Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There’s a few constants in this world. Dollar stores in every town, no matter the size. Roadkill, if one wants to get grim about things. And nobody, absolutely no one, seems to be able to follow instructions before six in the morning. 

You’re a traveling photographer and nine times out of ten, you will arrive at a school for picture day that is supposed to be unlocked and waiting for you to haul in your massive cart of gear, hopefully with someone to tell you where to go, only to find that the school is entirely void of a single living soul and locked. Which is a huge pain in the ass because you only have an hour to set up and the folks at the school get mad if you’re not ready to take pictures on the second that first bell rings. 

Lucky for you, you’re very good at your job. You can get hauled in and ready to go in twenty minutes if you’ve gotta. 

This time around, you’re headed somewhere new. You’d gotten the call from your supervisor that you’ve been picked to be the connecting photographer with a new client. Then she’d dropped the bomb that the new client is THE Freddy Fazbear’s Mega Pizzaplex, looking to bring in an outside source for a special picture day event as a test and would you look at that, you’ve been picked and there’s a lot of pressure to do well, so do your best not to screw it up, ‘kay byeeee!

You didn’t sleep well that night. Nor last night for that matter. The Pizzaplex is perhaps one of the most famous attractions in your state, if not the entire country. Leading in animatronic technology, sentient A.I, and all inclusive entertainment. It sits on more square footage than many theme parks, with all the bells and whistles to match. It hasn’t even been open a full year yet and they’re already listed as the top place to visit.

There’s also the many, many rumors about the parenting company involving scandal, murder and ghosts that draws in the more gossiping and suspicious crowds, but hey, all attention is good attention in the eyes of a mega-corporation. Money is money, and they certainly have no issues with where it comes from. 

Point being, the place is massive, physically and socially. There’s a lot more riding on today’s session than your usual small town preschools and local high schools. 

Your brief tells you that you’re going to be set up in the daycare area. Seems kind of odd to you that they would bring in a human photographer when a big part of marketing for the ‘Plex boasts of their seventy-five percent animatronic staff. There’s plenty of places that have automatic cameras, though you’ve always turned your nose up at those. How is an automatic camera supposed to anticipate the perfect moment to hit the shutter, to capture a true smile before it becomes a strained show? Toddlers and day care aged kids especially need an experienced hand to help them feel comfortable in front of the big camera. You’ve had more than your fair share of littles who take one look at your rig and burst into terrified screaming. It’s only thanks to your years of experience of working with them that you’ve just about mastered the art of calming them down and getting the best smiles for their picture. 

Well, you don’t need to know the reason these guys want a human photographer; you’ve just got to do the best job possible. 

Being honest, you’ve never been to the Pizzaplex before. You actually live a good two and a half hours away, so coming up here just to experience the place is a hard thing to justify. Especially since…well, you doubt anyone would really care, but there’s just something sad about an adult going to what’s essentially a Chuck E Cheese on steroids alone. Another perk of the job where most of your work friends live a fair distance away. But hey, once you’re done with the daycare, you might be able to take a look around the place, splurge on some overpriced pizza. 

There’s no information in your job bag about where to enter, so you park as close to the main entrance as you can. It’s still dark out, a few minutes before 5 a.m, and the lights donning the doors shine with all the force of a fluorescent super sun. The money spent in electric alone -

You turn off the car and step out into the brisk autumn air, yawning as you go. The photo company had booked you a hotel that you’d driven to last night, so it wasn’t like it was a long drive this morning, but your entire body still protests being up before the sun. Wonderful job for a night owl, you’re so smart .

The steps to pulling out your massive rig is muscle memory; a few moments of loading up the various cases and tying the whole thing together and it’s not long before you’re pushing your loaded cart up to the doors. A fruitless tug shows that they’re still locked and you press your face up against the glass doors. There’s a second set of doors and it looks like they’re covered by some kind of metal awning or something. You purse your lips as you step back and look around. Maybe there’s an employee door or something. Leaving your rig where it’s at, you jog down to the very end of the glass doors. Ah ha, you were right! There is a door here, but there’s no outside handle. Instead, there’s a doorbell looking thing with a round black piece that you’re assuming is a camera just to the left on the wall. You press it. 

The black piece turns red. 

“Um…hello?” Does this thing have a speaker? “I’m the photographer for the daycare event today? I’m not sure where you’d like me to enter-”

There’s a quiet hiss, a click and the door without a handle pops open. 

Oh! And there you go. It doesn’t look like it’ll swing shut so you hurry back to grab the rig. The little light is still red so you lean in as you pass and give a little wave. “Thanks!” 

The hallway beyond the door is dark save for a very dim light coming from a single lonely bulb so you go ahead and push your cart in. The door shuts loudly behind you the moment your foot is over the threshold, making you jump. 

Yeesh, why does it feel like you’re entered a dungeon or something? 

You push on. It’s gotta be some kind of employee hallway, littered with random boxes and bits of trash. Charming. To be fair, before you started the photography stuff, you worked in a big name theme park and though their backstage areas weren’t quite as messy and dark, they weren’t anything pretty. Money needs to be where the guests are after all. 

Click. Tap. Tap. Tap. 

You stop dead, jerking your head behind you. Nothing but darkness and silence meets you. Probably just pipes. Most certainly.

You move a little faster through the tunnel.

It’s when you find a doorway out into the main lobby that you see for yourself just where the money of this company goes. Your jaw drops as you take in the massive space before you. The main lights are off, but the bright neon along the walls and planted at the base of fake palm trees is more than enough to let you see. Most notably is the massive golden statue of Freddy Fazbear himself, mic stand in hand and posed as if belting out one of the signature Fazbear Band songs. That face of his is absolutely everywhere! On the entrance gates, the walls, the metal paneling sealing the front doors and dotting the ticket office off to the left. Additionally, there are banners of other animatronics, ones you’ve seen advertised on t.v. There’s Chica, Roxanne Wolf and Bonnie the rabbit, all done up 80’s-esque rock outfits. 

It’s a beautiful, breathtaking, giant space and you’re the only living being in it. 

“Helloooo?” you call out. Your voice echoes around the empty space, bouncing back to you at a volume that makes you wince. Someone had to have let you in, where are they?

You bring your cart to a stop and lean on it. Well, at least you’re inside. Yawning, you pull the job bag towards you. It’s a pile of papers, a flash drive with student info and a dvd for burning the pictures. The papers are supposed to have contact info on it, and hopefully a phone number. If it was a remote or auto entry, then there’s a good chance your contact doesn’t know you’re here.

It’s as you’re leafing through the pile that you hear something very, very quietly above you. The softest jingle, like a bell. 

You look up just as a massive dark shape drops down. 

Shrieking, you leap back as something tall, something inhuman comes to a perfect stop right in front of you. It’s…a robot ? It has a round face, mouth turned into a wide, gleaming smile. The shape of a crescent moon makes up one side, the other a blue so deep it’s nearly black. The thing leans towards you, blue tipped hands gripping the handle of your cart and the star patterned nightcap on its head slips forward with a soft jingle from the bell hung at its tip. Its eyes glow different colors, white and black optics matching with the color of its face, with a sharp blue and red pupils set in each respectively.

“You’re trespassing, friend ,” it hisses and its voice is a low, raspy growl. 

Holy shit, it talks?! You gape up at it. Even curled in a crouch, you can tell that it’s massive , leering down at you from where it…it…

It’s crouching on your rig!

“Hey, get off there!” you snap, jerking your hand in a sharp motion. “That’s delicate equipment! Off!” 

It seems you’ve taken the robot off guard. It jerks back slightly and its head rotates to the side with a quiet, mechanical click. 

You plant one hand on your hip and point the other at the ground. “Get. Off. Now .” 

Its head stays tilted as it slowly releases the bar of your cart, lifting its hands in a placating motion as it slowly rises. There’s a cable attached to its back that lifts it up, inch by inch until its weight lifts from the rig and then it shifts over to the side before lowering back into a standing position on the ground. 

" Trespa -”

“Uh-buh-buh! ” You shush it, rushing to check your gear, circling around and patting every bit. The most delicate parts are on the lower level of the stacked cases, so those should be safe and you didn’t hear any cracking so…hopefully it’s all okay? Holy crap, how would you be able to even begin explaining that a robot broke your gear?

Right . Robot. 

You spin around. It’s still standing there and it towers over you, even as it slouches slightly. It’s dressed like a clown, or a jester maybe. Dark blue puffy pants adorned with yellow stars match the nightcap on its head. Mahogany ribbons around its wrists hold bells, as do the pointy slippers on its feet. Red and blue frills hug its waist and neck. It’s still staring at you with that bright gaze, head tilted slightly to the side and hands hanging down limply at its side in a way that shows the arms are just a smidgen too long for human proportions. It’s expression hasn’t changed from the wide eye stare and tight smile, but somehow , you get a sense of confusion and annoyance from it.

“Finished?” it asks flatly.

“Um, I-!” you stammer. Okay! There’s a giant robot in front of you and not even a ‘normal’ one. Hearing about Fazbear Entertainment’s intelligent and sentient A.I is one thing, being darkly stared at by one is entirely another. You take in a breath and meet its gaze.

“First of all, don’t stand on top of people’s gear like that, it’s just plain rude,” you scold. “Secondly, I’m not trespassing, I’m the photographer. I’m supposed to be here for picture day in the daycare.” You give it your name for good measure. 

Finally, its head clicks back into place. “Photographer?” 

“Yeah! See?” You hold your papers out to it. Him? The voice sounds like a him. 

He slowly reaches out, taking the papers and scanning over them. After a moment, he says, “You’re early.” 

“Well, yeah that’s part of the job.” You gesture to the cart. “It’s a big rig, I need time to get set up, load all the information onto my POS system-” 

“No, you’re early ,” he repeats. 

When you frown, he turns the stack around. On the back page, there’s a sticky note that you completely missed. It’s got a hastily written ‘Arrival time changed to 6 a.m. Do not arrive before then’. 

Oh god DAMN your supervisor! “ Ah… .” You groan, taking the paper back from him. “I’m so sorry, I swear on my schedule it said five, not six.” 

The animatronic just stares at you, utterly silent. You squirm under his gaze, trying your best to look unfazed by just how honestly frightening he is. His face isn’t exactly the most welcoming, with his mouth stretched into that unnervingly wide smile. And he’s so tall , close to seven feet if you had to guess. Is he a security guard? If you had been a trespasser breaking in, there’s no way in hell you’d want to come face to face with this guy.

“Um-”

He holds up a single finger, then his head twitches to the right. Left. His eyes flicker rapidly like a t.v switching channels at max speed. “Scan complete,” he says, then he seems to relax a little, his pupils actually growing a little fuzzier as his head straightens. The red pupil flickers before switching to a pale blue color.  “Your profile was not in my system,” he says and though his voice is still that raspy cadence, the harshness has fallen. Now he just sounds sleepy. “I’m sorry if I scared you.” 

You blink at the sudden change. “Oh! No, I’m-you were just doing your job. I guess? I’m sorry for yelling at you.”

He stares for a long, long moment, eyes narrowing slightly. He glances at your rig. “...Protective.” 

You laugh nervously, rubbing the back of your neck. “It’s expensive equipment, and it’s the best rig we’ve got, so I’ve got to take good care of it. But the cases are sturdy, so no worries. I still shouldn’t have yelled.” 

He hums at that, his voice crackling electronically.

The two of you stare at each other for a long moment. Seems he’s done talking, so you awkwardly fill the silence. “I can go wait in my car ‘til six?” A pain in the ass to go all the way back out just to roll the gear in all over again, but hey, you could always nap for a little bit. 

To that, he extends his long hand to you. There’s two cards held between his fingers, so you take them and look at them curiously. The first is an entry ticket, the second a pass to the Superstar Daycare, with a much cuter version of the moon animatronic and a matching sun robot head decorating it. Why is he on it-

Your attention is jerked from the cards when the wire on the robot’s back goes taunt and he lifts up slightly into the air. He points to one wall. “Elevator. Second floor. Go through the door to the daycare.”

“Oh! Okay, is that…” You trail off because the strange, moon-like animatronic has pulled up into the darkness of the rafters above. You didn’t even get his name. Does he have a name? He must, even if it’s just a basic term. 

You grin to yourself. You just had an actual conversation with a robot. Cool . 

Pushing the cart over in the direction he pointed at does reveal an elevator marked with a disability sign. A quick tap of the entry card opens the doors for you. A cheerful tune plays as it carries you up to the second floor and deposits you in the area you spotted from the main lobby, up behind the golden statue of Freddy. You have no problem spying the doors to the daycare. You pull the card out and tap it against a reader on the side wall. Pushing through the double doors takes you into an area that honestly screams way too fancy for daycare standards. Polished floors, an absolutely massive multi-layered fountain and red brick painted with the same sun and moon characters on the card.

Sundrop and Moondrop , the painted bricks proclaim. Is that the moon one’s name? Moondrop? That’s cute. 

There’s another thick metal door covered in bright paint. It opens with the great clang of metal under pressure as you approach, so you push on through. The room beyond is very dark, save for a few floor lights around another golden statue. Two of them, technically.  One is that Sundrop character and behind it, the same moon who ‘greeted’ you in the lobby. Is this where you’re meant to set up?

“Slow.” 

You jump at the sudden voice, eyes darting up to follow it. There, crouched on his own statue like some kind of twisted shoulder angel, the real thing perches. He chuckles, the gravely sound more than a little unnerving with only the faintest shape of him and his glowing eyes visible in the dark. 

“Yeah, well this thing is heavy,” you defend, patting your rig. “So, Moondrop is it? Are you the mascot for this area?” Is mascot the right word? Is that offensive?

Not only does he hop down, he leaps with a rolling twist, landing with a light jangle and a grace you wouldn’t expect from a robot. “Naptime Attendant,” he corrects, speaking as though he hadn’t just flipped from a good ten feet in the air. “And just Moon.” 

“Ah…okay.” He’s doing that same squint and head tilt thing. You mirror him. His grin tugs up a little more and then he turns on his heel.

“Follow me.” 

He begins walking away, though it’s honestly more of a slouched glide that shouldn’t be as elegant as it is. You hurry after him, following the soft sound of bells more than the actual sight of him. The edge of your cart bonks against some kind of railing and you grit your teeth as you adjust your traction. “Are there any lights we can turn on? I can’t see.” 

“Six a.m. Lights on.”

Ah. Guess that’s why you weren’t supposed to come early. You glance over the area around you. Best you can tell, Moon is leading you down a hallway placed up above the actual daycare. You can see the dark outlines of some pretty impressive structures that cut dark silhouettes against the faux night sky that makes up the ceiling. It glistens with hundreds of tiny stars, along with a few bigger ones that cast just enough light to see by. Barely. 

Moon stops at the end of the hallway. There’s another elevator here, one that he casually points to. However, he doesn’t move, effectively blocking your way. Even when you slow down to just gently bop him on the leg with the edge of the cart, he just stands there, grinning.

When you motion for him to scooch, he does so with a long, heavy sigh before he dramatically leaps to the side, next to the safety railing. To your horror, he leaps too far. He slams against the railing itself, not nearly tall or sturdy enough to support a near seven foot bot, and flails wildly before tumbling over the edge with an electronic screech. 

“ Oh crap !” you shriek, abandoning your cart to run to the rail. 

You can just spy him in the dark, hand clasped around that same wire that carried him before as it safely lowers him into another lobby slash dining area. His free hand wiggles fingers at you.

Oh, he’s a jokester . Alrighty then. “Jerk!” 

His chuckling echos up to you.

The light inside the service elevator makes your eyes sting, but it is welcome after the walk in the dark. Fortunately for you, the area that Moon dropped into is also partially lit by a few ambient neon lights. It’s not ideal, but you can work with this. You look around for the jester. 

“That was very rude of you, it’s too early for that kind of heart attack,” you grumble.

Jingle, jingle. He didn’t lower all the way to the ground. He’s hanging above you, upside down with his gangly legs wrapped around the wire at the ankle. “But it was funny.”

“Har, har, hear me laugh. Any particular spot I should set up?” 

He points to a spot close to a pair of massive closed doors. Beyond the glass windows and massive safety net lies the expansive play room.

“Ah, thanks.” Welp, might as well get to it. You’ve got plenty of time now after all. Moving a fair distance away from the door, so as to avoid any mishaps with it hitting your set up, you start pulling out the bits and pieces that need to be assembled. Floor mat, backdrop, lights, reflector stand and sheet, and of course, the main camera rig itself. Normally while you work you turn on music, but Moon continues to hover and you feel that it would be rude to just blatantly ignore the animatronic. 

Sure enough, he eventually drops in closer, lying perfectly horizontal as if lounging on a couch. His arms are folded, head tilted curiously as he watches the set up process. His legs, bent at the knee, jingle softly with each easy back and forth swing of his feet.

“Are you always up so early?” he finally asks. 

“That’s the nature of the job,” you huff while loading the backlight flash. Once in place, you twist the cable in and it comes to life with a noisy whirring. “Gotta be ready to get the kids while they’re fresh and clean. Especially the young ones.” 

“This hour is for sleeping .” 

“Oh I agree.” A yawn cuts you off and you swear you see him twitch. “Some jobs need early hours. And I like it, really.” Another wire, another whirring flash comes to life. “I get to travel to really interesting places. Meet interesting people.”

His entire head spins around like a disc before he points a finger at himself.

You stare. Then you snort. “No, never anyone quite like you before.” 

Moon has fully lowered himself down by the time you get your laptop and camera all hooked up to the flash system. You can feel him peering over your shoulder at the screen as you load in all of the information and start the testing. It makes you a tad twitchy, but you’ve dealt with plenty of parents who have also invaded your personal space to make sure that their darling baby’s picture was captured exactly how they imagined it. 

“These lights are gonna flash,” you warn him. 

Immediately, the presence behind you vanishes with the ringing of bells. Not a fan, as you guessed. Makes it easier to focus without him hanging over your shoulder, though you’re sure he hasn’t gone far. 

Testing complete and about an hour to spare before your technical starting time and another before kids start showing up, you snag one of the chairs from the dining areas and slump into it with a sigh. The excitement of the… everything keeps you from dozing, but the height of the adrenaline rush has passed and you’re feeling the early morning once again. Your lunar guide is still nowhere to be seen, so you pull your phone out and tap at your socials. This early in the morning there won’t be much, but it’s still nice to have the chance to breathe and-

“You have time for a nap.”

Moon’s standing right beside you. You jump, your phone goes flying and the animatronic’s hand snaps out faster than you can even process to catch your phone before it meets its tragic end against the tile. Delicately, using just the thumb and finger, he offers it back to you.

You stare at him for a long moment, before slowly taking your phone back. What happened to the bells ? “Thanks,” you mutter, slipping the phone safely into your pocket. “And I’m not supposed to sleep on the job.” 

Never mind the fact that sometimes you do anyway. Hey, it’s not like you have a boss on site to actually check right? And the early mornings are tough .

“Besides, who can sleep when they’re set up in a place like this?” You gesture towards Moon and the entire space behind him. “I’ve been to some pretty cool places but this just about tops the list.”

Moon just hums again. Then he sits down cross legged like a little kid, placing his hands in his lap. “What sort of places?” 

“Oh!” Taken off guard, you need a second to gather your thoughts. “Well...there was a time-”

In some kind of strange, story time sort of way, you tell Moon about the different places you’ve been. A small school deep in the Montana mountains and the ghost town the principal told you about. You’d decided to find it for yourself, driving a rental car very much not suited for the mountain road but it had been worth the mud on the tires and on your shoes when you found the abandoned town, covered in a thick fog and tickle of rain. You tell him about another school that took three hours to reach for a grand total of seven students, ranging from kindergarten to high school. That had been true cowboy country, with miles of dirt roads and horses grazing out in green fields. Another where you had been essentially left to handle an entire middle school’s worth of kids on your own and how you had shouted yourself hoarse just to be heard over the non-stop chatter of kids. Not a top place in fondness, but certainly a day that sticks out.

The whole time, Moon listens intently, his blue and white eyes bright. Even with his admittedly unsettling face, there’s something calming about him that makes you talk freely. It makes sense in a way, given his role as the Naptime Attendant. Kids can’t nap if they’re not calm. Which reminds you-

“What’s the Naptime Attendant doing as the welcome committee?” you ask in a pause after the story of the time you’d been assigned to work with a group of baseballers who’d somehow managed to get their white uniforms dirty in the five minutes it took you to set up. “Seems like a place like this would have its own security guards.” 

“Multi-tasking.” His tone is dry, even under the raspy cadence. “More efficient. Besides, I am very good at what I do.” 

“Scaring away intruders? I believe it. So if you’re the Naptime Attendant, does that mean there’s another daycare working for…non nap time?” You snap your fingers. “Oh! It’s the sun guy, right?”

Moon’s ever present smile grows a little bit softer even as the dots that serve as his pupils roll fondly. “Yes.”

If he’s anything like the lunar counterpart, he’s certainly going to be a fascinating character to meet. You glance at your phone. Six minutes until six a.m. Wow, he got you telling stories for a while. You stand and stretch. “Still got an hour til actual start time I think. Are you-” 

“There you are!” 

A distinctly human voice rings out. You look over to the stairwell leading back up the second level and see a woman hurrying down the steps. She’s tall, with a burst of curly ginger hair to match and round wired glasses. Judging by her dress suit, she’s got to be of a management level of some sort. In her hand she’s clutching a powerful flashlight, one that makes your eyes sting when she shines it your way.

She hurries to you, bits of hair fighting to escape the low ponytail it’s pulled back into. “I thought you were arriving at six, how did you get in?”

You’re not a kid and yet somehow you feel like you’ve been caught doing something bad, like stealing from a cookie jar. “I’m sorry, my manager didn’t update me on the arrival time, I thought it was five, so I just rang that doorbell thingy and the door opened for me. And then Moon here-”

You turn to gesture at him and stop. He’s gone. 

“Uh…” 

She sighs. “He does that. I suppose he was on patrol so…that’s fine then.” The poor lady looks frazzled but she at least gives you a weak smile. “Better early than late I suppose and you’re all fine so…it’s fine.” 

“R-right.” You give her your name. 

She sticks her free hand out and you shake it. “Sinéad, outreach and head of security. Nice to meet you.” 

“Same to you.” You grin and jerk your thumb back towards the play set area. “Man, I think meeting him is the coolest thing I’ve ever done. The A.I is unbelievable .” 

“He certainly is a character ,” she grumbles. “It’s your first time visiting the Pizzaplex, right?” 

“Yup.” 

“Well, it’s not the welcome I wanted to give you, but it seems Moon took care of that on his own.” 

You decide not to mention the near heart attack he gave you in his ‘welcome’. And the scare of him falling over the railing. “He uh…did indeed. Yup.” 

Sinéad slips the flashlight into a holster at her waist and pulls out a rather impressively large phone from her pocket. “Right, so you’ve got a list of all the kids registered for pictures, the Daycare Attendant will be assisting and we do have a few kiddos that come in just after the post lunch naptime. Feel free to stop at any of the many food stations during the lunch hour and tell the employee that you’re the photographer and you can have a free meal.” 

Oh sweet! You don’t often get fed at these things, even with your days lasting a full school day so this place has jumped up even higher in your opinion. “Thanks!” 

“Seeing as this is a test run, if any non-daycare children come by for a picture, go ahead and give them an order form and put in their information. You’ll probably get a few orders anyway from non-regulars.” It must be a checklist on her phone because she finishes tapping at it and looks back to you. “Any questions?” 

“Uh, no, I think I’m good for now. I’ll just do my thing once everyone arrives.” 

“The last drop off for the morning is scheduled for 7:30. You’ll have some free time before lunch, but sadly I don’t have a pass for you for any of the various attractions.” 

“Ah, no worries, I can keep myself entertained.” Even just getting to walk around and see the place would be cool. Maybe convincing enough to get you to come back on your own. “Oh, do the lights just-”

There’s a loud, powerful click and hum and lights spring to life all around you. Along with it, music begins to play; a jaunty little tune that you know immediately is going to be stuck in your head for the next few days. 

Ah. Perfect timing. 

“Most of the lighting systems are on automatic timers,” Sinéad explains. “And it’s my cue to start the morning routines. If you have any problems, Sun has a direct link to the security line and those guys can contact me.” 

She waves goodbye as she practically leaps back up the stairs and you’re left alone in the daycare. 

For a moment anyway. 

For the fourth time in a single hour, your heart smacks against your chest as the doors to the play area slam open with a bang, accompanied by a booming voice that cuts over the cheerful music like thunder.

“Well gooooood morning new friend!” 

Chapter Text

Loud . That’s the word that immediately springs to your mind upon seeing the Daycare Attendant. From his bright yellow and red stripe trousers, his booming voice and the golden rays that line his round, smiling face to the way that he skips towards you in wide strides while wildly waving. Where Moon was kind of freaky in his stillness, this guy is mildly terrifying in his intensity. 

“Goodness, already set up and ready to go! I thought you wouldn’t even arrive until six a.m, but I suppose being too early is far better than being too late!” He stops with a grand flourish of waving his arms up and then down, where he plants his massive hands just above the red ruffles on his hips and leans down slightly to peer at you. Unlike Moon, who had a blue and white pupil, this guy’s optics seem to be purely white and they scrunch up under the force of his blinding smile. Aside from the coloring and rays however, his face is exactly identical to Moon’s. “My name is Sun! It’s such a pleasure to meet you!” 

It actually takes you a few seconds to formulate a response, thanks to your heart trying to get back on a semi-normal pattern. “Uh, y-yeah! Nice to meet you too, I’m-” 

“Oh I know who you are!” The rays around his face spin. “I’m connected to guest and staff profiles you see, it’s part of making sure that no unauthorized persons come into the daycare, no, no, no, that could be very bad!” 

Holy moly, you might actually have whiplash now. “I guess it would be.” 

“Very much so.” Sun straightens, hands going behind his back as his attention turns to your set up. “Goodness,” he says again as he strides over and peers at the camera. “This is much larger than I was expecting! Nothing like the little ones over in Gator Golf.” 

Clearing your throat, you come over to the rig as well. “Yeah, got a bit more to it than a normal camera.” 

“What’s this blue screen for?” he asks, pointing to the backdrop. 

“It’s so the editors can replace the background with whatever the parents choose for the pictures. Like a green screen, but blue.” The animatronic is so tall that he'd have to kneel just to fully capture him in frame, if he was going to get his picture taken.

“And this?” Another point to the reflector sheet. 

“It’s to help the flash be softer against the face. Pretty much gets rid of shadows, as long as you pose the kiddos right.” 

“I see!” he says, clapping his hands together in delight. “And this is the camera itself, how nifty!” He starts to reach out to touch the camera where it sits fastened into the moving stand and you quickly throw a hand out. 

“Ah- please don’t touch it!” 

His hand immediately snaps back and his rays actually sink in a little. For a second, you worry that you might have hurt his feelings from the way he cringes. But it passes quickly. He takes a step back, bonking himself on the top of his faceplate before tucking his hands together.

“I’m sorry friend! I got a little too excited, it’s just so new and exciting and we haven’t had a visitor to the daycare like this, usually we do the visiting but I still need to remember the lesson of not touching other people’s things without asking , it’s one of the main lessons we teach-”

If you didn’t know any better, and maybe you don’t, you’d say this robot has… anxiety , from the way he babbles and wrings his hands. “It’s okay!” you say brightly, cutting him off. “Really! Call it a gut reaction, I’ve had too many little kids almost knock it over or pull wires loose. It messes with my system if that happens.” 

“Oh! Yes, yes that makes sense.” 

He still seems a little dejected so you hesitantly hold your hand out to the rig and ask, “Do you want to see how it works?” 

Immediately, his entire frame seems to brighten, a gasp blasting from his voicebox. He grabs your hand with his own, shaking it vigorously. His hand is softer than you expected, covered in an oddly warm silicone layer. “I do, yes, yes please!” 

This is the guy in charge of the Daycare? He honestly seems like a little bit of a kid himself. Well…you shouldn’t judge, and duties aside, his A.I of his system is absolutely remarkable. There’s no doubt in your mind that he’s actively listening as you show him the process for taking pictures, starting by selecting a random name from the list in the laptop hooked directly to the camera and then pretending to take a picture of the empty space before exiting out to the main list again. Sun peeks at it over your shoulder, pointing out certain names.

“That’s Chase! He’s such a nice little guy, always so eager to help but he has such a temper when things don’t go his way, I bet his mom will have him dressed up so nicely for his picture. And Gabby, she’s a bit of a messy child, so you’ll want to take her picture first.” 

Maybe he does know what he’s doing. You scroll through the list names. Not a lot, looks like around twenty or so for the morning, another seven joining after lunch. You’ll have them all done within an hour. “How young is the youngest one here?” 

Sun answers instantly. “Addison, age ten months and eleven days.” 

Ah, so little, little ones. You’ll need the baby seat then. There’s a bag with that, a blanket and a few extra goodies that you snag and start digging through.  “I’d suggest doing her and anyone close to that age first. Sometimes if they see others go first, they get scared by the lights. But that’s just my suggestion; whatever order you think is best is what we’ll do.” 

A soft click. Huh. Sun’s doing that same head tilt thing Moon did, as if curious about your words. “What I think is best?”

“Yeah! You know the kids better than me. Will you bring me a spare chair please?” 

Sun jolts as if shocked by electricity at the request and leaps away with a single bound that would take you at least five long steps to match. He’s back in about ten seconds, holding one of the plastic chairs aloft like a trophy. 

“Thank ya very much!” you grin as you motion for him to set it down and set the baby chair on top. It’s a plush thing, round and has a divot in the middle for placing babies. “I call this the Donut,” you explain as you wrap the straps around the back of the chair. “Stick the blanket-ah thank you- over it like this .” You toss the blanket over the contraption, tugging on the edges to remove any wrinkles. “And voila, you’ve got a nice, cozy spot for little ones who can’t stand on their own.” 

He reaches out, pauses with a quick look at you and when you nod, he places his hand palm down on the Donut. It sinks in and his rays do another speedy spin. “You’ve really thought of everything!” 

You scoff lightly, waving a hand. “Nah, that’s standard for the company.” 

“I’ve seen plenty of standards be ignored.” It’s a strange thing to hear, coming from his chipper voice. “Besides, you actually care! We can tell these sorts of things you know.”

You squint. “‘We’ as in…you and Moon?” 

Sun nods but given that his head is basically flat, the face plate bobs up and down so fast it rather reminds you of a paddle ball board. “That’s right! It’s in our programming to read and understand people!” He stops nodding, his smile going thin. “Well, children at any rate, and some adults truly are just very large children.” 

That gets an unexpected snort out of you. Sun squints gleefully. “You’re right about that. Where is Moon anyway? He took off right before the lights came on.” 

When Sun answers, it sounds like a rehearsed speech. “Moon is the Naptime Attendant, for when the lights go out and it’s time for children to sleep. He keeps the Pizzaplex safe at night and when the lights come on, I prepare the-” He cuts off, hands slapping over the sides of his faceplate as he gasps so loud his voicebox near rattles from the force. “ Oh no, no, no, no! I got distracted , I have to prepare the Daycare for all the children! Oh dear me, I’m going to be late!” 

His hand whips out and grabs onto your wrist. Before you can so much as blink, you find yourself being pulled after the Daycare Attendant as he speeds back into the play area, exclaiming wildly to himself. “So much to do, oh what a mess!” 

“Hey! Sun! Dude!” 

He either doesn’t hear you over his own wailing and bell jingling, or ignores you and you’re forced into an actual, stumbling run just to save yourself from falling on the floor. You have the suspicion that if you did, you’d just get dragged along. Man, it must really be a mess in there with all the fuss he-

It’s perfectly clean. 

Spick and span, with a few towers of toys and foam shapes neatly stacked and carefully placed at various points around the area along with a bunch of those blocky chairs and tables that fit only kids and the vertically challenged. There’s two separate climbing spaces connected by a bridge that crosses over the center of the room. You even spy a massive Freddy plush, done up like one of the older versions of the bear animatronic from many years ago. Beyond that is a ball pit big enough to make even the most stubborn child drool with excitement. There’s some sort of platform up there jutting out from the outline of a tower, adorned with fluffy white clouds and a rainbow.

McDonald’s eat your heart out! If kid you had gotten to play in a place like this , you’d have had to be dragged away kicking and screaming. What the shit .

Sun finally releases you to dart away to a large closet that…is probably supposed to be disguised as part of the surrounding play area but it’s very poorly done. You just stand there blinking, rubbing at your wrist. It doesn’t hurt shockingly, but your skin is warm from where his hand held you. 

“Um, Sun?” You hesitantly call out as he bends to try and squeeze himself into the space. It’s a big closet for someone of your size but he’s forced to hunch and his rays still scrape along the top. Even as you watch, they fold back like a flap on a dog door and then shrink into his head just a smidge. Huh. “Is there…anything I can help with?”  

His head pops out, the rays springing back into place along with it. He just stares for a second, as if surprised to see you standing there. “Oh!” He exclaims with a little wobble of his head. He steps back, holding a tote bin labeled ‘Paper Crafts.’ “That’s okay! Preparing is my job after all, silly me for losing track of time!” 

“I mean, I did do a lot of the distracting. C’mon, give it here.” You reach for the box, thankful when he gives no resistance to you taking it. Woof, it’s heavier than you thought. “What needs to be done?” 

He stares and stares and stares until you nearly squirm under the force of it. “ Weeeell ,” he finally says, rays swaying back and forth. “If you really want to, you could pull out all the orange, yellow, and pink paper and make a stack on the biggest table. We’re going to make little animal friends today!”

“Oh, paper folding! I loved doing that as a kid. Wasn’t very good at it though.” 

“You could join us after pictures?” He says it like a hopeful question.

“Ha, maybe,” you call with a shrug as you hoist the tote over to the tables. There is indeed one that’s slightly larger than the others. It’s got a sign on it that says ‘SUPPLY TABLE!’ written in crayon. There’s a cute little doodle of Sun’s head and a little hand pointing to a smaller note that reads: ‘Leave enough to share!’. 

You set the bin down and get to work on pulling out the specific colors. An easy task; every paper is already sorted into colors in rainbow order. Sun speeds by as you work, depositing several bottles of glitter glue, googly eyes and markers so fast that he’s a near blur. You organize everything into neat little rows, all set for the kids to come in. 

It’s as you’re tapping the last stack of papers (pink) to straighten out the line, that Sun halts in his mad dashing about with an inhuman abruptness. His faceplate turns to the slide stationed just above the ballpit. Following his stare up, you can see that the top rests right at that area where the golden statue of him and Moon sits. You must have missed the slide entrance in the dark. There’s people up there now, several of the tiny variety who press their faces against the thick safety net and wave wildly. 

Sun returns the energy tenfold, toys falling from his arms as he waves back with both hands. Then he gasps and scrambles to recover the fallen items. You can hear giggling even from way down here. His rays spin gleefully and you grin.

Then down they come. One by one, sliding down the plastic tubing with much giggling and shouting. Sun is there to greet each one, crouched atop the neon green island set inside the ballpit. He scoops up each child easily in his massive hands, spinning them around, or giving them a hug as he proclaims their name to the world with the joy of best friends seeing each other after an unbearable time apart. 

It’s honestly really, really freaking adorable. 

You, of course, don’t go unnoticed for long. It’s once a few kids are released into the wilds of the playset that you are spotted by a little girl with beads braided into her thick and curly black hair. She stares in that unabashed way that kids do before toddling over. She points with a chubby hand. “Who’re you?” 

You kneel down, adopting that ‘Hi I’m friendly!’ set to your shoulders and expression that you’ve grown so familiar with. You give her your name, then, “I’m the one taking your picture today! It looks like you got dressed all fancy, huh? Who did your hair?” 

“Papa!” she answers, shaking her head and making the beads click together. “Daddy is no good at hair, so Papa had to do it.” 

“Well he did an awesome job,” you praise. “Are you excited for your picture?” 

She beams and nods and it’s about then that other kids begin approaching, drawn over by the noise and stranger in their midst. They range in age from you’d guess three to five, just the ones old enough to go down the slide by themselves. Seeing the braided girl show off her hair, they all begin clamoring for your attention.

“My sister picked my dress!”

“I picked my shirt alllll by myself!” 

“Momma said I have to stay clean for pictures!” 

“How old are you? Are you an adult?”

“Yes I am!” you answer, picking at the question you can actually answer. “Though I was your age once, a long time ago.” 

A chorus of ‘Ooooohs’ rings out. 

Sun approaches then, a pair of smartly dressed twins held securely on each hip. “Alllll right my friends! I think it’s time we let the photographer get ready for us while we wait for the last of our friends to arrive! In the meantime, let’s have everyone line up for an outfit check and morning stretches!” 

“ Yes Mr. Sun! ” comes the shouted agreement and the kids scramble to form a line. 

Impressive. The fact that they listen so well right off the bat is a sign that Sun indeed knows what he’s doing. Programming or not, it’s still a feat when it comes to little kids. You would know. 

He sets the twins down, a boy and a girl who rush to join the others. “We’re waiting on three more,” he says. “They don’t use the slide. Too little for it, don’t want any accidents!” 

“Ah gotcha.” You nod. “When everyone’s ready, just go ahead and bring them out and we’ll get started.” 

With that, you head back out, the sounds of Sun leading the kids with a loud, “Aaaaaaand arms up, up above your head!” following you out. 

What a character indeed. 

You hang out next to your rig, nodding at the parents who drop their kids off via the double doors, answering various questions about how pictures work and payment and such.

It's about fifteen minutes later when you hear the sound of a horn playing the 'ready, set, charge!' diddy and then the doors swing open. Sun's holding a tiny gal with massive twin afro poofs, each easily the size of her own head, and swings his free hand like he's conducting a band. Like a trail of ducklings, the other kids follow behind him attempting to match his clear march with various degrees of success. 

"And a one! A two aaaand stop!" Sun halts and the child behind him bonks into the poofy pants on his legs. "We have arrived at the photo station! Choo-choo!"

"Choo-choo!" They all echo. 

You grin, looking over the crowd. "Well good morning! I see a lot of wonderful outfits! How about some smiles to match? Can you show me?"

The kids all break into their biggest smiles and Sun joins along with them, fingers pointed against his cheeks as his rays spin.

"Good job!" You praise with an impressed clap. “Let’s get started then. Mr. Sun, who is going first?” 

Sun presents the child in his arms, who you take to be Addison. With a gentleness that shouldn’t really surprise you but does, he places the little girl on the Donut, fluffing her dress and tucking her hands down by her side. Addison has that look of utter confusion on her face that most littles do, looking around at all the equipment. You tap in the info with your left hand, peeking through the viewfinder and adjusting your camera with the other. 

“Sun, could you stand right behind me please?” you ask, already spotting that her gaze drifts back to the animatronic every few seconds. “Let’s see if we can get her to smile for us.”

He does as you ask, bounding to take a place behind you and starts waving his hands and spinning his rays. “Oh ho ho! Hello Addy! Let’s see a smile!” 

She stares blankly. 

You reach inside your pocket, where you keep your secret weapon. Holding onto the attached trigger, you slip around the stand and bring out the purple rubber duckie you keep for exactly this sort of situation. 

“Ah boop boop!” you soothe brightly, tapping the duck on her knees before giving it a squeeze. It squeaks loudly, making Addision blink and her mouth tug upwards. “And there it is!” you crow, ducking away as you click down on the trigger. The lights flash, Sun squawks loudly, and you glance at your laptop screen. Got it in one, nice.

“Oh that’s perfect! What do you think Sun?” 

“Um! Well I will need a moment before I can look!” 

Confused, you look at him. “You okay?” 

He gives a thumbs up. “Absolutely! I am just temporarily blind!” 

“What?!” You step away from the camera, hands rising uselessly. “Why?” 

Sun wiggles his head back and forth. His eyes are squinted, though you don’t think that he can actually close them all the way. “It seems my optics are not quite equipped to handle a flash like that.” With a final, full body shake that sends the watching kids into a fit of giggles he exclaims, “There we go! Goodness, it’s quite powerful, isn’t it?” 

“Yeah, unfortunately.” You do your own squinting at him. “I didn’t know robots could get blinded by flashes.” 

“Neither did I! Learning something new today it seems.” He bends at the waist to get closer to the laptop. “Oh it’s perfect!” he exclaims, his hands clapping together. The silicone of his hands mutes the sound. “Well done Addy!” 

“Is that gonna happen every time I take a picture?” you ask worriedly. 

Sun shrugs. “Probably! But I’ll adjust my settings a bit, see if that helps.” 

It doesn’t. The next flash has him squawking again, though you do partially blame the fact that he was staring directly at the main light, as if daring it to blind him again. The resulting flail makes the next kid break into wild giggles, so you’re quick to grab another shot with the more natural smile.

“It might help if you don’t directly stare at the thing,” you point out as Sun does another wet dog shake of his head. 

“It’s a challenge now!” 

Unfortunately, his proclamation encourages all the other kids to do the same, so it’s a bit of a challenge to keep everyone reigned in and focused. But in all, it’s a smooth morning. The kids smile easily and they follow directions. It helps that you’ve got a massive ball of sunshine as an assistant; one who is really, really good at directing kids in a subtle way that hides the fact that he’s doing it. 

It takes a little longer than you expected, due more to the honest fun you have with each kid. Sun interacts with them all differently. Sometimes it's obvious, sometimes not. A lowering of the voice, a slightly more stern set of instructions or crouching and holding onto the hand of one girl who looked near to tears from nerves. 

Still, before too long, you've finished up with the kiddos currently present, including two who weren't on the list. And it’s still a bit before a typical ‘lunch time’...so you nod at Sun’s hopeful glance towards you once the last kid is finished up. With a cheer and a little skip in his step, he moves behind you to plant his massive hands on your shoulders and steer you to the front of the ‘kiddie train’ back into the main play area. It’s goofy, it’s childish and it’s got you grinning wildly as you pretend to pull on a horn and hear the answering chorus of voices ringing out behind you. 

Sun directs you back to the series of plastic tables where you set up the paper piles and the train of children disperses into wild waves of giggles that rush the supplies. Sun is quick to dart in and redirect, instructing everyone to take one sheet of paper each and take a seat. There happens to be a spare chair, so you too grab some paper and take a seat. Rather than have your knees touching your nose, you fold your legs into a sort of lifted pretzel position. Your ankles are gonna hate you for this one. 

“Okay, everyone ready?” Sun calls out, looking out over the crowd of children (and you). His grin grows when his gaze turns towards you. “Watch very closely!” 

He holds up a single sheet of pink paper, presenting it like a magician showing off a hat. You clap and the kids all follow suit. With no further flourish, Sun’s hands disappear into a blur. Five seconds later, a little pink paper pig sits in his palm. 

Your jaw drops. 

“That was too fast!” One of the kids calls out and others are quick to join in, protesting the speed. 

Sun presses his free hand up to his face. “Oh goodness, was it?” he simpers, eyes squinted gleefully. “Okay, one more time then!” 

He does it again, perhaps about two seconds slower. 

“Mr. Suuuuuuun!” 

“Dear me, still too fast?” He sighs loudly and shakes his head. “It’s like none of you have a high speed supercomputer in those heads!” 

“We don’t!” 

“You don’t?! ”

You snort, hiding the sound with your hand.

Done with his antics, Sun finally gets to showing how to actually make the proper folds, showing off first a simpler version of just a pig’s head before guiding the more ambitious through the full body version. 

You try your best, you really do. But your own pig is uh…well. It’s got spirit and that’s what matters. 

Sun drifts over to inspect your progress. To his credit, he doesn’t laugh. You have to imagine he’s seen far worse. He crouches so that his head level is close to yours and picks up your sad little pig with its wobbly feet and oversized head. “Not bad!” he praises. “Next time, try to make your creases at the beginning a little more even.” 

You take your pig back, giving it a pat as you set it down. “He’s just got big brains is all. A supercomputer even.” 

“Are you saying I have a big head?” 

You grin and shrug. “Absolutely I am! Those rays add on what, five inches?” 

“Ah but tragically, that is simply mass distribution. For you see-” Sun swivels his head to the side. “I am flat as a fluffy pancake.” 

Indeed he is, though there’s still probably a good six, seven inches between the front of his faceplate and the back, which has a few wires sticking out. “That is quite tragic, though my personal supercomputer fits in my pocket so I don’t know what your excuse is.” 

“Oh please, I’m far more charming than any ‘smart’ phone,” he sniffs with a crackle of electronic static.

“Can’t argue with you there.” 

He skips away to answer a call for help and speaking of phones, you pull yours out to glance at the time. Still a little early but it might be good to actually get there before a massive lunch rush happens. Plus it’ll give you a chance to look around the ‘Plex. You do take a moment to finish up your pig, gluing on googly eyes and drawing a wobbly marker smile before you pull yourself from your folded up position and ugh, yup those are your ankles popping. 

Sun peeks up from the gaggle of kids showing off their creations. You mime taking a bite of pizza and then wave. He waves back cheerily and you head out of the Daycare. 

You get lost almost immediately. Okay, you’re not that forgetful, you do make it back out into the main lobby area, which is of course swarming with a startling amount of people given that it’s before noon on a weekday. There’s no clear indication of where to go for food, so you just press in with a group in the elevator and hope for the best. 

It’s the right call, as it turns out. You’re not the only one who gasps as the sight that meets you as the elevator doors open. The true scale of this place is spread before you in a colossus of lights and color and sound all mixed together with the scent of pizza and oil. The second level that you’re currently on looks down into a stage that takes front and center. It’s currently dark, but a glowing sign above shows off the four members of the band. Tables cover the floor in front of it, nearly all claimed by a family or three. 

The spot you’re standing at gives you a view of the other levels as well. There’s a bowling area, something called Fazer Blast and more. There’s so much here, you could spend all day and still not do everything. Probably the point to get people to come back you suppose. 

Thanks to a helpful stand holding a map and guide, you soon find the main food bar area, tucked away under the landing. Getting your food is easy enough, especially once you tell them Sinéad sent you. You also get a helpful tip from the girl who gives you your food that you can actually cut through Kid’s Cove to get back to the daycare quicker. 

How convenient! 

You manage to snag a spot at one of the smaller tables. It’s as you’re eating your second slice of pizza, which is rather good considering covered in grease, that the lights around the stage area suddenly dim and a voice on a booming loudspeaker announces-

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Fazbear Entertainment would like you to put your hands together for the one, the only! Freddy Fazbear!” 

The volume of the music that blasts out is enough to drown out the cheers as the stage lights up. Smoke pours from the floor, lights flash and then there they are. The four stars of the place; Roxanne Wolf, Glamrock Chica, Glam Bonnie and Freddy Fazbear himself. Once again, the pure quality of the animatronics has your jaw dropping and a wide smile overtaking your face as the four begin to play the various instruments they hold. 

They’re good. But that makes sense; robots don’t make human errors. The song itself isn’t anything to write home about, but it’s catchy and played perfectly and the energy they bring is more than enough to get you nodding along to the beat. 

You stay for the concert, glancing at your phone every now and then for the time. They play four songs before bidding everyone farewell and exit the stage to the announcer informing the audience that Freddy and the gang will be available for autographs in Rockstar Row. You take that as your cue, tossing your Freddy themed plate away before heading off towards Kid’s Cove. 

As expected, it’s full of kids and some tired adults, half of which seem to be snoozing on the benches. You skirt your way past, following the signs for the daycare. You’ve got no idea how long naptime lasts, you should’ve asked, but going by the dimmed lights in the main area of the Daycare, you’ve caught at least part of it. The interior of the play area is not pitch black as it was this morning, but it is a bit darker than the outside. Dim enough for sleep, but bright enough for those who need light to feel safe. 

You stare curiously at the closed doors; since the lights are out, that must mean Moon is too, right? He took off so quickly earlier, you didn’t even have a chance to say any sort of goodbye. Going in during naptime would probably be a bad idea, so you just have to hope that you can catch him before you leave. Maybe Sun could tell you where he hangs out during the day. Does he hang out? Seems kind of odd that he would just be standing around twiddling his thumbs somewhere when he already mentioned multi-purpose roles to be more efficient. Oh well, you’re not the boss. You just take pictures.

You’re prepared to pull out your earbuds and pass the time quietly but before you have a chance, your neck prickles with the sensation of eyes watching you. You look up, squinting into the dark. You can’t see anything. “...Moon?” you whisper. “If you drop down and scare me again I swear to god-”

The lights all click on and the merry tune springs back to life and you jump anyway. Ugh, talk about a rude awakening for the kids. 

It’s a bit of a wait after that for the afternoon kids to trickle in. There’s five in total that show up and once they’ve all been checked in with Sun, he brings them out to you. A few kids drift over to watch, though it seems most have been set up with various activities back inside. 

“You can leave them with me if you need to stay with the other kids,” you offer as you set up the first kiddo. They’re old enough to follow instructions and it wouldn’t be the first time you’ve been left alone with kids (even though there’s technically a rule that speaks against it). “I’ll send them back in once they’re done.” 

“Oh no worries about that,” Sun assures you with a tap against his optic. “There are several cameras attached all around the daycare and I’m tuned in to each and every one. Not to mention I’m equipped with the latest infrared technology and my auditory sensors detect noises as soft as twenty-five decibels at a hundred yards away. Nothing gets past my notice!” 

“Ooooh, that’s smart.” Probably makes him a right cheat at hide and seek though. 

Still, it’s only five kids. You’re completely finished in ten minutes. Sun ushers the kiddos back in but lingers at the doorway, scanning everyone inside. “What happens now?” 

You start tapping through your end of day process, which includes burning all of the images to a dvd to be mailed out to the main offices. “Now I shut down, pack up and head out.” 

“I see.” 

“Almost wish I had more kiddos,” you muse with a grin. “I had a lot of fun today, thanks to you. Not every day I get to make origami pigs. But I should be back for retakes and spring pictures, if all goes well.” 

His head tilts and he remains standing there as you pull out your checklist and cross examine the information on your page and in the computer system. All looks good, so you start the burning process to get all the pictures onto a dvd.

“You’re rather weird, aren’t you?” he finally says.

You nearly drop your papers. Sputtering, you turn to look at Sun, who is still wearing that same curious, staring smile that he’s worn nearly all day. “Well geez, thanks .” 

“It’s not a bad thing!” he’s quick to say, lifting his hands up to wave them in a placating manner. “But you are weird! Even Moon says so.” 

“I mean, I could’a told you that,” you mutter as you try very hard not to let heat overtake your face. “But what in particular makes you two say that?” 

“You act like the kids do.” 

Okay, is this guy suddenly trying to insult you or something? When you send him a raised brow look, Sun meets your gaze with a tilted head. “They see us as people. So do you. Or at least you act like you do.”

You blink at that. “Uh, well yeah? I mean, how could I not?” 

“Very easily, in our experience.” He just shrugs, still smiling. “We’re simply giant robots after all.” 

You scoff. “There’s nothing simple about you guys. Or anything here for that matter.” Rubbing your neck, you admit, “Look, I was the nerd that put googly eyes on kitchen timers and actually cried when my first robo vacuum died.”

“Ah, no doubt from the loss of a good cleaner,” he nods sagely. 

You gasp dramatically. “How dare you! We had a connection .”  

“And you’re proving our point.” 

You wave his comment away, turning your attention back to your computer as it announces it’s completion of the dvd burning with a little beep. “Whatever Sunny boy, I think being weird is more fun anyway and I’m far too sleep deprived to really care otherwise.” 

He’s giggling at you, you can hear it, but you pointedly ignore him and focus on cleaning up. Occasionally when you do glance his way, you can see that he’s continuing to just stand there in the doorway to the playpen, head on a slow swivel between checking on the playing kids and watching you work. His rays give a little spin every time he catches you. 

Calling you a weirdo, he’s a weirdo!

Usually cleaning up is a fast process because you’re eager to get back on the road before the usual afternoon crash happens from getting up so early in the morning. But you find yourself lingering, taking your time. You were being honest when you said you wished that the day had been longer. But alas, you can only move so slow and soon everything is packed neatly on the cart. You stretch, popping your shoulder. “I guess that’s it then, I’ll go ahead and get out of your hair. Or uh. Rays.” 

Said rays almost look a little droopy. It’s a contrast to his bright smile. “You could always hang around for a while? We have story time soon!” 

“Tempting.” Genuinely . “But I do have to get all the paperwork and pictures mailed off and the sooner I do that the better. Speaking of, I gotta drop off something to Sinéad.” 

“Oh I can take care of that for you!” He holds his hand out, staying right in place. 

Should you trust the giant, sunny robot to hand off your closing documents? Eh, sure, why not. You grab the forms, which is basically just a thank you note from the company and an overview of the kids that you actually took pictures of and cross over to him. “Thanks!” 

When you attempt to set the papers in his hand, he swaps hands so quickly that you nearly bonk the tiny paper pig now sat in his palm. Oh! That’s your pig! You must have left it on the table earlier.

“Trade you for this little guy,” he says cheerily. “Wouldn’t want to forget him.” 

You pick up the little pig and he takes the papers. After a moment of looking at its goofy little grin and googly eyes, you hold it back out to him. “How about you hold onto him for me? A little reminder of your favorite photographer.” 

After a moment of wide eyed staring, he claps his hands together (the papers you just gave him are gone, where the heck did he put them so fast?) His eyes squint and he laughs, a loud, boisterous sound that rattles electronically. “And again, you prove our point! I don’t think I’ve ever been given a gift by an adult!” 

So he laughs, but he holds his palms out and you set the pig down. “Well then, guess I get the honor of being the first.”

He pats the top of your pig gleefully. “I suppose you do! That truly makes us friends, no take backsies!” 

You bark a laugh of your own, grinning widely. Friends with a robot? “Sounds good to me.” 

“And friends hug goodbye!” He throws his arms open. You expect him to just scoop you up, but he waits until you actually step into the hug. Then he scoops you up, so high that your feet dangle a bit off the ground. The hug is weird in that it’s not as hard as you’d expect a hug from a robot to be, but neither is it completely squishy like a person would be. 

It’s weird. But it’s nice. 

He makes a loud, happy humming noise, swinging you in time with it before setting you down. “Well then photographer, until the next time!” He holds his hand out in a closed fist. 

You tap it with your own. “‘Til next time. Tell Moon I said bye for me?” 

A head tilt, a growing grin. “Oh I shall.” 

With that, you wave goodbye and head over to the restroom before actually hauling out; nothing is worse than getting on the road and immediately having to stop. When you come back from doing your business, patting your damp hands on your pants, Sun has retreated back into the playpen and shut the doors. Man, between him and Moon, you don’t think you’ve ever met such fascinating people before. 

You double check your rig to make sure that everything is secure and to your delight, you find a little surprise. An origami sunflower, tucked in next to the handle. There’s a little crescent moon drawn on one of the petals in blue marker.

Grinning, you tuck it into the little pocket on your shirt. Retake day can’t come fast enough.

Chapter Text

Year One: Fall Retakes

‘Arrival Time: 6 A.M’ 

Well. Too bad you can’t read suddenly. 

After you had gotten over the giddy excitement of seeing The Pizza Plex on your schedule for retakes, you’d had a sudden thought. If you did arrive at six a.m, like your papers said, then you might not get the chance to see Moon at all. Can you be blamed for not wanting to miss the slightly…okay incredibly unsettling lunar bot? It’s worth the lost hour of sleep!

So five a.m finds you shivering outside of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzaplex, severely underdressed for the actual snow storm happening. It’s technically that time of year (a little early in your opinion) but further south where you actually live it’s still warm enough for a jacket and maybe a beanie for the cold blooded inclined. You’d gotten that sinking feeling during the drive up last night when you started spotting patches of snow that just maybe your jacket wasn’t going to cut it. By the time you’d pulled up to the hotel, the flakes were coming down steadily. Even now, hours later, it's still falling in thick, fluffy droves, coating you in the stuff as you get out of your car.

Ah well, at least you don’t have to be outside for long. Hopefully. 

The gear is icy cold to the touch after being in the car all night, the metal cart nearly painful to hold onto with your bare hands. With a bit of effort, you scrunch your sleeves down over palms and guide the rig up to the same door as last time. It’s a challenge, thanks to the slush all over the ground that makes your tennis shoes slip and the wheels of the cart spin. Once you finally make it to the same door as last time, you don’t even get the chance to ring the bell before it turns red and the door clicks open. You still wave, shivering out a ‘Thank you!’ before hurrying inside. 

It’s just as glorious as before once you reach the main lobby. All dimmed neon lights, Freddy's face plastered over everything and-

“ Naughty, naughty. A trespasser and a rule breaker.” You still jump when Moon suddenly drops down before you, jingling and grinning widely as he crouches in the air. “ Six a.m. No excuse this time."

You give him your biggest, wet eyed smile. "What if my excuse was I wanted to see you? Didn't actually get to say goodbye last- are you standing on my rig again?!"

With a gleeful squint, he straightens out of his crouch to show that only the very tips of his slippers are touching the far handle of your rig. The cart didn't go immediately flying so most of his weight must be on the wire. "Nope.” 

You glare at him. “You’re touching it. That counts.” 

“Doesn’t.” 

“Does too.” 

“Distracting me won’t work. Still trespassing. And making a mess.” 

His gaze drifts to the floor. You follow it to see that you have indeed left a bit of a water trail, both from the rig and yourself. The snow in your hair has melted, dripping down the side of your still frozen face. Oops.

“Ah. Well, I guess if you insist I can go back out into the cold…and the snow…sitting frozen until six.” You don’t even have to fake the sniff. You’re still freaking freezing and your nose is dripping. 

He regards you for a moment before he floats around your rig to actually stand on the floor. Good lordy, it’s only been a few weeks, but you almost forgot how tall he is. He looms over you, just staring. Smiling. His hands lift and there’s the briefest pause before he places them on your cheeks. 

“Uh?” You just blink for a second. “Can I help you?” 

“Cold,”  is his only response and before you can say ‘Well duh’ , a sudden, wonderful warmth emits from his palms.

Oh! Oh that’s…that’s really nice. Like a towel fresh from the dryer, the heat is absolute heaven on your icy skin. Your shoulders droop a little. “Oh wow.” 

“Helps with fussy sleepers.” 

“That's smart design.” Is it weird that you’re quite enjoying this? Maybe a little. It’s too nice for you to really care. You grin. "Comes in real handy I bet!"

His head slightly and slowly tilts to one side, conveying an absolute deadpan stare. He pulls his hands away, ignoring your noise of protest, and puts them on your shoulders. Then he starts to push you backwards to the door. "Changed my mind; go sit in the snow."

"Ah no, c'mon that was funny!" You scramble to keep up with the speed at which he pushes you, thinking quickly as you skip backwards. "What if I said I had a story for you? Does that work as an early admission fee?"

He stops. Squinting, he makes a big show of consideration with back and forth movements of his face plates. It makes the bell on his hat whip around in a distinctly cat fashion. Finally, he holds up two fingers. 

"Two stories? Geez dude, you drive a hard bargain." 

A third finger starts to slowly raise and you are quick to blurt, "Okay! Two stories it is." You hold your hand out for a shake. 

Slowly, he takes it. His hand absolutely dwarves yours and it's still warm from the heaters beneath the silicone. His smile doesn't change but his head does rotate slowly with a click . Click . Click . Until his whole face is upside down. 

A shiver that isn't entirely due to your damp clothes runs up your spine.

He gives you a single, solid handshake. Then with a snap and whir, he shoots back up into the darkness of the rafters, only releasing your hand at the last second so you’re left with it lifted up into the air like a dweeb.

Why do you feel like you've made some sort of deal with the devil?

*****

He’s perched and waiting on the top of the statue of himself by the time you make your way upstairs and past the daycare waiting area. One leg dangles over the side and swings back and forth in a languid, lazy motion "Still slow," he calls down.

"Still heavy!" You reply cheerily as you pat your rig. "Sorry I don't have super strong robot arms."

He makes a show of those strong robot arms by climbing down the statue in a manner horrifically similar to a spider. He remains low to the ground once he reaches the floor, scuttling over to you. You stand your ground, raising your eyebrows as he rolls back to standing. 

"Scootch." 

You scoff. "Yeah, I don't think so."

His eyes narrow. Then he is very much leaning over you, eyes gleaming so brightly you have to squint. Lordy loo, he is tall . Goosebumps spring up over your neck and you find yourself reflexively leaning back. Just a little. 

" Scootch. Please," he adds on with what is surely intended as a reassuring smile. Or not. It’s far too wide to be so.

You swallow and you're very proud that your voice is steady when you say, "The presence of 'please' doesn't change anything, I could get in serious trouble if anything happens-"

He picks you up. With hands wrapped around your arms near the elbows and no show of effort, he simply lifts and plops you back down out of the way. It’s so fast that you only have time to blink. 

“ Dude .” 

He ignores you, making a show of rubbing his hands together and flexing his fingers as he examines the rig. There’s eight pieces total to it; three large cases make up the bottom level, holding the camera, the lights and computer system. The top holds the rest. Flat and long cases for the backdrop and reflector bones, the round tube container for the blue backdrop itself and various other goodies all tied up together with a long belt attached to the metal cart. It’s a precarious balancing act, one that you know from experience can get wiggled loose if not handled carefully. 

Oh this is going to be a disaster. You wince as Moon wraps his hands around the handle. He pushes-

The cart doesn’t move. 

It takes you a second to register exactly what you’re witnessing as Moon’s head tilts back and forth in apparent confusion. His mouth thins and he braces himself, pushing with all of his might. The bells on his slippers jingle as they scramble against the floor and yet, the cart remains perfectly still. Oddly enough, his hands don't move either, locked from the elbow joint down. 

Ooooh . You get it.

He grumbles and huffs as a giggle breaks free from you. You just watch as he releases the cart, bouncing around the front of it to try to pull it that way. Once again, it remains ‘stuck’ in place. You put a hand on your hip, shifting your weight onto that leg. “Having trouble?” 

He only doubles his efforts, straining against the mighty invisible force of his own arms. "Impossible…I am… too weak ." He flops to the ground, splayed like an oversized puppet and makes a gurgling, static sound that ends with a monotone " Blegh. "  No doubt he'd be sticking a tongue out if he had one.

You approach, then lean over his head. "Nice show robo-man." 

"No show. Too weak. Look at my arms." He wiggles them. "No muscles. Sad."

"Oh poor you, with your…what are they made out of?"

"Dreams and cotton."

You snort. "Sure. You gonna keep lying there in the way?"

He drapes an arm dramatically over his face. 

'Aight. 

You take a hold of his wrists. He makes no move to stop you, simply watching curiously as you adjust your grip and brace. You give a tug and honestly? He's not quite as heavy as you'd expect. Makes sense if you think about it; can't have the bot that flies around on a thin wire be too heavy to do so.  You wouldn't be able to sling him over your shoulder by any means, but hauling around your gear has given you more than enough core strength to move him out of the way.

Moon stays deadweight as you drag him but the lights in his optics have grown in size a little. 

"Enjoying the ride?" you huff.

"...Thrilling." He crosses his ankles. "Slow."

You let go and his hands smack against the floor with a clang. 

"Ow."

“Oops!” you simper. “Sorry dude, I thought they would’ve bounced, seeing as you’re made of dreams.” 

“Rude. I could still kick you out.” 

“If you were going to, you’d have done it by now. Besides, how would you get your stories then?”

He remains sprawled on the ground, only shifting his leg in a clear attempt to trip you as you scoot around him to get back to your cart. “Three now. For pain and suffering.” 

“Whatever you say bossma…bot. Bossbot.” You hop over his leg and take up your spot back at the cart. While he stays in place watching as you pass by, the second you look back, he’s vanished. No doubt waiting to try and scare you again. 

Any second now. 

You get down to the same spot in front of the playpen doors, ears straining to catch the telltale ring of bells. There’s absolutely nothing. The longer the silence drags on, the more goosebumps rise over your arms and neck. How is this place somehow creepier without the living robot?

Don’t show fear. That’s what he wants and you can’t let him win . You start on your set up process, humming softly under your breath. Piece by piece it comes together and the Moon man doesn’t appear. The more time passes, the more goosebumps creep up along your arms. He’s good, he’s really good.

 You hoist the reflector frame into place, calling out to the bot, “I’ll give you this, you know how to build anticipation.” 

“Thank you.” The raspy whisper is right next to your ear. 

There is no conscious thought that drives your arm to punch Moon square in the face. It just happens, fueled by the spike of fear induced adrenaline. The shriek follows after when your knuckles meet his faceplate and the bones in your hand pop under the force. 

“ Ow! Son of a-!” You bite off the swear, hopping away as you pull your fist to your chest. Moisture pricks behind your eyes. “Oooooh boy that smarts.” 

Moon, hanging upside down from his wire, twists and lands on the ground with a loud jangle of bells. His hands raise and through the pain, you find that he is actually capable of looking distressed, even with his limited range of expression. “ Why ?”

“You scared me! I didn’t think about it!” You experimentally wiggle your fingers. Sore, but you can do it. “Ugh, I'm sorry. Are you okay?” 

He freezes, drops his hands for a second before rapping a fist against his face. “Metal.” 

Ah. Right yeah. He wouldn’t feel it huh? “Stupid question, sorry.” 

He holds his hand out, palm up. “Give.” 

“Huh?” 

“Hand. Give.” 

“Oh.” You do as he asks, placing your hand in his. It’s so big that your hand almost seems like a child’s in comparison. His head ducks close and his thumb traces over your knuckles, pressing with feather light pressure. “Ouch.” 

“Baby.” Tap, tap, tap over your fingers. “Not broken. Just bruised.” 

Well that’s a relief. “I think you need a softer face bud.” 

“I think you need to not punch robots.”

“Both statements are accurate.” 

His head clicks to the side, smile growing slightly. “Want a bandaid?” 

“I don’t think bandaids help bruises.” 

He scoffs, the sound a staticky rumble. “Bandaids always help.” Keeping a hold of your hand, he produces a plaster from a pocket on his pants you didn’t realize he had. The design on it is, of course, themed after himself, with little moons and stars all done up in his color scheme. He carefully places it over your knuckles and then pats it. “Pain, pain, go away,” he says in a sing-song sort of voice before flicking his hand to the side, as if physically tossing the pain away. “All better.” 

You snort. “Does that work on the kids?” 

“Every time.” 

You take your hand back. The skin is flushed under the bandaid, but not discolored just yet. “I would’ve thought that you would have a soft face, given that you work with kids and all.” 

“Candy bar.” 

You blink. “Are…you offering…?” 

He giggles, the sound goosebump inducing. “ I am the candy. Soft on the outside, hard on the inside.” 

“I’m pretty sure it’s the other way around,” you say, gesturing with your finger back and forth. “You know, hard on the outside, soft on the inside?” 

He looms over you, eyes gleaming. “Not if the candy bar is a little bit nutty .” His head spins rapidly as he wiggles his long fingers right back at you. 

You look him up and down, trying and failing to stop the grin tugging at your face. “Too bad I’m allergic to nuts.” 

“...Are you?” 

You snicker. “No, just messing.”

After a moment of staring, he abruptly shrinks, curling down into a sitting position on the floor, legs criss crossed and arms folded. You get the distinct feeling that he’s…pouting.. “ Weird .” 

“As previously established.”

He rolls his head in an exaggeration of rolling his eyes. Then he points to the ground in front of him. “Story time.” 

Oh! You glance over at your rig. You still have to plug stuff in and get the computer system running but…well you’ve got a whole hour after the lights come on, so you can give Moon your full attention for his stories. Speaking of the time though, looks like you’re starting to run short. 

You sit down, matching Moon’s crossed legged pose on the ground. “Okie dokie, do you want a real life story, a fairy tale, or a spooky story?” 

“Hmm.” He hums thoughtfully for a moment. “Real.” 

Real huh? “How about the tale of the wasps nest in the soccer field? You’ll never guess how it ends.” 

Moon props his elbows on his legs and plops his face in his hands, eyes bright and grin wide. 

You flourish dramatically with your hands. The bruised one twinges. “There I was, in the long ago past of this last spring, simply doing my job as a photographer. I was called to capture sport portraits of a wide range of children, from young ones barely coordinated enough to walk, let alone kick a ball, to teens who play with an energy I haven’t had in years!”

“I see, that’s why you’re so slow. Old geezer.” 

“Shut up. After portraits, I was supposed to stick around for a bit and get some action shots of the games. So the thing to know about this particular field was that it was the first time it had been used all year. No one had mowed it, it didn’t need it. No one had practiced on it because the schools all had their own fields and this was the ‘meeting’ point for the different teams. Fun fact, did you know that it’s actually fairly common for some breeds of hornets to build their nests in the ground? Turns out the field was home to an absolutely massive nest of them. It only took five minutes into the game for the chaos to start. Dogs barking, kids screaming, soccer dads flailing and hundreds of wasps on a rage fueled rampage. I bravely clutched my camera and bolted .” 

Moon giggles, like it’s the funniest thing to picture. 

You tsk at him. “You laugh! But if you think punching a robot hurts, imagine getting stung five times in the legs! I was out of commission for three days!” 

Still chortling, he reaches out and pats you consolingly on the head. “Poor little photographer,” he simpers. 

“Poor kids, they got the worst of it!” You shake your head at the memory. Moon keeps his hand right where it is. “Fortunately no one was allergic and the worst off victim was a dog who chased after the wasps and swelled up from all the stinging, but he was ok.” 

“Well, as long as the dog was okay.” 

You snort. “Aren’t you supposed to be a caretaker of kids?” 

He shrugs. 

“Gonna keep your hand on my head?” 

A silent head tilt to the side.

“Okie dokie. Next story?”

He makes a show of checking his free wrist, void of a watch. “Quickly. Sun’s almost up.” 

“Okay, uh...two sentence horror story!” You grab your phone, flip on the flashlight and hold it up under your face. “I got home after a long day of work and as I collapsed on the couch I said, ‘Ah, alone at last.’ ‘No you’re not,’ said Axe Murder Guy.” 

It takes Moon a second. Then he makes a sound that you have to assume is his version of wheezing, topped with outbursts of that signature giggle. “ Stupid ,” he hisses, pretending to wipe a tear. 

“That’s why it works!”  You’re not gonna tell him you stole that one from a couple of gaming guys online. You tap the light off and lean back on your hands. His hand, still on your head, stays right in place. Good heck his arm is long. “You’ve got one more, we have time for that?” 

His fingers drum a beat on your head. “Raincheck.” He fluidly stands, taking his hand back with him. “Time for the Moon to go to sleep.” 

Your mouth opens, but you hesitate. You don’t know when exactly you’ll be coming back. Spring pictures are a few months away and fall time now is a full year out. And that’s if the Fazbear Entertainment company decides to invite you back at all and if you’re the one assigned to take pictures. 

But on the other hand, this promises a return. Even if you gotta drive all the way back up here during your off time. 

“At naptime, perhaps,” Moon says lightly, reaching up for the cable descending from the rafters. 

Oh. Or that. Duh. You really hope he doesn’t notice the flush creeping over your face. “Y-yeah, if the timing works out.” 

Moon spins his head, smile growing. Rather than clipping the cable to his back, he just holds onto it as it yanks him into the air at a frankly alarming speed. He flips backwards and lets go just as he reaches the very top of the safety netting, just barely clearing it. The last you see of him is him dropping down into the darkness of the play area behind the gates. 

A few minutes later, the lights turn on. The moment they do, the doors of the playpen burst open. 

“My goodness friend!” Sun cries as he rushes over, so fast you barely have time to step away from your rig before he’s swooping in and reaching for your bruised hand. Despite the speed, he’s very gentle as he takes hold of your wrist and lifts it up to inspect the damage. "Our face is deceptively plush because of the child friendly silicone layer but human bones will not win in a punching match against the metal underneath!"

"Hello to you too Sun," you say with a wide grin. "It wasn't my intention, promise."

He tuts at you. "Not even an apology."

Caught off guard, you stammer, "Oh, I mean, I thought I did-" 

Sun's rays bob in and out as he waves his unoccupied hand in alarm. "Oh not you! We need to apologize! Moon always forgets that part.”

“Ah, well, it’s not like it’s your fault.” 

His head wiggles back and forth. “Call it a…mutual responsibility.” With that, he drapes into an exaggerated bow. "Please accept this most sincere of apologies!"

Flustered, you take your hand back. Heat crawls up over your face. "It's fine! It was all done in fun. You know, he tries to scare me, I remain cool and calm. It's a whole thing."

"Oh, I am aware of that." His voice somehow manages to both bright and dry at the same time. He straightens with the loud jingling of bells as he sweeps his arms to fold behind his back. “Is punching steel plates considered ‘cool and calm’ these days?” 

“Only the coolest kids are doing it.” You boast. When he simply tilts his faceplate downwards, you click your tongue. "Okay, fine. He won today. I won't be caught off guard next time."

“Should that be taken as a challenge?” 

“Oh you betcha.” You give him a lopsided smile. “I missed you bud.” 

The closest thing you can call the noise he makes is a robotic squeal and he leaps forward, picking you up and spinning you around in a crushing hug. “I missed you too! You should have seen the little ones, they were all so excited to hear that you were coming back, they’ve done nothing but play Picture Day for the last week, oh I simply MUST show you the photo wall, come on, come on!” 

He doesn’t bother setting you down, instead keeping you in a secure hugging hold as he sprints into the play area of the Daycare. You cling as best as you can, though you seriously doubt he’d let you fall. And even if he did, well. The entire area is covered in plush mats. 

He skids to a halt, leaning precariously on one leg for a moment before he steadies and plops you down. Said photo wall is one of the sides of the massive play structure that’s been decorated with a massive cork board that’s so covered in various pictures and drawings that barely any of the board itself is visible. There’s the usual sort that you’d expect from a group of daycare aged kids, messily drawn in crayon and spattered with various stains from sticky fingers. But there’s also little wallet sized prints of the pictures you took back during your first visit. Each one has a name listed underneath in what you can assume is Sun’s loopy writing. 

“Oh this is so cute,” you say with a wide grin, looking over the collection. “We need to get you and Moon up there too.” 

Sun laughs loudly. “I’m afraid my lunar counterpart isn’t going to agree to that.” He spreads his fingers around his face, wiggling his fingers. “Not a fan of the flash.” 

“Hmm, well I’ll talk to him during naptime, see if I can convince him to sit for just one.” 

Sun laughs again but doesn’t comment further. Instead, he puts his hands on your shoulders and steers you back to the rig, chatting all the while. “The parents were very thrilled as well, normally they don’t really chat outside of the daily activities or updates but a lot of them so were just so happy about the pictures they asked if you were coming back and word got around so we actually have a very full roster today of the ‘not as usual’ kiddos. Turns out a lot of them can’t get school pictures until grade school! Can you believe that?” 

“Heh, yeah actually, I think that’s why my photo company started offering it.” 

“How lucky for us!” Sun continues to chatter as you do your actual job and finish the set up. “I do have to wonder, what do you do when school ends for the year?” 

It’s not an unusual question. You actually get this one a lot. “Um, I usually try to do more freelance photography but that’s a hit and miss in my town because everyone and their mother does photography. Sometimes I’ll work a summer camp or deliver pizzas if I have to. I worked at a cell phone store one summer because I was really desperate.” You shudder. “I still haven’t fully recovered from that one.” 

“That sounds stressful.” 

“It can be,” you admit, pushing the power button for the laptop to run the setup program. “But at the same time, it means I have freedom to travel or just be a little lazy without worrying about having to get up at the crack of dawn. I just do what I gotta do to survive, yanno?” 

“I don’t actually,” he says brightly. “I don’t get paid at all!” 

You gasp dramatically. “Sun! We must form a robotic union! Demand full wages, six weeks paid time off! Gym membership!” 

He does his own distraught gasp before lifting his arms up, twirling them into loops before presenting a very twisted version of flexing. “I need no gym, these are all natural!” 

You grin. “Funny, Moon says his arms are weak.” 

“Moon is a baby.” Sun’s head suddenly jerks slightly, as if he got smacked or something. “Ow.” 

“You good?” 

“Hunky dory!” He spins on his heels, prancing his way back into the play area. “I’ll let you finish up! I need to make sure everything is neat and tidy for the kids!”

You shrug and shake your head, even as the grin remains on your face. What a weirdo. 

*****

“You know what I think you should do?” Sun proclaims from underneath the mess of paper flower crowns draped over his rays. “You should come work here during the summer!”

You look up from your own flower crown. Retakes had taken even less time than the original pictures, even with quite a few new faces. So when Sun had invited you to come hang out for craft time, you’d seen no reason not to. After all, you once again have a lunch promised and it’s far too early to eat pizza. And of course you need to stick around until after lunch, just to see if any afternoon kiddos need pictures.

You tug on your crown, testing the hold. You’ve chosen a blue and yellow theme and so far, it’s turning out better than your origami pig from last time. “I don’t think that’d be very practical. I live a few hours away and I shudder to think of the gas expense.” 

Sun’s rays spin rapidly, sending the crowns flying and the kids shrieking with giddy laughter. He crosses his arms and though the smile remains, he makes a show of pouting. “Can you put a price on fun?”

“Yeah, actually, that’s the whole point of this place.” A day’s ticket for full access to each attraction is a decent chunk of cash. You’d looked it up out of curiosity and nearly spit take. It makes sense given the size of the Pizza Plex but yeesh. 

Sun leans forward right into your personal space, clasping his hands together. If he could, you get the feeling he’d be giving you full puppy dog eyes. “Can you put a price on friendship ?”

You push his faceplate away. “Look buddy, it actually wouldn’t be a bad idea if I was closer. But I’ll be okay and hopefully I’ll just get slotted in as your usual photographer for the school year.”

His head spins so his smile is upside down. “Is there a chance you won’t be back?” 

You wave a hand dismissively and plop your flower crown in the small space between his rays at the bottom of his faceplate. “It’s not likely, I’m the closest one to you guys. So unless someone who lives much closer gets hired, it’ll be me for spring pictures and the round of fall pictures next year.” 

“Hmmph, well you better be or- MICA, WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT PUTTING CRAYONS IN YOUR NOSE!” He leaps to his feet and bolts away to the drawing table, leaving your poor flower crown to fall to the floor. 

You watch him chase after the shrieking child with crayons shoved up both nostrils. Working here huh? Maybe if it was a media role or something. But nah. That would be such a process to apply and move all the way up here and really, you’ve got a really good thing going right now, it’s just the summer work that you’ve got to figure out. You always do and it’s still several months away.

Still. You can’t deny that part of you is tempted. Seeing these guys every day would be quite a treat. 

You pick up your flower crown and plop it on your head. 

*****

“This is not an eating area,” comes the raspy voice from the darkness above your head. 

Seated by your rig, you glance up as you continue to chew your pizza. You swallow. “I didn’t want to miss naptime this time,” you say as you attempt to scan the darkness for any sign of him. “I still owe you a story, remember?” 

A jingle, announcing his presence behind you. Aw, trying to avoid another face punch.

You twist slightly in your chair, waving your slice. “I’ll clean up, promise.” 

His eyes narrow slightly, adding to the distinct spider look he’s got going on as he hangs upside down from his wire. He lets his arms dangle freely. “You like pushing the rules.” 

“Speak for yourself, aren’t you supposed to be watching the sleeping kiddos?” 

He points to his eyes. “Cameras. I can still see them. All sleeping.” 

“All of them? That’s got to be a rare thing.” 

With a quiet click, he detaches from his wire and lands utterly silently on the ground. “Very good at my job.” 

You take another bite. “I can see that,” you say around your mouthful of pizza. 

“Don’t talk with your mouth full. Rude” 

You make a show of swallowing. “ Sor-ry, ” you drone. “So, what’s your pick for this story?” 

Moon continues to stand, regarding you silently for a moment. “You’ll come back in spring?” 

“That’s the plan, I believe. As long as the higher ups at the Plex want me back.” 

He spins his head. “Tell me the story then.” 

You blink. “You sure? I might not-” 

“Spring.” He leans over you, the bell on his hat jingling. “No choice.” 

“Okay!” You raise your hands (and pizza) in surrender. “Spring it is.” 

Satisfied, Moon sits down and props his arms on his legs. The silence stretches for a moment. 

“So…if you don’t want a story right now, do you want your picture taken?” You gesture at the rig. “I did one of Sun so you can add it to the photo wall in there.” 

“Pass.” 

“Aw c’mon, the flash isn’t that bad. It happens in…well a flash!” 

He groans at the pun. “No flash. No light.” 

You think for a moment, finishing off your pizza. Brushing off your fingers on your pants, you fold up the paper plate. “I could turn it off? I don’t know how well you’d show up since it’s so dark in here anyway but we could try.” 

Moon fiddles with the bell on his hat. “And who pays?”

Oh. You didn’t think about that. Normally you take pictures of staff and teachers and it’s just included in the package the school gets when they reserve services but…does that include animatronics? “I…think it’s included? We can take pictures of service animals and such.” 

Moon laughs but this one sounds a bit drier than his usual giggle. “Still pass.” 

You decide not to push it. “Maybe I can-”

Moon suddenly straightens up, head turning to the playpen area. “Waking.” Moving faster than you’ve ever seen off wire, he gets to his feet and reaches up to grab said wire as it rapidly descends. It’s only then that he pauses, looking back at you. “Be safe in the snow. See you in spring.” 

Then he’s gone, off to soothe the child that woke up. 

You really do hope you get to come back for spring pictures.