's AroAce,” he explained blankly. “The idea of romance and sexual relations make him super uncomfortable. He says being near me during my cycles make him feel gross, so…” Sun sighed, pausing to dutifully sip at his iced water as the bird narrowed her bluebell eyes. “Usually I just ride it out somewhere else, or I get locked up in my room,” he admitted after a moment. “I don't know what the plan is now - we're supposed to be closed the next few days, but if it lasts longer,  it'll be a hot mess.” 

Sapphire optics stared for a moment. Chichi blinked slowly. Her beak opened and closed several times before she shakily spoke. “Q… Quarantine?”

“Hm?” Opal eyes glanced at her as he dropped in the last bag. “Yeah, that's what we call it nowadays. Way back, Moon used to just kind of vanish, so I still worked through it all. The last few years have changed up, some. I spend a few days somewhere with some snacks, maybe some blankets if anyone feels comfortable lending me some, and wait. If I'm lucky, I can video call Dazzle, too,” he smiled slightly at the thought. 

Chichi gripped the wagon handle a bit harder than needed as she forced a slight smile of her own. “Dazzle…?” 

“Mm,” the taller bot nodded, “She's my daughter! A little deer model - she's absolutely precious!” He continued to gush for a few minutes more, even as they dragged the wagon out and transferred the bags to the dumpster. “Ah,” he flushed, rays twirling, “Sorry for going on a tangent, there…” 

“It's fine,” she assured, gaze soft yet heavy with something unfamiliar. “I like hearing you chat about things that make you happy,” she assured. “Joy is a good look on you, sunshine.” 

Flushing faintly at the compliment, he laughed. “Ah, well, um, thank you…” 

Swallowing, the bird glanced back to the doorway briefly before she turned her attention to the other. “I, um… Sun, may I ask a personal question?” At his hesitant nod, she took a moment to organize her thoughts. “I, uh… I'm not an omega myself,” she began, “but I had a few… friends over the years, you know? Bots I've worked with, people I've chatted with, and a common theme of all of my omegan friends has been the misconceptions about heats.” She tilted her heat up slightly, tilting to catch the other's suddenly shifted gaze. “For the longest time, the media portrayed it as just… some raunchy, lewd thing. But it isn't. Scientists even started doing studies, you know? About heats and ruts, how different things impact it…” 

Sun swallowed, closing his eyes. “I… I know,” he admitted softly. Similar information was available in his original dimension, and while the struggle for equality was ongoing, it had progressed much further here than home. He'd made a point to research it personally. “I know.”

Chichi frowned, touching his elbow softly. “Then why do you let yourself be tortured twice a year based on that?” 

Because I used to be tortured every day, he did not say. Because I'm scared to push back when everything is so fragile? Because I'd rather suffer twice a year than lose them all forever? He said none of what first came to mind, instead opting for the truth. “Because everyone voted, and that respected all of their boundaries and concerns.” 

“And yours?”

He hugged himself tightly. “... they made the call, and that's that.” 

The conversation fell silent following that statement, though an unnamed tension lurked in the air. Chichi let the sentiment go, at a glance, though she - and later, Annie as well - took to chipping in more as the night progressed until what typically took four hours was completed in just shy of one. The ladies formed something of a protective wall, offering rough stares to whomever approached - or rather, whomever pointedly did not. 

Sun was simply happy to have gotten off with a lighter work load and minimal uncomfortable questioning. 

Things came to a head, as they so often did, right when tensions bled off enough to give an approximate of relief. 

Over the intercoms, Moon spoke up moments before everyone prepared to head home. He did not want to drive home together, calling it a “smelly hotbox” that he “was not equipped to handle”. His solutions? A portal for Sun and strict instructions to huddle up in his room. “I forgot to get a bunker for you,” he drawled casually, “since this shit is so random lately. You can just lock your doors, and we'll keep Dazzle away.” 

Chichi and Annie had bristled at the public decree, but with neither time nor power on their side, they instead turned to lavishing whatever they physically could offer by way of affection unto to the saffron being they'd grown to adore. Chichi left swaths of peppermint and sharp citrus across his casings, trailed faintly by her wrists and in chaste pecks to his cheeks. Annie, meanwhile, boldly folded him into an embrace, barely fighting back the urge to groom him as she poured all the care she could into her touch. It was rare for the wolf to portray her alphan nature, and she dotted as much of it as was polite in the lingering embrace. 

That moment carried Sun, mildly lightheaded, through to the present. Blurs of colors and echoes of actual, genuine care coated his sensors as he was squirreled away under lock and key. It held him as he collected what meager supplies he could for his nest, and it eased the sharp stab of longing as he mourned its thinness. On two beautiful occasions, he mused, a nest of his own would have been plush, rich, smelling decadently of love and care. Now, it stood as a bitter reminder of what he’d had, what had been lost, and that which only he seemed to mourn. 

Shaking the thought off before it could fester - or, worse, manifest - he had set off to the bathroom, intending to clean himself of the day’s grime. 

Shower set to its cooler setting, he allowed himself the comfort of sitting beneath the spray. Meticulously cleansing himself, he grit his teeth at the chemically rich scent of the industrial cleaner. He missed his fancy soaps, his bath bombs and his shower steamers - he hoped it had been Terra who gathered his belongings this time. With Solar having been preoccupied, she was the least likely to read too far into his choices than their lunar brothers, let alone the chances for ‘accidental’ damage. 

Hands falling away from his rays, Sun stared blankly at the tile beneath his splayed knees. The thought had come easily to him, and it took a moment for the implications to set in. He had a preference on who would go into his room to take his belongings, his bath soaps, and who would be least likely to judge him on it. He was sitting in his tub, fans set high, beneath a spray of cold water and reeking of industrial cleaner to clear the blooming plume of his scent, and he was thinking on which of his siblings he'd rather have steal from him. He was alone, in his room, locked away for anywhere between two days to two weeks, and he was crying over the fact that this was his normal. He was alone, his nest consisted of his bedding and a single throw blanket, he had a single refillable water bottle, and he was heaving silent sobs into the palms of his hands because he had no other options.

“Why the hell am I doing this…?”

“That’s what I’d love to know, darling~!” 

Sun shrieked, jolting to the side. He caught sight of a cheshire grin, of chipped rays and sharp zigzagging teeth. Lidded gold rimmed eyes grew wide, however, when the movement did not stop. Sun squeaked as his hand slid out from under him, the other scrambling for any kind of purchase as he fell backwards. The other lunged forward, and the omegan bot had the brief thought that being killed in a bathtub was a rather lackluster - though perhaps fitting - way to go. He felt warm hands touch his arms, gripping tight and jerking his fall to a stop. The momentum carried his head along, already dizzy and hazed. 

Golden rings were the last thing he saw before the back of his faceplate cracked against the tile, and the world faded to black. 

Chapter Text

With limited options, KS carefully reached out to turn off the rain of cold water. One arm supporting the limp form of his accidental-victim, he grimaced, looking over the other. Beneath the plume of sterile soap, he could already pick out the burgeoning sweetness returning. Ah, he noted, a cycle. Pursing his lips, he strained to reach a nearby towel, huffing as he struggled to catch the edge without jostling the limp body in his care. Once he had finally grabbed it - and given a trilling croon of success - he turned back to begin gently drying off the saffron body before him. 

He paused at the other’s shorts, however. 

Gold rimmed eyes stole a quick glance at the other, taller Sun. Still completely out, he would be unable to panic should KS remove them. In the same vein, he personally knew that having involuntary alterations done to your body while powered down could be quite distressing… 

He patted the other dry as thoroughly as possible, then carefully swept the thin saffron body up in a bridal carry. He checked the linen closet only to frown at its lack of contents. The faintest whiff of wildflowers clung to the inside, only serving to annoy him further. Cautious of his current cradled treasure, he refrained from an instinctive swipe and instead turned to assess the small bathroom. Cabinet after cabinet was checked, igniting his anger as he found only sparse cleaning supplies and a scant few washcloths. He was dangerously close to just biting the bullet of necessity when his claws caught on something in the back of a cabinet. 

Arching a brow, he dropped into a careful crouch, holding the other securely against his body. Repeating the movement again, though much slower, he felt the small lip in the back panel. Curious, he gave it a soft flick. The false board popped out easily, and there, neatly rolled into compact tubes, sat four towels. Beneath them sat what appeared to be plastic box, a rubber seal and tight hinges hiding any olfactory input for giving a hint to its confines. 

It took herculean effort to resist snooping, but KS managed it. The shivering omega in his arms contributed heavily, and he made quick work of pulling the towels out. One was wrapped carefully around the other's waist, the second draped over those saffron shoulders to quell the chill. As he once more rose, he debated which door to access. Sun's room would likely have his nest and supplies, he knew. At the same time, potential head injuries were uniquely dangerous for animatronics with such open wiring… 

Hmph! He turned, deciding that the nest would be the more preferred option. Best case, Sunrise awakens comfortable and safe; worst case, repairs and assessments can be completed either there or relocated. It was no hardship of his own to carry the gunmetal and gold beauty back. He just barely resisted the urge to toss in a spin or skip, settling only with his jovial hum. The doorknob turned easily enough, and a bump from his hip sent the door swinging on perfectly quiet hinges. The lovely noise had his attention for all of a moment before his eyes landed on the bed. 

Killer Sun refused to call that a nest, let alone one meant for Sun. 

The room smelled strongly of vanilla and pomegranate, yet there was an odd pervasive tickle of some artificial fruity cleaner. Citrus, he wondered absently, or pineapple? It lurked everywhere, and KS knew that his alternate did not elect for such scented products. He preferred softer smells, accenting the natural aromas instead of overpowering. Sun also, he knew, would properly dilute the solution. The more violent solar model felt an itch of his own upon realizing that. Assured by lack of fleshy contact - and no chance for skin irritation - he waved it back on his HUD to be properly dismissed later on. 

Creeping hesitantly closer, he stared at the other’s bed. One, two, he counted, three, four, five - barely enough pillows to make the shallowest of walls on two sides. It seemed Sun had already rolled a spare comforter to bulk it out, four pillows with two on either side framing the bed. One pillow rested at the top, presumably for his head. The bottom was open with what looked like a thin sheet and a rather cheaply made throw blanket dangling to the floor. For what he seemed to have available, he had done a good job, KS noted. It was sturdy and, factually, it was a fully functional nest. 

It felt wrong to lay Sun in it, though. A bot so loved, so bright and breathtaking deserved to have more than this. He deserved a nest fit to burst with comfort! A room dedicated specifically to cuddle and rest, to scent and sleep in - that’s what he deserved. Not a clinical approximate of a safe space, not a purged room that carried only echoes of himself and dollar store cleaning solutions, not an empty room with an empty nest - it was wrong. 

Hell, he thought semi hysterically, he himself wouldn't do this to a Moon! And he kills those bastards! Enthusiastically! 

There was no enthusiasm to be found as he carefully laid the other down. Face solemn in a rare turn, he tapped his claws together, gaze roving as he considered his options. First order, he mused, would be giving the other some space. He padded over to the far end of the room. He gave the plush chair a steady side-eye before clambering up in a manner distinctly feline-like. Purring softly, he pulled up his program list. He didn't have anything useful for repairs, unfortunately, but he had something arguably better! 

He brought the nifty little program to the forefront of his windows. Activating it with a cheshire grin, he focused on the joy of his little mischief over the disquiet still weighing heavy in his middle. Dark Sun - or whatever he goes by these days - had been quite helpful with this little favor. Who would have thought that tying up some loose ends to protect some runaways Suns at the Haven would give him such a neat little toy? Set the radius, activate the function, and- 

ACCESS DENIED 

Huh?

Gold rimmed optics blinked. He quirked a brow. Carefully resetting the program, he tweaked the search radius. He frowned, launching it once more in hopes of- 

ACCESS DENIED 

Narrowing his eyes, he grimaced. Rays rippling in unease, he pulled up his own contacts. He tried to make a call. He moved to drop a portal. He attempted to pull up his interdimensional Crunchyroll account. 

Denied, denied, denied - how charming. 

If it was jamming his own data transfers, it likely was a security measure, he mused. While he had no ardent fascination with software such as this, he had always found the idea of dismantling them from the ground up to be quite enticing. It would take some time to isolate it, then even more to disable whatever little trick this particular Moon had employed. Luckily - or, perhaps, unluckily - KS had plenty of time and more than enough pettiness to fuel his efforts. 

Either he cracked that firewall and found a lovely little opportunity to abscond - preferably with some sort of anchor point to come by again - or one of the piss poor members of the Celestial family would care to check in on their prisoner brother. 

Either way, he would be occupied until he could slip out. 

Settling in, he began poking at the stream of data points with a curling grin. 

If he was going to be stuck here, might as well hack into their Netflix!

Chapter Text

“It's a bit rare for the roles to be swapped like this…” 

I can't help it! He's just-! He's so cute! And sweet! And undeserving of this!

Frost huffed a fond little sigh, scarlet eyes cutting to the semi-translucent form of his bonded. Nova was curled in the air, arms curled tight as he glared into the distance. He did not resist when a corporeal gloved hand gingerly brushed soothingly and subtly against his side. The lunar model smiled softly as his partner drifted obligingly closer to press into the offered touch. Balancing their allowance to interact with the deeply ingrained instinct to refrain from prying eyes was a slow process. Even still, the environment they found themselves in offered a decent opportunity to indulge at their own pace. Frost was more than happy to work with his beloved's anxieties and take their more external reconnect slowly. 

Leave it to Nova, though, to bypass all sense of nerves in the face of indignant fury. 

Quarantine, he'd shrieked when Chichi had angrily passed along the information. How dare they do something so- so- so awful and mean?! 

It had been all Frost could do to keep a handle on the body while his beloved light went utterly nuclear.

Unfortunately, that ironclad hold felt less and less vital with each passing moment. Annie and Chichi, bless them, were doing his resolve few favors, as well, as the wolf angrily tapped her unsheathed claws on her stage dias while the resident chicken laid across the polished performing location. Her bow-bearing head was resting over the jester's thighs, effectively pinning him in place as she ranted and raved. Fingers carded gently through saffron feathery locks. He split his attention between her and Nova, hovering above and to the left. Neither warmer toned bot seemed to be showcasing their typical bubbly natures, and Frost could not fathom trying to blame them for it. 

“- and now Bossman won't even let me into the office hall,” the bird based girl seethed, gesticulating her ire intensely. “I was asking about sending stuff for Sunny-bee, checking in, and he just shut me down! Like, how does that inspire trust? Respect? For fuck's sake, it's so-” 

“Infuriating,” Annie growled softly. Bluebell and ruby optics shot towards her, blinking. In a rare turn, she did not shy away from them. “I also asked around - more towards Monty, and then that girl who has been helping to cover for Sun.” She frowned, golden gaze glittering off onto the distance. “... That only made me angrier, honestly.” 

Ask ask ask ask, Nova begged, flipping to plaster as close as possible for an incorporeal manifestation of consciousness. Frost tilted his head, pressing his cheek into the phantom touch of his now chanting lover. “What was said,” he rasped softly, biting back a smile as his lighter half snuggled closer. The plume of affection warmed his core as the canid woman began to explain. 

“Not much,” she prefaced sharply, “though they were adamant on the current set up being as humane as possible.” She flicked her ear, scowling. “I'd hate to hear what they consider cruel, if this is the bar set.” 

Chichi rolled onto her stomach, frowning. “... Sweet sunshine mentioned that it wasn't always so… like that,” she recalled absently, fingers toying with the end of Frost's waist piece. “Something about boundaries and respecting people. Even then,” she scoffed, “Keeping a pup from their parent full time during a cycle isn't good!” 

The cooler toned jester straightened. “What?” 

“Sunny bunny has a little girl, he talks about her pretty often! And he said he'd be lucky if he got to video call her,” the avian animatronic explained, unaware of the brewing tension. “He talks about her like she hung the moon and stars, it's so sweet. That makes this whole thing sad, too. She's younger than our resident pumpkin spice, even - she can't have presented yet, and Sun always has that hint of honey-milk, so she's got to be a tiny little tot.” Sighing, her beak nuzzled into the short bot's ribbed leggings. “I'm worried about them both, now.” 

[Search] > Permission Granted

[Assess] > Permission Granted

[Execute] > Pending - Restraint Level (2) Unlocked

Non-Lethal Force Approved

Frost bit back a demented blend of a growl and purr, the conversation around him bleeding into background noise. The situation was awful, as ones he felt the need to handle personally often were, but the checks across his request tracker felt like balm on a wound. They had promised not to cause too much trouble, but this would be worth it, he mused. No harming anyone, he knew, but they could certainly poke around. They could snoop. And, in a pinch, they could drag some information into the light without ever causing a dollar's worth of damage to person or property. 

And, he grinned, he had the best idea of where to start. 

●●●●☆●●●●

Chichi balled her fists, barely refraining from stomping her foot. “I get the what,” she bit out, “I'm asking for the why!” 

Solar sighed, rubbing between his brows in a futile attempt at staving off a headache. “A lot of it is… personal family stuff,” he offered as calmly as possible. “I can't really talk on it.” 

Bluebell optics burned beneath the force of her glare. “Yes,” she spat, “It is very personal! Because putting someone in solitary confinement for a non-harmful program is bad enough. It's worse,” her voice shook, dangerously close to breaking, “when it's my- our friend!” 

Annie stared hard from behind the livid avian bot, arms cross and hip braced carefully against the table. Perched barely a meter away was Frost, one leg drawn up in a passing effect of self soothing. The way his fingers curled around the lip of the tabletop, the way his gaze followed Chichi and Solar especially, however… that told a different story. Faced with all three existing as a unified front had the mechanic visibly pausing. 

The sharp clatter of his wrench tumbling into the bottom of his tool box seemed to wash over the room like a gust of arctic air. His own sigh followed it, billowing a wave of compliance yet resolve. Carmine optics cut carefully upwards towards the imbedded overhead cameras, his jaw working in thought. 

Already anticipating the worry, Frost rasped, “He already left.” When three sets of eyes turned to him, he curled tighter beneath the scrutiny. Only Nova's bristling anger yet comforting touch kept him in front. “Monty and Moon both headed out earlier…” 

Solar stared for a moment before he took a deep breath, pulled out his stool and sank down with a rattling huff. Following his example hesitantly, Annie simply shifted her weight while Chichi knelt primly with an expectant frown. The eclipse model took a brief pause to gather his thoughts before he began. “So… I guess, to start, I should say it wasn't always… like this. There was a bit of a… an incident, a while ago. I got… hurt pretty badly, and a lot changed while I was being… uh, repaired. And a lot of it is confusing, and it's….” He groaned, rubbing a hand down his faceplate with a barely-stifled growl. “Frankly, it's complicated as hell. I know it seems really awful, but there's a method to the madness. That's not an excuse,” he rushed to clarify when he caught the way amber and azure optics darkened in narrow slits. “It's an explanation, but it's not an excuse.”

Chichi glared silently from her place on the floor. Her lack of verbal response seemed to say far more than any language setting could convey. In the end, the sentiment was clear: there is no good excuse. Annie and Frost seemed to be on the same page, if their unchanging countenance was any indicator. 

“I… don’t really have the same sort of… instincts,” Solar confessed softly. “My code designates me as an alpha, but the majority of the traits that that entails are either outright missing or damaged in me. So while I don’t really experience it the same, I’m sort of… in between an alpha and beta by general standing. I’m the only one in the family who is… like that,” he explained. “Moon’s an alpha, and so is Monty and Terra - y’all have met her, right? And our little brother Cosmos is a beta. Sun is the only omega in the family.” 

“And that matters because…?” 

Solar shot the chicken model a tired glare. “I’m getting there. Sun and Moon were once… together, in the same body.” He turned his gaze to Frost, lips pursed. “It was… not a good experience for either of them. They weren’t integrated peacefully, and the monster that made them had… awful intentions with it.” The mechanic let the ensuing silence sit for a minute before he swallowed. “A lot of that is personal, and it isn’t my business. Everything I do know was told to me in confidence - and I will not break that trust. I can say, though, that it doesn't take a genius to figure out what the original intention could have been to code an alpha and omega in one body with no relationship parameters and then to make the shared experience torturous on both ends.” 

Frost slowly unfurled his fingers - and made a vague note to apologize for the broken chunks of the table now dribbling to the floor in a rain of dusty debris. The picture the other was painting was uncomfortable at best - the situation was grim and nauseating. Not even Nova’s shared horror and clinging comfort offered much of a reprieve from the swirling thoughts. Only the notion that whatever had been intended evidently did not outright occur was any balm to the roaring of his fans, the storm of his mind. Instead of dwelling, he flipped his hand, caring little for the chance of being seen holding what would doubtlessly appear to be thin air. Nova’s fingers laced perfectly with his own, and he sighed shakily. “What… happened, afterwards?”

Solar hesitated before he spoke, eying how Chichi shuffled the barest bit closer to bump her shoulder into the other jester’s leg. Annie, too, drifted the barest bit closer to allow her tail to brush the other’s ankles. “... There were some complications when they got separated,” he explained, voice hushed. “Damn near everything that could go wrong, one way or another did. A specific code of Moon’s began… growing. It became dangerous. And it began taking a liking to Sun.” Leaning back, he picked at a patch over his knee. “Eventually, things began getting to a point where Moon was terrified by what it could mean - his own instincts had taken to Sun as family, but KC - err, that code that grew sentient - he manifested as an alpha as well, though without the familial bond. That started Moon's worries, since he had some bleed-over from KC while they were both connected. He's aroace, and Sun is his twin. That situation was horrifying…

“Eventually, KC ended up turning over a new leaf and having a whole redemption arc. In doing so, Moon wound up… in a long term shut down, sort of. Essentially, he was dead, and his systems logged his consciousness deep within while everything externally was rebooted from scratch. The new version eventually chose to be called Nexus, but a lot happened with him, so he's not really… talked about much. He's dead in a way we can't fix, and Sun's still… grieving him. So this stays between us, alright?” Only when he got their ascent did he continue. “Nexus didn't have any of the baseline biases for omegas built through social treatment, nor did he have any history of mixed feelings. Because of that, he didn't really care when Sun went into heat beyond helping. Blanket forts, nesting materials, even going out of his way to get whatever food he was craving. It was endearing and exasperating, honestly - he was such a mother hen…” He smiled faintly, nostalgic and mournful. Soon the expression fell once more. “But we started noticing patterns. Life for us before moving here was… chaotic. Dangerous. And many of the people who were after us were the kind of people who had no sense of morals. Attacks or interferences began occurring around Sun, specifically, or when Nexus had his own ruts. Then… one day, Sun was kidnapped just after his heat began. And everyone was terrified of the worst.” He tilted his head back, eyes on the ceiling tiles. “It didn't happen, thank God, but it could have. And the pattern sort of fell into place. Then, I ended up gone for a long time, Nexus turned to horribly dangerous means and lost himself in the process, Moon was brought back through that deep hard drive memory file, and by the time I was awake again, was alive, things had… changed.

“Nexus had joined with an enemy by that point. And he knew everyone's habits, so he just… toyed with us. His whole goal was to gain power and make us all suffer beneath him. During it all, we had other enemies, other dangers that seemed to just keep popping up, and things began… imploding, I guess. I don't know if it was a bid at regaining control, if maybe it was just a sudden confession type of thing or what, but handling cycles went to the backburner of priority barring some ground rules. Over time, those rules kept adding up. 

“Everyone called it establishing boundaries or precautionary measures, but… yeah. I’m still not entirely clear on why a lot of this stuff is a big deal to them, but I can help Sun out, at least. It’s no blanket fort and sushi and binge watching his favorite movies, but it’s something. I sneak off to his room with extra blankets and pillows I keep in my room, and I check in as often as I can. I don’t have the same hang ups or worries or whatever as the rest of them, so I just… do what I can.” He couldn't suppress the urge to huff. “And I'm not too worried about offending people, so that helps.” 

Still reeling from the veritable life story just dropped, the group was silent for a few moments. Then, voice soft, Annie asked, “Offending…?” 

The orange, maroon and cocoa hued bot seemed to consider his words for a moment. Then, deciding to hell with it, he replied. “We're not from around here, and our old home had some… outdated ideas on propriety that some still hold onto. Sun practically raised Terra and Cosmos, and he took on a sort of maternal role to everyone in our pack. It was frowned upon for anyone no longer a pup to carry a mother's scent - something to do with mixed signals or something, I don't really know. Monty began courting Terra, Cosmos decided he was too old for it, and Moon wasn't exactly a fan of scenting anyone in the first place - all that ended up being a factor behind… well, the “quarantine” thing,” he explained with finger quotes. “Sun's always had a pretty strong scent, and with the history of enemies liking him a bit too much, it became a thing to keep him somewhere with amplified protection while minimizing scent dispersal. We've had a few scares here since moving, but nothing quite like before. Old habits die hard, I guess. It's harsh, but… I can see, to an extent, where they're coming from.” 

Chichi stared into the middle distance, deep in thought. Annie was much the same, claws tapping an absent pattern against her gray cased arms. Frost - and Nova as well - found words to be nigh impossible to find. 

Solar, seeing this, sighed. “I know,” he rumbled, “that it's absolutely fucked. I'm doing what I can to help it from the inside, but there's only so much that can be done.” 

“Why would…?” Chi swallowed hard, fingers curling into tight fists atop her knees. “Why does Sun just agree to it?” 

“...” The mechanic slowly stood, gathering his work tools. “Sometimes, when you love someone, you'll let terrible things happen, if only to try to keep them happy.” 

“It isn't fair!” 

“Trauma isn't fair, Chica. And it isn't easy. The best we can do is be supportive and give what we can. Sometimes it's enough. Sometimes it isn't. But we can only do our best.” He locked up his box, slid it back into the designated corner of the far project table, and turned back to his audience. “All you guys need to do is just… be his friend. Support him. He's doing his best, and he's never really been… popular in the friend department. You guys make him happy. You've already done a lot for him. Keep on doing your thing, and it'll be okay.” 

He paused on his way out the door. 

“... although… if you were to maybe, I don't know, get a fuck ton of tickets, talk to Molten, and scent mark some plushies of yourself, I could accidentally take them home tomorrow and pass them along. Just an idea.” 

With a final tired wink, he vanished past the curtain. Quiet fell once more over the group. The indignant fury still smoldered within, tempered only by the context given. Even still, with explanations as a basis, it had left them with a place to build from. The main objective had been completed, despite the countless questions in its wake. They could work from here, once they could manage to process it all. 

In the meantime, however, they could do one thing, even frazzled and stunned. 

Frost handed control off to his Nova, and the trio set off towards the arcade. 

Chapter Text

Physical trauma induced shutdowns were, Sun swore, the absolute worst. It had all the disorientation of a sudden hard shut down with none of the gradual reactivation sequences. One moment, you were unconscious; the next, you were dizzy, blurry-eyed, and your processor was running at full capacity, feeding you input that you were definitely ill-equipped to handle. The sensation was nauseating - and that was to say nothing of whatever leftover pains from the shut down itself you still had to deal with. Sun hated traumatic shutdowns. 

What he hated more was that he had gotten rather good at handling them over the years.

That was why, when his sensors clicked into high gear despite every bolt in his body feeling as if it had been thrown into a spinning joyride, he still took immediate stock of where he was and who was nearby. 

It took a precious moment for his memory banks to supply an echo of what transpired before his unfortunate blackout, leaving him to fend off the heat of a flush on his face. The scent of his bed was a welcome comfort, though he was mildly surprised to also catch faint echoes of his favorite floral detergent. Cracking an eye open, he glanced down and paused at the towels around his body. He stared for a moment, uncomprehending, before reality slammed into the forefront of his mild. The solar model sprung upright with a strangled squeak, pulling the towel closer as he looked frantically around. 

KS paused, hand halfway to his mouth. Gold rimmed eyes wide, he simply stared before flashing a smile. Giving a tiny approximate of a wave, he chirped, “Good morning, beautiful! I'm glad you're awake~” He snickered, turning to shove his hand back into the plastic bag in his lap. He rummaged for a moment before raising his hand again, clawed finger tips each sporting a dark brown conical corn chip. “Want a snack? I’ve heard heats can be pretty taxing.” He happily crunched a chip off of his claw. 

Sun stared in a mixture of disbelief and confusion. “I… you… What?” He curled his legs, freezing at the feeling of damp cloth against his thighs. Hesitantly, he shifted the towel, blinking at his lounge shorts. They were still mildly damp, but the normal double looped bow he tied was still in place. “... You left my clothes on.” 

“Mm? Of course,” KS waved a newly re-chipped hand absently, careful not to drop his snack. “I figured you’d rather be a bit damp than completely naked - I stole your secret towels, by the way. You don't have nearly enough!” 

“I usually have more," he retorted before wincing slightly. Rays twitching inwards, he tried to play the statement off, rolling up and moving to his dresser. “Why the hell were you in my bathroom in the first place,” he demanded instead, glaring halfheartedly as he dug through a drawer. “And better yet, why are you eating chips in my bedroom and watching-” he squinted at the screen, pausing, “- … are you watching Miraculous Ladybug?” 

The smaller albeit much more violent solar model ate another chip. “This dimension has an interesting adaptation,” he shrugged shamelessly. “Though, I will admit, I much prefer a few other universes. For one, quite a few have one or even both of the main characters some flavor of queer - but I simply adore the trans allegories, you know?” Shifting in his seat, he giggled, feet kicking absently. “Enough about me, though - how are you doing, sweet sunshine? That was a nasty little bonk, after all!” 

“Fine,” he bit out, cheeks warming at the reminder. “I'm fine. And I wouldn't have had a ‘nasty bonk’,” he quoted angrily, “if you weren't hiding in my bathroom like a creep!” Pulling out a set of pajama pants, he draped the cat paw printed fabric over his arm. 

Comically wilting, rays included, KS pouted. “Creep is such a strong word,” he whined, “I'm no creep!" He held the kicked puppy look for all of a moment before his curling grin crept back. “I'm a freak, I'll have you know! And I was, admittedly, being… a bit less than virtuous in my snooping around, though not for the reasons you may assume.” 

Unimpressed, the taller daycare attendant arched a brow. “So hiding in people's bathrooms and jumpscaring them in the shower is a hobby for you.” 

A burst of laughter startled both parties, though KS tried to muffle it behind a hand. “No moreso,” he tittered, “than mouthing off to an intruder seems to be for you.” He shrugged flippantly. “Can't suppose I blame you, though - the situation seems a bit… heated?” 

“...” 

KS smiled sweetly. 

Sun wordlessly grabbed a random folded shirt, throwing it at the other. Seeing the other solar model rear back with a muffled squeak was satisfying enough, he mused. “No more puns,” he ordered for good measure. 

“Aww, but you wear anger so fetchingly, my dear!” 

“Keep it up and I'll be wearing something much more unpleasant,” he huffed, scowling. He took a moment to brace his hand against the dresser, pinching the bridge of his nose against the pounding throb worsening in his head. Sighing slowly, he cracked an eye open. Deciding the outfit he'd cobbled together would suffice, he stepped off to the bathroom. “Don't kill anyone,” he tossed out casually, “I'll be right back.” 

“Oh, honey,” the other purred loud enough to be heard through the door, “I would never!” 

“Yes, you would.” 

“Yeah, I would, that's fair.” After a pause, the sharper solar model chirped, “Though this time, I believe only the children are exempt from my ire. The rest are fair game at the moment.” 

The bathroom door slammed open. KS turned a patient, unfazed smile towards the newly changed bot seething in the doorway. Sun moved carefully as he pulled his tank top on, opaline gaze heavy and heated. “What the fuck,” he rattled ominously, “does that mean?” 

Examining a bugle chip upon his finger like a nail, the other hummed. “Oh, darling, I've not stayed here out of pure altruism, you know? Loathe though I am to offer praise to any Moon, your brother did quite the thorough job on the barrier around your space.” He flicked the treat into his sharp toothed maw. “It was during that that I had the time to peek around. No outright snooping,” he flashed a smile, “but still some basic looks. The pups are fine and dandy! You've done a good job with them, dear. The rest, however…” 

“You stay far away from my family,” he intoned, voice low. He seemed ready to say more, only to freeze when KS intercepted. 

“How far,” he demanded almost gently. “As far as they stay from you? Or perhaps as far as they hold themselves from basic accountability?” Unwilling to allow even a moment of interjection despite the taller saffron bot's flinch, he unspooled his limbs from the pretzeled curl he'd been resting in, stretching high as he pressed on. “Ah, perhaps I ought to strive for the distance they maintain from basic humane treatment! Objectively, I don't know that I could do it,” he mused, “given what a sheer drop it seems to be. That's overkill, darling - and that's coming from me.” 

“...” Sun swallowed audibly, one hand moving to rub at his opposite elbow in a bid at self soothing. “They have their reasons,” he said after a heavy pause. 

“Is that what they claim,” KS tilted his head, hands settling on his hips, “or what you believe?” One clawed hand lifted to twirl flippantly in the air. “You're isolated, alone, your basic comforts have been stripped away from you, and you are, quite literally, imprisoned. All of this,” he gestured widely, “due to a mere cycle? It really brings up the question as to how much those bags of bolts truly love you, you know?” 

The pounding behind Sun's eyes began throbbing anew with the wave of heated anger. “They do love me,” he hissed out, folding his arms. He clenched his hands tightly to avoid lashing out beneath the brewing ire. “Things are just difficult right now and with previous experience-”

“Right,” the smaller model intoned sarcastically, “Of course, how silly of me! After all, it's a standard across the board, hm? Moon or Monty or Terra - their ruts are handled so similarly, aren't they? A quarantine for them is only fair, after all! Their rooms must also have barriers.” He flicked one clawed finger towards the window that shimmered ever so slightly. “Oh, and make sure to utterly douse their space in the cheapest sanitizer money can buy! Tell me, is the awful artificial lemon scent specific to you or is it a family thing?” He took a step forward, twirling as he spread his arms. “Ah, and mustn't forget to take all but the barest of necessities for creature comforts! No pillows, no blankets, no stuffed toys! Can't have that, now, can we, dear?” He settled his hand with just a bit too much force atop the dresser, rays rattling as he vented some steam. “Is that how they are treated with their cycles as well, Sunrise?” 

The taller solar model said nothing, conveying more than any configuration of words could. He clenched his jaw, the ringing quiet blanketing everything for a few heavy moments. “... It gets a bit better,” he confessed quietly. “We just have to wait for everyone to go to bed.” 

“Oh, so you get to sneak about in the dead of night,” the other hissed with a manic smile. “You know, historically-”

“No,” Sun shook his head with a frown. “I can't- I-I can't leave the room.” His fingers spasmed, an aborted urge to scratch that he barely managed to suppress. “Solar brings me supplies, b-but… nobody knows about it. They'd… They wouldn't like that.” 

Rings of blistering, shimmering gold stared, long and hard. His expression was unreadable. Body held eerily still, KS seemed to be locked in place. It was surreal to see someone so typically expressive be so statuesque. 

Sun, in turn, debated his options. Back before, long ago, during the time nobody really discussed, such sudden stillness was a blaring warning sign. It typically implied a brewing hurricane, a literal calm before the storm. That, however, was a little system developed for handling particularly prickly lunar models. It was not a one-size-fits-all approach, he told himself, despite the itching of anxiety in his wires - not to mention that KS would likely be highly offended to be compared in such a way. Moon killer, indeed. 

In the end, the hitman himself derailed the debate entirely by taking a slow breath in, straightening up just to turn and slip upwards to perch atop the dresser. “Solar, then,” he sighed, “is allotted a tentative pass from my anger. That is, of course, assuming his intentions are good. ‘A rose by any other name’, after all, and he does have some Moon coding. Is he good to you?” 

Blinking at the sudden diversion of topics, Sun took a moment to refresh his language library. “Oh, I, uh… I mean, yeah? He brings the snacks I like, and he has this box he brings up when he can sneak it. It's got a bunch of blankets… He's really nice.”

Snorting, KS kicked his legs. “You deserve far more than the bare minimum for courtship.” 

The shriek of Sun's rays fully extending as he jolted was loud, his face suddenly burning. “C-Cour- excuse me?!” His hands rose, fingers knotting together with audible creaking strain, expression confused and mildly disturbed. “Solar's not- I-I don't- what?” 

Arching a brow, KS tilted his head. “Oh, I misread that, then?” 

“Yes,” the taller saffron bot squeaked out. “Solar's like- he's…” my brother, he did not say. My pup. Both fit, but neither felt correct, felt appropriate to say. It would be too complicated to explain it, he knew - not even the others in his pack really understood the few times he'd tried to truly convey his feelings on the matter. Instead, he settled on, “He's family - it's purely platonic or familial love. No courting whatsoever.” 

“Oh, that's a relief,” KS chirped, stretching out his arms. “I was a bit worried, initially, I can't lie. You deserve so much better than that, and I was worried I may have to teach a little alpha how things work.” 

That caught his attention. “T-Teach…?”

“Mmhmm~” KS turned a cheeky grin to the other. “After all, what better method is there than by example? And you do smell so charmingly wicked, my dear! I had every intention to do so, regardless, of course. It isn't very often I find anyone attractive at all, but you…” His voice dropped deeper, eyes lidded as he flashed a fanged smile. “Oh, Sunrise Celestial, you are my Persephone~” 

Fire seemed to blossom behind his faceplate as Sun rasped a garbled staticy mess. Frame going rigid, he gaped, glow feature flicking immediately to its highest setting. “I beg your finest of fucking pardons?” 

Snickering wildly, the smaller solar model waved a flippant hand with a scrunch of his nose. “Oh, please, be my guest, darling. Though you don't exactly strike me as the begging type, to be fair. Perhaps a bit of a brat…?” He gave a contemplative hum before shrugging easily, ignoring the furiously luminous form before him. “Regardless, I still find it quite enticing, and you deserve to have every need met, with interest.” 

Cheeks burning an orange so bright it shone nearly ochre, Sun glowered, ivory eyes silver slivers in a sea of luminous yellows. “Do you ever stop talking?”

With a grin as sharp as coiled barbed wire, KS tittered. “On special occasions, but not too often. That being said,” he stretched carefully, twisting his torso impressively far for a thicker built like his own, “I would like to establish out the gate that while I am certainly infatuated with you, I will respect whatever decision you make regarding that information - and whenever it is made, as well.” He folded his fingers together, a cheery lilt to his voice and eyes as he smiled. “While we wait, may as well get comfortable, right?” 

Sun stared in a mixture of offense, flattery, and utter bafflement. “I- You- What?” He shook his head, refreshing his visual feed. No, it seemed he was not, in fact, experiencing a quite jarring hallucination. Somehow, that was worse. “Waiting on what?”

“Solar,” the other clarified simply, bouncing his way back towards the chair he had seemingly laid temporary claim to. “You did mention he swings by frequently in the night, and while I personally could destroy that gods awful barrier, I feel that could cause you more stress due to the fallout, yes?” He hummed at the other’s hesitant nod. “Then it seems like waiting is our best bet, sweet thing. I have snacks I would be willing to share, if you'd like?” 

Sun blinked. He blinked again. A third time, with passion, he squeezed his eyes shut, rubbing at them as he refreshed his visual feed. What the fuck was his life coming to, he wondered absently. Biting the inner corner of his lip, he shifted his weight, fingers finding the hem of his shirt in a fitful fidget. The more murderous solar model had sequestered himself back into the arm chair he had seemingly claimed for the time being, a respectful enough distance from his nest to pass as proper. And even with the snide remarks, the taller bot noted, KS had never even insulted the lackluster pile of bedding. If anything, there had even been a near compliment… 

Cheeks burning with his blush, Sun crawled carefully into his bed turned nest with his gaze resolutely on the screen of his television. “J-Just… hit play.” 

With a besotted smile that curled just the barest hint too far, KS inclined his head. “As you wish, darling~”