#mantis makings

Middays during the summer were so hot.

Of course now was the time you chose to tend to your garden, while the sun was at its peak in the sky. Sweat made your shirt cling to your back, a feeling of nausea clawing at your throat at the thought of it unsticking. How awful that would feel… but alas. The work needed to be done.

Ever since bringing the daycare attendant home, your garden had been poorly neglected; leaves were spotted and droopy, the soil was dry, and crops were nearing falling off of their stems! Not that there was even much to harvest, but these plants had become your responsibility and you intended to take care of them.

Living in your garden was a small collection of fruits and vegetables, as well as a small section of flowers: tomatoes, kale, carrots, cucumbers, garlic, and radishes made up the produce side of the garden, while lilies, carnations, tulips, snapdragons, sunflowers, and roses took up the floral side. Your grandparents started this garden when you were young, and once they passed they left it and their house to you. You loved it then just as much as you do now, even if there were less hands to help work it.

"Darling? Are you out here?"

Sun came out of the house, trotting down the steps before he came to your spot in the garden. He looked over your sweaty form as he shielded his eyes from his celestial counterpart, "What are you doing, darling? It's sweltering out here. I can feel my core temperature rising just from standing here."

"Hi, Sunny. I'm just… tending," you gestured to the area where you were currently digging up weeds that had long since taken root. "I haven't had much time to be out here since leaving FazCo and bringing you and Moon home." You grabbed a large weed and pulled, the stubborn thing popping out and sending you to your butt. Huffing, you wiped your hands off before settling into the new position, glancing over your shoulder at Sun. "Did you need something?"

Sun's eyes danced over your form before he gazed about the garden, hiding his smile with a turn. Instead of answering your question, he said, "I've never seen a garden before. This one is quite splendid, I must say." As he spoke, he ventured down the rows of produce, letting his hands graze the soft leaves. He lifted a particularly ripe tomato, examined it on its stem, before letting the heavy thing settle back in its place. "Did you plant everything yourself?"

Sun next turned towards the flowers, passing each with a small smile on his faceplate. "No, not everything," you replied, continuing to pull at weeds. "My grandparents started it when I was a kid. I helped them take care of it until they couldn't do it anymore. When they passed, they gave it to me, it and the house." You nodded to the building. "I've tried to keep it all up as best as I could, the way they would want."

Sun stilled. "I'm… sorry, darling. I can't imagine what a loss like that would feel like."

You shrugged, "It's alright. It's been a while since I've really thought of them," you smiled, glancing to your dirt-stained hands, "so this is nice."

The rays spun around Suns head. He had a feeling his higher core temperature wasn't just due to the heat. "So," he made a sound like clearing his throat, "did you need any help, darling? With this gardening adventure? Anything I can assist with?"

You gazed up at the animatronic from your spot on the ground, his shadow dancing with yours as he stood next to you. Your smile sent sparks through Sun's cables as you asked, "Could you pick all the ripe produce for me? Depending on what we can gather, I may have to go to the store for more ingredients for the week, but I want to know what we have first." You emptied a basket you had brought with you, containing your small collection of garden tools, and handed it to Sun. "There's bound to be a lot. You can put things in here so it's easier to carry."

Tentative hands grabbed the basket from you before he tucked his arms into the handle. "Of course, darling," he said softly. Sun turned back through the garden and began sorting through the stalks of cucumbers.

After another hour of pruning and weeding, you made your way up from the ground, making a sick sound as your wet shirt moved along your wet back that Sun chuckled at. You shot him a glare that he smartly ignored as he kept his rays bent over the tomatoes.

"Okay, I'm finished for the day," you sighed. "I think tomorrow I'll pick some of the flowers, make a bouquet for the kitchen table. I think it'll help liven up the place." Sun stayed curled over his task while you spoke. Deliberating for a moment on whether to tell him to come inside, you decided to leave him alone. As you were gathering the remainder of your tools, you asked, "What's your favorite flower?"

"Lantana."

You pursed your lips and nodded, the small, multicolored flowers coming to mind. There was some extra flower space now…

"And Moon's?"

"You'll have to ask him, darling. I don't answer for him anymore."

You sighed, "Fair enough. Maybe we could plant them here, next to the carnations." You imagined the wild lantana next to whatever Moon's favorite was. Probably lavender, though that might be too on brand for him. "My grandparents always kept their favorite flowers planted together. They said it was the secret to their long-lasting marriage." Light laughter bubbled at the memory, a soft smile planting its roots on your face.

Sun looked to where you were facing the flowers. He imagined how the garden would look once it was full, the buds all in bloom and reaching for the sun again. And as you stood there, a flower just before bloom, he wondered when you would reach for him.

"You should go wash up," he said. "You've been out here long enough."

You once again recognized your wet shirt sticking to your back and shivered… which only made the feeling worse. "I think you're right," you bleghed. "I'll see you inside."

You grabbed your tools and went inside, dropping them off and heading straight for the shower.

After letting your tired muscles get pelted with water until they were as warm as sun-baked concrete, you exited the shower, and expected to find one of your new roommates out and about. Neither were around.

On the kitchen table sat a bouquet of red and yellow, twirled together in an exquisite arrangement. Carnations and sunflowers. A basket of fresh produce sat next to it.

There was a tented note in front of the vase, the inside filled with a flowy script.

'I've compiled a list of all that I was able to gather today. You'll find it next to the basket.

Thank you for allowing me to help you with your garden. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to continue helping you, outside of just picking tomatoes.

I can not wait to see what your garden will become. I have no doubt that you will work tirelessly to see it completed. Do remember to take care of yourself in the meantime, though.

Let nothing stand in your way, darling, and remember to always reach for the sun.'

Going to the grocery store is never fun: the lights are too bright, there's too many people, and the music is always too quiet or too loud. And since you can't exactly go to the store in a shaded hazmat suit, noise-cancelling headphones are the next best thing (and get you less stares). With headphones, you could control what music played as you passed through the grocery aisles, and what volume it played at. Your shopping experience was in your control.

What was not in your control, however, was how one of your robotic partners decided to react to said music.

"I'm home," you called to the apartment, unloading the bags from your arms onto the kitchen floor and counter. The space was dark and quiet, the only light coming from a movie playing on the living room TV which had long since been reduced to background noise. You turned on a small lamp settled on the kitchen table, the one reserved for nights like this, when the moon was out and about.

You slid your headphones back over your ears and pressed play, the heavy metal coming through immediately. The noise-cancelling feature was still on, allowing you to unload your groceries without hearing the noise that usually accompanied. You turned the volume up a few clicks, letting the sounds of the drums and electric guitar surround you. You began to nod your head along to the beat, losing yourself to the music.

One by one, groceries were put in their proper place, starting with the fridge and ending in the pantry, with metal still pouring through your headphones. Taking a moment to breathe after completing your task, you nearly jumped out of your skin when cold hands found themselves atop your shoulders. You quickly slung your headphones off and turned to find your Moon behind you, a cheshire grin creeping across his face.

"Careful Atria, you shouldn't listen to music so loud. Bad for your ears."

Moon gave your ear a gentle flick as he finished his sentence. His red gaze flickered to the clock on the wall before meeting yours again. "You're home late."

"I know," you sighed, "I had to run to the store after work and it took longer than I wanted it to, but at least I won't have to go shopping again for a while."

Moon said nothing for a spell, seemingly content with shining his light on your features. Then, "What were you listening to?"

"Enter Sandman by Metallica. I started getting into their music again and it's one of my favorites." Moon stayed motionless until you asked, "Do you want to hear it?"

He gave a small nod before you turned your headphones off and prepared to play the song out loud. "I'll warn you," you started, "this is a bit heavier than what I think you're used to, so it won't hurt my feelings if you don't like it." With your caution voiced, you pressed play.

Throughout the song, Moon stayed as still as a statue, his eyes glued to your phone. There was no way for you to decipher a reaction from him until it finished, and even then it took a few moments before he moved.

"Again."

A blink.

"…Okay." You rewound the song and hit play again.

This time, you watched Moon's face carefully, waiting to garner any indication to whether he liked the song or not; his fingers would twitch noncommittally to the beat but that was all the signal he gave. Once the second run was over, he slowly looked to you before saying, "..It's me."

It took a second before you understood. "What, the song?"

Moon nodded. "Like it."

You let yourself smile as you paused the next song from playing. "Yeah? It's not too much for you? I mean, I know we haven't gotten the chance to explore much of your music taste since you came here, but I wasn't sure if this would be something that interested you."

Moon watched as you pocketed your phone. "It's different. Better than the daycare jingle. It… feels like how things were before, but not in a bad way." His head tilted to the side, his nightcap following suit. "It's strange, but I like it."

You nodded and gave him a small smile. "I get that. Looking back on how things used to be and the feelings that come with it can get… complicated, to say the least. But I'm glad you found something that helps you make light of those memories." You reached for his long hand, entwining his silicone fingers with yours.

The light in Moon's eyes began to dim before he was tugging on your arm, his signature grin returning to his faceplate. "No more memories. Bedtime. Stayed up too late already."

There was no time to protest as your sandman led you to your bedroom. He held the covers back as you climbed into bed, then gently laid them back over you. Moon's grin seemed to illuminate the room as he said, "Best sleep with one eye open, Atria. There may be beasts lurking under your bed tonight."