Work Text:
Ever since the incident with that woman, Molten had been keeping an eye on Eclipse from a distance, wanting to ensure that something like that never happened again. He had lost count of the times he saw parents show up to curse at him, call him names, and drag their children away.
It wasn't enough to sway other parents who didn't know his past—after all, the kids seemed to like him, and other parents simply ignored the erratic ones—but a pattern had emerged: whenever this happened, Eclipse would take up to an hour away from the daycare to calm down, and each day seemed to get harder for him.
One day, he simply stood in the hallway behind the daycare practicing his breathing; another time, he was comforted by Ballora and Glamrock Chica; on yet another occasion, he just stared at the wall for half an hour, muttering to himself. It was as if he were on the verge of breaking down.
And Molten hated it. Not because it annoyed him—no, it wasn't that. He didn't know exactly why. Of all the animatronics, Eclipse was the least annoying. He had a bad feeling. Something deep within his tangle of cables told him that something was wrong—something was coming, though he didn't know what it would be.
Pacing back and forth for hours, Eclipse seemed stressed, fidgeting with the ribbons on his wrists as he always did when anxious. This was the fifth time that day he had been harassed by a parent. Molten, hidden in the ceiling coffers, watched him, the sound of his feet on the carpet making his ears twitch.
Eclipse muttered to himself again, pausing to release a long, controlled breath, one hand running through his eyes as if smoothing hair. He lowered his head, looking at his trembling hands, which he tried to ignore with a nervous chuckle.
"Oh, stars..." he murmured tremulously, his normally bright smile crooked and forced. He sat on the edge of one of the daycare's slides, bringing his knees together and resting his arms on them. He breathed repeatedly, feeling the gears inside him shifting to simulate breathing. He tremulously pressed his fingers against the gunshot wound in his chest.
He could still hear the hateful and angry screams of that mother calling him a monster, blaming him for her child's mental damage. He barely remembered which child it was, but only the memories of that time continued to haunt him. The cries, the screams, the sounds of small feet running away from him. He felt a pain in his chest, but he could hardly understand how, with the world around him bathed in screams, distorting into noises like static. He felt more pain until—
THUD
He stopped, turning his head toward the sound. Molten had descended from the ceiling; this made him jump for a split second before he composed himself.
"M-Molten!?" he stammered. The disfigured bear simply stared at him with that serious expression he always wore—an ironic contrast to his pink bowtie. He tilted his head to the side, his gaze shifting from Eclipse's eyes to his chest.
His brows furrowed; he stepped closer, crouched down to Eclipse's level, and—without warning—grabbed Eclipse's arm and pulled it away from his body.
"M-Molten?? what are you doing!?" The bear just stared at him again, gesturing with his eyes toward Eclipse's chest.
"What are you doing?" he asked rhetorically. Eclipse paused, his eyes widening in realization. He felt a twinge of pain in his chest and slowly lowered his head to see a few scratches right where the cover plate for the bullet hole was located. The metal's paint was lightly scuffed, as was the surface itself. Eclipse froze as the realization hit him.
"I... I-I didn't... I d-didn't know I w-was..." He began to stammer again, his voice trembling with panic. Molten paused, looking at him; he glanced at Eclipse's arm before letting go.
Molten stood up, looking down at Eclipse, who was staring at his hand; for a second, it looked as though his fingers had turned into claws—though perhaps it was just his mind playing tricks on him. He shook his head and rose, staggering slightly.
"I... I-i should see Arnold to get this fixed..." He started to walk but barely moved from the spot; his legs felt rooted to the floor. Panic began to set in, and his breathing grew labored again. Why couldn't he move? He tried to look down, but his vision swam, and his body felt heavy. He brought his hand up to his face, feeling a terrible, throbbing ache behind his eyes—like a splitting headache.
"Argh, for fuck's sake—come here!" Molten grunted, grabbing Eclipse by the wrist. He began leading Eclipse toward the back rooms where the elevator to Parts and Service was located. He didn't grip tightly, merely muttering under his breath. Eclipse couldn't help but notice that Molten wasn't squeezing or hurting him; he always seemed gentle when it came to him. Strangely, that made him feel safe.
It didn't take long to reach the elevator; Molten stepped in first, hunching over because of his height relative to the small lift, and made room for Eclipse to follow. Once inside, Molten pressed the button to close the doors, and they began their descent. It was a silent, awkward ride, with both of them avoiding eye contact. That was when Eclipse decided to break the silence with a question.
"So... how long have you been watching me?" he asked, looking up at Molten, whose brows shot up in surprise as he glanced down. "Molten, you're always watching all of us. I just don't know how long you've been watching me.”
Molten twisted his mouth, but the fur around his cheeks took on a pinkish hue Eclipse had never seen before; it made him let out a small chuckle that distracted him from his dizziness.
"It's none of your fucking business!" he shot back with his usual aggression, though the flush still covered his face. The elevator eventually reached the floor, and the doors opened; they stepped out and headed toward the workbench. "Sit down now." Molten pointed at the table. Eclipse paused, slightly confused. "Sit down before I change my mind!"
The daycare attendant quickly walked toward the table, only to feel his legs buckle and go weak, causing him to collapse. But before he could hit the floor, Molten caught him with his arm and helped him onto the workbench, gently lifting him up and setting him down. It was a level of gentleness he almost never showed.
He sighed, resting a hand on the table beside him. "Now you need to lower your suspenders and take off your collar," he said. Now it was Eclipse's turn to feel his cheeks heating up. "Don't look at me like that, you idiot!" the bear retorted with a scowl. "I need clear access to fix your mess! Fuck—you've been hanging out with Funtime Freddy way too much!" he complains—implying a double meaning—while pinching the bridge of Eclipse's snout. Eclipse blushes even deeper at the reaction, waving his hands in protest.
"N-no! T-that’s not what I w-was thinking!!" he defends himself. "I-i mean, t-technically the only piece of c-clothing I have on is m-my pants, so..." He laughs awkwardly, but Molten just narrows his eyes at him. The celestial animatronic falls silent for a long moment and sighs, removing his suspenders and ruffled collar and setting them aside. While he does this, Molten grabs a box containing metal polish and some paint to fix the scratch. He sets the box down and picks up the polish.
"Now, lift your head and stay still," he says calmly, using his hand to tilt Eclipse's chin upward. The touch makes the animatronic flinch slightly, the heat in his cheeks intensifying. Molten begins polishing the metal, trying to buff out the scratch; this causes the paint to chip off a little. It doesn't take long for him to finish and set the polisher aside.
He opens cans of blue and yellow paint to start on the paintwork; holding a brush with his large, claw-like fingers is awkward, but he does his best.
"Are you sure it wouldn't be better to have Arnold do this?" Eclipse asks, standing with his arms at his sides. Molten doesn't stop, but he answers.
"I don't trust him to fix you," he says in a low voice, his eyes fixed on Eclipse's chest. Eclipse looks away, a blush appearing on his face. A pause falls between them, broken once again by Eclipse.
"Why?" he asks. Molten pauses, staring at the brush in his hand. A long silence stretches between them. "You trust Davis to fix the others... why not Arnold?" he keeps asking, tilting his head to the side. And Molten... didn't answer. He ignored the question, continuing to work on him. "It's not because of him, is it...?" he persists, but the bear just ignores him, his expression turning irritated. "Is it because of... me?" Molten slams the brush against the table; a loud sound echoes through the room. Eclipse stares at him in silence; Molten wouldn't look at him, staring downward instead, his teeth gritted.
"Why... why do you care...?" Molten's voice was low, almost a whisper. "I punched you, threatened you, threatened your friends... I'm an asshole to everyone, I push everyone away—so why? Why do you keep being... being... nice to me...?" He lifted his head, his eyes filled with questions and inner conflict. Eclipse had never seen him look so vulnerable—not even after the fire. Molten had his arms wrapped around Eclipse for support; he shifted them slightly, bringing himself face-to-face with the Sun animatronic. "Why do you keep trying when everyone else has given up on me...?"
His voice nearly cracked at the end, his expression one of pain this time. Eclipse said nothing, simply letting him speak. He raised a trembling hand and reached toward him.
"Molten..." he said softly, and the bear looked at him. "It's because I try to see the best in everyone." He broke into a vivid smile—an open, radiant smile, just like the sun he represented. "If I was able to change, why couldn't you?" He placed his hand against Molten's face. The bear flinched slightly but allowed himself to be touched gently.
"I..." Molten opens his mouth. "I wanted to make sure that what happened last time wouldn't happen again..." he says, looking away with an embarrassed air. "That day... when I saw you like that..." he pauses, scratching the table beneath his hands. "It reminded me of… him." Eclipse’s eyes widen. Was he referring to his Bonnie? "I know the situations were different—especially the extent of the damage—but I..." he pauses, taking a deep breath and refocusing, "I just didn't think what she did to you was right," he says, looking back at Eclipse. "You’ve changed from who you used to be... you don't deserve what happened to you." His tone had softened. Eclipse felt a warmth spreading in his chest this time. "That bitch... I hope she pays a big price for that!”
"Molten!" Eclipse protested. "Don't say that; she was a protective mother!" he defended her. "Y-yeah, what she did was a bit extreme, but... I-I completely understand why she did it..." He paused, looking down, and brought his hands to his knees. "I hurt her child. I scared so many kids for life. I... I can't forgive myself for what I did..." His voice sounded sad. "That... letter..." He paused.
His hands began to tremble, and his vision started to blur. His body swayed with dizziness, but he was snapped back to reality by a touch on his shoulder. He glanced to the side and saw Molten's hand. He looked back at Molten, who was gazing at him with... sympathy. Ha, that was new. He paused and took a deep breath before continuing.
"I... I heard one of the parents talking about... a-about having sent 'something' to me..." Molten's eyes widened. "Obviously, the only thing I've received recently was that letter, so... hehe..." He forced a weak laugh; his hands trembled again. "They talked about how disappointed they were that the 'something' had barely even been seen." If he could cry, he would be doing so right now; his voice cracked, and he brought his hands up near his eyes. "Every day that I meet with an angry parent, I keep thinking that... That..." He sniffled; Molten felt that bad feeling in his chest again. "That maybe... I should have done what the letter said..." There was a long pause between them; Molten squeezed his shoulder and reached up to tug at one of his rays. "Ow!”
"Shut your FUCKING mouth!! Don't you ever say shit like that again!!" Molten says, pulling the ray again. Eclipse moves Molten's hand away from his ray, smoothing out the sleek surface. Molten pauses, looking at the hand resting on his shoulder, then gently removes it. He sighs and looks back at Eclipse’s chest. "It's done," he says coolly, looking away. They fall silent until Molten looks back at him. "Never say something like that about yourself. You might not think you're important, but you're the only one—besides me and Davis—capable of bringing order to this circus of idiots," he says, averting his gaze with a blush on his face. "You're the only normal one in this place. Things would be even more unbearable if you… If you didn't exist…" He rubs the back of his neck, trying to ignore the way his chest warms up by the second. Eclipse looks at him, blushing. "Don't make me say any more sappy crap!" he exclaims. The daycare attendant laughs genuinely—a laugh he hadn't been able to manage all day. It pulled him out of the dark headspace he’d been in for hours. For the first time, he felt at ease.
Molten holds out a hand to Eclipse. The animatronic pauses, looking down at his own legs and then at Molten. He takes the hand, and the bear lifts him off the workbench, causing him to stumble slightly toward him. Eclipse manages to steady himself against Molten, placing a hand on his chest—a move that makes Molten look away. Embarrassed, Eclipse pulls his hand back, realizing his legs feel steadier now. His hands still tremble, but only slightly compared to before.
He shivers as he feels Molten placing his suspenders back onto his shoulders; the heat rising in his chest and face is becoming unbearable. He steps back, grabs his ruffled collar, and puts it back on.
"I-I'd better get back upstairs before Freddy ends up stealing something from the Daycare," he says, and Molten nods. He walks toward the elevator and pauses. "Molten..." The bear looks his way, only to be stunned as Eclipse hurries over, stands on tiptoe, and leans in to plant a quick peck on his cheek before dashing back to the elevator and frantically hitting the button.
Molten stands frozen in shock, his chest burning with heat and his face turning bright red. "What tha..." He stares as the elevator rises, one hand moving toward his face. "WHAT THE FUCK???" he shouts in disbelief, smoke beginning to pour from him. In the elevator, Eclipse buried his face in his hands, screaming in disbelief at what he had just done. He definitely didn't want to show his face to Molten again; he wanted the ground to swallow him whole right then and there. Things were going to be incredibly awkward between them.
But even so... it was worth it. He couldn't bear that feeling in his chest anymore. Even after everything Molten had done in the past—to him, to the Classics, the Glamrocks, the Funtimes, and especially Davis—he couldn't help but love the person Molten was slowly becoming. He leaned against the wall and sighed. He didn't know how Molten felt, but he wasn't going to force anything. He just... really wanted to do it. And now, he didn't want Molten to see him again after that.
Things are going to get really awkward.