It didn't hit anyone.
The prongs clinked off the concrete floor, connecting wire splayed out across the ground leading to the gun in Kieran's hand.
One of Moon's hands clasped firmly around his neck, pinning him down after slamming him to the ground, the other wrapped around the wrist that aimed the weapon so poorly.
"Let go." Moon hissed.
Kieran was unresponsive, body still tense and grip still tight around the taser. His eyes were shut tight just as much as his mouth.
You had bounded backwards, flinching from the sudden movement. Recollecting yourself in the few seconds that had passed, you snapped to calm the situation.
"MOON! Let him go!" You slid down onto your knees, pulling on his arms to no avail. He was seething, basking Kieran's now limp body in a erratic red glow, his eyes darting around the guard, observing his facial expressions and body closely for any sign of movement.
Vince was calling out something on the radio as the once less-talkative manager joined in to speak to whoever was on the other end, the other tablet-wielding one escorting the lone engineer out of the room.
You squeeze tighter around Moon's arm, sliding your hands down to his hands gripped around Kieran's neck. You pried at his long fingers wrapping around the guard beneath both of you. "Moon! Please! You can stop, you're making this worse!"
"MOON!" You scream, and tug violently.
His facial expression shifts above you, and his hands relax as he leans back. You relieve yourself from the attempts you made to budge him, turning to look up at Moon.
His cold smile was already shifted down into a weak frown, analyzing the events that just occurred within the room. He looks around briefly at the panicked expressions and scared eyes focused on him that he's all too used to by now. His bright, vibrant eyes finally turn to you.
"..Starlight.. I-"
You shield your eyes as light floods the room after a click from Wendy flipping the lever once more. You look over to her struggling to breathe, handling the panic attack you're both experiencing a little worse as she slides down the wall.
You catch your breath and swallow the tightness building in your throat as you watch the transformation inches away from Moon. The cold floor mirrored the white-hot heat, the temperature entirely inconclusive as it flashed over you in waves. Burning cold.
His pants flash to Sun's respective pattern in an instant, Moon's cap retreats neatly as Sun's rays pop out in a wave. Their eyes flip, light blue reclaiming the once crimson red, you barely noticed Moon's eyes flickering to white in response to the light, just a millisecond before the light level triggered their transformation. Moon's white and black spectrum fades to a brighter yellow hue, a slightly different shade on each side of the crescent dividing his face.
Sun retracts his hands to his chest, flinching backward after regaining control. You had to move out of the way a little to avoid being hit.
"O-oh.. oh gosh.. oh gosh.. Sunflower I-I'm sosososo sorry, I.. He.. We.. we just wanted him out.." Sun's eyes jolt from your face to the taser laying on the ground, charge depleted and useless. He then focuses to Kieran laying motionless in front of him, eyes widening to study his chest to determine if he was breathing or not.
You adjust yourself up to the guard, placing two fingers firmly under his jaw, next to his windpipe.
He's.. probably alright. There's a pulse, but he's unconscious.
Not that you would give a shit, you're a little more concerned about the repercussions of the incident right now.
Metal stomping outside of the Parts and Service door grabs everyone's attention, and you all watch as Freddy holds open the door for about three security guards and the manager that had escorted the engineer out a few moments ago.
The manager speaks, ordering the guards. "Contain it."
Two draw their tasers, pointing them at Sun, as one dressed in a dark blue button-up shirt radios in something, yelling orders at you while making sure everyone else is at a safe distance. Vince attempts to interject, but the guard you presume is of higher ranking directs him away.
You look up to Sun. His eyes are wide, hands pressed tight to his chest as he slowly inches back on his knees. He lowers himself, attempting to present himself as a non-threat. The guards don't seem to care as they approach.
You slam your foot into the floor, pushing yourself up through pain, quickly positioning yourself in front of Sun, arms splayed out a little to cover the animatronic behind you. Your breath is shaky and the head guard pauses for a second to process your action, taser in his hand faltering. "What the fuck are you doing!? Move!"
Your head snaps to the right where he stands as the two guards threatening electrocution advance. "You can fucking stop, it's over. S-Sun isn't a threat anymore!"
Sun's rays shrink as he watches in helpless dread, you're in danger. What can he do? "S-Sunflower, please! Just.. just move. You're.. you're going to get hurt again!"
"No."
The head guard radios in for EMTs. He processes your demand, observing Sun in surrender behind you. He lowers his gun a little.
Wendy urges the manager to stop them, agreeing with you and making herself heard. He brushes her off. "Disable it, move the engineer if you have to. This is enough."
The head guard looks towards his coworkers still aiming steadily in your direction. He turns to meet eyes with you, expressing a sorrowful frown before raising his gun and advancing. "Move."
He's inches away from you as the others step around Kieran laying unconscious on the floor to approach you, Vince is pleading for his coworkers to stop. The manager residing with Vince holds him back as the other next to Freddy and Wendy barks another order.
"Stun it until it's disabled."
You back up closer to Sun, only to notice he's not directly behind you anymore. You turn as the guards pass you, one pushing you aside.
Sun is hunched over, having slid himself back up against the Upgrade and Repair capsule's wall, under the still broken window, far away from you to put you out of danger. The cable connecting him to the computer is laying on the floor, having disconnected at some point during the altercation. He's bracing. Your eyes lock with his, the frown he expresses and pitiful light-blue eyes predicting agony drops your heart into your stomach as your feet adjust to turn fully.
You yell as you turn and take your first long step towards him, and another voice pleads in unison with you.
"Stop!"
Metal thumping against the concrete floor rapidly approaches where you stand, and passes you.
Freddy halts the guards as he puts himself between Sun and them, you following not too long after, focusing your attention to cease the head guard's approach as Freddy handles the other two. You back up slowly towards Sun as the guard stops.
The manager yells. "What are you doing? Stand down, Freddy."
You look up and over to the large metal bear, towering over you and the guards. His stance is combative, and he's not budging an inch as he sprawls out his arms to cease the armed guards' approach. He leans forward, standing his ground as he speaks.
"This is not protocol, Sundrop is not a threat anymore. You are making a mistake and will be disciplined for misconduct if you continue."
Freddy's deep voice echos throughout the room, and as Wendy and Vince break away from their respective managers accompanying them to approach you, medical staff open the door and prepare to treat Kieran.
Wendy takes your place in front of the head guard as he and the rest lower their weapons. Vince ushers the two away, finally relieving the stress of the situation.
Wendy and Vince confront the guard and Freddy eventually relaxes and assesses that the situation is dealt with before dealing with the managers. He looks back to you as you sit next to Sun, a warm smile you almost don't catch before he turns away.
Sun's rays are retracted and his head is buried into his knees, arms gripping the sides of his faceplate, unmoving.
"..Sunshine..?"
He doesn't respond. Wendy mentions something to the guard about giving you and Sundrop some space.
Footsteps fade behind you as discussion overlaps.
Sun doesn't respond.
"..Sunny, it's okay. They're gone. You're not gonna get hurt."
You're worried at this point he might've run out of battery or something, you can't remember the last time he's mentioned charging.
"..Sun. Is it okay if I touch you? You gotta talk to me, please." You slowly extend your hand towards his own clutching his faceplate.
Your finger touches his own, to which he responds by flinching backwards hard into the metal wall behind him. The bang immediately ceases the commotion behind you, and only slowly resumes when you regain your composure, locking eyes with Sun as you give a thumbs up behind your back to whoever was alerted by the sudden noise.
His hands cover his face, and he only peeks out between extended fingers stretching across and around his faceplate. Rays slowly extend out, just a little. His knees tucked closer to his torso.
"Hey. I'm here. No one is gonna hurt you."
You slowly position yourself criss-cross at his side, making yourself a little more comfortable as you assume this is gonna take a little.
He sinks an inch or two as his voice box struggles for output.
"..I.. I'm.. I was trying sosososo hard.. I didn't let it happen.. nono.."
It takes a second before you realize what he's talking about.
It would've been an absolute nightmare if Sun blacked out then. You're definitely going to be making yourself heard to the dipshit managers and Kieran if he ever wakes up, which, you kinda hope he doesn't.. or just not having to see him again would suffice. They compromised your entire process, and risked the safety of everyone there more than Sun or Moon ever was in the moment. Fucking assholes.
You relax your jaw and unball your fist at the thought, refocusing your attention to Sun.
"..You're okay. You did really good, Sunshine. It's not your fault this happened." You think Moon could've actually listened to you, but as for Sun, he didn't do anything wrong. Right now all he needs is soothing.
You sigh, decompressing as he does the same, just a little slower. "..None of this was your fault. I'm going to make sure nothing escalates like that again. The managers and Kieran were completely in the wrong to interrupt me. I'll make sure they understand that."
Sun's expression breaks your heart into little pieces as he slowly uncovers his face. You reach for one hand as you move closer to him, making sure he's okay with the contact. Suddenly, he's wrapped around you in a gentle hug, and you return the embrace, making sure none of the remaining security guards nor managers are gonna bother either of you more than they already have.
He's somehow below you, digging his faceplate into the nook under your chin, buried in your chest. Flexible. His rays are retracted so as to not poke you one bit.
You finally make eye contact with one of the managers, then the other. They're recovering from the scolding Wendy and Freddy gave them. You burn white-hot hatred past their eyes and into their souls, if they have one. Your tired baggy eyes they're locked with still full of fire. You make sure your point gets across as clear as possible without saying it verbally: You're pissed. You're really fucking pissed.
Their weak frowns and wide eyes are just enough to satisfy you for now.
You're tired.
You squeeze Sun with one arm as the other soothes the rays poking out a little at the side of his faceplate. His arms around you send shivers up your spine, tickling your back as he melts you with the warmth he emits. "We're okay."
Vince leaves his conversation with the rest of the two security guards and their superior, and walks towards where you and a giant robot are hugging each-other.
You watch over Sun's neck, it craned down to meet his head into your chest as Vince approaches. Sun relaxes further into your embrace, your hands comforting him in any way they can, one carefully and subtly running your fingers along the rays you repaired not even a few hours ago. You found amusement in how the one you touch reflexively dips inwards, the adjacent rays retracting a little less before slowly extending again as Sun melts into your touch.
You slow, and observe the security guard closely, waiting for whatever he has to say as he stops a few feet away from you.
Vince's expression shifts from confused, to now seeming a little amused at the unusual sight. A robot and their engineer.. hugging. He crosses his arms and smiles wryly, and parts his mouth to speak.
"Sus."
His grin is smug as you scramble to recover from the agonizing blow he landed upon your poor ears.
"D-.. Dude.. what?"
Head high and smirk dismissively disregarding your confusion, he's silent as he looks down upon the two of you, Sun not noticing, and possibly not caring about the guard cross-armed above, judging the embrace ever so confidently.
Your ears turn a little red as you scoff. "..I'm not talking with someone that uses.. 'sus' in their vocabulary. We've been through a lot lately, j-just give us some space, dude."
Vince finally giggles, hands on his knees briefly as he recovers. "Yeah yeah, I just find it a little fascinating. Haven't really interacted with many of the animatronics here yet, besides getting the shit scared out of me by Chica in the kitchen a couple days ago.. It's easy to process they're real once you've actually interacted with them a little, but I guess others have convinced themselves otherwise somehow.. Seems just.. cold."
His smile isn't smug anymore, but rather warm as he looks down at the robot in front of you.
"..If ya need anything, lemme know. I'll probably be doing damage control with management after this. You got my name, you can find me. Enjoy your robot hug." He expresses a peace sign as he turns away and hesitantly heads for the door where there seems to be a group of people arguing.
You exhale in relief, a little bit too hot now for comfort. Not hot enough to pull away from Sun though, you think you'll stay like this for a little while longer, or at least until someone interrupts you two again. It's normal to soothe a sentient robot, but you guess the sentience part isn't something they take into consideration nor know about in the first place.
Plus he's so very sweet, and you've both been through a lot lately. Having each-other is all you want right now.
Sun adjusts himself, leaning back and once again above you to look down into your pretty little eyes. He pauses to think before speaking, or just to savor the glow of your face and the glint your Sun and Moon earrings reflect.
"..Is.. is it going to be o-okay..?" His head dips as he wrings his hands nervously, noticing the large group of people at the doorway of the room, occasionally looking over at the both of you.
You smile warmly, repositioning your hands that left his face to hold one of his own, both of yours still not enough to fully engulf it. "Yeah. I'll make sure of it."
He tilts his head to look into your lap where you hold his hand. "..We're tired.. Sunflower.."
You don't think he means he needs to charge. "I am too, Sunshine." Your baggy eyes, dark circles seeming to trace around them surely already displayed this, it's not like you could sleep much in the hospital with everything going on anyway. The nightmares certainly didn't help.
Sun lifts his head to lock eyes with you again, his hooded and face expressionless until he speaks. "..Moon doesn't like that, nono.. He.. he tried sososo very hard to make you comfortable while you slept with him on the table.."
You smile a little. "No.. that was really relaxing. I just.. I'm a little stressed from everything. It's been non-stop, and.. I.. Gosh, we need a break, don't we?"
Sun whines, not sure if they'll have the chance to breathe in-between the mess that's been the last week. That's all it's been, one week. You've both been through so very much together in such a short amount of time, it could be mistaken for months. The amount of stress you've both endured has been at least a year's worth compressed down into just one week. One.. very long week.
Sun's rays retract slightly and turn in one direction for a second before swapping, never unmoving at least in this moment. "Y-yes.. yesyes.. a break.. that'd be veryvery nice, yes.."
You exhale out of your nose in adoration. You'll never get enough of the little details in how he expresses himself. "I'll make sure of it. Promise."
You uncurl your hand from his and stretch out your pinky, to which he slowly wraps his around yours, touching the palm of his hand with the tip given how long his fingers are compared to your own.
You giggle as you pull away, looking into his eyes a little longer before reaching up to his soft neck ruffles and adjusting them as he leans down and melts into your touch. They're a little frayed and torn in some places, same as his skirt and pants. You'll have that fixed soon enough.
You motion for his hands as you inspect the ribbons with bells attached to them, making sure they're tight and comfy. You trace your fingers along his silicone-skin and down into his palm, lightly tracing circles with your nails to which he seems to enjoy very much. You relax. if not for just a little while.
A few minutes pass, good things seem to not always last. Wendy's shoes clicking against the floor grow louder as she nears. You're just glad it's her of all people, despite knowing this will be the end of your and Sun's rest for now.
She has a clipboard in hand, and she relieves it to her side as she sighs and looks down at the both of you, all until Sun begins to sit back up, reaching Wendy's height despite him still sitting.
She sighs as both of you watch her intently, bracing for the bad news.
"..Oookay. Where to begin.." She checks her clipboard before returning it again to her side.
"First of all, Freddy convinced management to drop any behavioral reprogramming as Sun and Moon were only acting according to their security protocols. He also scolded them for how horribly they handled the situation before being escorted back to Rockstar Row by Vince and some other guards since the Plex still is kinda open. It's only about four. He was in the middle of signing some kid's autographs outside of his green room when the alert went out. Poor kid only got half an autograph before Freddy apologized and disappeared inside his room, rushing out the back exit." She pauses.
"Uh, off on a tangent, okay. Uh, they mentioned Kieran being fine, just having a concussion. He'll likely be punished for insubordination and misuse of his taser. He was kinda starting shit, and the cameras should validate that." She nods up to a camera residing in a corner that you hadn't noticed before.
Fuck.
Wendy smiles at Sun's muffled protest to the curse she slipped before noticing your expression.
You stumble over your words as your eyes widen and cheeks flush. "Uh.. is it.. always r-recording..?"
You both pause for a little longer, Sun eventually catching on and sharing the same embarrassing dread you are.
Wendy smiles. "Hm, aha, yeah. They are. Buuuut.. I'm the one that will retrieve the video footage. If there's anything.. irrelevant. I might exclude it." She grows smug. "Might."
You roll your eyes to the side to avoid her own drilling into yours. She giggles. "Just try to be a little more careful you two."
You catch a glimpse of Sun in your peripheral vision, his expression shifting to a smirk rather than worry. He adjusts, and leans over forward to be closer to you, still looking at Wendy. "Mmmh, no promises."
Wendy's eyes widen as she giggles. "Holy sh-.. h-heck.. I thought you were a little less bold than that, Sun." She rests a hand on her hip in amusement, waiting for your reaction.
You still refuse to make eye contact. "..Y-yeah.. he has a bad habit of that.."
Wendy eventually recovers from embarrassing you with her laughs that only redden your face further, wiping away a tear as she tries to remain as formal as possible.
"Okay, okay. We gotta.. get through the rest of the conditions." She studies her clipboard.
You compose yourself, trying to ignore Sun's smug smirk staring directly into your soul as he rests his faceplate innocently in his hands, elbows placed on his legs. You almost let out a smile, to which he notices your struggle and is as pleased as Moon is chuckling in their headspace at Sun's sudden confidence. They both agree, your face is cute when it's red.
"Okay" Wendy sighs. "They.. want you to have full access to his control chip, along with anyone else that deems it necessary being in proximity to him."
Sun wipes the smirk off his face and freezes.
You notice Sun's discomfort. "..Control chip? I.. didn't read anything about that in their blueprints."
"Yeah.. it wasn't a part of their initial design. It was only implemented in the past by some engineer, presumably after some events that even I'm undisclosed to."
Sun's mood shifts drastically, and you take his hand in yours. "Okay.. what exactly does it do?"
"..It has remote access through the FazWatch. You'll be able to range from decreasing strength, to completely shutting them down."
You cringe. "..Sun.. are you both okay with this?"
He pauses for a moment to think, before looking to you and the faded bruise around your wrist. They both have hurt you in the past, regardless of if it was intentional or not. Moon is a little more indecisive on the matter. They trust you, they're just afraid.
They can only hope it won't be like last time people had access to their control chip.
"Y-yes.. Yes.. That'll.. be okay." He locks eyes with you for a second before averting them following his weak smile faltering into a frown.
Wendy crouches down and sits in front of the both of you. "..It's.. a compromise. They won't let up any more than this. The managers are already a bit pissed, but luckily higher-ups and Freddy reminded them of their.. misconduct."
You watch the rest of the employees finally exit the Parts and Service room. "..Okay. It will be only temporary.. at least. Just until I can fix whatever is causing Sun's glitch."
Your look over the computer to the left of the door, the screen having paused its transfer about half of the way through. You hope the cable isn't damaged, and you hope it'll allow you to pick up where you left off.
"Sun, can I see the port the cable was plugged into, I wanna make sure it's not damaged or anything."
You plan to finish what you started, hopefully without anymore incredibly unwelcome interruptions this time. Hopefully.
"O-oh! Yesyesyes, of course!" Sun obliges happily, bending down and twisting his head on a swivel to face the opposite direction.
"Hah, thanks Sunshine." You inspect the back of his head, following the port. It seems like it was a clean snap, nothing was broken.
"Okay, all good. You don't mind finishing the transfer, do you? We don't have to if you want a break." You look to Wendy. "But.. I do have to activate the control chip I guess."
Sun snaps his head back around to face you, still a little nervous about the idea of not being in control of his own actions.. although, he definitely wasn't in control when he blacked out. They both hesitantly agree this alternative is better, and safer for you. They'll do anything to keep you safe.
Wendy stands up, and checks her clipboard one last time to make sure she went over everything. "..Mmh, okay. Do you want me to call Vince back? Same as last time, but, uh.. hopefully no more interruptions."
Sun jolts upwards and takes your hand, gently helping you up off the ground. "Oh, yesyes.. don't want to escort anyone out again! Nonono.."
You smirk at Sun, deciding not to comment on how he shouldn't be picking up anyone if unnecessary. Besides maybe you. You straighten up and nod to Wendy suggesting to reinvite Vince, exhaling as you prepare to resume what you were so dramatically interrupted from.
It's a start. You'll get them through this. You'll get through this.
You pat the metal table gesturing for Sun to hop up and get comfortable, Wendy makes the call to Vince and he's there as soon as you're on your knees on top of the table, re-attaching the cable into Sun's proper port on the back of his head.
You climb down and hop into your chair. "So, how was Freddy?" You resume the file transfer as you speak.
"Ah, yeah. He's pretty cool. Never really took much consideration into them being so life-like. Just.. thought it was a mandatory quirk as they have to interact with people."
You press enter and the program starts. The fans in the computer grow louder at the load it's bearing once more. "Yeah. Some people just can't grasp the idea, I guess. I mean.. it is.. kinda hard to believe, but. Still.. Even if they were just an incredibly identical, almost indistinguishable simulation of a person, if you neglect and abuse them, a-and just.. still don't feel even a bit of remorse! Ugh.. you're just not a good person."
Sun stares at you, just admiring. You don't really take notice most of the time, but every chance he gets, he's looking at you.
Wendy crosses her arms across the door next to the light switch. "If.. if I would've known about what technicians did down here.. I'm sorry. The worst I've seen is just casual disregardance and disrespect for the animatronics when managers or security guards are forced to interact with them. I.. don't have much power here, but I'd at least try to do something about it, y'know?"
"You're fine, Wendy." You sit up in the chair.
She stares at Sun, then to the floor. "..No. You've done so much, and you're just an engineer. I have a lot more say here, I just.. I wish I could've done something sooner. I'm always here if you need anything, alright? This place gets more and more rotten the longer I'm here."
You smile. "It's okay. You're doing wonders now. Without you, stuff would be a lot worse recently.. I have some plans for the future too, and I'll definitely need your help."
You turn to Vince. "..And if you're down, I wouldn't mind the extra help."
Vince perks up a little, tilting his head. "Oh.. Y-yeah. Just.. what would you need help with?"
You turn to the screen to observe it. "Mmh, you don't have to stick by my side, but I really don't like how shit is run here. I have strong suspicions it's even more fucked up than your typical mega-corporation."
Sun covers his mouth, slipping out a few syllables as everyone smiles a little brighter.
"Ah, yea. Sorry, Sunshine. My bad."
He smiles a little and nods, jerking his head up and down, blurring his face.
Vince's grin fades as he breaths in and sighs after thinking for a second.
"..Well, I'm still pretty curious about this place. Especially with the, uh.. sentient robots and all."
"Mmh, me too Vince."
You watch the computer screen for a few minutes, the percentage only having increased from 79 to 80 since then. You dig through your bag as the others make themselves comfortable, Vince on his FazWatch, and Wendy on her phone under the light switch.
Sun sits on the edge of the table, purposefully raising his legs a little higher off the ground so he can swing them as he leans back, lost in his head, presumably talking with Moon. You pull out your phone and watch Sun as his eyes occasionally roll and a faint smirk creeps across his face before disappearing.
You're glad they have each-other. It seems they didn't get along too well before you got here.
The hemming on the ruffles around his neck and tears in his pants catch your attention, you smack your lips and turn to Wendy.
"Hey, Wendy, do you know if we have any spare clothing for Sun and Moon..?"
She looks to Sun, finally noticing the condition of his apparel. "Oh! Yes, we do. It should be in storage, but I can retrieve a few pairs for them to keep! We might have to order some, as their clothing is pretty expensive since its color and pattern changing, but I'm sure I can convince management."
You tilt your head a little in curiosity. "..Color and pattern changing? How does.. that work? Cause, when they swap, their pants literally just blip and it's the other's style."
"Yeah! As far as I know, it's actually embedded with smart micro-wire or something of the sorts. When an electrical current passes through it, it can swap! The current only has to stay for a little to cement the change, so after that, it's the default until another current passes through. I think there might be a certain.. I guess.. 'frequency' to the current for Sun and Moon, but I'm not entirely sure. I think we may have only sent you blueprints and documents that were a necessity for general maintenance and upkeep, I'm sure we left some out, or like, some others got mixed in. No one has messed with those folders in years I'm sure."
Some others got mixed in.
Yeah.
"..Ah, okay. Well, If you do find anything else related to them, I'd really like it emailed to me."
She smiles. "Of course! It'll be linked to the secure server so you'll have to view it externally from the mailbox, but can-do!"
You look over to Sun, him now fiddling with his skirt and ruffles lining his waist and neck respectively. His fingers glide along the torn fabric, studying its imperfections.
"..Hey, Sunshine. We'll get you cleaned up, don't worry."
He pauses and reserves his hands to hold each-other to his chest. "O-oh.. yes.. we.. we haven't noticed until now, so silly.. Thank you, Sunflower. You're sosososo kind."
"It's nothing, Sunshine." You'd be a little sappier if there weren't two coworkers judging you, Vince a little bit more than Wendy.
To prove your point, his smirk is back, along with his cross arms and dimples criticizing you, despite not having said anything embarrassing.
"Sunflower, huh?"
Ah. Yeah, right.
You roll your eyes. "Chill."
He smiles wider. "Sus."
You groan and turn to the computer screen, it being at 86% now. "You have gotta stop with that, please. I don't wanna be reminded of that da- darn game."
He lets out a laugh. "Oh well, It annoys you so it's a little funny."
You sigh and bring up your phone before hearing a little creak from the metal table behind you. You peek back and notice Sun studying you and your phone attentively, observing the wallpaper and how you have your home screen arranged.
You smile and turn back so he can watch over you, pulling up some random cat compilation on YouTube. You think about going to your gallery to show him the pictures you've taken of him, Moon too as of earlier today when you.. repaired him. God, you hope Wendy doesn't embarrass you over the security camera footage and just deletes it. Sun seems far too enamored in the cat video you're playing for him though, so you decide to let him keep watching. You'll print all the pics out later.
About half an hour has passed. Wendy made a phone call to order some new clothes, and mentioned retrieving them either tonight or tomorrow. Vince and Wendy's shift ends at 8 - when the Plex closes for the night. It's almost 5pm, you should be able to activate the control chip and connect it to the FazWatch('s) relatively quickly, only worried about if you're gonna have to postpone sifting through their code until tomorrow. It's the weekend, you'll have plenty of time, but.. you want this done as soon as possible.
But fuck, you're tired.
You look up from the cute animal compilation you're playing for Sun, having moved on from the cat videos. His warmth above you is comforting, this room was always kinda chilly.
The program is at literally 100%, but the progress box isn't closing and loading the code like it should. You grow worried until it's had its fill of you growing anxious and loads the monstrous preview, blinking in walls of code at a time.
Everyone in the room is torn away from their phones or watches as the flashing of color-coded code bursts across the screen.
It's absolutely massive. Petabytes massive. Multiple fucking petabytes.
How the hell were they storing this? Only giant tech firms and the fucking military are allowed to have technology capable of storing and handling this amount of information, and even then, it's a lengthy process to get such hardware.
It starts to make sense the NDAs and software you're using being so restrictive of what's made public. The copying of their software from just a set moment in time took so long not only because of its size, but because the program was decrypting, then re-encrypting code. It applied preventative measures that would make it near impossible to transfer the preview you're viewing right now onto any other storage device, and even then, it'd take a couple hundred, maybe thousand hard drives.
You wonder if sentience is the only thing they cracked creating these animatronics. You start feeling a little sick at the thought of what else this may be used for. Free labor, under the veil of incredibly advanced 'artificial' intelligence - despite them being entirely real.
You sigh, and pull your chair up to scroll through the file locations. Thankfully it's somewhat organized.
You.. quickly realize this would take absolutely forever. The best way for you to do this would possibly be making some kind of anti-virus software to comb through this copy of their code to reveal any irregularities. Somehow.
You have a few ideas that would make this easier, but the sleep-deprivation has reached the phase of making your brain fuzzy. The hospital bed wasn't comfy, nor was the anxiety.
You push back a little from the desk. "..Yeah.. that's not happening."
Wendy pushes up against the wall to stand, and walks over to you. "What's wrong..?"
"Their code is a couple petabytes. Petabytes."
She pauses for a second out of shock. "..Oh."
"Yeah. I can get to work on some software that'll make it easier, but I'd need access to copy this code probably. I don't know how that'll work, but.. seems like a problem for tomorrow. I'll just work on the control chip for now." You rub your eyes and pop your neck, Sun cringes a little, enticing a weak smile from you.
Wendy gently pats your shoulder. "That's alright, we'll figure it out. Take it easy though, alright? Pretty sure you can go home after this if you want, you've had a long day."
"Eh." You sit up and hop onto the table, waddling on your knees to where Sun backed up a bit to give the two of you some space.
You hold one of his rays gently, enjoying how it retracts just a little before extending into your touch. His voice box fizzles a bit as you look up at him, smiling as you look into his eyes. "..I'll probably stay just a little longer." You reach around for the cable still plugged into him, making sure it's still in place.
"..Sus."
You don't look at him. "You can go, Vince. See ya."
He giggles. "See you all, stay safe."
His radio beeps and an unintelligible voice says some things as he exits the room.
Wendy looks to you a little puzzled. "..Don't you think we need him for activating the control chip..? Y'know, just in case."
You freeze for a second. "Ugh.. I'm tired, alright. Plus, I'm pretty sure that feature is already in his software's presets. I think you just being at the lights will be enough."
You run your nails along the side of Sun's rays, his expression worrisome realizing the impending update to his software.
"..Hey, It'll be okay. Shouldn't cause any discomfort or anything."
His rays twitch a little in preparation to retract an inch or two before feeling your hand on one of them, to which they stop. "..Y-yes.. It'll be okay. Just.. worried about a-after.. yes.."
"I won't even open the control chip's program if not absolutely necessary. Promise."
You hold his hand and adjust his fingers. Pinky promise.
He wants to mention.. It isn't you he's worried about.
Others are gonna have access to the program on their watches. You know this too, however with it being mandatory, all you can do is attempt to enforce no one else touching it except you.
You hesitantly let go of his hand, sliding off the table and to your chair. You minimize the current program you're using to preview their code, and open up the console for general presets.
You eventually find the folder containing the control chip program, and open it.
Wendy watches you as you observe the layout. "Okay, so, once it's activated, all you need to do is plug a USB into your watch and copy the given communication program. From there, you can just send the file to me and I'll distribute it."
You nod.
It's pretty straightforward, you click yes on a few dialogue boxes, and you're all done. Wendy hands you a USB connected to the computer, and you transfer the given file.
Your watch updates, and everything is good to go. Sun doesn't seem affected either quite yet, which you're both relieved of. Hopefully it's just a passive update, only altering anything if the program is used.
You have a bad feeling in your gut. You don't trust most of the people here. You're gonna try to be sneaky about some edits to the program this weekend, if that's even possible. You really hope you don't have to settle for.. just hope.
You'll make it very clear that no one should touch them except you.
You swivel the chair. "All good, Sunny?"
He clasps his hands together and smiles. "Yes! Didn't feel one thing, nope!"
"Good, now come here so we can get that wire out of your head."
He pushes himself off the table, walking over to you as you have to crane your neck up to look at him sitting down. You motion for him to crouch and turn.
Wendy backs up and just observes you unplugging the cable.
All done. With the click of the plate that shields the port from outside elements, a weight is lifted from everyone's shoulders.
It's over. Finally.
Of course, you'll have to go through his code sometime else, likely developing a tedious diagnostic or anti-virus program to sift through his code, but that's a task for another day. Probably this weekend.
You exhale.
"..Okay. All done. Gosh. That was quite the first day back.." Sun stands up and gives you some space to step onto your feet. You push the chair in and turn to him.
You shuffle over and press your head into his tummy, sluggishly wrapping your arms around him. He plays with your hair a little with one hand, while running a finger down your back with another. It uh, feels really good.
Wendy giggles. "Oookay, yup, we're all good for the day I think. I'm probably gonna get ready to clock out, hopefully early. Just got a few things I need to do of course, some involving that camera up there."
You groan. "Just.. delete it."
"Mhm. You can head home too if you'd like, if you need anything, lemme know, alright? I'll be seein' ya!" She takes a step to the door.
"W-wait." You back up a little to look at her, Sun still resting a hand on your shoulder.
Wendy tilts her head, awaiting something to follow.
"..Uh. Do you mind at all just.. stopping by my house and getting Mimi some water at least..? I-If not, it's fine, I just-"
She giggles. "Of course! I'd love to see her again. Should've known you wouldn't be going home anytime soon, such a hard worker you are!"
You roll your eyes. "..Thanks."
Hesitantly pulling away from Sun, you reach for your bag on the desk, pulling out your keys and handing them to Wendy. You avoid eye contact as much as you can, you'd rather not see her judging the heat pooling up your neck and onto your face.
"Alright! Be seein' you." She returns to the door, opening it.
"Have fun you two!" You hear her remark just before the door closes behind her.
Sun is absolutely glowing above you, he has been the entire time. Wendy wouldn't have made much eye contact with you in the first place due to Sun beaming and rays whirring in a blur, taking up all her attention.
His hands clasp together as he bends down a bit to meet you, fans whirring audibly. "S-Sunflower! Are we having a slumber party!? You're not going home!? W-wha.. Y-you need your rest! O-oh gosh, wh-"
"Mmh, something like that." You hold his face and bring it a little lower, minding the rays and planting your fingers in-between them. You plant a kiss on his cheek as he freezes, rays and all.
You pull away, a little flustered given how he's looking at you. "..I, uh. Just wanna see something."
He tilts his head.
"..How well do you and Moon know the Plex..?"
"Oh..? Well.. Moon likes to explore, yesyes.. We know it very well! O-oh, we need to give you that tour we were planning!"
You smile up at him. "..Oh yea, that'd be really fun. But.. not what I quite had in mind.."
"..Sunflower.. I-I.. I'm afraid we're going to get in trouble! Nonono not good.. we.. we can't be rulebreakers!" Sun slouches and wrings his hands nervously as you ascend the stairs with him.
You turn around briefly and reach out for his hand, taking it. "Don't worry, I think it'll be fine. You're still going to be within the premises, I'm sure."
He whines as you continue.
The small shaft continues to lead upwards, until you both are finally at the top. You check around for any cameras, and surprisingly, you at least can't see any.
Sun waits at the last few steps while you let go and let him adjust, turning to the large metal door, you inspect it.
There aren't any signs, nothing to indicate this will set off any alarms or whatever. This part of the building is decrepit and run-down anyway, you don't think anyone has been here in a long time given the bulb barely working above you and cobwebs in the corner of the brick wall, wallpaper torn almost entirely off of it.
You test the push-bar, and surprisingly, it's also unlocked.
Sun perks up, leaning to the side at the noise, his fans audibly whirring as his anxiety spikes. If he had a heart, it'd be pounding.
You turn to him, smiling. "Come on, Sunset is in about.." You check your phone. "..22 minutes."
He lifts his head ever so slightly, curiosity getting the better of him. One step, and he's surpassed about four steps, and is now level with you on the top floor. He has to crouch down still to avoid hitting the ceiling.
You reach for his hand, to which he slowly takes and positions himself next to you.
"..You okay? Ready..?" You look up to him.
His expression is a mix between anticipation and nervousness. "..Mmmmh, y-yes.."
You press on the push-bar, cracking the door ever so slightly.
Cool autumn air hits you both, sneaking in through the slit as the door creaks.
Sunlight slips through, and Sun's eyes dart to it in an instant. The yellow-orange rectangular shape cast by the crack only reminiscent of old bulbs he's encountered among the Plex. It doesn't take long for him to dart to the source.
You're filled with energy watching his reaction, washing away the exhaustion you've been plagued with all afternoon. Your tummy jumps and your heart feels funny.
You press the door open entirely.
Sun almost flinches, but keeps his footing. His mouth is open in awe, eyes wide to observe the sky. You peek your head out, noticing only a few clouds that you'll be able to show him.
He's motionless, crouching down to look out of the doorframe. eyes beaming at the sky.
The fading blue above a few orange clouds stuns him in place. He's unable to move.
You give him a minute.
And you step out, hand still in his as the other holds the door.
His eyes finally fall from the sky, onto you. Your warm smile that'd rival his own heat in this moment.
"..Come on, Sunshine."
He lifts his leg, watching it as it steps out.
His foot lands on the dark gravel-y sheathing that makes up the roof. He ducks under, and slowly maneuvers his body outside entirely. He stands straight.
He looks up, and to the left.
Just a little over the horizon, parallel to the trees lining the right side of the building, sets the sun.
The sun.
His eyes adjust and internal components contract to limit the blinding light entering them. The surrounding area darkens a little as he looks directly at it, being the only thing in his vision just above you.
He looks a little to the left of the Sun, instead of directly at it. The scenery brightens again.
It's the second prettiest thing he's ever seen.
You've seen the sun a thousand times, but for now, he's the only one you wanna savor. His awe is something you're never going to forget.
"..Do you like it?"
He looks down to you for only a second before his eyes return to the horizon.
"..It.. It doesn't have any rays.."
You giggle. "Yeah, it doesn't, sadly."
His free hand rises to rest in a ball against his chest, the tightness in it growing with each passing second. "..It's still veryveryvery pretty.."
"It is."
You let the door close behind you after you make sure you'll be able to get back in eventually.
"..Wanna sit somewhere..?"
He nods his head, still staring into the sunset.
You take his hand and guide him over to a metallic raised part of the roof, not too far from the edge.
You wrap your hands around his torso, guiding him to sit since he refuses to look anywhere but the sun.
You take his hand, and snug up next to him, leaning into his arm.
After a few minutes, he slowly turns to you.
"..I.. I wish we c-could.. could cry.."
You squeeze his hand. "..One day. Anything you want, I'll give you."
"..Sunflower.."
He takes your hand in the farthest one from you, using the closest to wrap around your back, resting his palm against your tummy.
"..Mmh." You lay your hand on top of his.
Moments pass, and the cool autumn breeze and Sun's warmth make for the most comfortable balance of temperature possible. The leaves of yellow-orange trees shake and stir in the wind, rustling together, producing serene white noise.
Your heart tightens, and you feel bad knowing at any second, tears could fall, while Sun can only pout.
The sky darkens ever so slowly. The sun dips below the horizon, all until the very tip is exposed.
It falls, and you wait patiently for the mechanical noises that signal Moon coming out.
The light level eventually drifts through the threshold as the sky darkens into red and orange.
Their pants are the only thing you see of their transformation, being held so closely to them.
Moon's hands cool as the air chills in sync.
"..Limelight.."
You run your fingers along his hand. "Mmh.."
"..You haven't had much rest, have you?"
You're silent, and it only takes Moon a second to process you're not gonna admit your exhaustion.
"I will be back in forty seconds."
You adjust yourself up and look to Moon above you. "..Wha-"
He positions you to sit upright by yourself, pulling away, and disappearing behind you. By the time you've turned around, the door is already closing, him not anywhere in sight.
You sigh, and begin counting.
..3, 4, 5..
..38, 39, 40.. 41, 42..
The door is thrown open, and out ducks Moon, holding the top of the doorframe as he passes under.
He notices you watching closely, deep into his white eyes. He only takes long strides towards you instead of sprinting at top speed, something in his hand.
A large, dark blue patterned blanket, with moon phases on it. Crescents, full moons. He steps over the large metallic vent you're sitting on, repositioning you as you were before he left, this time, having a thick blanket around you.
You exhale and smile. "..That was 42 seconds"
"..It was an estimate, Starlight."
"Mmmhm.. thank you."
He holds you tight, arm wrapped around you, the sky gradually darkening above you.
"..Don't want you catching a cold, would be soso horrible if we had to nurse you back to health.." He cranes up to the sky, studying its dark blue glow, faint sprinkles of white he doesn't quite recognize yet.
You hum. "Mmh, so horrible."
You swear he's purring against you.
You follow his eyes best you can, and eventually, Moon realizes what lies in the dark sky above him.
"..Stars.."
You smile at his realization. You adjust yourself, looking for the Moon.
Eventually, you crane yourself a little backward and to the right, staring past where he's sitting.
Above the autumn trees, a crescent moon sneakily peaks out above the leaves.
You giggle, and wiggle yourself out of Moon's arm.
He averts his eyes from the sky above him, focusing on you making your way to your feet.
You wrap the blanket around you, and swap places with him, sitting on his right.
He stares down at you. "..Were you not comfortable..?"
You turn a little and press your back into him. "I was very comfortable, this just has a better view."
He gently pushes you forward a little to make way for his leg to lay over the opposite side of the large vent beneath you both, straddling it so you can rest in-between his legs, back against his tummy instead of his side.
He wraps his arms around you, making sure you're tucked in with the blanket properly, holding you close.
"..Of what?"
You don't answer, you just wait.
It doesn't take long once he relieves his focus from you.
"..Oh.."
You smile and press firmly against him, holding as much of his arms as you can through the blankie.
"The moon."
It glimmers white as the sun sets and the sky blackens, basking the earth in a gentle glow.
The sky is littered with faint, but visible stars. You can make out a few constellations despite the light pollution. It's pretty.
Your heart jumps.
This is the first time they've ever seen the sky, let alone their respective celestial objects.
You breathe in the cool air, hair gently being played with by the wind. You watch as the moon slowly rises little by little over the trees for almost an hour.
You've yawned about 14 times by now, Moon has counted. It won't be long.
"..Thank you, Starlight."
You hum, closing your eyes.
"..Love.. you two.."
Moon pauses for a few seconds.
"..We.. We love you too, little star."
"..Mmh.."