Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Working at an animal rescue means being prepared for anything. But when you and the rest of the team were called into the ruined Pizzaplex area, nothing could have prepared you for what you found that day.

The Pizzaplex burned down around 6 months ago. It was known for its entertainers, cybernetic fusions of lab grown flesh and manmade machinery. Synths were what most people called them. Some rich people owned custom made ones as pets or housekeepers, but the majority belonged to Fazbear's.

You briefly wondered what happened to them, but came to the conclusion that they were likely rescued from the fire. You hoped that was the case, anyways.

Your team had been called because of sightings of stray kittens in the area. They were going up to people outside and then running in, almost like they were trying to lead them somewhere inside.

You followed your team into the ruins of the pizza place, and it was a mess. The glass windows shattered, and everything looked damaged beyond repair. You tried not to think about how much money was lost when the building fell apart.

After setting up camp near the door, you decided to take a walk around the area. That's when you heard a tiny mewl from below.

You looked down to see a tiny striped brown furball, a kitten which seemed lively despite the crust on its eyes.

"Hi baby! C'mere, we're here to help!" You leaned forward to pick up the small bundle, but it scrambled a small distance away and then looked back at you expectantly. You let out a sigh and turned back to one of your coworkers, a tall brunette woman named Jackie. "Looks like this little guy is trying to lead me somewhere. I'm gonna follow them, maybe I'll find their family?"

"Sounds good! I'll let the others know." she replied with a thumbs up.

As you followed the small cat further into the ruins, you saw a few strange things. Footprints in the dust, something that looked like a claw mark on the wall, and the sound of a radio playing music. It sounded like some sort of cheery kiddie song, but it just came off as eerie in the situation you were in. It seemed to get louder the further in you got.

You lost track of the kitty at one point, and you were about to turn around when you heard another mewl. The cat was standing slightly behind a half-opened garage door, now next to another kitten, an orange and brown torbie. They both stared at you with innocent yet knowing eyes, and you could see a dim glow coming from behind them.

"Is that your sibling?" You asked the pair, who just kept looking at you.

"Well, I can help you both!" You said as you reached for the bottom lip of the door, but it began moving before you touched it. The cats scattered further inside.

You looked up, and the first thing you saw inside this new room was a large golden statue of two figures. Both had mechanical limbs, but one was standing tall with spines of some sort growing out of their head, and the other was hunched over and wearing a nightcap.

Your eyes soon landed on the floor. There, you saw something that made you gasp.

A long and spindly figure laid strewn out in front of the statue, with faintly glowing eyes and limbs. It resembled a mix of both the statues, but with heavily damaged machine parts, cut and scraped biological parts, and overall very weak looking. A third kitten was loafing on its hip, an adult calico cat was nestled next to its legs, and a pair of dogs were curled up nearby. When they noticed you, everyone perked up... except for the synth, its red and yellow eyes barely open and glazed over, staring off into space in the doorway behind you.

You sent a text to Jackie: 'I found where they're all hiding, there's three kittens, the mama cat I think, and even two dogs. And there's something else you need to see. Sending my location rn, bring everyone.'

Jackie sent a salute emoji in response. You chuckled a little bit, still a little nervous but eager to lighten the mood. 

Then you turned your attention back to the cyborg, who despite not being an animal seemed to be in the worst shape.

"Hey buddy, can you hear me?" You waved a bit, and this seemed to register with the synth, but just a little bit. Its eyes wobbily drifted over to you, but they looked out of focus and dull.

"We were sent to help the animals, but we're gonna get you out of here too. We can't just leave you here."

You noticed when you got close that the orange kitten on their hip was steadily purring away. Something that not everyone knows is that cats don't just purr because they're happy; cats purr because it's comforting to them. This means that sometimes they'll also purr in stressful situations or to comfort others. That simple fact made the whole thing even more heartbreaking... These animals must really care about this guy, especially since they were all gathered here.

"I'm gonna check you out, okay?" You moved to examine their body with your phone flashlight on a slightly low setting, noting the damage to their limbs and parts of them. Looking at his chest, you could see what probably was the worst of it: a large infected looking gash on its chest. You also noted lots of scarring with both burns and scratches on their face, mostly on the side with the red eye. God, you could see their ribs and hips jutting out too, what had they even been eating down here? The statues seemed naturally long and lanky, and the synth in front of you had similar proportions but looked far more malnourished and gaunt.

As for their mechanical parts, that was out of your area of expertise. But you could tell that one foot appeared to be gone and reduced to a peg leg, their hands had been worn down to the internal skeleton, and overall they just looked very damaged. The back of their head, where their head spines poked out of, seemed mechanical as well, and the spikes (rays?) were ragged and cracked. You hoped that they couldn't feel pain through those parts, they already seemed to be in enough pain from everything else. Their pants, which had an odd mix of primary colored stars and stripes, were also shredded and burned at the bottoms.

After another minute or two, the rest of the rescue team arrived. They stood around the area, and once they saw the synth they each seemed to go a bit pale. You understood why.

"...Why the hell would this guy just be left here?" you whispered in anguish. "I know people can be cruel to animals, but Jesus fucking Christ, from what I've seen most synths act like people!" You shook your head before you could go off on a whole rant. "Nevermind. You guys brought the carriers and leashes right? Round the pets up, then we're taking this guy too. We can't just leave him here."

You just sat next to the synth while everyone else did the job. You were shaken by what you had seen today, and you felt like you needed to stay by their side to let them know that everything was going to be okay.

Stacy, one of your younger co-workers, scooped the ginger kitten off of the cybernetic creature, talking to it in a high voice when it cried and stretched it's paws towards them. "I know! We'll help you and your friend, okay?" That seemed to be the last one.

"Now how are we gonna get this dude out of here? I don't think he can walk, and he's pretty big." Brian, another rescue worker asked. You just wordlessly slid your arms under the listless being and tried to pick them up. They were still heavy for you, but weirdly lighter than you assumed they would be. Brian still came over to support you, since they were pretty big.

You both hefted them up together, and began the long trek towards the truck you'd brought for transporting the animals.

"So, what do you think happened to this guy?" You asked as you both continued to carry them.

"I dunno," Brian answered, looking at the synth. "But I bet it's bad."

"I hope they survive, they seem barely alive to be honest," you worried.

"We'll take good care of them, don't worry."

You nodded along, feeling relieved that someone else was thinking of them too. The whole time you were walking, the synth had gone back to being unresponsive, and if you couldn't feel their labored breath you'd be worried they were already gone. But when you finally got to the car, you and Brian hefted them onto the back seat, and the synth just barely lifted it's head and finally spoke up in a nearly unintelligible, staticky voice.

"+h@nk ¥0u..."

Earlier...

Moon was barely conscious, and figured Sun was the same, neither having the strength to talk to each other.

So this was how they were going to die. The menacing Daycare Attendant, felled by a dirty wound.

...At least they had each other. And the animals, that was good too. Hopefully they could all find someone else to care for them.

Suddenly, a light shone in from outside the daycare lobby where they were lying. Two of their kitties, who had left earlier, came running in.

Sun spoke up, not out loud (their voice box was fried) but internally, where Moon could still hear the pain in his voice. "Moon, l-look! I think that help is coming!"

Moon tried to process everything for a few seconds, then snorted in disbelief. "Welp. We're dying, maybe even already dead. The cats bumped into the angel that's supposed to take us up to the great beyond."

"W-what?"

Moon cackled shakily. "Yep. I always wondered if synths go to Heaven. Wasn't there a movie about dogs going there?" he paused for a moment. "Or maybe we're just delirious and hallucinating from a combination of sickness and starvation. That's an option too. But I think I like the 'already dead and out of our misery' idea better."

Sun was exasperated despite the situation. "Moon, be serious! The cats-"

He was cut off by a soft voice. "Hey buddy."

The two of them gathered their physical power and forced the body to look over. They saw an androgynous and very attractive human standing before them.

The human kneeled downwards, closer to their level on the floor. "Can you hear me? We were sent to help the animals, but we're gonna get you out of here too. We can't just leave you here..."

Their gaze was now fixated on this person, unable to look away in fear that they might disappear like a phantom. Moon tried to keep his cool though, partially because he genuinely wasn't even sure this was real. "Yep. Definitely an angel."

Chapter Text

The drive back to the rescue was quiet. The synth had fallen unconscious after speaking, but they still had a pulse and breath, so that was good.

When you got there, Brian pulled out an old mattress you had in the back. It wasn't an elegant solution, but it would work while you figured out what to do with your unexpected guest.

A few hours later they had their wounds patched up with antibiotics applied and their chest wrapped, stitches underneath. Thank god the rescue had vet supplies, they may not be intended for people but most of it was the same, plus your new buddy was far from human so it's not like human supplies would have been much closer.

"Hey, I think they're waking up." Brian called out. You rushed over and checked their vitals, which were steady as they began to stir.

They slowly tried to sit up, and you slid some pillows behind their back to prop them up. Then they looked around and quickly gained a panicked expression on their face and began rapidly moving their large hands in specific motions.

You recognized what it was, but your face went blank. "Shit, sorry, I... don't know sign language," you said rubbing the back of your neck.

Stacy, who was in the other room, peeked in at this and her eyes lit up in recognition before she came over. "It's okay bud, your pet friends are safe. They're in the holding area while we get them all checked out."

You turned to her. "You know sign language?"

She nodded. "My brother, the kid one. He's legally deaf and doesn't talk, remember?"

You smiled. "Ah yeah, thanks Stacy, we're glad you're here."

"That reminds me, I should probably mention that I recognize this guy... well, kinda. He's the attendant from that daycare they had in the Pizzaplex. I never got close to him but I saw him whenever I helped drop off my little sibs." She paused, and then nervously added on. "He looks different now though. He used to do this thing where he kinda transformed whenever the lights went off, but it looks like he's stuck in between now?"

That explained the pair of statues in that lobby. You turned your attention back towards the Daycare Attendant. "You just rest now, I'll be back in a few."

You walked past the rest of the rescue workers and into the small animal holding area. There you found the rest of the rescued pets resting, and you were happy to see that they were all fine. Now to get that attendant something to eat. You could tell they really needed it.

You headed to the break room and looked inside the small pantry for anything good. There were some cans of soup: a bit cliche you supposed, but it'd be good to get some fluids in them as well. You grabbed a can of the chicken kind and got to work, mixing in some water and microwaving it like the ingredients stated. It was done in around 5 minutes and you were on your way back to the room with a bowl and spoon.

When you got back, Stacy was still there, talking to the attendant. "I can let you see one of the kittens soon if it makes you feel better."

You announced your presence. "I'm back! You and Brian can go for now if you need to. I'll call you back if anything changes." You walked past each other as you made your way to the synth.

"Hey buddy. I got you something to eat. I know chicken noodle soup is a little on-the-nose for a sick person but it's pretty good!"

The Daycare Attendant sniffed in your direction a little bit before suddenly going wide eyed and snatching the bowl from you, starting to chug its contents like a starving animal. (Which wasn't an entirely incorrect description.)

You carefully and quickly grabbed the bowl back and patted the attendant on the back as he choked and dry heaved from the experience. "No! You're gonna make yourself even more sick if you eat like that! Plus, it's rude..."

He looked at you with an odd expression that flitted between genuine sadness and a snarl, before settling on a frustrated pout and letting out an odd noise that sounded vaguely like a whiny high-pitched growl.

"Hey, it's okay, I just don't want you giving yourself a stomach ache. Your body probably isn't used to normal eating anymore so you need to pace yourself. Can I try feeding you?" You got the spoon and scooped up some of the remaining soup and lifted it to their lips. "If you're alright with that, open your mouth please."

He hesitated for a moment, then greedily (but more slowly than before) ate the morsel off of the spoon. "There we go! You must have been hungry, big guy!" You then got some more onto the spoon, and you both continued like this for several minutes. He often tried to speed things up, but you stood firm and kept your pace slow.

You spooned the last of the meal into his mouth, and let him rest on it for a couple of quiet minutes, but then you had a question. "Hey, why haven't you been talking? You said something when we loaded you into the truck earlier, but since then you've just been signing." Then it hit you that it was kind of dumb to ask this while you didn't know sign language and Stacy was busy in the other room. But surprisingly, the cyborg rested a hand on your shoulder, looked you directly in the eyes with a serious expression, and spoke up again.

"-v0!c3- b0%- br0k3n. -w@n+- 1!$+3n- +h!$ .?." the noisy audio blared. Several words were missing from the sentence and it was heavily distorted, and it took you a minute to understand, so he sighed and repeated himself. "-d0n'+- w@nt- 1!$+3n- br0k3n v0!c3 ..."

Finally you understood. You weren't sure if there was a question in there, but you got the gist of it. "You don't like the way your broken voice box sounds?"

The mechanical one nodded.

"Aw, don't worry! I don't know anything about machines but I'm sure that we'll find a good mechanic to fix up your robo-parts. And I'll take care of your bio-parts!" you confidently claimed.

Jackie's voice from the doorway startled you. "Speaking of which, one of us is probably gonna need to take ‘em home. The shelter is no place for sick or injured people."

You looked over at her. Brian and Stacy were behind her. Stacy answered first. "I'd love to, especially since I'm probably the most familiar with him, but I still live with my parents, and they'd kill me if I brought home a stranger! Even if that stranger really needs help. And isn't human." Then she added on, "Plus I only know a little bit about him anyways."

Brian answered next. "Yeah, I'm worried about the guy, but I'm already considering fostering those dogs, and a whole other person would be a lot on my plate. I'm not sure I could handle it."

Back to Jackie. "So that leaves me and *Reader*. And I think your friend there has already chosen", she smiled as she gestured to the Daycare Attendant. 

He was sitting up on the makeshift bed but slowly leaning towards your side where you were sitting on the edge of the mattress, starting to get sleepy again now that he was fed and satisfied. Poor guy had really had a lot of ups and downs today. Mostly ups though, so that was good. He finally flopped against your shoulder with a tired yet satisfied sigh. A little weird, but honestly kind of cute.

"Yeah, I think I can take him home." You said happily.

When waking up on the old mattress, Sun was the first to become properly alert to their situation. "Moon? Where are we?? Where are the little ones!" he frantically asked in the headspace. When he realized they were surrounded by people, he took control of the hands and began rapidly signing, asking 'Where are the kittens and mama cat and the dogs I need to know they're safe please-'

It turned out that their 'angel' from before didn't know sign language. But one of their friends did, luckily. Even knew about their role at the Pizzaplex... but didn't realize they were two separate minds in one body. Figures. They were originally intended to be one person, and most of the staff and even the other synths struggled or even refused to accept that they were their own individuals. Makes sense that their insistence would spread to customers of the plex.

They wondered if they could remember this girl's brother. They remembered a boy named Gavin who fit his description. They'd have to ask at some point if that was him.

They were both tired though, and they barely noticed when their savior left the room. They did notice when they returned with something that smelled absolutely delicious. "Hey buddy. I got you something to eat. I know chicken noodle soup is a little on-the-nose for a sick person but it's pretty good!" They said as they showed the bowl to them.

As soon as they processed what was in front of them, they snatched the bowl out of their savior's hands and began gulping down as much as possible. A cacophony of ' more, please, please, mine, no, mine ' etc. consumed the AIs' shared thoughts. They were eating so fast that they felt like they were going to vomit, but both minds just wanted to quell their aching hunger.

Whichever of them has more control of the body tends to feel more sensations from it, so they both tried to force themselves into the front so that they could get the most relief from finally being able to eat actual food. It was a good thing that they shared a mouth and a stomach, because otherwise they might be physically fighting each other over the meal.

This only lasted a few seconds though. The human pulled the bowl away from them and told them they were going to make themselves more sick by eating so rudely. Sun whimpered while Moon tried to hiss, which resulted in their body making a very odd noise in the physical world. Then the human offered to spoon-feed the food to them.

Moon scoffed. "We're not some helpless infant! We could do it if we had another chance."

Sun snapped and caught Moon off-guard. "I don't care, I just want to eat already." he said in an uncharacteristically flat and annoyed tone.

Moon let out a childishly exaggerated sigh. "Ughhhh.. fine. But if anyone asks, it was your idea to be fed like a baby."

They took the spoonful in their mouth, and the human cooed at them a bit. Shit, they were both blushing now, especially Moon. Why was he blushing? No doubt their body was too, but luckily they were a bit flushed from their infection fever, so it probably just blended in. The human didn't seem to notice.

They got into a rhythm of eating each spoonful of soup, though they both tried at separate times to speed things up, to no avail.

When they finished, they just sat there resting for a moment. After all these months of picking at garbage, the feeling of being even remotely full felt almost alien. They leaned back a bit, letting their stomach settle. "...That wasn't that bad actually..." Moon muttered.

"See?" Sun proudly cracked.

"I could even get used to this..." Moon murmured a bit sleepily.

"Mmhm, yeah." Sun hummed.