God, he's so warm. You should really ask if he has a cooling issue but you're pretty sure now's not the right time. Later.

Sun jolts, and hops up really quick.

Your confused red little face prompts him to explain.

"-Oh oh gosh sorry-sorry Starlight!" He sputters, making his way walking backwards for the breakroom door, still looking at you in order to give his excuse for ending the comforting embrace far too early. "S-some of the children are arguing over a stuffie it looks like! And and I gotta go yes yes.." He clasps his hands together and looks at you in a nervous frown.

You smile gently and nod, prompting him to crouch down a bit and swiftly squeeze out the door, tippy tapping a bit fainter as the distance is made, before a creak and the Daycare Theme playing slightly less muffled, and then a shut, muffling it once more.

Sighing and swallowing the butterflies making their way up your throat, you grab the cleaning supplies before pushing in the chair with your knee and making your way to the supply closet to stow them, likely for future use.

Opening the Daycare door, there's Sun, consoling two grumpy kids while holding a stuffie in his hands. You can't really hear the conversation until you get closer, but by then one of the children has the original Roxy stuffie, and the other a new fox-themed one Sun manifested from thin air.

He dismisses the kid with the Roxy stuffie and rubs the remaining boy's head, now closer you can hear him explaining the age-old sentiment of "how would you feel if someone took your toy".

Defeated but satisfied, the boy wanders off to join some other kids drawing at the crafts table.

You admire Sun's problem-solving skills that seem to work for everyone but himself. He turns towards you still crouched down and you swear his face gets a little brighter while his eyes are definitely a bit wider. "O-oh hi! Hey Starlight, back so soon?" He smiles.

"Duh" you announce. "Gotta make sure you stay clean at least until the day is over, right?"

"O-o-oh yes yes yess of course! Of course!" … "..althoughiwouldntmindbeingcleanedsomemore.." He mutters quietly, almost unintelligible.

"Mmmm what was that Sunny? Didn't quite catch that." You definitely caught it.

Saved by a kid tugging at his baggy pants, his attention is diverted and can cease his flustering at the words he just let slip~.

"Mr. Sun can I use the bathroom please." The kid questions.

"Oh yes of course! Thanks sosososo much for reminding me, Lucas!"

Whistling loudly and doing an actual cartwheel to the Daycare doors before opening them, the kids quiet down and he has their full attention.

"Okie dokie everyone, time for a potty break. Pretty please make a nice and neat, tidy and sweet little line in front of me, okay?"

With most of the kids lined up, and you at the security desk out of the way, you watch the spectacle of absurdly well-behaved kids while Sun skips to collect some stragglers in world-record time and out to the bathrooms they go. Sun gifts you a mock salute as he leads them all, and you beam him a smile and salute in return.

Nothin better to do but wait, oh, and sign your little surprise. You made a mental note of the security cameras off and on since Sun mentioned that he could see the Daycare through them. However, checking out the cameras now, you noticed quite conveniently that even if he was paying attention to you while you were making his surprise, he wouldn't have seen what you were stitching together with your back to the nearest camera that had a view of the arts and crafts table you were situated at. Regardless, he seemed super duper curious when you revealed you had a surprise for him.

Even with it drying, exposed at the security desk after you finished it earlier today, you've never noticed Sun stepping food behind the desk - actively avoiding it actually. You had a feeling he had absolutely zero clue.

Slowly uncovering the cute little craft still under the folders where you hid it, you flipped it over, not worried too much about covering it up with your body since, via a quick glance, no cameras really had eyes on you. You did so anyways. You wanted to cherish his impatience for the next two or so hours until the Daycare closed, and his reaction after you finally revealed it would be absolutely priceless.

Among the wide variety in the pen holder on the desk, you signed your name in a matching light-electric blue, followed by a heart.

You decided to spend a little bit longer to doodle under your name. First a small little sun, then a cute four-point star, and lastly.. with some hesitation.. a crescent moon. You weren't going to explain yourself, even with your wrists aching a bit as you drew the moon. Maybe someday if Moon doesn't kill you first, you'll make him something.

Quickly you tucked the project under the stack of folders once again as kids rushed back into the Daycare. Sun held the door open while kids ran under his arm with a good three or four feet to spare between it above them.

Making sure all the kids were accounted for, Sun skips towards you before ending at the desk with his hands playfully behind his back, leaning over the side smiling, and half-lidded eyes taking in all the details of your grin.

The security desk was in his blind spot, and he noticed you checking out the cameras before heading over to it while the kids had their bathroom break. Well.. Moon did. And Moon made sure to gossip about this to Sun.

"Mmmmm.. they're hiding. Hidey hiding something.." Moon trills.

Sun ignores Moon, waving in the next three children into the bathroom while the rest came out, making sure to remind them to wash their hands.

"Take a look for yourself~.. Peaking at the cameras.. Slyly skulking around, into our blind spot and behind the dessssk.." Sun gives into the temptation, not proud of himself, but by now Moon has more than realized your effect over him.

Moon wasn't lying. Sun does let the worry sit at the back of his head for a little bit, but still, surely there's an explanation. You weren't doing anything wrong. Just.. looking at the cameras. Finding a place out of view.. Maybe taking advantage of his and Moon's blindspots to exploit something! His mind was racing now, Moon was satisfied. Up until he felt Sun suddenly stop at a conclusion.

"Oooo-oh oh oh oh OH! Moon! It's.. It's probably just where they're hiding the surprise! Oh, silly silly silly silly. They wouldn't be doing anything bad, no no no.. They're so very kind and sweet and wonderful and nice and-" He's cut off.

"..Shut.. UP" Moon demands.

Sun is taken aback by the albeit mild curse word. Moon rarely curses.

Sun thinks for a second, then emotes the equivalent of a grin to Moon inside of his head.

"Moon." Silence.

"Are you jealous?"

He growls. "No.. no no no no.. no matter how kind they are, it is only for show.. yes yes." He hisses. "No one has ever been nice to you, to me, without hurting us after."

"..They are all the same". He falters a bit.

Sun is silent.

Moon is silent.

He puts up a wall between him and Sun.

He is not jealous. He wasn't taken aback in that breakroom. Watching through a window, only feeling a fraction of what Sun did while you gently wiped down his frame. When you embraced Sun's stupid stupid stupid naive little mistake.

Numb, he only had a taste of your touch to go off of. And he was fine with that. He would make sure you'd never touch them again

You're nothing but trouble. You'll hurt Sun and him, just like the rest, just like the dozens upon dozens before. Moon will make sure you suffer just as much.

He will hurt you.

He wants you to leave.

He needs you to leave.

Sun's smile widens. "Soooooo….~" He playfully drags out the O. "This is where you're hiding the surprise." He smiles smugly, now cupping the sides of his faceplate with his hands.

Your smile however drops. "Sun. No."

"Even IF your surprise was here." Trying and failing to throw him off. "You'll get your surprise at the end of the day, that's when I promised."

Sun is a bit taken aback by your stern tone, his smile dropping just as fast as yours did.

"O-oh yes.. yes of course! Sorrysorrysorrysorry I'm just a bit.. excited, yes yes.." And back comes the anxious little robot you met this morning.

Your heart pangs a bit. "..It's okay Sun, promise. Promise just like I promised you'd get your surprise in.." You check your watch. "Oh. An hour and fifteen minutes."

It was 4:45pm. The Daycare closes at 6.

That seems to cheer him up, given his rays extended at about mach 1.4 and his frown turns upside-down, pupil-less eyes lighting up with a sparkle.

There he is. You can't help but smile too.

Clapping, "That's wonderful! So soon too! Oh gosh oh gosh I can't can't caNNOT wait!" He squeaks, oscillating side to side before a kid comes up, smacks him on the leg, and yells out "Tag!"

Sun turns his head, stares for a second at the kid, then looks back towards you. You're safe behind the security desk, he couldn't tag you, even if you were in the game–

His arms are a bit longer than you anticipated.

Hit taps you on your nose lightly. "Tag".

God dammit. Welp, with the kids and Sun staring at you, waiting for you to make your move, you don't really have a choice now, do you?

You smile, and Sun takes the hint, backing away slowly, crouched down ready to sprint away (cautiously, minding the kids) at a moment's notice.

You walk slowly towards him, matching his pace backwards.

You lunge, and of course, he dodges. "Mmmmm nice try Starlight, but no tag-backs!"

Fucker.

You hid your laugh. Not very well, but this was a very serious game. And Sun was teasing you. How dare he.

You lunge again, but off he leaps, along with all the kids that are taking part in the game in the vicinity.

Mmmmm you had to get him back.

Off you sprint after him, occasionally faking a lunge for a kid or two in which they respond with a giggle and squeak here and there. They weren't your target thankfully, you were a lot faster than these rascals. They had no idea. And neither did Sun.

And there he was, right behind an empty plastic table with a few chairs around it.

You walked up to the table, cautiously. You didn't wanna spook him now. You had a plan. It was simple but effective.

He lowers down, awaiting your move. Both your smiles beaming. Wiggling side to side, still a foot or two taller than you. His head spins side to side, observing your every move.

Tension.

The kids are watching in anticipation, unmoving. It's like every head in the building is looking at you. The only noise being the Daycare Theme and your heart beating in your ears.

You grin a tiny bit wider.

You mimic a lunge to the left, and he dedicates to his lunge to the right

You're fast.

Correcting yourself almost instantly, you catch his leg before it has time to hop out of view.

"Tag". You announce proudly, after a relieved exhale.

Sun's eyes are wide. He looks back at you in shock.

All the kids are oooing. You're beaming.

"You! You! Y-you tricked me! You absolute fiend! H-how could you!?"

You giggle brazenly. Short-lived however.

"No..no tag-backs" you announce nervously, as he rises to his full height.

You take your hand off his baggy pants, and step backwards very cautiously.

It's his turn to grin now.

"Rulebreaker".

You bolt.

Chaos.

The rest of the kids are fleeing after witnessing the best stand-off of their lives. Playful screams fill the air. Some kids duck into the ballpit, some into the jungle gyms, and with Sun hot on your trail, the bone-chilling thumping behind you only getting louder, you turn the corner sharply, and dive right into one of the entry tubes to the massive play structure.

Catching your breath before landing on your back, you cautiously observe the tube's entrance.

You pray he's too big to fit in here. That'd be nightmare fuel.

The thumps and obnoxious ringing of bells that you've grown so accustomed to stopping in accordance with his legs ceasing right outside the exit.

This is it. This is the end.

His upside-down head appears at the tube's exit that you just jumped into, staring right into your soul.

He smiles.

"Mmmmm lucky lucky lucky little Starlight. You win this time.. Rulebreaker.. He giggles before turning his head upright, skipping off to the response of more playful screaming.

You lay on your back flat, and catch the rest of your breath.

You think that's the most exercise you've had since you were a kid. Is this what these kids do all day? Fuck, man.

You turn your head to the right, chest still heaving a bit to catch the remainder of air.

There's Sun, crouched down lower than you've seen so far, chasing after some of the kids a bit slower than them.

Sun observes which kids are giggling playfully and which are a bit more reserved, and only focuses on those he knows are having fun.

He tags one, they tag another kid, and eventually it's wrapped back around to Sun letting a kid catch him after he does a mock trip, begging to not be tagged, but being obvious enough that the kids know he's just playing.

By now, you've crawled out of the tube and are making your way to the desk. You lost sight of Sun, but of course, there's the ringing. Looking back, he's wobbling towards you, crouched and fingers wiggling in front of him. You can't help it.

You bolt yet again, the only difference this time being that when you turn a corner, there's a stuffie right below your foot.

You trip. You spin. You're about to hit the back of your head harshly on the playmats which will surely still hurt at least a little bit. You brace and tighten your eyes shut.

Floating.

Not really.

Sun has his arm wrapped around your back, his left hand at your side and then some. Your head sheltered by his right, palm at the base of your skull, thumb resting at your left ear and pinky finger at the other.

You open your eyes slowly. The pose is.. very awkward. But you just stare, and he does the same.

You're a bright pink, and some of the kids are ooooing once again, but in a slightly different tone.

He leans in a bit closer.

"Tag."

You sputter out a laugh as your heart rate refuses to slow.

He adjusts his hands to both be at your waist and gently sets you up on your feet before quickly making a time-out gesture with his hands, expecting you to lunge at him right as he let go.

5:00pm

"Now now wait wait wait Starlight-, no tag-backs first of all! Secondly, some parents are here to pick up their kids, so- so sadly I must supervise their hand-off!".

"Mmmm o-kay Sunshine, go on ahead big guy." You say whilst dusting yourself off.

With a pat on your head, you freeze for a second at the contact. He skips away along with the dissipating children who watched the spectacle, calling out some of their names before they meet him at the door and he escorts them to their awaiting parents.

God. That was something.

While Sun was busy getting all the kids to their respective parents, you took the liberty to familiarize yourself with the cubbies in-between the supply closet on the right, and security desk on the left. It's.. definitely made for Sunny. You're too short to reach the higher ones, and the lowest is at eye level.

You uh, won't be able to reach up there. Hopefully the supply closet has a stepladder or something.

As you make your way over to it, you don't notice Sun entering back through the Daycare doors to your left and walking over towards you. You jiggle the handle and Sun leans a bit down to you. "Sooooooo, Starlight. Wucha doin?"

You jump. Just a little..

"-Oh, uh, I'm just looking for a stepladder or something. The cubbies are a bit too high."

He tilts his head a bit as he reaches up into a specific cubby and pulls out a sticky t-shirt, calling out to that one kid who shook his FizzyFaz can and exploded it all over himself and Sun.

"Hmmm and why oh why would you need to access the cubbies Starlight?" He questions as the kid rushes over.

It's your turn to tilt your head now. "Uh, so I can help clean? Also I'm curious. Is that so bad?"

"No nonononoonono don't your worry your pretty little face about that, I can take care of it! Promise, more than capable Sundrop is, yes yes.."

"Mhm, sure." You sarcastically remark, looking back down towards the handle, somewhat to conceal your blush, somewhat to disregard his reassurances he can handle it all by himself. You wanted to help.

"I can clean up clean up, please please don't worry about it, okay? I'll be right back!" He waves to you before taking the kid's hand and leading him to the doors.

Giving him a wave back, you wait until he's exited the doors.

The supply closet is locked. You try your security badge on the scanner, but it.. doesn't work surprisingly.

"Ugh." Your act of disobedience had faltered. However. Not all hope is lost.

You make your way out the doors, you head to the alternate supply closet in the bathroom area which is not locked, thankfully.

Grabbing some miscellaneous cleaning products, disinfectant wipes, cloths, a broom with a dustpan attached to the handle, you load it all up on the cart it has in the back, same one that Sun used to wheel in some snacks and FizzyFaz.

Wait. Where'd he get the snacks and soda? ..Whatever, probably the breakroom cabinets and fridge. You'll check later, you're a bit hungry anyway.

Wheeling the cart back, Sun intercepts you.

"Hey hey hey hey hey! What did I say? I could do it, I swear I can! You don't need to help!" He blocks the cart and you sigh.

"Sunny. I helped clean you up, I'm more than capable of helping you clean the Daycare. I want to help."

He pouts.

"..Plus the sooner we get it done, the sooner you get your surprise." You smile, proud of your leverage.

"..Oh that's.. That's…Oh okay, fine." He sulks, defeated.

"Good boy. Could you get the doors for me please?"

He perks up quickly, pausing for a second then making his way over to the doors to open them.

"After you!" He bows, hand to his chest while the other rests at the top of the door.

"Oh how generously kind. Thank you Sunshine." You smile.

As Sundrop collects the rest of the kids, you get busy cleaning up. First, you wipe down the snack-time table, which was being used for arts and crafts any other part of the day. You place all the drawings and macaroni bracelets and hand turkeys with cute little googly eyes and popsicle stick.. things, on the side of the security desk. It feels a bit wrong to throw them all away. Some are even signed! What kind of monster would do such a thing.

You make neat piles of unused construction paper, plates, popsicle sticks, glitter glue, googly eyes. Everything. You don't really have anywhere to put them except to section and neaten them off from one another, since someone didn't want you to have access to the proper containers. But you make do.

You make your way under the security desk to grab the trashcan. Might need the bigger one honestly, but you wipe off any trash from the table onto the floor, and grab the broom and dustpan to sweep it up. Anything that doesn't come off, you work at with disinfectant wipes, and tougher bits of glitter glue and normal glue with some rags and stronger cleaning spray.

After wiping the chairs down, you're all done. With that table.

Ugh.

There's at least ten or so more.

Maybe Sun was right. You move on to the next table anyways.

You don't really notice in your cleaning frenzy, but all the kids are gone, and it's 5:55.

Sun is suddenly looming behind you.

"Hey bud, I said after we clean up I'd get you the surprise." You giggle, not looking away from the table you're scrubbing gunk off of.

"OH! That's very very very right friend! Gimme just five minutes!"

Five minutes?

He's.. moving way faster than he was playing tag. If you saw that coming at you, which you do a few times for him to grab up some toys and collect unused arts and crafts supplies, you'd likely faint then and there. For now, you just close your eyes and smile as you feel him zip past you.

He fucking goes through the jungle gym. The small tubes you were hiding in. He could've got you at any second. Probably knew you would've had nightmares if he did that, how generous of him.

He definitely wasn't fibbing. You check the time and it's been fifteen minutes. You've been smiling the entire time, watching him while attempting to clean the table you were still working at. Still needed to apply disinfectant and all that good stuff but.. Sun is pretty distracting while he buzzes around gracefully with a cartwheel here and there. Flips, front and back. You can't take your eyes off him.

Everything was clean. Except for the table you were at.

He sprints up to you, you tensing for a second and closing your eyes. Your smile as radiant as ever still. He bends down to you, using one hand to methodically and gently uncurl your fingers, slowly taking the rag out of your hand with the other.

Before you can protest, the table is done, and he's wheeling the cart back to the supply closet.

So he uh.. he didn't need your help. You literally just slowed him down.

He makes his way back in, noticing you sulking just the tiniest bit.

"Hey dewdrop."

You perk up at the nickname.

"Thank you." He pats your head, messing up your hair a bit. You giggle.

"I didn't even do that much, just slowed you down." You deflate.

"Mmm it's the thought that counts, Starlight. Thank you." He hums before jolting upwards, almost bouncing to the ceiling.

"Now! The surprise! Oh pretty pretty please you promised! You did you did you did! Can I see it oh please!" He's ecstatic, shifting from one foot to the next, not spending more than a second on one before switching over. His hands are fidgeting and his rays are spinning.

It was definitely going to be worth the wait. You beamed.

"Okay okay okay okay Sunny, I did promise." You admit, walking over to the security desk. "Come on."

He giggles smugly, "Oh! So I was right huh? I was absolutely positively one hundred percent correct! I knew it, I did!"

"Mmmm." You hum in defeat. "Yes, Sunny, you were right. I'd give you a gold star, but."

You make your way behind the security desk.

You look up at him, unmoving.

Oh how cruel you are.

"Starlight! Please! I've waited oh so long, it's been forever and ever and ever!"

Your smile spreads across your cheeks despite attempting to fight it, and you laugh. Sun is worried for a second, hoping harder than he ever hoped before that Moon isn't right.

You lift up the folders, and slowly raise his gift to finally reveal it.

It's the sun. A golden star. The center is made of thick construction paper, with popsicle sticks supporting the sunrays surrounding it. One sunray on the top, one on the bottom, two on each side, and one in between each of those four empty spaces. Eight rays in total.

In the center, is a handprint. The sun is big enough to fit your whole hand with an inch or two to spare around the edge. Your hand had been stained a bit with the light electric blue paint you used to make the print, but Sun didn't really question it. It was such a pretty color, you had no idea why it was here in the Daycare as generic art supplies, but you were glad. You used your right hand, thumb on the left. Bold move covering your dominant hand in paint.

The outer edges of the Sun were outlined in a bright orange, while the rest was colored a warm golden yellow of course. It wasn't much, to be honest, but you're glad you could give Sun something. You'd be cherishing this moment if you could read his blank face.

He reached out for it, and you let him take it. He observed it for literally a minute you think, before turning it over. There were the exposed popsicle sticks, the base of the construction paper was a rough white, and in the middle yet again, was your mark.

The handprint didn't bleed through, but your name was signed right in the middle. A cute little heart at the end, and three celestial objects under it in a horizontal line.

A sun.

A star.

A moon.

Tiny rays for the Sun, four glimmering points for the star, and a crescent moon.

Sun's voice box had slowly been raised to static, a low, fizzling crackle.

He sat the sun down gently, before looking at you for a couple of seconds. You smile didn't falter, but you were growing a tiny bit concerned. His face was still unreadable. His voice box still fizzling.

"Hey Sun, are yo-"

He lifts you straight up, over the security desk and into his arms, wrapping himself around your back and waist. The spinning is a bit startling, but you wrap your arms around him as well. Your head resting in his neck once again.

He slows down after a couple seconds of spinning. He lowers you while he crouches down to meet your eyes.

Cupping your face in his huge, warm hands, he was entirely back to life now. Whirring as usual whenever he was close to you, his smile beaming and his eyes wide. Rays spinning, face glowing. His voice box warbled and clicked, static fizzling here and there. He might be doing the robotic equivalent of crying for all you know, and you're secretly trying to keep the waterworks in too.

"..Oh Starlight."

He leans into you once more before beginning to shake in your arms, lowering himself even more, you make your way to the ground as well. He's on his knees now, head across your shoulder. Purring. Warm. So warm.

"...Thank…oh thank you." He whines out before returning to his previous fizzing.

His arms are under yours. Forearms crossed and wrapping around your back. A knee in-between yours as he's bent to be as close to you as possible.

Your head rests on his shoulder. You don't hesitate to let a tear out or two. Or three.

You stay like that for a good bit. You don't know how long it's been, and you don't care.

"You're welcome, Sunshine."