#chpf

But 13 names checked in, 13 checked out. The timestamps on Dakoda's log as they left the daycare matched. Everything was in order, but Dolores couldn't shake the worry growing in the pit of her stomach.

"You're like, one hundred percent positive?" Dakoda asked, and Dolores sighed because this was the 5th time she had asked a variation of the same question.

"No. I'm not. That's exactly the problem. This week has been such a mess between the extra parties and the lights needing to be worked on... I'm scared I just miscounted, had Sun doing the same, and now I'm worrying us all for no reason." Dolores replied, pinching the bridge of her nose like it might slow the headache coming on.

Dolores looked more exhausted than normal, Dakoda had noted rather quickly. The other children had been easy to distract, but Dolores had to sit with Emily until her mother came to collect her, and even then, it still took some kind words, a bead bracelet and a Sun keychain to get her to let go of Sunshine’s dress. Despite the smiles she faked for the kids, Dakoda had known Dolores long enough to see the heartbreak in her eyes. Something had frightened one of her children in that darkened theater, and it had spooked Dolores as well. Slightly disheveled and stressed, even still dressed in the costume, she looked more like the all-nighter, exam cramming Dolores that Dakoda had become best friends with in college. 

"I can ask around upstairs and see what we can pull for camera footage. We can always take a headcount from that. Right now I'm leaning hard towards My Bestie needs to relax and get a good night's sleep because the paperwork is all in order and it really does look like you're just stressed out..."

"I'm not gonna be able to sleep." Dolores replied quietly, idly rolling the list up and down on her Fazwatch like looking at their names would help jog her memory. The twelfth time was just as successful as the first.  "Not till I know what happened." 

Dakoda rolled her eyes but the look she gave was both kind and sympathetic.

"Look, I can handle the rest of the closing duties. Why don't you go touch base with your sweetheart before we head home? Might help…" Dakoda suggested gently, playfully nudging Dolores's arm in an attempt to make her smile. She received a half smile for the effort, still a victory.

Dolores shed some of the accessories once again, and packed them into her bag before descending the stairs into the daycare.

Sun was already waiting for her, and parted the doors without a word to let her pass. There was an odd silence between them, something understood as Dolores set her bag down on the security desk and turned to face him again. He held out his arms in the offer of a hug and she was there in an instant.

“It’s going to be okay, Sunshine.” He said quietly. It was hard for either of them to believe it.

“Maybe I’m going crazy.” Dolores sighed into the safety of his chest. “It feels like I’m going crazy. Something is wrong and I can’t…”

Sun shushed her gently, and without warning, scooped her into his arms. Dolores squeaked and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, effectively silenced as he walked back across the daycare, holding her bridal style. She heard the line drop before she saw it, and with practiced ease it hooked into the loop on Sun’s back and lifted them into the air. Dolores gasped and clung to him as they swung up over the ballpit, Sun landing gracefully on the ledge of his castle balcony as if he'd done it a thousand times before.

But he didn’t set her down there, he carried her behind the curtain and hopped easily down from the platform into his room.

One side of the space was stacked high with both supplies for the daycare and boxes of extra merchandise for the Lucky Star, the small tables and chairs for craft time squared away neatly to the side. The other side hung with sound muffling curtains, as if to keep the noise of the daycare on the other side. The room itself seemed little more than a closet, save for the makeshift repair station that covered a repurposed party table. At first Dolores was confused why he had brought her here, but realization quickly dawned that this was their room, as much the rooms on Rockstar Row belonged to the Glamrocks.

Was this where Sun and Moon spent their time when the daycare closed for the night? It was embarrassingly sparse, sharing space with storage, and in her opinion, a disservice to the hard working daycare attendant.

Sun seemed a little giddy as he set her down, excited to have her here nonetheless.

“I’m sorry, I should have asked before I picked you up.” He apologized, wringing his hands together. “But I have something I want to show you! And-and-and nobody else can know I showed you so I couldn’t very well ask where others could hear…”

Dolores raised an eyebrow but smiled patiently as he approached the curtained wall, pushing a couple boxes aside so he could pull the fabric back. A blue tunnel tube was set into the wall, and it was clear Sun had at some point run lights through it into the room behind by the look of the cords fed through the bottom. He gestured for her to follow, lights clicking on as he climbed through with more grace than someone his height should be capable of.

Dolores hesitated for just a moment before she followed behind. The tunnel opened into a smaller room, and somehow this felt more like what she had expected of their personal space. Pillows, cushions and plush toys had been piled one corner like a strange, rainbow colored nest, large enough to accommodate the lanky lunar animatronic under a string of pilfered Christmas lights, and the walls had been painstakingly decorated with drawings from the daycare children. Some names she recognized, others she didn’t, but all were hung with the care of a proud parent. And rightfully so, there was noticeable improvements in a few of the pages, regulars to the daycare that had learned from him how to color and spell and create. He was proud of his job, something that should have been obvious, but Dolores simply hadn't spared it the thought until now. 

Being programmed to be sweet was one thing. Kissing boo-boos and applying bandaids required only the sweetest of care. But when they has kissed that first time, she had almost expected to be jumpscared by her coworkers, demanding that they had caught her and it was all a big joke to make her look stupid, she would be the laughingstock of the plex until someone else tripped up worse. 

A few of her coworkers had made it clear early on that willingly choosing to work in the daycare wasn't what was considered normal, it was the place they sent new-hires they didn't like and didn't expect to keep, and sought to comment at every chance on how strange they felt it was to enjoy such a hellish job. It was intense at times, and the daycare theme was catchy enough to drive anyone mad.

But it wasn't an elaborate joke.

It wasn't a setup of any kind, really. Outside of maybe Dakoda just wanting to see what happened if she stoked the fire.

Sun was gentle and sincere, dare she say romantic in how he had stolen her attention, and for the first time she was truly considering that it may be more than just his programming. Just the little hiding space in front of her was more than proof that there was far more to him than she had ever expected.

There were stacks of books next to the nest he had crafted in the corner, medical manuals on how to treat everyday scrapes and bruises, and predictably children’s stories, but also a few stray novels she would no doubt be curious about when she wasn’t so terribly exhausted.

Sun, having to stoop inside the small space, made his way to the pile of pillows and flopped unceremoniously into it, getting comfortable before he held his hands out to Dolores once more.

“Oh, now I’m sure this is a trap.” She giggled softly, crawling into the pile with him and into his open arms.

“Best trap I’ve ever set.” Sun teased, drawing her legs over his own so he could hold her more comfortably in his lap. “We come here when we need to think, or just want to be alone. It’s quiet, and I don’t think anyone else knows it’s here. Maybe security. But mostly just us. And now, you.”

Dolores settled against his chest, letting her head rest against his shoulder as he spoke. She felt like maybe, just maybe, this whole situation should have been weird. Maybe even frightening. But she found herself relaxing for the first time since they had left the theater that early afternoon, and she was tired, so very tired. It wasn’t until he reached up to touch her cheek that she realized she was quietly crying against his shoulder.

His hand cupped her face carefully, turning it up to meet his when he pressed his faceplate to her forehead, and the gentleness of it caused her to hiccup softly, a fresh wave of tears spilling over. Sun did his best to soothe her, wiping the tears from her cheeks with gentle touches, and she nuzzled into his hand as she tried to slow her breathing. The panic she hadn't been able to show had finally caught up with her in this safe space, her walls crumbling under his care the moment she found herself able to relax.

“I’m sorry,” Dolores tried to apologize, but Sun wouldn’t have it.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for.” He replied simply. “It was a hard day.”

Dolores was quiet for a long moment, and he was beginning to wonder if she had fallen asleep, sweet little face tucked into his palm with her eyes closed, when she asked, “What if we didn’t miscount?”

Sun sighed, the sound a hum from his voicebox. They had walked the theater twice over. He had run the list of names to match everything he had recorded of his day, but only 13 children were accounted for even in his databanks, and seeing his darling Sunshine cry over the situation was making it hard to entertain much further without evidence of foul play.

“Then we rest for tonight, and start again fresh tomorrow. You need rest.” He said, a tenderness to his note of finality. He shifted her like a doll in his lap as he stretched himself out in the pillow nest, drawing her up onto his chest where her head could rest comfortably pillowed on top of the ruffle around his neck when she settled in once more. “Moon will search more tonight, and double over our work. If we did lose one, surely they’re still here, and will no doubt give up their game of hide and seek when little tummies start to rumble. And if that happens, we’ll wake you first thing. Oh, and we'll be tying them all together next time we have to go out of the daycare, Moon’s orders…”

Dolores nodded with a quiet laugh, but her eyes were already growing heavy, and she dozed off there in Sun’s arms, listening to the whirr of his internal systems and his promises to make things right. She stirred but didn’t wake when her phone began to buzz a little while later, and Sun felt slightly ashamed when he saw the name flashing across the screen, silencing it anyway. He opened it and held the camera out at arm’s length, finding the best angle to snap a picture of Dolores asleep on his chest without jostling her, before sending it back to Dakoda, who was now spam texting, demanding to know why her call had been ignored.

Hey, where did you go???

Hello?!

Why did you just ignore my call? Where the hell are you?!

Sun tapped a quick message in before she could call again and hit send.

She’s asleep. Should I wake her?

A pause, the marker popping up that both his message and picture had been seen, so he waited.

Nah, she looks comfy, let her sleep. I’ll bring clothes in the morning, think u can keep an eye on her till then, big guy? ;)

Sun rolled his eyes, wanting to laugh, but he didn’t dare make a sound and chance waking the angel in his arms.

I am not going anywhere. Haha I hope she rolls over at some point or Moon’s gonna miss his rounds tonight.

Dakoda replied with a series of laughing faces but said nothing more, so he closed her phone and set it on the nearest stack of books for safe keeping.

Sun laid there with her until the lights went out with the power, signaling the first hour since closing had passed, and Moon awoke cradling the object of their affections. Dolores made a soft sound of protest when Moon rolled her carefully off of him and into the pillow pile, trying to cling to him even in her sleep. It made him want to laugh, carefully uncurling her sleepy fingers from his ruffles, just to trade them for a plush of himself fished from the depths of the nest. He paused for a moment, reconsidering before he rummaged around for the matching one of Sun and tucked it into her grasp as well, before disappearing out of the tunnel.

Dolores slept soundly through his first watch, but that was fine. It gave Moon the chance to pour over every inch of the daycare and the adjoined theater. He crawled through the vents between, the backstage area and green rooms. When nothing else turned up, he looped back to the concessions and gathered a couple snacks for Dolores. Sun hummed happily when Moon grabbed her favorite pizza flavored pretzels in particular.

Having been quiet for quite some time, Moon could feel Sun worrying, like an annoying ticking in their shared headspace.

"Moon, do you think…"

"No."

"... that maybe, just maybe…"

"Sun."

"... something could have happened while…"

Moon slammed the door to the drink fridge with a surprising amount of strength for someone holding a pink can of Fizzy Faz in that same hand, but Sun got the message.

They both started to apologize after a quiet pause, but Moon cut through with, "I…I'm not sure. When the screen cut out I felt you punch out with the light, but something wouldn't let me back in. It was only a 7 second delay but… that's 7 seconds longer than it's ever been. I didn't want to make you worry more but I think there was something in the static."

Sun hummed in acknowledgement, then asked quietly, "How many bed rolls did we lay out?"

Moon frowned, pressing his databanks for the answer, only to be met with an eerie static echoing in his processors. Whatever was blocking him from remembering such a small detail had to be related to what had happened when the theater went dark. The static felt too similar to just be a coincidence.

Moon didn't realize he had crushed the can of soda in his hand. It was dripping sticky pink liquid where his fingers had pierced the metal, the sound of crushing tin and hissing carbonation lost on the Naptime Attendant.

Something, or someone, didn't want them to know what had happened. Something was putting the children in danger, and they had slid right in front of his face and done the unthinkable. He felt anger, a pang of guilt for having doubted Sun and Dolores at first, but his search had turned over the same evidence. No trace, no way to prove their claims. Just a deep feeling that they had failed to do the very thing they were built for.

"I can't remember either." Sun said quietly, watching through their eyes as Moon finally noticed the ruined drink in his grip and pried his fingers free. He tossed the can into the trash and grabbed a couple of napkins from the concession counter to clean his hand with before grabbing a bottle of water instead. The soda would have been too sugary anyway, he told himself.

As he turned to exit once more, he caught sight of the Bonnie cutout that had sent one of their charges into a fit, and for a brief moment Emily's tiny voice rang in his thoughts.

There were no rabbits at the Pizzaplex, not anymore.

Bonnie had been gone for awhile now, only his likeness scattered in a few places other than the bowling alley, and Moon had heard whispers of a rebranding in the works. Furthermore, he certainly would have seen a large rabbit in the theater; the children had been seated in front of them when the lights went out. But Emily had claimed there had been one, and it terrified her into nearly inconsolable tears.

"Something is very wrong..."

"What do we tell Sunshine?"

"Nothing yet. If we don't have proof, all it will do is worry her. But we can't let it happen again. No more trips. We stay in the daycare." Moon replied. "And I'll be watching at night, if someone is sneaking around, I will catch them."

There was something about the malice in Moon's tone that made Sun uneasy, even if he shared the frustrated desire to put a swift end to whoever or whatever had caused their grief. Sun had never felt Moon get angry before. It was strange and new and a little worrying, if he was honest. But he said nothing as his alter took their loot back towards the daycare and the sleeping woman in their castle hideaway.

Dolores stirred to an unfamiliar thump from what sounded like across the room, and she started to shake herself awake with the realization she didn't remember falling asleep. The room was dark, save for a single strand of small lights above, making it hard to process that she was laying in the nest of soft things at first. But where was Sun? Or rather, Moon, now that the lights were out?

She got her answer, when a moment later two glowing red eyes appeared in the tunnel before Moon slid through to greet her.

"You should be sleeping."

"Hello to you too, Moonie." Dolores laughed quietly. "How was your shift?"

Moon didn't answer, just knelt beside her and began to unload his haul.

"For you. Should eat, you missed dinner. But then you should sleep." He said softly.

Dolores couldn't argue this, her stomach was starting to quietly fuss about that very situation, and he had brought her a variety of her favorite snacks. Something about it made her smile like an idiot as she pulled the pizza pretzels from the pile.

"Thank you, I didn't mean to fall asleep, but I guess I'm stuck now, huh?"

"Guess so. Stuck all alone with me."

Dolores hoped he couldn't see the blush that crawled up her cheeks. "Oh, then it won't be so terrible. You're a gracious host if I've ever known one."

Moon seemed surprised by the complement, his faceplate pausing at a weird angle for just a moment before turning back to its normal position. It occurred to her that Moon might not know how she felt for Sun bled hard into her appreciation of him as well. They were two sides of one coin, separate but still loved equally. The want to snuggle with Moon was only fractionally worse, however, considering his sleepy theme and gentle tones.

As if sharing her thoughts, Moon crawled carefully to sit beside her on the bed of soft things. Dolores made room for him, getting comfortable at his side as she reached for the bottle of water. She took a drink, thankful for the cooling sensation it brought to her whole body, but as she started to replace the cap, she caught sight of where Sun had left her phone on the stack of books. As she reached for it, under her breath she gasped, "Oh no, Koda, I didn't tell her…"

"Sunny did." Moon said, his usual mirthful demeanor breaking through at last as he watched her frantically open her messages. "She tried to call, but you were sleeping, so Silly Sunny grabbed the first excuse to spend more time with you. Didn't think he'd have the bolts to bring you to our hideout, though. Almost like he was looking forward to being alone with you…"

Sun started to protest being called out like this, but Moon wasn't paying attention to him. Dolores had discovered the picture that had been sent to Dakoda, and her face went through several different emotions at once, settling on something vividly tender. She liked the picture. Was looking at it the way humans tended to look at baby animals, sweet and soft, and in the glow of the screen, Moon finally saw what Sun found so charming about her smile.

Dolores, oblivious to Moon's fixed gaze, leaned against his shoulder comfortably as she continued to nibble away the bag of pretzels.

"I'm glad he did." She said quietly. "I like spending time with you both, and I'm sad we didn't get the chance sooner."

Moon didn't know how to respond to that, or rather he did, but was finding it difficult to push words to their voice box with her so very close. Sun was incredibly smug about this development, but he said nothing.

Moon slipped his arm around Dolores as she scrolled mindlessly through her messages. He could tell she was still very tired, despite the warm smile she gave as she snuggled further into his hold. There was so much to discuss, so much to be worried about, but for now, Moon let it rest. She needed this moment of peace as much as he did.

And he was being terribly selfish, knowing the lights coming back on in the building wouldn't reach them here. But Sun was amused, not jealous, when Moon carded his fingers through Dolores' soft blonde curls. Her hair was a mess from the bit of sleep she had already gotten, and he found himself playing with a lock of it, entertaining himself with the thought that her hair appeared much longer when it wasn't done up so dollishly.

And that's when it occurred to him: she was wearing a costume. A probably rather uncomfortable to sleep in work uniform, despite its bright colors and cheery appearance.

She needed pajamas.

Moon wasn't sure why he felt so suddenly compelled, but it shot sparks through his system when he realized Dolores had only smiled when faced with the prospect of being trapped with him overnight. Not afraid. Not concerned.

No human staff had ever willingly stayed in his company before, certainly not shared his and Sun's most personal space so comfortably. He wanted to make sure she was happy.

To his joy and amusement, Dolores had dozed off as he combed his fingers through her hair, still holding her open phone.

He took the opportunity to snap his own selfie, and sent both pictures to his own phone for safe keeping. Yeah. That's was it, just in case.

Moon was the master of maneuvering around sleeping humans; he slid out from under her, carefully shifting her sleeping form into a more comfortable position for the time being. He ducked back out of the room, and after some rummaging around, he found another armful of things to drag back into their hideout: a fluffy pillow shaped like a slice of pizza, a stack of plush blankets, and a large shirt, all pilfered from the giftshop.

”Penguins bring shiny rocks to their crushes to show them love and appreciation.”

Sun's fun little Fazfact didn't miss Moon's attention, nor the smug way he had said it.

"I'm doing my job." Moon huffed back, and Sun's laughter echoed for a moment in their shared headspace. "Okay, fine, I also want to make sure she's comfortable. She's… nice."

“She's more than nice.” Sun said with the note of a lovesick fool in his voice. “She's perfect.”

Moon rolled his eyes.

Being a touch nosy proved useful: he found makeup wipes and a clean washcloth tucked into her bag with the kit of beads and string. With a renewed sense of purpose he gathered it all together and returned to their hideaway.

"Dolly…" he called softly, nudging her carefully. Dolores hummed a questioning sound in return, so he pressed on. "Dolly, wouldn't you be more comfortable out of that costume?"

Something must have activated in her mind, for even still half asleep she sat up and began to fumble for the zipper along her back, much to Moon’s amusement. When awake, she often prided herself on being able to get into and out of the dress without assistance. However the very sleepy Dolores was getting nowhere fast. Moon bit back the urge to laugh when she whined in frustration, moving to assist. Dolly seemed like such a fitting name for her as he helped her remove the bright yellow dress layer. He pressed the oversized tshirt into her hands, busying himself with untying and removing her dainty little boots as she pulled it over her head.

Something about it rung as a rather intimate gesture when he rolled each of her rainbow socks down over her knees, his fingers lingering over the newly exposed skin with gentle curiosity. Next came the fluffy petticoat layer, and suddenly Dolores looked so much smaller, more human than before. His eyes lifted to meet her's, and saw something entirely different reflected there, sleepy, but new, deeply sweet, and directed at him.

He pulled a wipe from the package to distract himself from the strange feeling her smile caused, and took her chin in one hand as he carefully wiped away the glitter from her cheeks, the red stain from her lips. He released her only the moment it took to wet the washcloth with bottled water, and she squeaked quietly as he used the cool cloth to wipe away the rest.

So trusting, such a precious, beautiful little doll in his hands…

Dolores followed without resistance as Moon coaxed her to lay back once more, the pizza shaped pillow beneath her head. Her happy sighs did not go unnoticed as he tucked her in under a star patterned blanket. She was drifting back to sleep when he settled the plush toys of himself and Sun on either side of her once more, her features softening as her breathing slowed.

Moon reached out to brush a stray curl from her cheek, fingers lingering a moment too long, and Sun sighed for both of them.

A little doll modeled from his and Moon's clothing in her yellow dress and striped apron, blue with twinkling gold stars peeking out from the edge, she seemed to even put the parents at ease, a friendly face to assure that everything would be handled with care.

Lunchtime would come, a knock on the large doors, and Sun would get to see her smiling face so much closer. A trolley full of snacks for little hands, served on sun and star themed party plates, and the snuggly soft nap rolls for each little superstar. She’d stay to help him prepare the napping space, lay out each of the freshly laundered rolls with care, and even help him set up the storytime space for Moon’s arrival. The regulars, children of the day staff who made frequent visits and often grew fond of one cast member or another, would beg her to stay and play, to hear Moon’s naptime tales. But as always she would politely decline, and return to her post at the top of the slide. 

They both had jobs to do.

Once he had complimented the headband of sunrays crowning her head and her face turned an addictive shade of perfect pink. She had a beautifully shy nature, soft and easy going, always treating him like an old friend when she would make her short visits, and Sun found himself making excuses just to keep her a moment longer.

The first time Sunshine's headband came down the slide without her, it sounded like a prank gone sideways. So much muffled giggling in the tunnel echoed in Suns's audio receptors as the item skittered down and almost out into the pit before he grabbed it. 

A moment later, the sound of someone coming down the tube after it. 

Sunshine slid out of the tube headfirst, falling less than gracefully into the ball pit below, laughing as she flailed about, then stumbled as she tried to stand in the sea of rainbow colored plastic balls. They stared at eachother as he scanned her face on habit, and it took a moment too long to remember he was holding the item she had come in search of. She didn't seem to mind at all, as if she expected this much from him.

"Its late, Sunshine." He teased as he climbed down from where he had been sitting on the top of the tube to meet her. "Shouldn't you be heading home?"

Sunshine grinned a bit bashfully, extending a hand out for her missing accessory. "Sorry, I was about to finish my shift when a friend knocked my rays right off my head! Can I pretty please have them back?"

Sun tsked, a playfully scolding sound, but made no move to give the headband back.

He looked at the lovely little hand with long fingers and perfectly painted nails extended out to him and had a better idea.

He had seen many children come and go with them; knew she liked to make the shiny trinkets herself, lovely little gifts that made for smiling faces. She had them for every season, every event and holiday. Some were wild and unpredictable patterns meant to be an extra pop of color, but the ones she wore most were the colors of his friends; Freddy's gold, Roxy's purple, Monty's green and Chica's pink, but also sparkling blues for Moon and yellow for himself. Simple, smooth plastic beads like precious candy buttons around her wrists. Something about it sent static to his processors; he wanted one for himself.

"Finders keepers! But I'll trade you for one of those..." He teased, hooking a finger under one of the many bracelets on her wrists, the one in his colors. "Oh!" Sunshine exclaimed, a soft embarrassment in her voice. "You like those? Of course you can have one!"

She slipped her hand out of it so easily, smiling warmly, and Sun grinned as he carefully maneuvered it onto his own wrist. He then shook his hand as if to test it, bells jingling happily alongside the clacking of beads, a satisfying sound in the otherwise quiet room.

When he looked back at Sunshine her face was hard to read. She looked happy, but also something else entirely when she smiled at his approval. 

Moon snickered somewhere in the back of his mind like a strange and sudden itch, but Sun ignored him, moving to place the headband gently back on her head and adjusting it into its proper place. Sunshine seemed to stop breathing for a moment, watching him with curious eyes under long lashes, and he was about to question it when another voice called from the railing above. Sun didn't quite make out what was said, but Sunshine seemed to get the message perfectly.

"Oh, I gotta go, but thank you Sunny! I'll see you tomorrow!" She said, scampering out of the pit and towards the open double door. She looked back just long enough to give him a shy wave before disappearing around the corner.

Steam escaped one of his shoulder vents and he sighed quietly as Moon cackled in their shared headspace.

"Naughty naughty, that was quite a trick to play, Sunny, I think she likes you." Moon teased.

Trick?

What trick?

But Moon wouldn't answer that, just laughed in a way that made Sun shift nervously where he stood as he replayed their interactions in his thoughts. It wasn't often that adults liked him, many said he looked unsettling and dismissed him before they would even have the chance. Even some of the children hesitated upon meeting him, this was something he had grown used to. But Sunshine smiled at him so warmly it made his cooling fans kick on. Moon laughed again as that terrible itch crawled up his spine.

—---------------------------

Weekday mornings were always quiet in the daycare, but today was unusually quiet. There were no children on the roster for the first shift, so unless someone came in, it would continue to be quiet and empty. With the employee cuts, some of the little superstars who would normally spend their day with him no longer needed to; it was both a sad and happy sort of happenstance that had Sun struggling with his plans for the day. When an hour passed and nobody had come down the slide, he had the mind to go up it instead. Maybe the plex was closed for the day and nobody thought to mention it to him? It wouldn't be the first time they had forgotten to inform him of plans changing. Surely Sunshine would know he reasoned as he started his crawl up the towering slide, and what a perfect excuse to visit with her.

Sunshine, who had been sitting on the desk as she strung beads together to pass the time, heard him approaching before her coworker did. The scuttling sound and creaking of the plastic slide piqued her curiosity, and just as she stooped to peer into the tunnel, Sun's smiling face emerged from inside. The sound she let out in surprise was a rather silly mix of a shriek and squeaking laughter as she realized it was him. 

"Good morning Mr. Sun!" She greeted him with a flustered but amused smile.

"Good morning Starshine, the Moon says hello!" He singsonged in return, relaxing in the tube like climbing a full story of smooth plastic was nothing for him. "Where are all the little friends? It's been a very quiet morning!"

"Monday, and school is back in session." Her coworker supplied, having looked up from her phone at the commotion. "Its probably gonna be a quiet day."

Sun's rays retracted a little more, looking a bit sad to hear it. No children meant no need for him, and he would spend the day stuck finding things to do around the daycare alone, which really meant reorganizing the craft supplies for the millionth time.

Definitely not his idea of a fun day.

Sunshine knelt down in front of the slide, and Sun froze as gentle hands cupped his faceplate.

"Now now," she playfully scolded. "No upside down smiles on my watch! If we don't have someone soon, I'll come down to play with you myself, how does that sound?" 

It took Sun a second to reply, and if he was honest with himself, it was only because he was lost in the temperature of her warm, pleasing little fingers against his cool faceplate, his sensors abuzz at the notion of being held so tenderly. 

He was no stranger to touch; children wanted to climb and wrestle and be held, but this was different. Instead of holding, he was being held, and not even the Parts and Services crew had ever just cupped his face like this. He couldn't remember the last time someone had wanted to hold him; the team who oversaw his repairs tended to treat him with the cold indifference of a car mechanic seeing their hundredth flat tire, leaving no room for comforting embraces.

"Oh I'd love that!" He replied in earnest, and without thinking, brought his hands up to cup her own. Only then that meant the thing keeping him at the top of the slide was the grip on his shoes, and he promptly slid backwards. He managed to catch his footing again quickly, but had effectively tugged her into the tube with him, suddenly face to face, and her knees against the decorative rainbow opening the only thing keeping her from falling in entirely.

Sun expected anything but the way she giggled as he stuttered out apologies. Her hands were gripping his wrists as if she could help keep him there, unafraid and amused, and it thrilled him to no end, seeing her smile at him like that, sweet and sincere and for him alone. Moon snickered somewhere deep in his programming as Sun took her in, the long eyelashes he'd never been close enough to admire before, the shine of glitter along her brightly blushing cheeks, just like stardust…

"Easy big guy, that's quite a fall if you're not careful." She teased, and somehow he wasn't sure if she meant the slide. "I'll be down in a few, make sure you're ready for me."

He didn't need to be told twice.

Letting go with a laugh, Sun launched back down the slide the way he came.

Sunshine shimmied carefully back out of the tube to find her coworker standing beside her, arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

"Your fascination with that robot is incredible." She snickered, and Sunshine rolled her eyes good naturedly as she stood and dusted herself off. 

"He's charming, what am I supposed to say?" 

"That you're going to keep your hands to yourself next time you go down there."

"Dakoda!" Sunshine gasped, sounding scandalized, but that only made her coworker laugh harder.

"What? If it was Monty you'd give me the same warning!"

***

Sun pulled himself out of the ball pit with gusto, suddenly frantic for ideas. What games did grownups like to play? Did they still like crayons? Puppets? He had to find the perfect game, something fun, and it would really help if Moon wasn't cackling in their shared headspace.

"Grownup games?" Moon repeated, only to howl again with laughter when Sun waited expectantly. Instead of an answer, Moon supplied an image that brought him to a complete standstill.

Oh.

Suddenly he understood why Moon was laughing, and his cooling fans started trying to compensate as he moved about, dismissing the idea and tidying the already tidy daycare anxiously. 

"Moon, I think it's a bit forward to assume…" Sun started, only to go quiet as Moon pushed the image of Sunshine's perfect cupid's bow lips into his view, the way she had smiled at him as she held his face in her hands…

"Bet she would loooove kisses from her darling Sunny." Moon chuckled and Sun made a strangled sort of embarrassed noise.

"No no no, I don't think so, the last person who saw us open our mouth was terrified, nobody likes that, I can't do that to her…"

"I could…"

"Moonie…" Sun warned, but his embarrassment took the bite out of his words and made Moon chuckle.

"Sunny." He teased back, knowing her pet name for him would easily get a rise out of his alter. And of course it did. But the more Moon pressed, the more Sun found himself wondering.

What if she did want kisses?

What if Sunshine wanted hand holding and soft kisses and close cuddling?

Or more?

Oh grownups were so complicated, almost frustratingly so.

He was still mulling over the complexities of human needs when he heard the sound of someone falling into the ball pit almost an hour later.

His precious Sunshine waded through the sea of multicolored balls, laughing joyfully as she pulled herself out. Her headband was notably missing, and she had traded the apron she usually wore for her backpack, but something about it made her seem a bit more comfortable as she smiled up at him. "Definitely a quiet day." She said, tucking a lock of her wild hair behind her ear. "But I brought the stuff to make more bracelets since you liked those? I made one for Moon, too!"

Sun swayed happily as he watched her dig into her backpack, pulling out kits of sorted beads and lengths of stretchy string. Amongst them, a bracelet to match the one he had stolen, in shades of blue with the occasional star bead between.

Both were quiet as she took his other hand and slid it onto his wrist. When she looked up, she started to giggle and her face colored that adorable pink again.

"You like them that much?" She asked, and Sun tilted his head in question. "Your eyes… they turn to hearts when you're happy."

Moon gave up his silence to howl with laughter as Sun squirmed in embarrassment.

"Oh hahah yeah I had um… I had forgotten about that. Its been… been awhile since they did that. Thank you for your lovely gifts! Moon loves it and says thank you too!" He lied, trying to save face and hoping the LEDs in his eyes had given up their act of betrayal. Quickly turning his attention to the rainbow of assorted beads he said, "Do you want to make some more? I could help!"

Sunshine smiled and nodded, and he excused himself to pull one of the little craft tables out of the supply closet. It was small, intended for the little ones, but Sun found no trouble sitting on the floor to work with the kids, surely it would be the perfect size for Sunshine, too.

“You didn’t have to tell her that.” Moon said quietly, and Sun shook his head.

“Would you rather I have told her you hated it?”

“No... but thank you…”

Sun snickered to himself, catching on to Moon’s own embarrassment as he picked up the little table and started carrying it back. Sunshine had pulled over a couple of cushions for them to sit on, and it took no time at all to set up their project.

“Sweet little lamb,” Moon sighed, a hint of smile to his voice that Sun found contagious. He watched through Sun’s eyes as they settled in, amused with how excited their new friend seemed to be just to be there. She talked about whatever seemed to come to mind; the parties the daycare had hosted, stories from other parts of the plex, even her own life and the trials of being an adult out on her own in the world.

Sun was absorbing everything he could learn about her and more, asking all his favorite questions along the way. She loved orchid purple, the color beads she used when making things for herself, kittens and the smell of freshly brewed coffee. He tried not to look her way when she started talking about rainy days, the wistful smile as she spoke was enough to make his temperature rise, his eyes would no doubt give away how quickly he was becoming completely enamored with her. She pressed him with the same sort of questions, the conversation so light and easy it felt as if they had talked a million times before, and even Moon had stopped his impish teasing to listen.

Without realizing it they had created quite a pile of the little bead bracelets, and when Sunshine picked up the last bit of cord, she scooted over to his side of the table so they could work together to finish it. Sun tried not to react when she tucked herself under his arm to help him thread the last few beads, and watched her tie it off carefully, unwilling to move his arms where they rested loosely around her. He could feel Moon grin when she settled against him, sliding the new bracelet onto her wrist and holding it up for them both to inspect.

Why had he put so many heart shaped beads on that one?!

Nevertheless, she seemed pleased enough with his work to add it to her own collection.

“Very cute. Probably the best one.” He said with a smile.

“No, you.” She replied mirthfully, almost too quiet to be heard.

“What?”

“Hmm?”

“What did you just say?”

“Nothing.”

“Nuh uh, I heard that!” Sun laughed, somehow finding the bravery to scoop her in against him as they both giggled. “You said something silly and if you don’t tell me I’m going to tickle it out of you.”

Sunshine let out a playfully exasperated sigh as he motioned like he was about to start tickling and finally said, “Okay, okay! I said you’re cute and the best!”

Sun felt his temperature rise in record time, his rays shuttering excitedly, and he did the only thing he could think to do in response.

He started tickling.

Sunshine squealed with laughter, squirming away from his hands but unable to escape his embrace as he continued casually, “Oh, don’t tell Roxy that, she’ll get very upset! But I’m glad I’m your favorite. You’re my favorite too!”

Without really meaning to, he had managed to wrangle her into his lap, and he quickly decided to make the best of it. He stopped tickling in favor of hugging her to his chest like the little doll she felt like in his arms, humming happily as she tried to catch her breath, still shaking with giggles. She was grinning bashfully, but didn’t try to pull away, just leaned into him fondly, her hands coming to rest against his arms like she didn’t want him to let go.

Moon made a smug sound in their shared headspace and Sun tried very hard to ignore him.

A strange sort of content silence fell over them, and when at last Sun tilted his head to look down at her, Sunshine had closed her eyes. Her grin had changed into a sweet sort of smile, her cheeks still dusted pink and her heart beating a little fast for someone sitting so still.

“You’re going to miss your chance.” Moon said, but the teasing air had left his voice. In fact, Sun noted, Moon sounded almost anxious in his insistence, like there was a lot more to his pushing than he was letting on.

Sun shifted just slightly, feeling a bit anxious himself. If this is what she wanted, he would happily give it to her, but a part of him still felt giddy with nervousness, so he plotted a course and met their needs in the middle.

Sunshine let out a soft little gasp when he pressed his faceplate against her cheek, making a soft mwah sound to make it clear he absolutely would kiss her properly if he had the lips to do so. He half expected her to push away, tell him to stop as she shifted in his arms to meet his gaze, but instead she pushed up to return the gesture.

Sun thought his whole system was going to shut down when she pressed a series of little kisses along his faceplate in return.

Moon had been right, about this part at least, she seemed very content to be close with him. His lunar counterpart had gone eerily silent as Sun pressed a few more kisses to her cheeks in return. When at last he pulled back to look at her again, she erupted in a fit of giggles.

“Your eyes,” she said a little breathlessly, and reflected in her's he could see the beating heart LEDs flashing in his own eyes. “Is this what that was all about? You wanted kisses?”

Sun started stammering but before he could answer she had taken hold of his face and kissed him properly. He practically melted into her hands, and when she ran her fingers gently over one of his rays as she leaned in for another, he knew he was done for.

“AYO GOOFBALL!”

Sunshine jolted at the sound of the Dakoda’s voice over the radio on the security desk, having the good sense to look embarrassed. She started to pull away but Sun pulled her back, pressing more kisses to her cheeks that left her laughing warmly.

“Doloooooores! Dooollyyyy! Hey Dingus where are you? Answer me or I’m coming down there!”

Sun finally let go of her, falling dramatically sideways onto the soft floor mats as she skittered over to the desk. He propped his chin in his hand as he watched her fumble with the radio for a moment.

“Dolly.” Moon hummed thoughtfully, but Sun shook his head. Her name was still Sunshine to him. They silently agreed to disagree.

“What? I’m here, good grief.” She hissed into the receiver, and her coworker was laughing notably when she answered.

“They’re sending us home. Quit making out with your boyfriend and come on before I leave you here.”

“Okay geez, give me a second to get my stuff.”

Sunshine sighed, dropping the radio back into its station. The look she gave him when she turned back to him was going to be burned into his memory for a long time.

“I’m sorry.” She said as she moved to collect her things. “I guess I gotta go. But I’ll be back tomorrow, I promise. And I’ll bring more cord so we can make more stuff if you want.”

Sun pulled himself from the floor to help her, holding her backpack open to make it easier for her to quickly pack away her things before sliding the straps up around her shoulders. Sunshine seemed very flustered as they walked back towards the large double doors and he was about to ask when she pushed something into his hands.

“I usually keep this for emergencies, but I want you to hold onto it. You can use it to get ahold of me… whenever you want to. If you want to. My number is in it, I use it to find my phone sometimes but you can use it to text me. Or call, if you feel like it.” 

Sun looked down at the tiny pink flip phone and then back up at her blushing face. He leaned down to press one more kiss to her forehead before pushing the door open for her.

“Of course I will. Now go before your ride takes off.” he said, ushering her out of the daycare. He watched her go, and was glad for it when she turned to blow a kiss from the top of the stairs before disappearing out of sight.