⭐REQUESTS: CLOSED⭐

But you don’t even have the chance to knock on the Daycare’s doors before they swing open, Sun poking his head into the entryway with an enthusiastic: “Sunshine! How wonderful to see you! Now what can I help you with, on this fine day?”

His voice booms through the empty space, and you can’t help but cringe back a little. A S.T.A.F.F. bot glances up from its position briefly at the sound, and you tug your hat down over your eyes as you quickly glance away.

It doesn’t seem to raise any alarms, though, as it simply regards you for a moment before going back to its duties. You let out a relieved sigh and turn back to Sun, offering him a little smile in return.

“Hey, Sunny.” It’s hard to stay casual with the tiny body wriggling around in your pocket. You shift the bag laid across your shoulder, trying to act natural. “I brought you a surprise!”

“A surprise!” He gasps dramatically. “Oh, you shouldn’t have! Now what sort of surprise could it be? Oh, oh! Let me guess—is it a…”

His fingers drum across the hem of the door. “Present?”

“Kind of.”

“Ooh, I love presents!” Sun throws open the door, ushering you inside. “Come in, come in, make yourself comfortable! Me casa es su casa!”

Carefully you step around his sweeping gestures, keeping your side turned away so that he can’t see what you’re carrying. The kicking in your pocket goes haywire once you stop walking, and you have to squirm in place to keep from ending up with bruised ribs.

“So mysterious!” He immediately drops into a half-crouch as the door swings closed behind the two of you, swaying from side-to-side. “I’m so excited!”

“Okay, but you’ve got to promise me something—” You warn him, taking a little step back. Sun simply takes another step closer, practically crowding you against the doors. It makes your breath catch in your lungs. He really is just so big.

“Oh? I can do that!”

You take a deep breath. “You’ll be gentle.”

He freezes, head cocking to the side with an audible click. “Gentle…?”

“You’ve got to be very gentle.” You reiterate, cringing at the warble in your voice. “Very, very gentle.”

“I can…do that?”

“Good!”

With that out of the way, you slide both hands into your pocket and wrap them around the tiny creature trying to burrow itself into the folds of your coat. You drag them up and into the light, presenting Sun with an absolute fluffball of a Yorkie puppy.

“This is Nugget! Say hi, Nugget!” You take their little paw between your fingers and wave it in Sun’s direction, no longer able to keep the grin from breaking across your face.

“Oh…! Ohmygoodness!” The way Sun’s voice cracks just makes you smile all the wider. “They’re so—so tiny! So little, so…ohmygosh! Ohmygosh!”

He reaches out for them, but pauses before his fingers touch their fur.

“Can I…?” He asks, hesitantly. You nod, carefully shifting Nugget from your hands into his. You have to get close to do it, and for a moment you feel your heart stammer as his body towers over your own.

“Y-You can kind of hold them like you would a baby,” you instruct nervously, “Just put one hand under them, use the other to keep their head up—”

He didn’t need to. His hands were so big he only needed one palm to keep Nugget balanced against his chest, allowing them to simply sit in place. He used the other to gently ruffle his fingers over the top of their head, his touch feather light.

“You are so small.” He croons. “So, so, so small!”

Sun looks up at you, and he sounds like he’s going to start crying. “Sunshine, this is the best gift anyone has ever gotten me. Ever.”

You’re so relieved to hear that. It made the anxiety boiling in your body ebb a little.

“Where are they…I mean, how did you…?” He can’t seem to be able to put the words together, he’s so overwhelmed by emotion.

“I’m dog-sitting for my neighbor,” you explain, reaching out to rub Nugget behind the ears. She licks your fingers affectionately. “And don’t worry—I did ask before I brought her if it’d be okay. As long as we keep an eye on her, she can stay.”

The air still smells like art supplies, something sugary sweet, and cleaning chemicals. He must have just finished his cleaning duties. If you’d had more time, sans the dog-sitting, you would have offered to help. Anything to spend more time together.

“How did you squeeze past security? No, wait—I don’t want to know.” He lifts Nugget to eye level, wagging a finger in her face, which she attempts to nibble on. “You are just a little troublemaker, aren’t you? Yes, you are! Yes, you are!”

You grin at the two of them, shifting your bag into a more comfortable position. The lump in your throat grows a little bigger, and you swallow awkwardly around it.

“I brought some toys with me, too, if you want to play with her—”

“Yes!” Sun practically shouts. Then quickly looks around, bringing his voice to a more conspiratorial whisper. “I mean—yes. Yes, please!”

He plops to the ground, cradling Nugget in his arms like one would hold a baby. You kneel beside him, grateful to finally get the weight of the bag off your shoulder. From it, you pull out several different dog toys, a colorful pulley rope, and a couple of balls for her to chase, along with her favorite stuffed animal.

There’s inches of distance between the two of you, and even like this, your heart is starting to pound. His knee nearly brushes against your own and you have to act like that’s okay.

“Oh, so many options!” Sun wiggles his fingers as he waves a hand over the selection. “Which to choose first…!”

You offer him the pulley rope. “She loves this one.”

When he reaches out, his fingers touch yours, and you can’t help but jerk back at the electric spark of heat that courses through your hand and all the way up your arm.

Thankfully, Sun doesn’t seem to notice. He pinches one end of it between his fingers, wagging the free end of the rope over Nugget’s face playfully. “Do you love this one? Do ya? Do ya?”

She yips and growls and jumps across his lap, little teeth snapping at the fluffy end of toy, just close enough to graze it. Finally, her little mouth clamps down on the rope, and Sun pulls it up into the air, leaving her dangling in a way that has you cackling with laughter.

“Hang on, I need to—let me get a photo!”

You fumble with your phone, snapping as many pictures as you can before she lets go. That is going to be your new lockscreen for a while.

Sun has a blast cycling through the toys, switching between throwing the bouncy balls around, to dragging Nugget through a very one-sided tug-of-war match, to feeding her treats while she chews on the ear of her favorite stuffed animal. The amount of pictures you take feels a little excessive, but you’re having too much fun to care.

Time goes by so fast that you don’t even think to check it until the lights start to flicker.

“Oh, shi—shhh—shoot, sorry.” A stern Look from Sun chases the curse from your mouth. You swallow once more around the lump in your throat. “You’ve still got to do your rounds. Do you want me to, uh…?”

You reach for Nugget, but Sun pulls away for a moment, large hands cradling her possessively against his chest. After a second, he relaxes, gently passing the half-asleep puppy into your arms. Once again, you’re far too close, and heat washes through your body in waves, burning across your cheeks and up to the tips of your ears.

“Well, if we have to…”

The disappointment in his voice is clear. You feel a little bad, having to cut his fun short. But then he pulls away, and you can breathe again.

“We can play more once Moon is done!” You offer, bouncing Nugget in your lap as she nibbles affectionately at your fingertips. “He should get a turn too.”

You see Sun stiffen a little at the mention of his counterpart, before sagging dramatically.

“Well, okay…fiiine.”

The lights flicker again, then finally go out. You keep Nugget snuggled in place, even as she tries to wriggle free when Sun moves to stand. He stands to you with his back turned, and like taking a breath, his head swirls, the pattern on his clothes shifts, and his posture dips into a crouch. It’s so seamless that you hardly pay it any attention until the head turns to face you.

Moon giggles, wiggling his fingers in greeting. “You’re up late.”

“Don’t complain,” you warn him playfully, “I’m here for you.”

His eyes lock onto the ball of fluff in your lap. “Nice doggy. Good doggy.”

“Do you want to play with her?”

Moon’s head turns fully, his body following in a slow delay. Cautiously, he shifts his weight from one foot to the other, taking a half-step back as his eyes move from Nugget to you, and back again. His fingers come together in what almost looks like a nervous twiddle.

“Perhapsss…”

You can’t help but smile to yourself at how cute he’s being, even if he doesn’t realize it. “I’ll keep her here; we can wait for you.”

He reaches up, tapping his fingers against the side of his face, seemingly thinking it over. You rock Nugget gently, feeling your heart melt as she lets out a long, drawn-out yawn. All the playing must have tuckered her out—Sun is good at that, letting kids play until they’re drained of all energy. You wonder if he’s tired, too.

After a moment of deliberation, Moon leans in close, his eyes still glued to the tiny creature half-asleep in your lap. Her head bobs once, twice, then lays on the crook of your elbow as her eyes slip closed. It takes immense willpower not to squeal like a child at the pure cuteness. But you’re a mature, controlled adult.

“Later.” His head is so close to your shoulder that you can feel the heat emanating from his body. It makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on-end, having him that close. If you were to turn your head, your cheek would brush his own—

“It’s naptime.”

“Okay.” The word comes out more strained than you meant for it to. You’re perilously aware of the distance between the two of you, and you can feel your heart beating hard against your ribcage. You can barely breathe with him so close.

It makes you more than a little ashamed, having such an obvious crush. You were good at hiding it with Sun, at least you liked to think so, allowing all his attention to linger on Nugget. But now…now you were just hoping that he didn’t notice the way you tensed up when his presence lingered.

“You should rest.”

You laugh. “I can’t with her around. I close my eyes for even a second and she’ll be halfway across the Plex by the time I open them again.”

“Troublemaker.” Moon hesitantly reaches out a finger, scratching the tip of Nugget’s nose with it. She licks his fingertips, eyes fluttering before she relaxes again.

“The biggest.” You croon, heart going warm and gooey at the way Moon seems to soften.

“I will…be back.” He takes a step backwards, reaching out for his line as it descends like it was just waiting for his call. “Stay. Good doggy.”

Then, with a sweep of his arms, he ascends into the darkness. You watch him float away, rocking Nugget back and forth as she snuggles into the warmth of your embrace.

“I’m so glad I brought you.” You whisper, despite knowing that she probably can’t hear you. Her ear twitches, then lays flat again. “They seem so happy. I think this will be good for them.”

You sit and scroll through the numerous pictures you took as you sit and wait for Moon to come back. Most of them are blurry, a result of trying to catch Nugget mid-play. Thankfully the one of her hanging from the end of the chewy rope is clear enough that you can make out both her and Sun in the background. You consider sending it to Nugget’s owner but think better of it.

Sure, you had asked for permission to take her out, but you hadn’t exactly told them where you were going to take her. And besides, you liked being able to keep it to yourself. It was like a little secret between the three of you.

Four, if you counted Moon.

Time passes, and as it does, you feel your eyelids starting to grow heavy. Your head droops, and you fight back against the urge to let sleep claim you. There’s a stillness to the Daycare that makes the air feel heavy, and that heaviness weighs across your shoulders like a thick blanket, urging you to let your eyes slip closed and have the night claim you as yet another victim of Dreamland.

But you can’t, you remind yourself as you snap back to a hazy attention. Nugget needs to be looked after, and as tired as you are, you can’t let her slip past your defenses.

Sure, it’d be nice to let your eyes close, for just a second…

To let the heaviness win out…

To let the darkness close in…

To feel yourself slipping…

Slipping…

…

You don’t mean to let it, but sleep takes you.

And the sleep you get is dreamless, or at least, when you wake again at the sound of jingling bells, there’s no dream chasing at your heels once your eyes slowly crack open. It’s blurry at first, but you make out a blue and grey blob, holding something small and dark.

As your vision clears between blinks, you make out Moon crouched a few inches away, cradling Nugget against his chest.

“Moon…?” You murmur groggily, rubbing the sleepy from your eyes. “I-I didn’t mean to pass out like that, I’m so sorry—”

“Shhh.” He lifts a finger to his lips, head tilting towards the puppy curled in his arms. “It’s nap time.”

“Oh, sorry.” Your voice drops to a whisper as you pull yourself up and into a sitting position. You yawn, stretching out, and smile at the way Nugget’s paws kick a little in her sleep. “She’s so cute.”

“Yes. Very cute.”

You expect him to look down at her when he says it. But he doesn’t, and the prolonged eye contact makes you squirm a bit. Face flushing hot, you finally glance away.

“How long have I been asleep?”

“For a while.”

“Oh.” A while, in Moon’s opinion, can vary from anywhere between a few minutes to a few hours. “Can you be more specific?”

“Yes.”

You give him a look. “Will you?”

“Mm.” His eyes roll upwards as he giggles again. “No.”

“Okay.” Well, it can’t have been long if he’s still out. “I’m going to start cleaning up, let me know if you need anything.”

He simply turns away, rocking Nugget in his arms. “Shh…”

You allow him his solace, instead focusing on cleaning up the various toys scattered around the play area.

For a little while, you’re too focused on picking up the toys that you don’t even realize what it is you’re hearing, until you pause to listen. The soft notes float through the quiet, still air like leaves caught in a gentle breeze.

Moon is singing a lullaby.

“Hush little baby, don’t say a word, Momma’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.”

Is he…is he singing to Nugget?

Oh—that’s so sweet it makes your heart hurt a little.

“And if that mockingbird don’t sing, Momma’s gonna buy you a diamond ring…”

Carefully, you tiptoe around the two of them, cleaning up rubber balls and strewn about chew toys, until everything is packed up tight. You can’t remember exactly how many toys you brought, so it takes several circles to get all of them put back. And if any get left behind? You decide the two can keep them—as a memory of the day.

It’s not until the lights overhead begin to flicker that you even look up.

Ah. Time to switch back.

“Hey, Moon, are you ready to—Jesus!” You turn, finding that Moon is already far ahead of you. And by far ahead of you, it means looming over your shoulder, still cradling a half-asleep Nugget against his chest.

“Language.” He snickers, taking a half-step closer. You take several back, trying not to trip over your own feet in the process. He was too close, and now your whole body felt like it was burning up. “Nap time is over. For now.”

“Yeah, sure.” You squeak out. Normally, like a normal person would.

“Will you…be back?” There’s a pause in his words as he shifts his weight from one foot to the other.

“Well…” You chew on your bottom lip thoughtfully, eyes moving between Moon’s face and Nugget’s breathing. Really, it’s getting late. And you should be taking her home. But…

You can’t help yourself when he looks so dejected.

“Maybe we can stay for just a little bit longer.” You say finally, with a sigh. These jesters really have you wrapped around their finger, whether they realize it or not.

Moon brightens immediately, gently pushing Nugget into your arms with another giggle and a tiny wave of his fingers.

“See you soon.”

Then the lights come back on.

For a moment, you’re blinded. A hand comes up to shield your poor eyes from the sudden flash-bang and when your vision clears, Sun stands before you, his arms spread wide.

“Hello there, friend!” He chirps giddily. “Is it play time yet?”

You feel Nugget start to wiggle in your arms. Despite having just been asleep, the sound of Sun’s voice is enough to get her tail wagging. You bounce her, smiling to yourself as you push back the ever-growing urge to yawn.

“Yeah, I think it is.”

“Great!” He squeals happily, sweeping Nugget from your embrace to his own in one fluid motion. “So, where do we start?!”

So much for trying to keep things cleaned up. You take the bag from over your shoulder and simply dump its contents back out onto the ground.

Boom.

Even now, when all he wanted was to slink away into the dark, far away from your pleading eyes and pursed lips.

“Come on, Moon. Please? You can look at it all if you want to. I won’t stop you. It’s really good stuff. Like, expensive stuff.”

You moved around the cleaning cart, picking up and brandishing several different items in his direction, with all the nervous excitement of a salesman trying to land a deal.

His eyes moved over each object laid out, atop the cart’s surface. Towels, fluffy and white. Bottles of cleaning solutions. Metal polish. Different kinds of scrub brushes. A few toothbrushes…?

He didn’t recognize any of the brands, which meant that they came from outside the Pizzaplex.

“…You bought these?” Cautiously, he picked up one of the little canisters and held it between his thumb and forefinger, turning the balm canister round-and-round like it was an oversized coin.

Polish cream. The fancy aluminum tin flashed under the dim lights, like the spark of a distant star.

“Yeah, I got them all from a hardware place that was nearby.” You smiled, hands roving over the assortment to grasp one of the smaller hand towels. His head tilted a bit when you held it out to him, a lopsided smile gracing your flushed cheeks.

“Feel these! I swear, I have never felt towels as soft as these.”

Curiosity burning, Moon placed the polish back down and reached for the towel. He fingered the soft, fluffy fabric in a bit of awe. It was much nicer than the old, tattered rags they had stashed away in the Daycare. Cleaner, too.

“They’re Egyptian cotton.” Your grin grew wider. “I got you a couple of sets, so you can keep some in storage for when they each get worn out.”

“…Keep?”

“Well…yeah! I mean, they’re yours now.” You gestured at the whole of the collection. “All of this is. I mean, I can keep it if you don’t have any room. But this is all for you. You and Sun, I mean. Obviously.”

He looked back and forth between you and the cleaning cart, utterly bewildered.

And, more than that, suspicious.

“Why?”

He watched your expression twist into bemusement, before you sighed dramatically and rolled your eyes.

“Because I can.”

“What if we…don’t want it?” He couldn’t stop the hint of amusement that crept into his voice. Even if there was a little bit of truth to it. It felt…wrong to accept this.

You just pursed your lips, brows raising so high they nearly touched your hairline.

“Well, that’s too bad. Cause I already bought it, and the store won’t let me return it. Which means either you take it, or I’ll just throw it all away.”

He grunted, looking back over the collection.

“Liar-liar, pants on fire.”

“Nope!” You popped the “p,” giving him a little half-shrug. “I’ve got the receipt, and it says no refunds allowed. You wanna see it? I’ll show it to you.”

Moon grunted again, tapping his fingers rhythmically against his chin and cheek.

To take it…or not…

It would be a shame to let it all go to waste.

But! But. He had one more question to ask you.

“Why me? Why not Sun?”

He can’t help but spit the name with a bit of venom. Out of the two of them, wouldn’t Sun be the easier target? Easier to work with. Easier to talk to. A better fit.

Better…in every way.

The look you give him is hard to place. It’s not hurt, not pity…a little frustrated.

A little sad.

“Do you not…trust me?”

There it is again: that feeling of wanting to hide away. A little tickle of guilt burning through his wires and sliding between his gears. He didn’t like it when you looked at him like that.

“No.”

“No, you don’t trust me? Or no, you don’t not trust me?”

“…No.”

You sighed, pulling off the bear-eared cap on your head to run a hand through your already messy hair.

“Alright. Alright…I won’t force you to do it. I just…” You looked down at the cart, eyes misty and lip quivering a bit. Like you were trying not to cry. “I wanted to spend time with you.”

And like that, he feels something in him melt.

“Fine.” He folded his arms over his chest, as if they’d serve as any sort of defense. He hates the way his whole-body tickles with heat when the sadness on your face melts away into relief.

Because it’s unfamiliar. Different.

He knows for a fact that what he’s feeling is something that he’s not supposed to be able to feel.

And yet, you make him feel it.

And that frightens him.

“Make it fast.”

Guilt is there again, gnawing at his insides when you reach up to quickly wipe the rim of your eyes clear, a breathy laugh bubbling up from somewhere inside you. Just like that, you’re so happy.

“Alright! Okay. Okay. Um, I’ll start with the—I mean, what do you want me to start with? I’ve got all this stuff, and I didn’t even think about it. God, where do I start?”

Moon watches you flit around the cart, hands moving over each object in a frenzy. You finally look up after a moment, going still.

“Sorry. Just. Give me a second, I swear I know what I’m doing.” Your eyes move to the floor, like you’re searching for something. “Do you want to sit down?”

Silently, Moon reached behind him, grasping one of the small child-sized chairs, and pulled it out to sit on without breaking eye contact.

“Okay.” You chuckled, a rag in one hand, a bottle of cleaning solution in the other. He could feel the hesitancy in your movements as you approached, like you were afraid he’d bolt at any second. “I promise I’ll be gentle.”

For a moment, you hesitated, as if trying to decide where and how to get started. Moon simply sat still, watching your hands and eyes shift from his face to his arms, to his chest, then back up.

“Hang on, I can’t do this kneeling—my back hurts too much for that.”

You grabbed an undersized chair and pulled it up across from him, gently taking one of his arms and spraying a light amount of the solution across it. Moon couldn’t detect any chemicals, but it did smell slightly…fresh?

“This is just water and soap,” you explained, gently running the rag across his forearm, rubbing it between his fingers and over his palm. “To get rid of the surface stains. After that, I’ll use the stronger stuff.”

For a moment, there was a silence that stretched between the two of you. He wasn’t sure if it was comfortable or not but was more than satisfied to simply watch your tiny hands work their way up and down his arm.

You swapped to the other arm, wiping it down gently from hand-to-shoulder, then paused.

“Do you want me to do your chest or back first?”

Your voice was soft, gentle and coaxing.

Moon looked down at his arms, flexing his fingers as he thought for a moment.

“…Back.”

“Alright.”

Carefully, you placed a hand on his shoulder for balance, running the washcloth over his broad back. Moon twitched, an odd tingle rushing through his wires at the sensation of your palm rubbing little circles around the spot where the hook to his line protruded. He tried to ignore it, but you stopped again, having noticed.

“Sorry, is that uncomfortable?”

“No.” He scrambled for an excuse. “…It tickles.”

“Oh.” From the corner of his eye, he could see a tiny smile cross over your face. “I didn’t know you were ticklish.”

“We’re not,” he replied, maybe a little too fast. “Just…sensitive.”

“Sure.” The tone in your voice betrayed that maybe you didn’t entirely believe him, but you didn’t push the issue. He was thankful for that.

The thought of your little hands coasting along his metal body, trying to find vulnerable spots to attack and manipulate—it made his head spin. That was the last thing he needed right now.

Things were quiet again, as you slid the rag over the thin pieces of metal that made up his hinged neck. Anxiety raced through his system as your hand moved dangerously close to the back of his face-plate—where the switch sat.

One wrong move (or maybe, one purposeful move) and he’d be forced into Rest Mode.

“Careful—” Before he could stop himself, his hand flew up, snatching your thin wrist. “Not there.”

“Oh! Sorry, sorry, sorry…” You quickly jerked back, panic flashing in your eyes. “D-Did I hurt you?”

He searched your face for any sign of wrongdoing. Something to latch onto.

He found nothing.

“…No.” Moon finally said after a moment, letting your wrist go. He felt a little bad as he watched you rub it, knowing that he’d probably held on a little too hard. “Just…not there.”

“Okay, I’m sorry.” You scooted around the edge of the chair, rag hovering just below the edge of his neck ruffles. “I’ll start on your chest now, okay?”

He didn’t say anything but leaned his head back to give you more room. That, and to keep from having to watch you run the cloth over the expanse of his chassis. Just the feeling of it was enough to have him balling his hands tight into fists at his sides.

There was so much intimacy in the action, as simple an action it was. Your face was so close, eyes squinted as you scrubbed at the stains splattered across his metal body. Sticky hands, paint, glue, dirt, grime—there was no telling what made up the mass of it all. But the feeling of it being wiped away was a very pleasant one.

He felt lighter, almost. Like the weight of the stains were being peeled off him.

You were extremely gentle when your hands moved down to his waist, one holding him slightly in place, the other moving the cloth down his sides and across his stomach.

Moon squirmed again. If he’d had a stomach, it would have been fluttering. Full of butterflies.

“Sorry, I’m almost done.” You breathed softly, looking up at him from beneath your lashes.

“It’s fine.” He lied.

A few more moments later, you finally leaned back, and Moon felt like he could breathe again. Not that he’d ever needed to in the first place. But whatever pressure had been hanging over his head was finally lifted away, if only momentarily.

You pulled out another bottle, gently drenching a small scrub brush across its surface with the oddly colored liquid. It smelled very strongly of disinfectant, and he flinched a little.

“This is the strong stuff.” You explained, offering him an apologetic smile. “It’ll get rid of the tougher stains—you don’t have a lot of them, so this part should be quick. I’ll try not to go too hard with it.”

“Do what you need to. We won’t run.”

This part of the cleaning process wasn’t quite as pleasant as the rag and soap. But you had been true to your word—your touch was gentle. Maybe too gentle.

“Harder.” He urged, after a while of watching you scrub at his arms. “We don’t have all night.”

You blew a few stray hairs out of your face. “I don’t know how you got this dirty. When was your last bath?”

He…couldn’t remember. So, he didn’t say anything at all.

You paused to glance up at him, but after it was apparent that you weren’t going to get a response, you turned back to scrubbing.

The bristles of the brush felt…strange, against his metal skin. Not painful. Just uncomfortable. It made him want to push your hand away, but he stopped short of doing so. You were just trying to help, and it wouldn’t do either of you good for him to make this difficult.

So, like a child sitting through a well-needed (but unwanted) haircut, he forced himself to simply sit there, squirming every so often.

“I really appreciate you letting me do this for you.” You finally said, your voice cutting through the silence. “I wish I could do something about the stains on your pants, but you probably wouldn’t want me to, uh…”

Your hands moved through the air, making vague gestures, before you just gave up and offered him a little half-shrug. “Mess with those.”

Moon had to think about it for a moment. “I wouldn’t mind.”

Once more, you paused, blinking rapidly. “What? Oh, uh—I was just joking!”

A spark of mischief fluttered in his chest. Your cheeks were flushing, the rosy color reaching all the way up to the tips of your ears. You couldn’t look at him suddenly, and his internals picked up a rapid jump in heart rate.

“Nervous?” A giggle bubbled up from somewhere deep inside him, and he clicked his invisible tongue, wagging a finger in your face. “Naughty thing.”

The color on your face deepened to a shade that rivaled the ruby glow of his eyes.

“No! I mean—that’s not what I meant. Just—I just—” Your lips set in a thin line, breath coming quick and heavy.

“Want me to take them off?”

“What?”

He giggled again, quite enjoying the way your voice cracked.

“My…” His hands hovered for a moment, just above the hem of his pants. Then, he flipped them upwards, as if offering you his wrists. “Ribbons.”

Your face was so red that he wondered if you could even breathe properly. Your heart was practically leaping out of your chest. Seeing you all flustered made that bouncy, electric feeling inside him tingle and spark.

For a moment, you just glared at him, shaking the scrub brush like you were considering smacking him with it. Then, you sucked in a breath, pinched the bridge of your nose, and slowly let it out again, lowering your would-be weapon.

“I hate you.”

He snickered again, reaching out a single finger to gently tap the tip of your nose. “Liar.”

You love me.

The words were caught in his nonexistent throat. He could say it, to push your buttons even further, but something held him back. Hesitation.

He wasn’t…quite ready to push it that far, yet.

You sighed dramatically, placing the scrub brush aside, only to reach for one of the toothbrushes he’d seen earlier.

“Are we playing dentist?”

“You’re half right.” Amusement sparkled in your eyes. “This is for, like, getting into the tiny places. The seams between your fingers and stuff. I’ll be using it on your face, too, so…”

“You came prepared.”

You grinned. “I told you I did.”

“All this for little old me?” He struck a bashful pose.

“Yes, you absolute goober. Now hold still…”

The feeling of the toothbrush sliding into his seams was much more pleasant than the scrub-brush. It still tickled, enough to make him twitch now and then, but it wasn’t overwhelming.

You were so gentle with the motions, making sure to get every nook and cranny that you could work the bristles into. Moon was a little shocked to see just how much grime the brush was picking up, but then again—it had been a very long time since they’d gotten any sort of attention in the “appearances” department.

Every time you swapped to a new area, you dip the brush into a small container of cleaner, swirling it around and wiping away the dirt from the surface of the bristles. But even with such meticulous attention to detail, it didn’t take long for it to become too dirty to keep using.

You ran through at least three brushes before you stopped to take a break.

“Seriously, how the hell did you guys get so dirty?”

Moon could only shrug. There were several components that contributed to their current state, but the biggest offender was plain out negligence.

You sighed and shook your head, grabbing a thermos from behind the stack of bottles and tipping it back. His eyes followed the movement of your throat every time you swallowed—a strange voyeuristic feeling.

A rivulet of water dripped from the corner of your mouth, rolling down your chin, then your throat, then over the dip of your clavicle and down beneath the collar of your shirt…he tore his gaze away. Focused on flexing his hands in his lap, then folded them together and squeezed, one foot tap-tap-tapping away, anxiously.

“Phew! God, I’m sweating like crazy. Is it okay if I take this off?” You fingered the neckline of your shirt with one hand, using the other to fan yourself with your hat.

He really wanted to say no. Because that would make him feel weirder.

But he couldn’t, when you looked at him like that. So earnest and innocent.

Moon nodded silently, looking away once more when you reached for the buttons. It felt…wrong, to watch you undo them. The sound of fabric rustling had his foot tapping just a bit faster.

“Okay! I’m good now.” You stretched your arms up above your head with a little moan. “God, that’s so much better.”

Moon found it hard to look at you directly, now that you were sitting there in a tank top. It wasn’t anything salacious, it was just. So intimate. There was so much more visible skin now, and his eyes kept moving over the muscles in your arms, across the curve of your abdomen…

The shape of your body was so much clearer now, and that made him feel…almost shy.

 “Alright, last up is your face. I’m gonna have to get a little bit closer—is that okay?”

That was not okay. His system was on high alert.

But what was he supposed to say? You’d already gone this far, he couldn’t just say no. Despite really, really wanting to.

For a moment he felt the gears in his head grinding, a substitution for the teeth and jaw he lacked. The tension in his body felt like a rubber band pulled too tight, seconds away from snapping. It got worse when he forced himself to nod, only able to muster up a little grunt of affirmation.

“Alright. I’ll be careful, I promise.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust you. He did.

This was just. Too close.

You slid off the children’s chair, half-kneeling with one of your legs on the ground, a knee between his legs to balance yourself.

Too close. It was too close.

You reached up, rag in hand. Your fingers gently cupped the side of his face, feather-light touch sending sparks through his body.

Too. Close.

He felt his whole body go stiff as you pressed the soapy rag to his cheek.

Carefully, you moved it up to his forehead, then down to his chin. Warmth trailed down the metal of his face, burning in the wake of your touch. So hot that he almost couldn’t stand it.

Your eyes moved over his face as you swapped sides, smoothing down the crescent curve of his nose so delicately that it tickled. If he’d had the ability to sneeze, he probably would have.

“Sorry.” Your teeth dug lightly into your lower lip. “I know this is a lot. You’re doing a great job, Moonie.”

That did not help his situation at all.

Your praise struck him like a bolt of lightning, and he clenched his fists so tightly in his lap that he felt his metal knuckles pop.

“I really appreciate you letting me do this for you. I really, really care about you.” You paused to suck in a little breath. “I mean that.”

He could barely hear what you were saying. It was like static was buzzing in his ears, growing louder by the moment. All he could do was focus on the shape of your lips as they formed around each word.

“I…” The words refused to come out, caught in his nonexistent throat.

“It’s alright.” You laughed a little, placing the rag aside and reaching for the final toothbrush. “You don’t have to force yourself. I’m almost done.”

That wasn’t it.

You were just so close. The warmth of your body, your smell, the shape of you…it was suffocating him. If he leaned in, just a little bit more, he’d be able to wrap his arms around you, to feel the softness of your skin against his—

The abrupt tickle of the toothbrush rubbing against the seam in his faceplate made him jerk back.

“Sorry! Sorry.” You scoot forward, the hand on his cheek holding him in place a bit more firmly. “I’m almost done.”

Your body heat is suddenly all around him, then. You’re leaning up in his lap, both knees on the chair, straddling his leg. He can catch the scent of shampoo on your hair, scented lotion on your skin. He could count every lash framing your eyes. Feel the heat of your breath on his teeth—

His hands hover in the air, fingers twitching sporadically, just inches away from gripping you by the waist.

He wants to tell you to back up. But his invisible tongue is tied in knots.

He can’t stop looking at your face. Staring at you, as you maneuver the brush into the little dots lining his crescent-sloped nose.

“You have the cutest freckles.” You say, your lips turning up at the corners.

His body makes a strange noise. A low, grinding metallic sound that could be as much a growl as it could a whine.

That’s all the warning you get before he leans in, gripping you tight by the shoulders, and all but mashes his face against yours in a pathetic facsimile of a kiss.

It lasts for only a few seconds, but those seconds feel like an eternity. The softness of your lips against his hard, unyielding smile has his processor running at full tilt, fans blasting at full force inside of his chest, trying to chase off a heat that threatens to melt his insides into a gooey mess.

He was brought back to reality, then, as his brain caught up to his body.

Moon leaned back, shame burning through him. He slowly unfurled his hands from your shoulders, bringing them up to cover his face.

Why had he done that?

“M-Moon, I—what—”

Your voice is so small, trembling, and that just makes it so much worse.

“No, no.” He rasped, clawing at his cheeks. You stumbled back as he scrambled out of the chair, knocking it over in his haste to put distance between the two of you. “Against the rules. It’s wrong. Shouldn’t have done that. No, no, no—”

“Moon, stop.”

“Sorry, sorry, I’m sorry. Shouldn’t have done that. Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid—” Everything was spiraling. The gears inside his head grind so hard that it hurts.

He had you. He had something good. And he ruined it.

Sun was right. He ruined everything.

He always ruined everything good.

“Moon, stop!” Your fingers twine through his own, trying to pry his hands from his face. He can hear the panic in your voice. “Stop, you’re going to hurt yourself!”

“This is bad. This is wrong. It’s wrong.” He wanted to hide. He wanted to crawl into the dark, curl up in the shadows, and stay there forever. Away from you. Away from the good thing that he ruined. His fingers try to find purchase on something, anything, to grab and pull and break. “Wrong, wrong, wrong—”

“Moon…!”

He feels your fingers curl in the thin fabric of his neck ruffles—and then you yank.

The kiss is clumsy, teeth clicking against teeth as your lips smash against his plastic smile.

Everything in him screeches to a violent, almost painful halt. You’re kissing him.

And you keep kissing him.

Every kiss is hard and passionate, lips moving across his face as far as you can get to, standing on your tiptoes. He feels you stumble a little as you lean up into him, and his hands instinctively land on your waist to help you keep your balance.

“Wait, we can’t—”

“Sit.” You command.

He sits, following your will like the loyal, obedient dog that he is. He can see the chair he knocked over in front of him, sitting in what was your seat, but that view is quickly blocked when you climb into his lap. Your hands are trembling as they cup the sides of his face.

For a moment, your mouth opens and closes. Your brow furrows. You look like you want to say something, but no words come out.

So instead, you lean in and kiss him again.

And he lets you. He holds your tiny waist in his hands and leans into your touch, allowing the chaos filling his mind to simply melt away as you pepper kisses across his face.

Cheeks, nose, forehead, smile, eyebrows, chin. Back and forth and up and down and over and over—every kiss has his head spinning.

One of his large, metal hands come up to cradle the back of your head, urging you even closer. His fingers thread tenderly through your hair. Amongst the chaos, your hat is knocked free, falling to the wayside.

The heat of your body burns so hot through the thin fabric of your tank-top, and with the other hand, he gently squeezes the flesh of your side. A part of him wants to slide his fingers lower, to dip his hand beneath the shirt to feel the soft skin beneath.

It’s hot, it’s hot, it’s so hot he can’t stand it—

But then he feels your tongue slide across the thin curve of his lower lip, and he jerks back in shock. The thin line of saliva connecting your lips to his snaps.

“I, uh—ha..ha-ha…” You laugh a little as you rush to stand, quickly reaching up to wipe the drool from your mouth. Your lips are bruised red and a little puffy, cheeks flushed a pretty pink color. “Sorry, I-I got a little…uh, carried away.”

“Naughty.” Moon purrs, wagging a finger at you playfully. “Naughty boy.”

He feels so light and…and happy. That’s the only way he can put the bubbly, buzzy, excited feeling running all through his body. He’s happy.

“Was that…was that okay? That I…did…that?”” You can hardly look at him, eyes darting back-and-forth. He can feel you starting to pull back slightly, and his fingers curl possessively over the curve of your hip, keeping you tethered.

“…Maybe.” He muses, head cocking to the side. “Maybe not.”

“Oh.” Your face falls.

“Maybe you should…do it again.” His head tilted to the other side. “To make sure.”

He can’t help but giggle when obvious relief washes over your face.

“You…” Again, your lips move, not quite forming around words, like whatever you’re trying to say won’t quite come out. You settle with an awkward, lopsided smile. “So, it is okay? That I kissed you?”

Moon nodded, swaying lightly in his seat. “Yes. It’s…okay.”

He really wishes you would do it again.

“Okay. Okay! Good. I-I’m…yeah.” You laugh nervously, your cheeks still stained pink. Your grin stretches from ear-to-ear. Then you look up at him, and your expression morphs into an apologetic smirk.

“Cause now I’ve gotta clean your face off again.”

He stops swaying.

“Ah….” Moon can’t stop the little unhappy grunt that escapes him. He can still feel the sensation of each kiss buzzing against his metal skin. “Do you have to?”

“Yes, Moon, I have to.” You chuckle again, once more reaching for the cleaning supplies. “You can’t walk around with drool all over your face.”

“I’ve done it before.”

You fix him with a look. “You can’t walk around with MY drool all over your face.”

“Boo.” He crossed his arms, slumping back in a dramatic pout. His hat slumped over his face, the bell jingling as it bounced off his nose. “You’re no fun.”

A little whistle of air escapes your nose as you settled the other chair in front of him, scooting forward until your knees were touching. You reach up, gently moving the bell back over the curve of his head and beckoned him forward.

Moon, of course, leans into your hand without hesitation.

And so, you resume where you’d left off, with you gently wiping away the remnants of your improvised make-out session.

“So. Um.” Your voice cracks a little. “Are we, like…I mean. Do you…like…me?”

“Yes.” He says simply.

“No, I mean. Uh.” You suck in a shaky breath, still struggling to look him in the eye. “Like…like-like. Do you like me. In “that” way? Like—like “that”?”

He’s not sure how he didn’t make that clear. He thought that he had.

But you look like you want to sink into the earth right now, so he can’t help but tease you a little bit.

“Maybe.” Moon crooned, daintily folding his hands between his knees and swaying side-to-side. “Do you like-like me?”

He can hear the breath catch in your throat, and you look away quickly, face flushing an even deeper shade of red.

So very cute.

“Y-Yeah. I do. A lot.” You inhale slowly, forcing your eyes to meet with his. “I-I care about you, a lot, Moon. You’re…you’re my best friend and I…I like you. A lot.”

He stops swaying (again).

“Hm. Good.”

Before you can react, he leans forward to gently bump his smile against your forehead. You, of course, stare at him, wide-eyed and mouth agape.

 “I like you…too.”

For a second, you look like you’re thinking about saying something—and Moon simply giggles when you lean in to kiss him again.

“Monty, you’re going to crush me.” You wheezed a little, pushing at your boyfriend’s shoulders in a vain attempt to lift him off you. “Back up a little bit.”

He shifted his weight on the couch, making the piece of furniture creak in protest. “Nah, I think I’m good right here.”

“At least let me lay on top.”

“But I like it when you’re under me,” he leaned his head down, licking another stripe up the side of your neck. You felt your skin blossom with a prickling sensation, so potent that it made your hair stand on-end. “Makes this easier.”

“You—” You gasped, hands splayed across his broad chest, “Are being so needy right now.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Monty gave a little half-shrug, rolling his shoulders before dipping his snout down to nip gently at the shell of your ear. You felt his teeth brush the sensitive skin, and warmth pooled somewhere deep in your stomach. “Maybe I just need you.”

God, he couldn’t talk to you like that. All deep and rumbly and…

His tongue slid along the curve of your throat, up and over your chin, across your cheek, all the way to your hairline. It was like he was tasting you, and that thought made you both all the more nervous, and a little bit excited.

You should not have been getting horny from that, yet here you were, clinging to him while your whole body went hot and tingly.

“We really shouldn’t be doing this,” you pressed, “someone might see us.”

“So?”

Well, he had a point there. It wasn’t like the two of you were exactly subtle about your relationship—and the heat had simply exacerbated what was already happening. If there was anyone left who didn’t know the two of you were an item, then they were one of lucky rare few.

Still, going at it in the middle of his room, with only a pane of glass to separate you from the rest of the MegaPizzaplex wasn’t exactly the smartest idea. Especially while Monty was going through a heat cycle. (Mostly because you didn’t totally know how they worked quite yet.)

And sure, management hadn’t said anything to you “at the moment,” but you didn’t really want to give them the chance. If you were caught like this, you couldn’t brush it off like you could the flirting or teasing or touching. You’d probably end up fired if they didn’t press charges. And Monty could—

“You’re thinkin’ too much.” He huffed, curling a lock of your hair around one of his claws. “Look at me.”

You were snapped out of your thoughts as he brushed the hair back behind your ear, gently sliding his knuckles along the soft curve of your cheek.

“You’re so pretty.”

That had you blinking, heat bubbling up in your chest, tingling all the way to the top of your scalp. Your whole face burned.

“Oh—I—uh—” Now your tongue felt all tied up in knots, the words stuck in your throat before you had the chance to say them.

Monty didn’t seem to mind, though. He just flicked his glasses down his nose a bit, ruby eyes burning with a mixture of hunger and desire as they trailed down your body.

“Real pretty.”

That had your stomach flipping and your insides twisting around in a way that killed any attempt to argue. When he leaned in to press his lips to yours, you found that every coherent thought in your brain simply ceased to exist.

Heat moved through your body like a tidal wave, all blood pooling south. This damn robot had you wrapped around his stupid finger. And he knew it.

He had to, with the way he was looking at you. Like he was starving and you were a full four-course meal.

You felt his teeth nip slightly at your lips, and when you gasped, his tongue pushed in between them. The long, prehensile muscle curled around your own tongue, sliding into your open mouth and then a bit further, nearly into your throat.

“Mon—ah!”

It made you gag a little, but Monty was careful not to press too hard. He kept kissing you like that, using one arm to balance himself just slightly above you, the other hand gripping your chin to hold you in place.

“Monty—” You managed to gasp once he finally let you come up for air. “Hang on for—just for a second. Please.”

“What, too rough?” He pulled back, leaning on his haunches as you sat up. The couch creaked beneath your combined weight, dipping slightly more on Monty’s side. “Sorry, I—think I got a little carried away. You just…smell so good!”

“No, I—” You hiccuped, wiping the drool from your chin. “It’s not that I just—we still don’t know how the—the heat cycle is gonna work with your system and I don’t want to, like, go too far or do something that might, like…”

You had no idea how to say this. You just didn’t want to mess him up, internally.

“You’ve never gone through something like this before—”

“Yeah-huh.” He responded. “I’ve been through this loads of times!”

“I mean, with a partner.”

“Oh.” He thought for a second, scratching his cheek. “Yeah, I guess you’re right about that.”

“Plus, you’re…y’know. Big. And a lot stronger than me.” You motioned vaguely at his…everything. “So, if things go too far you might, I don’t know—”

“Are you scared I’m gonna hurt you?” He looked more shocked than upset, thankfully.

It sounded worse when he said it out loud like that.

“I just wanna know more about how this works, before we try going any farther.” You sighed. “I know most symptoms are physical, but how physical?”

“I mean, it’d be easier to show ya…” He leaned forward like he was going to start kissing you again, but you just leaned back and fixed him with A Look. “Alright, alright. Buzzkill.”

Monty rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes rolling up towards the ceiling as he thought about it.

“I just know that it feels really good. To be near you. And you smell really good, really sweet, like candy or somethin’.” He shrugged again. “I don’t know. That scent gets to my head and then it’s like, I can’t think straight. My thoughts go all…”

He made a vague gesture next to his head and you giggled.

“Don’t make fun of me, I’m trying to explain myself!”

“I know you are! You’re just. So silly.”

There was that pout again. “I’m not tryin’ to be silly.”

“I know, I know.” You felt a little braver now, scooting forward on your knees to leverage yourself in his lap. Gently, you wound your arms around his neck, tracing your fingers through his thick, fiery mane. “My main question is this—do you think we can do this safely?”

“I…I don’t know.” His hands were on your hips, and the feeling of his claws on the small of your back made you tremble a little. In a good way. “But I wanna try. I wasn’t kiddin’ when I said I…I need you. Cause that’s how it feels. Like I need you. Bad.”

True, there were layers to the “heat cycle.” But the fucking part was definitely the one winning the race right now.

“But I do know,” he continued, his grip becoming slightly rougher, “that the only way we’re gonna figure it out is if we don’t try, right?”

Your heart leapt into your throat. You wanted to correct him—it would be if you did try, but honestly that didn’t matter right now. Because you knew the answer, regardless.

“Yeah…”

“Awesome.” He peeked at you over the rim of his glasses, eyes flickering between your face and down to your front. “You mind if I…?”

You gave one last look towards the thick pane of glass facing towards the rest of the lobby. It was dark enough in here that no one would see you, right?

…Right.

Right!

“Yeah, go ahead.” You said finally, swallowing around the lump in your throat.

“Awesome.” Monty repeated, one of his hands curling possessively around your waist. The other moved gently up your side, then onto your chest.

With a gentle push, you were maneuvered onto your back, much like the position you’d started in. The couch creaked and strained under your combined weight, but didn’t give, thankfully.

Monty leaned down, low enough that you could feel the hot rush of air escaping through his teeth against the curve of your neck. Then his tongue slid out, lathing across the heated skin.

This time, you didn’t try to push him away. This time, you kept your hands clutching at his shoulders, pulling him in closer with each long, slow lick.

His tongue was so warm and soft, and you could feel the shape of his teeth against your neck every time he tasted you. It had your skin prickling again, that familiar rush of heat diving straight between your legs.

“Mon…ty…that…tickles…” You murmured, gasping when you felt his tongue curl gently over the shell of your ear. He nibbled at your earlobe, emitting a low, soft growl.

No…not a growl.

He was purring.

Montgomery Gator was purring.

Oh, now that was just adorable. And very hot.

He continued to purr as his hands moved up and down your body, claws digging just slightly into the fabric of your uniform.

“You taste so sweet.” Monty hummed, his tongue moving back down your neck to the jut of your collarbone. His hands tugged at your shirt. “Get this off.”

You didn’t need to be told twice. You promptly sat up and shucked your shirt off over your head, allowing it to fall to the floor in a crumpled pile. Your pants came next.

“Ah…!” You squeaked, embarrassingly loud, as Monty’s tongue swept over your bare shoulder. One of his hands moved up and squeezed at your bare breast, while his tongue worked its way down to lap at the other.

Your back arched off the couch as the tip of it encircled your nipple, flicking at the tiny bud in a way that had you gasping and clutching at his arms for support.

It was so hot, you could barely stand it. Your whole body burned with the raw need to be touched.

“Please—” You whimpered.

Still letting out that purr, Monty’s tongue moved from breast to breast, lapping gently at each of your nipples until they grew hard. You squirmed beneath him; thighs rubbing together to try and ease the ache that grew between them.

Just when you felt like you were going to snap, he moved again, lowering his head to let his tongue trail down the valley of your breasts, to the pouch of your stomach, and then lower still—

He paused momentarily between the junction of your legs, looking up at you from over the rim of his glasses with a hazy, lust-filled gaze. His eyes seemed to shimmer in the darkness, like rubies.

Then his long, thin tongue pressed against the fabric of your underwear, licking a long stripe across your entrance, and you keened.

That was apparently all the encouragement he needed, because next thing you felt was a rough tug, and your underwear was suddenly gone, the shreds hanging from between Monty’s teeth. For a second, you just stared at him, slack-jawed and in shock.

But before you could get a word out, he simply spit out the cloth remains and shoved his face back between your legs, pushing his tongue so deep inside of you that it made your entire body twitch.

“Fuck—!” You yelped, hands knotting in his hair. “Fuck, Monty, please…”

That purr was vibrating through your legs, your core, all the way up your spinal cord and into your brain. The heat lapping at your skin had you sweating bullets, like a hot fog that refused to dissipate or let up even an inch. You could barely think straight with the pleasure threatening to throw your brain into a downward spiral.

But just when you were teetering on the edge of ecstasy, he pulled away.

You whined a bit, hands tightening in his hair in an attempt to chase after that ebbing high. He simply batted them away, and before you could brace yourself, Monty flipped you over onto your stomach. His hands gripped your hips, dragging them back against his own, where you could feel the hard outline of his cock straining against the fabric of his pants.

Fuck, he was going to ruin you, wasn’t he?

And fuck, did you want him to ruin you.

“Mo—Monty,” you breathed, glancing back at him from over your shoulder. It was all you could do just to get his name out. You were burning with so much need that it was unbearable.

Instead of responding, you found one of his hands gripping the back of your head, pushing your face into the arm of the sofa. The other fiddled clumsily with his pants. You heard the sound of rustling fabric, followed by a low growl, then a ripping sound.

Oh, shit. Was the only thing you could think, as you felt the heavy, hot curve of his cock press against your rear. He was already so hard, and you’d barely done anything at all.

Fuck, heat cycles were serious business, weren’t they?

“Monty—” You started, barely able to get his name out. You weren’t fast enough, because his dick slid down, tip pressed against your entrance. “Slow down—”

One thrust.

That’s all it took, and he was inside of you, pushing in to the hilt.

“Fuck!” The stretch burned like hell, in a way that was both too much and not enough.

But you didn’t have a chance to adjust, because Monty simply dug his nails into your hips, shifted his weight a bit, and then began ramming into you like his life depended on it.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck—” He was moving too fast, you couldn’t keep up. Your body was bouncing on the cushions, and your teeth were digging into the arm of the couch, and your nails were clawing at the fabric as tears sprang to the corners of your eyes—

You let out a muffled whine as he pressed down on top of you, keeping you pinned down beneath him with nothing but the weight of his own body. You could hear him growling and hissing, the sharp press of his teeth nudging against the shell of your ear.

He fucked you into the couch like he was possessed, thrusts quick and sloppy and hard. Hard enough that it had your eyes rolling into the back of your head, had you gasping and whimpering and drooling.

Fuck, you probably looked like a total mess right now. Thank god you weren’t facing him—

And, as if he had read your mind, Monty suddenly pulled out and flipped you onto your back.

You squeaked in shock, but didn’t even have a second to protest before his hands were on the backs of your thighs, pushing them up so that your knees bent towards your chest. And then he was sliding back inside of you, hips smacking so hard against your own that you knew you were going to have bruises not only tomorrow, but probably for a few days following.

Were you even going to be able to walk straight after this? Probably not.

But god, this was so fucking worth it you didn’t even care anymore.

Your back arched off the cushion as he rammed into you, the pleasure jolting up your spine like a hot white bolt of lightning.

Fuck, he was so big, and it felt like he was about to split you in two—and a part of you really wanted that. You were so into this that you didn’t even care if he broke you, it would be so worth the price of admission.

“M-Monty…!” You yelped, hands thrown above your head, nails digging so hard into the arm of the couch that you were shocked you hadn’t broken through the fabric yet.

Monty’s claws had already carved their way into the couch enough to send stuffing flying everywhere—and he’d even left a couple of scratches on your thighs in the process. Not deep enough to bleed, but big enough that they stung a little.

…Was it bad you were kind of into that?

The heat coming off his body was smothering, and all you could do was lie there and stare up into his ruby red eyes as he used your body like a toy. He hadn’t made a sound aside from the occasional grunt or hiss. Could he even speak when he was like this?

“Baby, you’re gonna…you’re gonna make me c-come,” you tried to plead, “Slow—slow down, please!”

He didn’t. If anything, he started moving faster, harder, pushing your legs up so high that they landed on his shoulders. Oh god, he was moving so fast, it felt so good, you couldn’t keep up…!

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, Monty, oh god—” You wailed, fingers threading into your hair. You felt his teeth press gently against the junction of your shoulder, as the coil in your core threatened to snap. “Don’t stop, don’t stop—!”

He bit down as you came, vision blinding white, and for a moment you were floating, silently screaming, mouth hanging open and eyes rolling, nails digging into him as you clawed at his shoulders and back—

And then it was gone, the pleasure ebbing to and fro like waves lapping at the beach. You could only hang there in your pleasure, as Monty continued to rut into you, his hips hard and fast and rough.

Finally, just when you thought he was going to make you come for a second time, just when it was getting to be all too much, just when the over-stimulation had you thrashing and writhing—he finally doubled over with a low, rumbling growl, and you felt something warm and wet gush between your legs.

He came. And kept coming. Every slow, stuttered thrust had your legs trembling.

It was only once you felt Monty slump down on top of you, finally out of steam, that you were able to find your voice again.

“…W-Wow,” you huffed, fighting back, and failing, to keep the smile from your face. “Well! That was…exciting!”

“…I can’t feel my legs.” He mumbled into the crook of your shoulder.

You snorted, combing your fingers gently through his hair. “You’d better feel them soon, because you’re completely crushing me right now.”

He made a little noise in the back of his throat, but turned over, pulling you with him so that you rolled semi-gracefully on top of his chest.

“Now I can breathe.” You smiled, only to cringe when a small shock of pain ran through your shoulder. Fuck, he really did bite you good there.

“Ah. Damn.” Monty’s hand hovered over the fresh wound, then dropped down to his side. “I’ve got bandages.”

“Yeah, I might need one of those.” Probably a few, because the scratches on your thighs were starting to throb. “You really did a number on me. I feel like a human pincushion.”’

“S…Sorry.” He wouldn’t look you in the eye, so you grabbed his cheeks, squishing them as best you could. Which was hard, considering they were made of metal. Still, it was enough to get his attention.

“No, don’t you get pouty on me.” Despite the growing ache all over your body, you leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose. “I’m gonna be fine. A little banged up, but this is nothing. It’ll take more than that to break me.”

“That’s what I’m scared of.” He sighed dramatically, one arm looping around your waist to hold you close, the other folded behind his head. “I don’t want to break you.”

There was a pause. Monty snorted.

“Well, not that bad.”

“No breaking the human, please.” You laughed, snuggling into his embrace. “Or just, not that bad.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay. Not that bad.”

Your whole body burned with a mixture of pleasure and pain. You were really going to walk away from this one with a hell of a lot of battle scars, but it was so worth it.

“So…did you…like that?” Monty mumbled softly. “That whole…thing?”

Aw, he was nervous. That was so cute.

“Hm? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I really, really liked that.” You stretched out against him, folding your arms beneath your head to cushion yourself. “We should do that again. After I catch my breath.”

“Oh. Okay, good! Because…uh…my heat’s not over yet, so…” He flashed you a dorky smile. “Round two is still on the table. But—I should let my system cool down first. Cause I think I might burst a gasket if I try again too soon.”

“Wait.” Monty paused. “Do I have gaskets?”

God, you loved this stupidly adorable robot.

“Up above the world so high…”

From your vantage point, you could just barely make out the sound of him circling around the play structure. Your hiding spot. As you listened to his footsteps walk around and around, you started to wonder if he was just toying with you. Waiting for you to give up and come out.

But you weren’t going down that easy. You had a good hiding spot, and the only way he’d be able to get you out of it was if he came up there himself and dragged you out, kicking and screaming—

“Like a diamond in the sky…”

No sooner had that thought crossed your mind, than did you hear the ladder of the play structure begin to creak.

Oh god…he wasn’t climbing up it, was he? Fuck, you hadn’t been serious!

The sound of his hands and feet skittering across the plastic made you tremble. He was somewhere in the tunnels now, squeezing a far-too big body through a far-too tiny space. Just to find you. You could hear the way both his joints and the tunnels creaked as he inched forward through the play tubes.

“Twinkle, twinkle…”

His voice was a little deeper now. Raspier, with the strain of having to squeeze his body through somewhere so clearly not made for him to fit. The echo of his voice through the tubes had your whole body on high alert.

Which tunnel was he coming from? Going into? Was he close, or far away? It was hard to tell, and every little flicker of light that bounced through the tunnels had a bolt of panic shooting down your spine.

“Little star…”

Closer…he was so close his voice was practically in your ear.

“How I wonder where you are…”

Finally, you heard him turn a corner, shuffling in the opposite direction, and you felt like you could breathe again.

So, you did, letting out the heavy breath you’d been holding. But no sooner had the relief washed over you, than you realized something was very, very wrong.

The world felt still for a moment. Too still. And too quiet.

And then you felt it. The ice crawling through your veins as a soft, raspy giggle floated through the tunnels directly behind you. The hair on the back of your neck stood on-end as a chill rushed down your spine.

“Found you.”

You scream, scrambling down the tunnels like your life depended on it. You just barely felt the whoosh of his cold fingertips miss grabbing the nape of your neck, and you booked it for the nearest slide.

But scrambling around in the dark isn’t an easy task, and too late you feel your palms hit the smooth plastic before your brain can wrap around it. With an unattractive yelp, you tumble ass-over-teakettle down the length of the slide, finally landing on the spongy floor mats below.

For a moment you lay there with the wind knocked out of you.

But then your eyes catch movement at the top of the slide, and you scramble to flip onto your back just as Moon peels himself out of the darkness. His fingers grip the edge of the threshold as he shuffles forward, ruby eyes burning with malicious glee.

“Clumsy, clumsy.” He chortled. “Careful there.”

You have half a mind to flip him off but are too busy trying to get the world to stop spinning to spring for coherent thought.

Moon takes one single slow step forward, then another, crawling down the frame of the slide in a way that is both terrifying and hilarious. If you weren’t still struggling to regain your breath, you probably would have laughed at the sight.

“Run, rabbit. Run, rabbit. Run, run, run.”

You did. It took you a second to get your feet back under you, but you managed to lurch to your feet, stumbling away in a desperate bid to put as much distance between the two of you as possible.

But just as you think you’re starting to get away, your foot catches on something. A misplaced toy, maybe. You don’t see what it is you trip on, and you only have a split second to even realize what’s happened before you’re sent sprawling once more.

This time, you don’t bother trying to get back up.

Not that you had a real chance to, because Moon was on you in seconds. You felt the grip of his enormous hand clamp down around your ankle, and just when your vision was starting to un-blur, he yanked you backwards, hard enough that it cut short the scream that had built in your throat.

“Caught you.”

“Alright, alright, you got me!” You practically plead; hands pressed to his chassis to try and keep some form of space. “I—I don’t know what you want, but—”

“You know.”

You’re caught off-guard by that. “What?”

Moon hovers above you, caging you against the ground with both arms. One of his legs pushes between your knees, forcing your legs apart. “You know what we want.”

“Uh…?” Your brow furrows. “Not…not really?”

He just giggles at the clear confusion on your face. His fingers pinch your chin, wobbling your head to-and-fro in a way that makes you feel…more than a little patronized. “Yes, you do. Naughty-naughty thing.”

You stiffen a bit when that same hand suddenly moves up, caressing the side of your face. Moon giggles, twirling a lock of your hair around his finger.

“You know.”

Oh.

You’re starting to get an idea of what he’s after.

Or maybe you’re just reading into nothing. He could just be teasing you. He’s probably just teasing you.

Or maybe you were overthinking that and he really was flirting with you.

Your brain bounced between the two possibilities, trying to weigh the pros and cons of either. The cons felt pretty obvious. The pros…were in more of a grey area.

As you lay there, rattled and practically steaming at the seams, Moon’s hands continued to move about. You felt him lift your wrists up, one oversized hand pinning them both above your head, as the other flitted down your side.

“I—I think…I’m starting to get it.”

You couldn’t help but squirm a little at the feeling of his fingertips tracing down the small of your waist. Especially when you felt those fingers slip beneath the hem of your shirt, cold metal pressing into too-hot flesh. The sensation made you shiver.

“Good.” Moon cooed, “Now. Be still.”

You didn’t need to be told twice.

His fingers fanned out, hand tenting beneath the fabric of your top. God, his hands were so big, they made you look like a doll in comparison.

And you were kind of into that.

“That…tickles.” You mumbled softly, trying not to writhe. His hand continued to move up and over your chest. You gasped a little when he gently squeezed the mound of your breast. “Moon…!”

“Shhh.” He squeezed again, fingertips pinching softly at your nipple, tugging until your back arched off the floor. “Hush now.”

It was hard to swallow around the whimper that rose in the back of your throat. His touch felt so good, you didn’t even think to protest when he suddenly grabbed the front of your shirt with both hands and pulled—

Riiip!

The buttons popped in all directions, fabric splitting open with a loud tearing sound. You squeaked and scrambled to sit up as the cool air of the daycare flooded across your exposed front.

“My shirt—”

“Oops!” He giggled, not looking the least bit sorry.

“You’d better have a spare.” You hissed between clenched teeth. The damage was done, and there was no way you were gonna be able to fix this, no matter how good your patch-up skills were. And these things were expensive!

“Yes, yes.” Moon chirped, sounding mighty pleased with himself. His hand pressed to your chest, easing you back into place. “Plenty to share. After we play.”

Fine. He won this round. Whatever.

You allowed yourself to be manhandled, easing onto your back with only minimal grumbling.

Your annoyance, however, was very quickly extinguished once Moon’s hands were on your body.

He guided your wrists back into place, above your head, holding them tight. The other traced down the curve of your face, fingertips splaying as it slid down the slope of your throat.

For a moment, he held it there. Then, once he was satisfied that you weren’t going to interrupt him again, it continued to move further down.

Your breath caught in your throat when his hand found your breast once more, carefully massaging the tender skin. You tried not to squirm too much, but it was hard to stay still, especially when he tugged at your nipples like that. Your thighs rubbed together in a desperate bid to alleviate the growing need coiling within you.

But then that hand moved down, fingertips tracing featherlight down the slope of your stomach. Then further still, between the junction of your legs. You whined when he began to rub at you through your jeans, hips already canting up to try and meet his touch.

“Moonie,” you begged. “Please.”

“Shhh.” He crooned teasingly, hand tracing at the hem of your pants, just inches away from where you needed him most. “Hushabye. Hush now.”

Then his fingers were dipping beneath them, into your underwear, and sliding between your wet folds. They slipped inside of you with an embarrassing amount of ease, the stretch burning through you in a way that had your toes curling.

You let out a shuttered gasp, back arching off the floor once more.

Fuck, that felt so good…!

If you ever met the person in charge of designing the Daycare Attendant’s hands, you were going to send them some sort of gift basket as thanks.

“Feels good?” Moon crooned teasingly, fingers curling inside of you in a way that had you seeing stars.

It was all you could do just to nod, hips bucking up and into his touch. His palm ground against your clit as his fingers scissored inside of you, white-hot pleasure coiling tightly around your spine.

“Moon!” You whined, “I can’t—I’m gonna…!”

And just when you were sure you were about to come, he pulled away, leaving you whimpering and needy as your body clenched around empty air.

“Not yet!” He waggled a finger, tapping the tip of your nose. “Let’s have some…fun first.”

Before you could get the words out to ask him what he meant, his hands were tugging at your pants, yanking them down your legs and off to the side. You struggled to choke back a gulp as his cold hands pressed to the insides of your thighs, gently pushing them apart.

Carefully, he leaned back over you, a hand wrapping around your throat. It squeezed lightly, the pressure just enough to make you gasp.

His other hand wormed its way between your trembling legs, fingers teasing their way back inside of you.

“So warm.” He taunted with another high-pitched giggle. “So sticky. So soft…So wet.”

You hated the way your face flushed hot at his words. Really, this whole situation was ridiculous. Here you were, letting the Daycare Attendant of all bots touch you like this.

Really…the Daycare Attendant?

Then his fingers began moving, curling up against a spot that had your eyes rolling into the back of your skull.

Yes, the mother-fucking Daycare Attendant.

“Almost ready.” You heard him mutter, and a little shiver rushed down your spine as you wondered what he meant by that.

Ready for what, exactly?

You didn’t have to wonder for long though, because soon enough you were right back on that tipping point, and just when you thought that maybe Moon would have mercy on you and finally let you come—he grabbed you by the hips and flipped you over onto your stomach.

“Wh-Whoa!” You squeaked as you landed on your front. “Give me some warning next time, jeez—!”

The words died in your throat when you heard the sound of jingling bells and shifting fabric. There was a metallic sound, like pressure giving, then a soft popping noise.

You couldn’t see what was happening behind you, with Moon’s hand holding you by the nape of your neck against the foam mats, but you felt something long and hot press against your rear. And that was all the hint you needed to quickly put the pieces together.

Oh, that’s what he meant.

“Careful,” you sighed, practically begging the word.

“Careful,” he parroted the word back to you in a sing-song voice.

God, if only you could smack him.

You felt Moon shift his hips slightly, lining up the tip of his cock with your hot, needy entrance. The feeling of even just the head had your hips straining back ever so slightly, like you just couldn’t keep from trying to impale yourself on him.

This was so embarrassing, how badly you needed him right now.

“Moon, don’t tease me,” you practically begged, “If you’re gonna do it, then just—”

One snap of his hips. That’s all it took—and he was sheathed inside of you, so deep that you felt your whole body spasm. Like lightning had struck your spine and was coiling molten lava around it all the way down.

“Fuck!” You breathed, the words dying as all the thoughts in your head hammered to a stop.

For a moment, you heard Moon whine. Felt the weight of him shift on top of you, hovering just above your body in a way that had his shadow encompassing everything you could see. It was dark, and the heat you felt coming off him was heavy and thick. You could even hear his internal fans going off, the soft whirr of them the only sound breaking the silence that hung between the two of you.

His cock throbbed inside of you, so much further than his fingers could ever reach. Your eyes rolled as he slowly pulled back, hanging there with just the tip inside of you for a brief instant.

Then he slammed home again, letting out a metallic whine that had the hair on the back of your neck standing on end.

That was the only sound he made, as his hips slowly began to speed up their pace. Every thrust had you bouncing slightly, cheek scrubbing against the foam mats as you tried and failed to keep up with the pleasure building through your body.

“Moon!” You drooled, quite literally. “I can’t—keep up!”

“Then don’t.”

Well, fuck, he had you there.

You finally went totally limp beneath him, allowing Moon to hold you, move you, fuck you how he wanted—which was fast, hard, and rough.

Your hearing was starting to ebb in and out with just how badly he was messing you up inside. Probably flipped some switches, knocked some wires out of place, stretched you out so deep and hard that it would absolutely ruin you for anyone, anything else—

Then you heard him giggle again, and in-between those earth-shattering thrusts, the motherfucker spanked you.

Hot white pain shot through your backside, arching up your spine in a way that had you yowling like an angry cat.

“Did…Did you just fucking…?”

“Oopsie.” He brought a finger to his lips, trying to strike an innocent pose. “My hand slipped.”

“It did not you sonofa—”

SMACK.

“Moon!” You tried to look at him, but his hand was on the back of your head, smushing your face into the floor. All you could do was writhe as he used your body in whatever way he wanted.

And damn if that wasn’t really fucking hot.

SMACK.

“Fuck!” He wasn’t slowing down at all, the pleasure and pain mixing together in a bittersweet blend that had you, of all things, chasing after that high again and again.

SMACK.

Your ass burned with the imprint of his hand. You weren’t going to be able to sit down properly for days after this. And that giggling asshole knew it, too.

Just when you thought he was going to finally let you breathe, he stopped spanking you. But then you felt both of his hands gripping your hips, and you realized—no…there was no mercy to be had here.

The sudden brutal, demanding pace he inflicted on you threw your body into wave after wave of ecstasy. A choked scream built up in the back of your throat, and you struggled just to swallow around it.

Fuck, fuck, fuck—you were gonna…!

And then you did.

You came so hard that, for a split second, your vision flashed white. All you felt was pure pleasure, and the world melted away into nothing but you, him, and the sound of your bodies coming together in the darkness.

It was only once he finally, finally started to slow down that you were able to breathe again. You sucked in a deep, cool breath, and your soul slowly started returning to your body.

Moon doubled over just seconds later, his fingers digging so hard into the foam that you were surprised it didn’t leave claw-marks.

“Hah…ha!”

That sound was the only noise he gave as he came inside of you, thick and sticky and gooey and hot—

Damn, you were definitely going to need to clean up after this.

“H—Holy shit…” You breathed. “Oh my god…”

You felt Moon’s weight shift behind you, felt him slip out of you, and your body clamped down around nothing weakly. Your hips trembled weakly, thighs quaking. You probably would have collapsed, if Moon wasn’t already helping roll you onto your back, a hand gently cupping the back of your head for support.

“Language.” Though he was trying to sound stern, you could hear the exhaustion in his voice. It was so cute, how he’d overworked himself like that. Just to make you feel good.

Fuck, you really loved him.

“I can’t believe…you spanked me!” You gasped with a broken, breathy laugh. Moon chuckled to himself, ducking the weak swats you aimed at head and shoulder. “You ass!”

“No, yours.” He chittered playfully, poking you back. Then, you saw him pause. Wring his hands. Duck back a little.

“Was it…okay?”

Oh, this sweet, wonderful goober of a man.

“Yes, Moon. It was…it was fine.” It’s not a pause out of hesitation; you just need to catch your breath still.

“Even the…?” His eyes cut towards your bottom, which is very bruised, battered, and sore. But in a really good, fun way.

You nod. “Even the spanking. But…you could have been gentler.”

He cringes. “Sorry. Bad with…remembering our strength.”

“Hey, at least you didn’t break anything!”

You laugh, but he doesn’t. That makes you feel bad.

“Moonie…” Gently, you reached up to cup his face. He leaned into your hands readily, and all you want is to pounce on him and kiss him senseless.

Maybe once you get feeling back in your legs.

“It’s okay. It’s alright. You didn’t hurt me.”

“But—”

“I know I said gentler, but that’s all I meant. You don’t have to stop doing it, I liked it, it was fun. We’ll just have to work on our strength, okay?” You fix him with a stare until he nods, then you smile. “Good boy.”

You can see instantly how the words soothe him. He practically melts into your touch, giggling in that high-pitched, manic way that you adore.

Aching to hold him, you make the choice to lean up and press a kiss against his smile. The action disagrees with your sore body, and you hum as the sharp twinge of pain courses through you.

“On that note—can I get an icepack, please?”

You barely get the words out before his chest cavity has popped open, presenting…well, a present! It’s a familiar mechanic, and you already know what’s waiting beneath the confines of the white box and red ribbon.

“Have you had an icepack in your chest this whole time?”

“Maaaybe.”

God, no wonder his hands were so cold!

“No wonder your hands were so cold…”

He giggled again, sliding said cold hands up your sides as you squeaked and tried to squirm away. His fingers dug in, gently tickling up your ribs and down your waist.

“Moon, no, my bruises…!”

“Oh!” His hands flew up instantly. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Ohhh, how you ached. “Icepack first. Fun comes after.”

“After, after.” He nodded, pressing the cold compress against your chest. Ah, that felt much better.

You allowed Moon to carefully scoop you into his arms, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of his cool, gentle embrace. Combined with the compress, it was near heavenly.

Sure, he could be a handful, but he was your handful.

And you’d take a little bit of playing rough over a life without him over and over again.

Besides…you were finding that maybe you were more than a little bit into that.

Not that you would ever admit it out loud.

“God, how did they manage to smuggle all this in?” You groaned, dunking your stained washcloth in a nearby bucket of soapy water. “Did they even get caught?”

DJ simply let out a low whine, shaking his head and offering you a helpless shrug.

You sighed, shaking the water off your hands to pull the hat from your head. You fanned your face with it, trying to stave off some of the overwhelming heat.

The only way you could describe how you felt was like a human-shaped bottle of soda that had been shaken way past its limits. Less because you were angry that you had to clean up after the mess those little brats had left, and more that management hadn’t done a fucking thing about it.

There was a headache starting to brew somewhere inside your skull. The smell of sugar and fried food made you feel nauseous. And this fucking cheese wouldn’t budge—

“Today has been…an absolute fuck-shit.” You stated eloquently. “I’m not trying to take it out on you, DJ. I promise. I’m just—I am so frustrated you have to even put up with this.”

If it were up to you, you’d have been chewing the absolute ears off those kids’ parents.

But it wasn’t up to you, and if you tried, you’d end up facing consequences for it. Fired, at worst.

Fuck. Sometimes you really, really hated this job.

DJ, to your credit, was taking all this remarkably well. He had one hand propped up beneath his chin, not seeming one bit bothered by the mess, nor that his attackers had gotten away with-it scot free.

You wished you had that much patience.

“I don’t get why you’re not mad. I’m mad for you!” You laughed dryly, swapping the rag out for a sponge. You gently moved it over his face in little circles, rubbing away the sticky, nasty concoction the assault had left on him. “Thank god they didn’t get your equipment all dirty.”

He hummed, nodding along to your little tirade, and leaned forward to gently nuzzle his face further into your hands.

You sighed, the fire in you ebbing slightly at the sweet gesture. For a second you paused, glanced around to make sure no one was around, and quickly leaned in to peck the side of DJ’s giant nose. The cool metal felt good against your burning face.

“At least I get to spend more time with you. I feel like I hardly get to see you anymore.”

He let out a deep, rumbling sigh that made your whole body tingle, a hand gently cupping at your back to press you further against him.

“I missed you too.” You smiled as you kissed him again, letting your eyes flutter closed. Work had been crazy lately, with the holidays running you ragged, and this was the longest amount of time you’d gotten together in…weeks, really.

If there was one upside to all this, it was that the two of you were finally getting some “alone time” together—alone time that was sorely needed.

For a moment, the two of you simply leaned into one another, drinking in the other’s company. You wished you could do this forever—or at least, more often than you usually did.

Too bad you had a job to do.

“Alright, big guy, back to the—”

You tried to step back, but DJ didn’t loosen his grip, instead curling his fingers in further. Your front pressed to the curve of his nose, head bumping lightly just under the frame of his glasses.

“Whoa, careful!” You laughed again, a little nervously. “Alright, baby, I gotta keep cleaning you, or somebody’s gonna come in here and chew me out—"

Instead of letting you back away, DJ’s fingers pushed against the small of your back, keeping you flattened against his cheek. You could feel the warmth of his metal endoskeleton through the plastic-adjacent material that made up his face.

Static crackled in the air, making your hair stand on-end. Goosebumps prickled across your arms and chest.

“DJ?” You tried to push away again, but you were stuck tight in his clutches. “You’ve really gotta let me go now.”

He made a whining noise, nuzzling into your hands as they smoothed over the tip of his nose.

“I know.” You sighed, swallowing around the little lump in your throat. “I know, I know. But—oof!”

Without warning, the world went dark as DJ’s massive hand closed around you. For a second, you were so shocked that you didn’t even realize what was happening. But then you felt everything shift, momentarily knocked flat as DJ scaled up the wall of the auditorium with ease, ducking into the hole in the wall that was his “Green Room.”

“D-DJ!” You wheezed when he finally let you go again, momentarily blinded by the lights lining the ceiling strip just above your heads. “You’ve got to give me warning before you do that! You almost gave me a heart-attack!”

Carefully, his two hands came together, fingers twiddling bashfully.

“I’m not—!” You took a second to suck in a breath, massaging the bridge of your nose. “I’m not. Mad. Just—that scared me, a little bit. Next time you do something like that—please tell me first.”

You were not about to admit you’d felt your soul leave your body for a second there.

DJ nodded once, and you took a moment to look around the room.

Yep, it was still just the way you remembered it. Scattered drawings and posters lining the walls, fake webbing cast around the corners of the room, and a few pieces of musical equipment tucked away here and there. Not cluttered, but not sparse either. Perfectly lived in.

You must have been lost in your own thoughts, because you didn’t notice DJ creeping up behind you until you felt the tip of his finger press against the dip between your shoulder-blades. You jumped as the buzzing fingertip ran down your spine, to the small of your back, then slowly back up.

Oh, he was giving you a back massage. That felt nice. Really nice.

You sighed, leaning back against his hand. “You’re right, I need to relax. I’m sorry, I just—when I see how people treat you, I just…I get so pissed off.”

You knew that your attitude could be a problem sometimes. That, and you had a bad habit of letting your anger get the better of you.

“You just—You deserve so much better.”

Better than having kids throw pizza at him, just because they thought it was funny. Better than angry parents complaining about how “scary” he was, as if he could control any of that. Better than people writing him off as just another piece of machinery to sometimes check in on and then let rot to the wayside.

DJ was one of the sweetest, kindest people you’d ever had the pleasure of getting to know. And when you thought of the way he was treated it—it drove you crazy.

Even just thinking about it now was starting to send that familiar flush of anger boiling through your veins, despite the relaxing hum of DJ’s hand brushing gently against your aching back.

You ran your hands over your burning face, willing the anger to disappear. But it didn’t. It just kept growing, burning hotter and deeper, until it had you grinding your teeth.

You yanked your hat off your head, fanning yourself in an attempt to keep the tears that you could feel building in the corners of your eyes from springing forth. The last thing you wanted to do was start crying right now, dammit…!

For a moment, you felt DJ pull away, and shame washed through you. Here you were, throwing a tantrum like a toddler, and making his situation all about you—

That was your train of thought, but then he reached for you, and you felt his fingertips press into your chest, knocking you gently onto your back.

“D-DJ?” You stuttered, trying to immediately push yourself back up. But his fingers kept you pinned in place, too strong for you to move away or squirm out from under. “What are you doing?”

Your breath caught in your throat as you felt his fingertip suddenly buzz to life again. It pressed to your collarbone, then moved down, sliding across your abdomen, where it paused just above the hem of your jeans.

For a moment, your heart leapt into your throat, pounding away as if it were trying to break through you and out into the open. Your stomach flipped, twisting slightly, and you wondered if he could feel it.

“Ah…y’know if that’s what you were after…you c-could have just asked.” You let out a breathy little laugh, nervously chewing on your lower lip.

With his finger still hovering just above your stomach, DJ soothingly brushed his thumb against the side of your face, pushing your hair from your eyes to tuck it behind your ear. You leaned into his touch with a content sigh, letting your eyes flutter closed. He was always so gentle with you.

“I get it…I missed you too.” Heat pulsed somewhere deep inside of you, rushing south. You glanced up at him from beneath your lashes, chewing nervously on your lower lip. “I really, really missed you.”

This probably wasn’t a great idea, but your rational side was taking a second seat to the heat building in your core. Especially when DJ loomed over you like that, his entire body shielding you from the rest of the world. It made you feel so small, and safe, like he could just block out everything else and make it so that it was just the two of you.

His finger brushed a gentle path up your stomach, running over the slope of your chest, to settle beneath your chin. He tilted your head up, letting out a low rumble that made your skin break out in goosebumps—in a very good way.

“Y’know,” you breathed, “I really should get back to work.”

There was still cleaning to be done, but the effect of your words was instantaneous. DJ’s whole body drooped, disappointment rolling off him in waves. The rumble petered off into a low whine, sounding so upset that you couldn’t fight back the smile that grew across your face.

“Alright, alright. I’m not going anywhere, big guy.” You reached up with a content sigh, gently rubbing the tip of his nose. He perked back up almost immediately, nuzzling into your palm with a soft sigh of his own.

“You’ve got me all to yourself.”

The rumble that DJ let out vibrated all the way up your arm, making the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

You nibbled a bit on your lower lip, face flushing with warmth all the way to the tips of your ears. DJ’s thumb brushed along your stomach, the vibrations pulsing straight south.

The lower his hand travelled, the harder it got to ignore the heat building between your thighs.

“Guess I should get rid of these, huh?” You picked at the collar of your shirt, offering him a lopsided grin. DJ nodded emphatically in return.

So, off it came. Button-by-button, until you could loosen it enough to shuck it over your head and toss it off to the side. It would lie there, forgotten, until the rest of your clothes could join it.

Your pants came next, then your bra. DJ made a little whistling noise as it fell free, and you felt yourself blushing from the soles of your feet to the top of your scalp.

“Shush.” You replied, waving him off.

This wasn’t the first time he’d seen you naked, but it would always feel a little embarrassing. It kind of came with the territory of dating someone over ten times your size.

The air grew thick with heat as you hooked your thumbs into the band of your undies, slowly shimmying them down your hips. A fresh wave of embarrassment flushed through you as you kicked them off your ankle, laying bare before the giant that was your partner. No matter how many times this happened, you’d probably never stop feeling a little shy—it was unavoidable.

“Don’t…stare at me like that.” You mumbled, arms coming up to cross over your chest, the warmth spreading to every corner of your body as you tried and failed to shrink away.

DJ just gave an inquisitive hum, propping his head up on one hand. The other reached down, gently pressing to your front to ease you onto your back. You allowed him to do so, regardless of the blush that rose in your cheeks.

His fingertip pushed your arms away, sliding down your chest to hover against the softness of your stomach. You felt it flip and twist inside of you as he pressed the vibrating digit down, easing it gently between your thighs. You couldn’t find it in you to look at him even as your legs fell open, allowing his touch to finally brush against the spot that you needed it most.

It was all you could do to just let your head fall back, hips rocking up against his hand as DJ pressed his fingertip gently to your entrance, rubbing in a way that sent electricity rocketing up your spine like a bolt of white-hot lightning.

“DJ—” You gasped, rutting against his finger. Your spine arched off the floor, legs trembling at just how good his touch felt. Fuck, you really needed this.

He didn’t let up for even a moment, fingertip pressed firmly against your body, vibrations ringing through you so deeply that it made your bones rattle. Within seconds he had you rocking up against him, hands wrapped around his fingertip, trying to pull him closer, feel him deeper.

His thumb brushed against your breasts, his ministrations feather-light, but enough that it made your nipples ache. Drool gathered at the corner of your mouth, and you swallowed around the lump in your throat.

“DJ—”

It felt so good—so fucking good. And like that, all the annoyance you’d been feeling up to that point was gone. You didn’t care about work anymore, because all the blood in your body was very quickly heading south. And so were your thoughts.

All you could focus on was the heat between your legs, the flush of gooseflesh that prickled across your chest and shoulders, the drip of sweat gathering at the nape of your neck. All these little things building up somewhere deep inside of you, curling tighter and deeper.

Every little brush of his fingertips made your body cry out in wanton desire. You needed him, needed his touch, needed him to keep touching you—heat coiled in your core like a rubber band pulled far too tight.

If he kept going like that, you were gonna…!

“Fuck,” you whimpered. “DJ, baby, please—”

He hummed again, deep and rumbling. The lights in his sunglasses flickered, symbols flashing in a familiar pattern. Star, question mark, heart, question mark.

He was asking you if this was okay. Your chest bloomed with warmth at the sweetness of the action.

“Yeah, I—I’m okay. I’m just—” It was hard to get the words out around the pleasure muddling your brain. Especially when he pressed his finger in further, rutting the digit against you with another low hum. “Ah!”

Your legs trembled a little as your hips lifted off the ground, toes curling. His touch felt amazing, and all the frustration of the day had long melted away with every little vibration. The heat licked like flames up your legs and you ground against his fingertip desperately, chasing that high that had your head spinning.

“I love you!” You gasped, those words the only real thing you could wrap your melting mind around. “I love you, so much, DJ, please, I—”

You heard him hum again, felt his fingertips press so hard against your body that you felt almost smothered—

And then, for a moment, you were flying. The coil deep inside of you finally snapped, and you were sent tumbling over the edge of ecstasy. Your head fell back, mouth hanging open in a silent cry as the pleasure rocketed up your spine and into every nerve.

For a brief second, you hung there, encased in white-hot heat. And then it was gone, and you were left to float back down to earth as the orgasm ebbed away into a gentle, deep thrum of warmth.

“Fuck!” You squeaked. “F-Fuck, I—ah…hah…”

God damn, that was incredible.

“Thank…you…” You finally managed after taking a moment to reel your soul back into your body. “Thank you.”

Carefully, DJ slipped his fingers beneath your body, scooping you into his palm with a soft, cheery crooning. He seemed fairly pleased with himself, and you’d let him have that victory. Because, if the weak trembling of your legs was any example, he more than deserved it.

Cradling you with one hand, he offered a small towel with the other. You accepted it gratefully.

“Thanks,” you offered with a soft smile. “I really needed that.”

You were so sweaty right now, and the cool fabric felt good against your flushed skin. You mopped it across your brow, sliding it down your neck where it rested, draped across your shoulders, as you carefully moved to gather your clothes back up. Now that all was said and done, you suddenly felt exhausted, but in a very good way.

“Oh—did you want me to, uh…?” You gestured vaguely towards his rear point, tongue twisting as you stumbled awkwardly over the words. “I mean, did you want—”

Thankfully, DJ saved you from any further embarrassment by giving a little shake of his head.

“Are you sure?” It wasn’t that you didn’t want to, because you were totally down if he did. Really, you shouldn’t have been getting embarrassed at all, considering what you’d just done together. Yet the tips of your ears were still burning hot, despite it all. “I think we’ve still got some free time, so I can make it quick…”

He shook his head again, gently reaching out to brush his finger over the top of your head. DJ settled himself down next to you, stroking your hair as you pulled your clothes back into place. Well, if this is what made him happy, then you didn’t mind taking a raincheck to pay him back some other time.

“Alright,” you sighed, leaning into the palm of his hand as it curled protectively around you. “But next time, let me take the lead—we gotta be fair.”

DJ let out a little hum, nodding. You were satisfied with that.

Tracing a finger along the inside of his thumb, you offered him another mischievous smile. “Y’know I’ve still got to help you finish cleaning up eventually, right?”

He shrugged. You shrugged back, unable to keep the toothy grin from stretching across your face. The warmth of his body lulled you into relaxation, and though you knew you’d have to get back up and to work at some point, for now you allowed yourself to lean into his embrace, nuzzling your face into the softness of his touch.

Sure, the two of you didn’t usually get a lot of time together—but when you did, you always found a way to make the most of it.