Chapter Text
~*~
This text means you’re thinking.
“This is a dialogue example on emphasis.”
~*~
Another average Monday to start the week. You stood in front of your staff locker and donned your overly colourful uniform. The kids were usually quite happy to see you, even in passing a chorus of “Hi doctor!” as the groups migrated between rooms throughout the day. You were more than happy to help where needed, whether that be giving the caregiver staff a short break, helping with transitioning from one room to another, prepping for snack time, reading stories, leading circle time, or helping with pickup and drop off. It was a delight to interact with the little gremlins. Some were a genuine pleasure to connect with or they crack you up with their personalities. On occasion you found yourself jotting down little quotes that made you laugh.
The Daycare operated like any other average Daycare except the mascot animatronics were the main attraction. As with all Fazbear attractions, there was always animatronics. The Daycare Attendants resembled jester puppets and were heavily inspired if not the embodiment of the sun and moon. Naturally, Sun as the name implied was more energized, friendly, and upbeat. He was always adorned in warm colours to match his bubbliness. Moon on the other hand was calmer and more assertive and usually was seen in cooler colours- blue with accents in the form of golden stars and crescents. Usually atop Moon’s head was an embellished nightcap with the same golden accents. Although their outfits were usually quite polar in comparison, there were some similarities. The most adorable detail you noticed was the bells tied to their wrists and ankles with ribbon. Every movement they softly jingled and like finding a lost cat you could get a sense of where they were, even if you couldn’t see them.
Like most daycares with a playground or gym, each age group had their scheduled active blocks during the daily rotation. They each got their allotted time in the play area and downtime in their age-appropriate rooms. The play area was designed to appeal more to the younger age groups while there were still varying activities for older kids to partake in. Sun was rather popular during these hours as the children easily matched his energy, while a few kids who were not as energetic could be with their caregivers. He could be very overzealous and even managed to startle some adults during pickup and drop off.
Around midday after lunch was when Moon would aid in getting the younger kids down for nap time. Like his counterpart, he was built with all the ideal tools in helping the process for a range of different situations. An internal music box would play a lullaby or white noise soundscape and wirelessly sync with the room’s built-in sound system before moving onto the next group. Should a whole room request assistance with getting the children down Moon would stay and project soothing visuals on the ceiling, usually a starry night sky. The older kids were not forced to sleep, rather they had designated quiet time to rest or do a quiet activity. During this time S.T.A.F.F. were so lucky to get a break for their downtime before snack and afternoon activities.
Both Sun and Moon would aid in keeping the kids occupied during pick up and drop off time. This was the ideal opportunity for the caregivers to tell the child's family or whoever was picking them up of any eventful things that day. Of course, there was always a few apprehensive and reluctant parents when they realized that the Daycare allowed the animatronics to run amuck with their children. Assurance was always given with a smile that things were under control...for the most part. On occasion, a child might be stricken with fear by the uncanniness of the animatronics but that was usually solved by having them interact with a staff member. Usually, if a child was scared, they could do a quieter activity until they calmed down and noticed how much fun everyone else was having with Sun before gradually joining in.
Then there were the injuries and accidents. Sometimes Sun or Moon would be a little too rough with a child, though, nothing too serious had happened since you started working there. The worst mishaps you had heard through the grapevine involved smothering or a couple of broken bones. Out of confidentiality your coworkers never divulged too much information. This left a bad feeling in your gut when you were even in the same room as the animatronics. They were mere electronics with an advanced AI system, surely, they aren't that bad. Even still you focused on helping where you could and avoided being near them for too long. Simple...right?
~*~
After clocking in you found yourself standing with some of your coworkers near the admin desk. “I don’t know, they kind of give me the creeps.” You whispered to one of the caregivers for the 3-4-year-olds. You both watched a few kids running circles around Sun all giggling and smiling wildly.
“Yeah, that feeling will pass, you’ll get used to it. Honestly, their design is far better than how they looked a few months ago so count yourself lucky.”
“Really? How so?”
“They were more puppet-like, really cool design, I think. But they seem a bit more approachable like this.”
"I guess so." Before the conversation could advance one of the kids ran up to you with tears in their eyes. "Hey, hey little one what's up?" You usually tried to not change your voice when talking to the kids, but it was so difficult to resist sometimes. You crouched down to their level and rested a hand on their head. They were overwhelmed but not hurt in any way. "You wanna take a little break? I know they can be kinda loud sometimes huh." The kid nodded and sniffled before wiping their eyes. You smiled softly and offered your hand to them, and they accepted gripping your hand firmly. "C'mon we can go draw or something over here." You led them to one of the craft tables and set out an array of colouring and drawing tools before sitting on the floor adjacent to them. The tables were high enough that grown-ups could sit on the floor and use them fine- and perfect for the kids to sit in the little chairs. Sometime later as you were doodling mindlessly a little hand tapped your shoulder.
“Um…can you help me?” One of the kids had picked out a costume from the dress-up area.
“Of course! You look adorable!” You guided them to turn around so you could pull the zipper up.
“What are you playing?”
“We’re playing fairy tales! Can you come play too?” She tugged your hand.
“Uh, sure give me a moment.” You turned to the kids at the table and made sure they were doing okay before walking over to the dress-up area.
“I brought someone to be the princess!” The what? You were not expecting that at all.
“Oh, perfect if it isn’t Sunshine!” Sunshine? Since when? You shook that off quickly as you were pulled close by tiny hands. Without much warning, Sun leaned down to you and whispered in your ear. “So, you’re my prisoner hmm?”
“What?” You asked in a brief panic.
“It’s part of the game silly! I’m the dragon who kidnapped you,” What. He placed a hand on your shoulder and nudged you to turn. “And they’re the knights who have been sent to save you!” Oh, thank God.
“Wow, such brave little knights! I’m sure the journey will be treacherous.”
“Here is your outfit!” One of the kids handed you a pink cape and matching tiara. You donned them accordingly and watched the kids talk amongst themselves. From what you could pick up they were coming up with a game plan to take down the ‘dragon’. Sun moved to stand directly behind you.
“And you’re coming with me!” He picked you up and held you close to his chest.
“Okay big guy, be gentle-” You wrapped your arms around his neck for stability. “Hey! Where are we going?”
“To the cave! I’ll keep you safe there.” Your stomach fluttered as he carried you up to one of the castle-like play structures. He gently placed you down near the wall. You’d never been up here before. It looked smaller down on the other side of the ball pit. There was a short ordinate wall around the edge, and some bookshelves, cushions and plushies laying about. You only had a moment to walk around and see a set of stairs down to the rest of the play structure before you were grabbed again. Your wrists were restrained behind your back by what felt like a thick ribbon.
“H-hey, Sun I don’t think that’s necessary.” You tried to move away.
“It is! It will make it more difficult for you to escape.” Oh shit. You shuddered at the drop in his voice. Why is that affecting me so much? “And it makes the game a little more fun.” Before you could respond Sun pushed you onto one of the cushions and went to stand near the wall of the castle. You assumed he was checking on the group of ‘knights’ coming to your rescue before he returned to your side. “Comfy?” He asked and lounged on his side with one arm propping his head up. Is he trying to be suave? What is going on?
“Uhhh…sure.”
“Yknow, I haven’t talked with you much, gotten to know you. I’m fairly familiar with the rest of the staff in the Daycare. You’re an anomaly.”
“Yeah, usually I’m busy helping the hurt kids…” You were having a slight struggle in comprehending how well the AI was picking up the conversation. It felt like you were talking to a real person.
“Allow me to let you in on a secret-” He leaned closer to you. “I’ve been watching you since you started here, I can’t process why but- you’re different than the rest. I like you.” Something clicked in your brain, and you fought the urge to get up and run to jump off the castle. You had to override these thoughts to remain calm.
“I…I don’t understand-” Sun reached over to press the back of his hand to your cheek.
“You’re so adorable,” His voice dropped again, and his eyes became lidded. “I want to break you.” Your heart was beating so fast, and your hands were definitely shaking. This thing is deranged. In that moment you heard some small voices shouting from down the stairs. Sun practically growled and grabbed you roughly. Some of the ‘knights’ approached from the stairs with their swords drawn. This doesn’t feel right. Sun’s arm was around your neck at this point. One of the kids must have seen the genuine fear on your face as they stepped back, ready to run down the stairs. The rest charged at Sun swinging their swords. Sun retaliated. He was being far too aggressive at this point. You watched in terror as one of the kids almost toppled over the edge.
“Sun stop!” You cried out and struggled in his grip. His hold on you got tighter which made it harder for you to breathe. Your feet were not touching the floor now and your vision was going dark. “Let me go now!” You hoarsely screamed as tears gathered in the corners of your eyes.
“No! You’re mine now. All mine.” Sun snarled. You heard distant screams as your body felt weaker by the second. You couldn’t tell if they were the kids or your coworkers. Before you completely blacked out you felt the sensation of falling and landing on the padded floor below and someone rushing to your side.
~*~
“Hey! You, okay?” You opened your eyes. You were laying on your side near the ball pit and your arms were free. “I’ve never seen him do that before.” Your co-worker helped you to your feet and supported you as they guided you to the admin desk to sit down. Your vision was a bit dark around the edges and you felt lightheaded. Your head hurt, other than that you felt no physical signs of discomfort.
“Y-yeah just a little shaken up is all.”
“You can go take a break in the lounge if you want, maybe lie down for a bit.” You nodded and went to leave the play area. You didn’t see Sun or any of the kids around. They must have enacted one of the protocols which involved having the kids safely brought back to their rooms. You couldn’t help feeling some sense of guilt despite it not being your fault. Your folded your arms around yourself and meandered in the direction of the staff lounge. Not looking where you were going you bumped into something firm.
“Oh, hello little one.” You tensed and raised your head. It was Moon of all things to bump into. It sounded like he was clicking his tongue- if he had one. “My, my, did Sun do that? So, unlike him…” Moon reached over to gently touch your neck. You looked in one of the windows and saw definite bruises forming." He must really be enamoured by you-” He leaned down with his hands behind his back. “And I’m inclined to agree. “He stood back up. “Run along little doe, go rest up.” You did just that, scurried to the lounge and closed the door behind you. You leaned on it to catch your breath. What have I gotten myself into?
~*~
The next day as you dressed for work you grabbed a scarf from your closet. This should cover the bruises. When you arrived ready to go, Sun was not around. You were informed by one of your superiors that after the incident Sun was taken to Parts and Service to figure out why he ‘malfunctioned’. If you could call it that. Many of the kids seemed down about Sun not being there. However, Moon was his temporary replacement. He was less energetic but still did what was expected. Still, you knew there had to be more to the Sun incident than that malfunction, there was no way it was that simple. On top of that, the brief interaction with Moon left you feeling very uneased around him. So, you avoided the play area as much as you could. You spent the morning easing homesickness, patching up some scrapes, and reminding the active kids to drink more water. It wasn’t until you were asked to help put some kids down for naptime that you started feeling a sense of dread. You were requested to help one other staff member in the 2-3-year old room, and Moon would be along shortly. You had time to get in help and leave without even seeing him. Or so you thought. You sat against the wall with two cots on either side. The method that worked you found were back or stomach rubs. Unless a child asked otherwise you did that until they fell asleep. Leaning against the wall you looked between the two, watching for their eyes to close. There were still a couple of other kids who were sitting, waiting, fidgeting. Once or twice, you’d have to quietly tell them to get back to their bed, and they did.
At that moment Moon entered and quietly closed the door behind him. He held a finger to his grinning mouth as he walked over to the kids who were still awake and proceeded to sit cross-legged next to their cots. He projected a scene of fish swimming on the ceiling as the kids got back in their beds. Music started playing, you assumed it was coming from Moon as well. The exhaustion suddenly hit you out of nowhere, it wasn’t even that busy of a day. You looked down and smiled as the kids you were soothing, gradually nodded off too. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to rest your own eyes for a moment. You could have sworn that Moon’s red eyes were staring right at you as you felt yourself nodding off. With the quiet atmosphere and fatigue setting in, it was becoming more difficult to stay alert. Sometime later you felt a pair of big strong arms lift and cradle you.
“Drowsy little doe.” You heard Moon coo as he carried you out to the main area. “So foolish for leaving yourself all vulnerable like this. Something horrible could happen." You were struggling to regain movement in your body- something that usually happened when you laid down for a short nap. “Sun would be so jealous to know I have you all to myself. I heard he tied you up too. Maybe I should do the same…”
You snapped awake and found you were still in the kids’ room rubbing their backs. What the fuck was that? You shook your head and quickly stood to leave and see if the other rooms needed help. All the while you didn’t notice Moon’s gaze tracking you from where he sat between the cots.
~*~
Just as the afternoon blocks started you were asked to step in for one of the caregivers as they had requested extra time to watch over some kids who were still having downtime. You hesitantly agreed. As you stood in the play area, a little on edge, you watched some kids run around a sitting Moon. You couldn’t fathom what they saw in that thing.
“Maybe we should play a big group game?” Moon asked as he stood up. The kids shouted back in agreement before shouting suggestions or generally demanding what game. Moon theatrically stood up with one hand on his hip and the other on his chin as if in thought. “Hmmm how about Cops and Robbers!” That seemed to be big a hit with most of these kids. You were admiring the scene from afar until someone tapped you on your shoulder.
“Hey! Do you mind playing with them? I have a bad leg and one of my girls wants to colour. Is that okay? You can always leave if there’s an emergency.” The caregiver gestured to the kids who were being split up into two groups by Moon.
“Yeah, no problem.” You forced a smile and meandered over to them.
“Hi, Doctor! Are you playing too?” One of the boys asked and beckoned you to their group.
“Sure am! Whose side should I join then?” You looked between the two groups not quite sure how to make this fairer.
“Come here and be a robber!” The same boy grabbed your arm and tugged you towards his group.
“No fair! You guys have a grown-up! You’ll win!” A girl on what you assumed was the cops' side whined and stopped her foot.
“Guess I’ll just have to be a Cop too!” Moon sighed with a grin that seemed to make the girl more than happy.
“You guys are going down!” The girl shouted. This set off a bit of discourse which went on for a moment before a deafening whistle broke through the prattling.
“Alright, friends remember your human life is more important than your cop or robber life. Is there anyone who is not familiar with the rules or how the game works?” It was a pretty basic game with some variations. The cops chase the robbers, if a robber is caught the cop takes the robber to the ‘station’ and leaves them there until another robber come by to save them. It was more of a fun way to spend the kids' energy. Moon explained the rules and answered all questions thrown at him. Even the ridiculous scenario questions got some laughs as he answered in a silly way- while also keeping things comprehensible. You were impressed how this animatronic seemed so…authentic. “Is everyone ready? The robbers get a little head start to get away before the cops begin their patrol! Ready! Set!” The kids took the position to start the game and you copied them. There was a sudden faint sensation in the pit of your stomach- more than just butterflies. You glanced over your shoulder and could have sworn that Moon’s attention was locked onto you. I’m imagining things. “Go! Remember to stay inside the play area!” Your group of robbers took off in all separate directions. It’s just a game, harmless fun is all. You briefly recalled the dream? Vision? With Moon carrying you. His words echoed in your head. “Something horrible could happen.” You looked around a bit spooked, but Moon was far away from you at this point, there was no way he was that close. You shook the feeling of uneasiness off and ran with some of your fellow robbers.
Since you were a bit taller than most of the kids, you were going to stick out with the majority of potential hiding spots. Regardless that did not deter you from patiently waiting and saving the robbers who got caught. They were instructed to wait in one of the playhouses as the ‘station’ for one robber to save them, then count in their head before they could save another. The kids screamed and cheered when you rescued them. It made for a nice small rush of adrenaline. Eventually, you started losing stamina, so you hid under the stairs in one of the play structures. You crouched to catch your breath and revelled in a brief pause from the chaos. The scarf wasn’t helping, rather hindering, and causing you to overheat. A sudden movement behind you made you nearly jump out of your skin.
“Gotcha! You’re under arrest!” A pair of hands wrapped around your torso and lifted you up.
“Jesus Christ Moon, you scared the shit out of me.” You grasped your chest briefly before grabbing his wrists to stabilize yourself. The animatronic clicked his- as far as you knew- nonexistent tongue.
“Watch your language little doe the kiddos might hear you.” You couldn’t help the brief embarrassment from the pet name. His gaze went to your scarf and you swore you heard him scoff. He carried you to the playhouse and nudged you inside. It was a bit cramped with a couple of other robbers but soon after you were rescued and free once more.
“No fair! Only Moon had been able to catch you!” One of the kids shouted and chased you. They gave up rather quickly before going after another robber. A few more robbers were huddled behind the bridge that crossed the ball pit, so you covertly joined them.
“Thank you for joining and saving us Doctor!” One of the kids hugged you as you crouched down next to them.
“Yeah, you’re so cool!” They continued for a little bit gushing and admiring how fun it was for an adult to play with them. It wasn’t until you saw a look of fear on their faces that you realized someone was behind you.
“Found you,” Moon growled standing with his hands on his hips. The kids screamed and ran in different directions leaving you alone. Typical. You didn’t blame them; you would have done the same. “Giving up little doe? So easy…that’s not as fun.”
“I’m tired just take me in already.” You threw your hands up in a mock ‘I surrender’ form. Moon laughed and crouched closer to you.
“I think we can do better than this. I’ll give you a five-second head start before I chase you down.”
“Why me?” You crossed your arms not fully convinced. “It’s just a game, if I don’t have to exert myself I won’t.”
“Five…” Moon held up a hand ignoring your last statement. “Four…” His voice dropped against making you shudder, and his eyes were lidded like Sun’s from the other day. “I want to break you.” You took the hint and ran the other way towards the play structure. “Three…” Your heart was beating so fast. The fear of not knowing what Moon might do was the worst part. Would he act up like Sun?
“Help me-” A hand covered your mouth as you were pinned against what you assumed was Moon’s torso. His whole hand covered your mouth and neck making you feel even more small and helpless.
“Ah, ah, naughty doe. Bold of you to assume a simple plea for help would end this.” Moon forced you to walk with him around to the ball pit before releasing your mouth. He grabbed your wrist instead and picked up the pace. Some of the kids were screaming and laughing at you as they just saw you were caught once more. Before walking over the ball pit one of the caregivers made an announcement.
“Alright everyone it's time for afternoon snack! Let’s thank Moon and go wash our hands!” The kids cheered and said their thanks before lining up and gradually filing out. Moon sighed and spun you around, so you faced him.
“Such a shame the game is over, I suppose this will have to suffice." Without warning, he placed a hand on your chest and shoved you into the ball pit. The impact wasn’t as hard as you expected, it was the surprise that caught you off guard. You expected something worse to happen.
“What was that for!?” You shouted and struggled to get out. Some of the kids saw and started yelling that they wanted a try. Once you got out of the pit you helped get the groups to where they needed to be. This day can’t end fast enough.
~*~