Chapter Text
You woke up completely in the dark, your heart racing, cold sweat running down your forehead, lost between the tears that had rolled down your cheeks in your sleep. You began to sit up, your breathing jerky and irregular as you no longer understood where you were. Your hands gripped the blankets beneath you as you began to pull yourself free, trying to get up to flee, away from here, away from the fact that Botzaris was dead.
Even in your dreams, it came back to haunt you, but this time it was you who had killed him. Standing in front of him, watching him smile, laugh, breathe, live, you'd said something to him, but you hadn't understood what you'd said, your voice too distorted and dark, as if someone had put a filter on it. You saw Mr. Botzaris looking in your direction, his smile fading from his lips and the life fading from his eyes. You looked down at the blood dripping from a wound, covering the ground at his feet and yours. You stood still, watching the harpy bleed to death. You lifted a hand to see it smeared with blood, and it was as if the blood had begun to come from your own hands, continuing to grow the pool at your feet. The blood at your feet ended up forming a lake, a perfect mirror that reflected your eyes, the eyes of the monster of misfortune that you were.
As panic continued to grip you as you remembered your nightmare, you noticed that the darkness you were in wasn't quite so dark. You blinked and saw a multitude of tiny points of light on the bedroom ceiling. Stars in the night sky. Like real stars, their glow seemed to change slightly from one to the next. Certain groups of stars joined to form milky ways. Slowly, your attention focused entirely on the stars, and you felt your hands stop clutching the blankets as your breath hitched.
You were at Sun and Moon's home, the two animatronic detectives. They'd picked you up at 'The Lucky' earlier in the day. You were safe here. You looked down at your hands, seeing not blood but the bandages Sun had placed on your wounds. You gently closed your fingers, which were still trembling a little, before stretching them out towards the blanket, feeling the soft material beneath your fingers. The scent of the room was familiar, one of lavender with a hint of mint. You'd thought to yourself last night that maybe this was Moon's room you were occupying, but now you were almost sure.
Gently you pushed back the covers, placing your feet in the air before placing them on the cold floor, which sent a long shiver down your spine. After giving your feet time to stand the cold, you got up and headed for the door, needing a glass of water and a handkerchief. You opened the door discreetly, not wanting to wake up any of the animatronics whose apartment you occupied. You groped your way to the kitchen, letting one of your hands follow one of the walls as you had to partially transform yourself to see roughly where you were heading.
Once in the kitchen, you tried to find a glass but couldn't, and you didn't have the courage to go through their stuff so you drank the water from the tap. As you stood up, you heard footsteps echoing through the apartment, and a light at the end of the corridor came on. You wiped the water from your chin just before you saw Moon and then Sun arrive in the kitchen, their facial discs turning immediately towards you who were still hidden in the kitchen gloom. Their expressions were worried and almost... Afraid ? Sun, whose rays had retracted a little into his facial disk, repositioned herself correctly.
"Are you all right, Kitten ?" Moon asked, stepping into the kitchen.
"Y-Yeah Yeah... Sorry if I awaked you up." You replied, turning your face away slightly.
"You didn't wake us Kitten. Besides, it's not like we really need to sleep." Sun declared. "What happened ?"
"It's... It's nothing. I just... I just had a nightmare."
You turned your head slightly embarrassed to reveal to them that even at your age you'd found a way to be scared of a simple nightmare. You crossed your arms over your chest, your cat ears lying back against your skull as your tail slid lightly between your legs. You saw the two animatronics exchange a glance, which made you want to disappear in shame. Surely they wouldn't laugh at you openly, but you knew they must find you ridiculous and childish. You heard Moon move closer before you saw his hand appear in your field of vision. You looked up at him, his reddened optics shining softly in the half-light, drawing reflections and creating new shadows.
"Are you all right ? Do you want to talk about it maybe ?"
You lowered your eyes to his hand, hesitating for a second, not sure if you wanted to talk about it or not. It was a horrible nightmare, one whose flashes came back to you from time to time and made you think you'd never be able to forget it. But you looked up at Moon again before finally reaching out to put your hand in his, his metal skin strangely warm against yours. Moon pulled you gently in his direction, forcing you out of the kitchen as he led you to the sofa in the living room, leaving the lights off so as not to strain your eyes. You settled down on the larger sofa, Moon taking your right as his hand stayed on yours. You heard Sun, who had entered the kitchen after you and Moon had left, stir. After a few seconds you saw him return with a cup to the living room.
"Milk with a little vanilla sugar to help relax your heart."
The smell of warm milk and vanilla filled your nostrils, the scent sweet and pleasant as the daytime animatronic handed you the cup after coming to settle on your left on the sofa. You retrieved the cup, Moon finally letting go of your hand to allow you to hold it with both hands, feeling the warmth of the liquid pick up through the ceramic and into your fingers. You raised the cup to your lips, hearing Sun tell you to be careful as it was still hot. You blew on the contents of the cup before taking a sip. It's true that the milk was hot, but not to the point of burning, and there was something very pleasant about the warmth. You closed your eyes, the two animatronics remaining silent beside you, giving you the time you needed while being there for when you needed it.
"It's stupid really..." You finally gasp. "It's just a nightmare. Being afraid of a nightmare... "
"Maybe it's just a nightmare, but it still managed to put you in that state, so it's not as stupid as that to be afraid of it, or to feel bad about it." Sun replies beside you.
"Do you really think so ?" You asked, looking towards Sun. "Have you ever been scared by a nightmare ?"
"Well... We're animatronics. We're incapable of having nightmares, well, we can't dream in general." Moon replied, shaking his face disc slightly with a small smile in your direction.
"Oh..." You sigh, lowering your eyes again. "I wish I'd been unable to have nightmares."
"It's not as pleasant as all that, you know." Sun replied, tilting his head back. "Not being able to dream certainly means not having bad dreams, but it also means not being able to dream good things."
"Sleeping just to say you're asleep isn't much fun." Moon added. "Sometimes we'd like to be able to imagine incredible, extraordinary things, so we can talk about them in the morning. Whether it's to laugh about it or to be reassured."
You raised the cup of hot milk to your lips, listening to their reasons. It was true that, despite the nightmares, it was sometimes pleasant to have dreams, giving you a reason to wake up in a good mood or to sleep at night in the hope of continuing that pleasant dream. You remained silent for a few seconds before raising your eyes to the two animatronics, looking at them in turn before saying :
"But if you're not able to dream, how can you understand and say it's okay to have a nightmare ?"
"Just because you don't understand something doesn't mean you shouldn't care. If it's affecting you, it means that for you this thing is important and we should pay attention to it." Sun replied with a smile.
You lowered your eyes to the contents of the mug, watching the liquid stir gently as you moved it. The animatronic's words had touched you in a way you hadn't expected, not only because of your nightmare but also because of who you were. They gave you hope that they might be able to understand and accept you if you ever confessed to them what an anomaly you were. You began to open your mouth, closing it again, hesitating, before finally telling them about your dream.
You described everything you'd seen in your dream, every detail even the most morbid, every thing you'd felt. With each detail you could feel the two animatronics drawing closer to you, their reassuring presence, while your distress returned a little as you set about describing the dream. Sun had withdrawn the cup from your hand, seeing them trembling, his own hands replacing the cup holding your hands, his long fingers almost completely engulfing your hand. Moon had lifted one of his hands and slipped his fingers into your hair, caressing the top of your head between your ears, it was pleasant.
As you spoke, you shifted your position, bringing your legs towards you, you began to relax, leaning a little more against Moon's shoulder, fingers playing absentmindedly with the pads of his hand, pinching them gently or letting your fingers press on them. You explained how guilty you felt about Botzaris' death, feeling your voice break slightly and your heart clench in your chest. You let a small sob leave your lips trying to lift one of your hands to wipe away your tears only to be stopped by Sun, as Moon came to collect your tears with his fingertips.
"You're not responsible for his death Kitten. The only person to blame is the one with his blood on their hands. Even if you'd been the only person there we'd be sure it wouldn't have been you. You're too nice for that." Moon sighed, resting his chin on the top of your head.
"How could you know ? You don't know me..." You sighed, unable to stop yourself before.
"Outch... It still hurts a little to hear you say that, after all we've known each other for several months and I think we know you more than you think. For example, your favorite color is the (f/c)." Sun says with a little pout before turning into a chuckle.
"We also know your favorite dishes, your favorite desserts... Apart from that, as a matter of habit you tend to like sitting up high. Just like a cat." Moon added with a chuckle that reverberated in his ribcage.
"When you're thinking deeply, you stare into space and jump easily in those moments. You love sweets. As for your character, you're emphatic." Continued the solar animatronic, as he leaned a little closer against you.
"You act like you only care about only yourself, but deep down you care about other people and try to help them in your own way, while still pretending not to." Says Moon, wrapping his arms lightly around your waist.
"Okey. Okey. Stop it it's okay, I get it. You know me a little. No need to list everything I do like this. It's embarrassing." You finally say, rolling your eyes.
The two animatronics let out a laught, their movement shaking you slightly. You moved, throwing your arms over Sun's shoulders, pushing your back against Moon's torso. You felt the two animatronics move too, shifting their long legs to make them more comfortable. You tilted your head to one side, seeing your reflection in the television in the dim light coming from outside. You hadn't understood how you'd come to cuddle like this, you lying between the two animatronics, turning towards Sun who had his hands wrapped around your chest and his face resting on your stomach. Moon was in closest contact with the couch, his facial disk resting against the top of your skull between your ears, his arms encircling your waist. Your legs were intertwined in ways you couldn't quite work out yourself, but all you knew was that your tail was lost in the shuffle and your fur wasn't pulled, so you didn't mind.
"Anyway..." Moon sighed, his breath caressing your ear. "It was a horrible nightmare. But luckily here's what it was just a nightmare."
"We know it's hard Kitten, accepting that Botzaris won't be coming back. And it always will be a little, even after months, years. But the pain will eventually change." Sun says, looking into your eyes.
"It will leave a scar forever, but it will remind you of how important he had been to you, it will help you never forget him." Moon concluded.
The silence that followed their declaration was disturbed only by the few sobs that left your lips. You let your hands close around Sun's clothes, feeling the two animatronics tighten their embrace around you, pulling you two gently closer as you once again felt yourself slipping into sadness. You closed your eyes, listening to the silence of the night and the sounds of mechanisms coming from the two animatronics. But this time you weren't alone, you didn't have to fight, Sun and Moon were there. Yes, they were there with you.
~❂✯☾~
You woke up once again confused and slightly disoriented, but not in the same way as last night. You didn't remember going back to the room the two animatronics lent you to sleep in, but you found yourself under the carefully installed blankets with the curtains drawn just enough so that the daylight wouldn't bother you if you decided to sleep any longer. You lay there for a few seconds, your eyes gazing up at the few phosphorescent stars still visible on the ceiling. The last thing you remembered was cuddling Sun and Moon on the sofa, crying, listening to them comfort you, then nothing. You'd probably fallen asleep and one or other of the Detectives had brought you back to the bedroom.
You rolled onto your stomach, stretching like a cat, before making your tail and ears disappear as you rose from the bed. You walked over to the curtains in the room and drew them. You blinked rapidly, at first blinded by the outside light. You blinked several times as your vision adjusted to the brightness before you could finally look outside. The sun was shining high in the sky, letting you know that the morning was already well advanced. The snow covering the ground and the surrounding buildings and objects reflected the light in all directions.
The floor where Moon and Sun's apartment was located must have been quite high up, as you had a pretty good view of the whole surrounding area, from the other buildings, the streets and the leafless trees here and there. You could see little dots moving through the snow more or less quickly, people braving or taking advantage of the new snow, perfectly protected by warm clothing. You could also see some children playing in groups in the snow in the sort of small park that was further away, the youngsters catching the snow to throw it at their friends and opponents for the game.
You stood there for a few minutes, contemplating the lives of the passers-by, trying to imagine where they were going and who they might be joining. Finally, you pushed yourself away from the window, your breath having left a trace of mist on the glass. You turned in the direction of the bedroom, deciding to take a closer look. In addition to the huge bed - you hadn't noticed before how huge it was, but now you did - there was a dark wooden desk on which pens and other useful equipment were neatly arranged, along with small pencil pots and other storage. The chair in the office looked horribly uncomfortable, almost like the one in the interrogation room at the police station. There was also a wardrobe, which was large and had a large mirror inlaid on one of its doors.
The room was almost the same size as your living room at home, and the ceiling was also higher than normal, but this was surely to accommodate the two animatronics and their tall statures. Having finished inspecting the room, you decided to return to the living room. As you entered the hallway, you noted the door directly opposite yours: if you were in Moon's room, it must have been Sun's. This thought made you wonder where you were. This thought made you wonder where Moon slept, since you'd taken over his room, and surely the bed in Sun's room was similar in size to Moon's, so even if it was wide enough for four of you to sleep on, you weren't sure it could accommodate two animatronics.
With this thought in the back of your mind, you made your way along the corridor, where there were a few frames containing newspaper articles about a case that had been solved. There were no names mentioned, but if these newspapers were there, it was surely because they had contributed to solving the case. There were also a few frames containing photos. It's the same kind of photo you took at the police station. You looked at the different photos, searching for Sun and Moon each time. It was strange, the two animatronics were more or less the same, but you could notice some differences. Sun, for example, had less rays around his facial disk on the photo than as you knew him, and Moon on one of them had both eyes with the same color sclera.
You continued along the corridor before finally entering the living room. You frowned as you realized you hadn't seen the photo you'd taken with the Glamrocks, Vanessa and the rest of the precinct. A noise in the kitchen drew your attention and you turned your head in Sun's direction. The animatronic was standing by the stove, busy cracking eggs into a frying pan and cooking them, the crackle and smell making your mouth water as you approached the kitchen. Sun then looked up in your direction, grinning as she said :
"Hello Kitten. How are you feeling ?"
"Let's just say I'm okay." You replied.
"Well, breakfast will be ready in a moment. If you want to watch TV or something while you wait don't hesitate make yourself at home."
You nodded, letting a small 'ok thanks' leave your lips. You then decided to continue your exploration, continuing with the living room. Like the rest of the apartment, everything seemed big to you : there was a huge TV, a coffee table you could use as a dining table, a few pieces of furniture here and there to decorate or hold vases in which were magnificent paper flowers. You had to get close to them to realize that the plants were made of paper, they were so well and carefully made that you had initially thought they were real. On one of the living room walls, between two cupboards, you saw new photo frames. Your curiosity was aroused, so you decided to take a closer look.
Two of the frames featured photos of Sun and Moon, newly graduated from the police academy, both with big smiles on their lips, they looked... Young in the photo. It was strange, but that's how you felt when you looked at them in this picture. Another photo was of their family, and you were surprised to see that their father was a human. They had already told you that their mother was an animatronic who had herself worked as a policewoman, and you had always assumed that their father was also an animatronic, but it seems you were wrong. Their father was a man in his forties, with long hair tied back in a ponytail, a slight beard a few days old, and a smile that reminded you very much of Sun's. Moon and Sun's mother were the two of them. Moon and Sun's mother resembled them physically, with a flat, round face and a sort of halo above her head. She was tall, like her two boys, and had a calmer smile, but just as affectionate as her husband.
As you continued to look at the different photos, your gaze finally came to rest on the one you hadn't seen with the others earlier, the one you'd taken at the police station. A small smile appeared on your face as you couldn't help wondering why it was here and not with the others. You looked at the photo again, each policeman putting a name to their face, trying to remember an exchange you'd had with them. The photo was almost exactly the same as the one you'd taken, but you couldn't help feeling that something wasn't quite so identical. You looked at each person in the photo again, comparing it mentally with the one you had. It wasn't until you looked back at Sun, Moon and yourself that you noticed a difference.
The two animatronics weren't looking at the photographer and indirectly straight ahead, they were looking in the direction of you in the photo. You tilted your head to one side, squinting a little more to be sure of what you were seeing, but it wasn't your mind that was making you imagine things. Sun and Moon were indeed looking at you, their smiles slightly different from the one on your copy of the snapshot. You could once again feel that soft warm sensation rising in the pit of your stomach, it was weaker than the times before your heart still heavy with grief but it was still a pleasant sensation.
"What attracted your curiosity ?"
You couldn't help but startle, and turned towards Sun who was standing next to you, to look at him with dilated pupils before finally making a pout in his direction, remembering how they'd told you that you were easily surprised when you were lost in thought or too concentrated. You heard Sun laugh softly as you turned back to the photos and said :
"Sorry. I shouldn't have looked."
"Don't be ! If we didn't want people to look at our photos we wouldn't have put them up in the living room."
You saw Sun raise his obsidian-colored eyes in the direction of the photos, the calm smile on his lips flickering slightly as his eyes focused on one photo in particular before you saw him blush slightly. The animatronic raised one of his hands, coughing slightly as if to clear his throat, before turning his facial disk, beckoning you with his hands to follow him.
"The... The breakfast is ready. We should eat it before it gets cold."
You hummed a reply, letting your eyes linger on their photos before finally following the daytime detective to the dining table where he had already placed two plates each containing two fried eggs and five slices of beacon. There were also glasses on the table, as well as milk and juice if you wanted them. As you approached the table and saw that there was only place setting for two, you asked :
"Isn't Moon here ?"
"Oh, no, Moon had to go to the police station. He should be back in the afternoon." Sun replied as you took a seat on one of the chairs.
You nodded, looking down at the food on your plate, feeling a new wave of sadness and guilt catch in your throat. Moon had surely gone back to the police station to continue the investigation you'd been working on for months now. It seemed so far away... unimportant. Why should you care about these people, they were dead, they weren't going to come just because you found the people who'd killed them. Besides, you were fighting an elusive, unstoppable man. Why were you so sure that Silvio was the culprit anyway ? It could even be that he had nothing to do with it...
And Sun... Sun was obliged to stay here to watch over you and prevent you from sinking back into your thoughts, your doubts, your guilt, your fears. And the fact that Sun was here, babysitting you when he could be with his brother, doing what they needed to do, what they wanted to do, only made you feel more guilty. You bit your tongue, swallowing your tears as you grabbed the fork that was next to you, trying desperately not to start crying again, hiding your feelings from Sun, not wanting to burden him with it.
You grabbed a piece of egg and brought it to your lips, the soft, warm texture against your tongue allowing you a few seconds of respite from your own mind. You concentrated on your meal, the food was delicious you knew, but you didn't have the heart to savor it fully, a touch of bitterness lingering in the back of your throat every time you swallowed. You hadn't eaten even a quarter of what Sun had put on your plate and you were already full, but you couldn't find the courage to stop yourself, you didn't want to seem ungrateful to those Sun had taken the time to do for you. You didn't want to spoile all the efforts they'd made to comfort you last night, and before.
"... ten. y/n." Sun's voice suddenly sighed, his hand coming to grasp yours, which was holding the fork.
You almost jumped, looking up at Sun who blinked rapidly before looking down at your hand. You followed his gaze, noticing that you'd tightened your fingers a little too much around the fork and that your finger wounds had started to bleed again, slightly staining the bandages. The poor piece of bacon beneath your fork was also suffering from your carelessness, the tines of your fork having pierced it on both sides. You released the utensil slightly, letting it fall back rather noisily against your plate before the silence settled heavy and stifling.
"I know I'm not as good a cook as Moon, but you could just tell me if my bacon wasn't to your taste. I admit myself they're a little overcooked..."
"No, Sun, it's not your cooking's fault..." you began to articulate before Sun stopped you.
"I know, I know. I was just pulling your leg. Maybe it wasn't the best thing to do." Sun let out a nervous laugh before looking up at you. "Something's wrong."
It was a statement, an invitation to talk about it, to confide in you. You turned your face away, feeling a tide of emotion rise and stir within you, feeling as if your mind were a mere ship lost in the storm that was your emotions, sailing aimlessly, having even given up hope of not sinking. And this despite the fact that headlights were shining in front of you to guide you, to help you. You heard the sound of a chair being pulled out, feeling Sun move, but you didn't dare look at him, not wanting him to see the tears filling your eyes.
You felt a hand, warm and broad, come to grip your chin, padded fingers grabbing your chin to force you to lift your face and look in Sun's direction. The animatronic Sun was kneeling beside you, one of his hands resting on the side of the chair while his facial disk was slightly towards you. The animatronic had a serious, calm expression, his eyes, two dark pools glistening with gentleness and affection scanning your face before stopping at your eyes. You bit your lower lip, closing your eyes as you thought he would resent you for continuing to lose yourself and mope, even though the evening before they had wasted their time comforting you.
You felt his other hand come up to rest against your cheek, his thumb gently moving up to brush your lower eyelid before picking up the tear that had started to bead in the corner of your eye, wiping it away very gently, as if you were made of glass and if he touched you a little too roughly he could break you. You opened your eyes again as you felt him repeat the operation with your other eye. Seeing you looking at him, Sun let a small smile appear on his lips as he said:
"You don't have to be afraid to cry in front of me. In front of us. You know that, Kitten."
"I... I shouldn't. You... You comforted me the other night and before that too..." You sighed, teeth clenched.
"Yes and ? We've only comforted you twice y/n. This... It's nothing, really. We're ready to comfort you ten times, a hundred times, as many times as you need as many times as you want. It's not a problem. All we want is for you to feel better."
"What if I never get better ? What if... what if I'm broken beyond repair ? What if I'm something that doesn't deserve to get better ?" You sighed in Sun's direction, your throat tightening as you couldn't help letting some of your hatred for your Shapeshifter nature creep into your voice.
"In that case... In that case we'll just have to stay by your side and make sure that if you're not well, everything around you is. That way your heart won't be so heavy, and even if you 'don't get better' you have a chance of continuing to be happy." Answered Sun his sunbeams around his facial disc waving from right to left before stopping when his eyes plunged into yours.
"You'd waste your time on me ? Even though you've got more important things to do ?" You murmured so faintly that you weren't sure Sun could hear you.
"It's not about wasting time, it's about taking time away for Kitten. Time doesn't matter here, you're far more valuable than seconds lined up one behind the other. All we care about is you."
You kept your eyes fixed on Sun, seeing the daytime detective give you a small smile as he reached out to grab your face, his thumbs once again wiping away the tears that had started to flow again. Was it really okay for you to monopolize their time ? Your heart drummed in your chest, your breathing faltering as you questioned yourself again. Did you deserve their time, their attention, did you deserve them at all ? Sun and Moon were important, they were important to the town, to its people... Could you really steal from them like that ? Could you really be so selfish as to divert them from their duty for your own comfort ?
You looked at Sun, still kneeling in front of you, his hands seemingly chasing away the cold that had crept under your skin, brushing against your skin in the most comforting and pleasant way. His eyes, black and shining like a starry night, always fixed on you, you could have drowned in his eyes. You'd never wanted to be the center of other people's attention, it was dangerous and frightening, a risk to yourself, to your secret, your true nature. You didn't deserve attention, you were better off forgotten, abandoned and alone... But them... Them. These two animatronics made you want so many things you'd promised yourself you wouldn't want, that you'd always told yourself you didn't deserve. They managed to make you feel deserving of other people's care, attention, time and... and love.
You lifted your hands, reaching out to touch Sun's facial disk, your bandaged fingers stopping just a few centimetres from his cheeks, a last trace of doubt and hesitation in your eyes before finally grabbing Sun's face. You touched him, you touched him and all was well. You were fine and he was fine. The animatronic leaned into your touch as you pulled him to you, your hands letting go of his face wrapping around his neck as you slid off the chair you'd been sitting on, coming to nestle your face against his shoulder, slightly muffling your sobs against his clothes.
Sun wrapped his arms around your torso, pulling you closer to him by pulling you onto his lap as he sat on the floor, his long legs crossed as he settled you into the little hollow formed between his bent legs. Once settled, one of his hands remained wrapped around your middle as the other came to rest against your hair, gently caressing it. The touch made you twitch gently as you instinctively adopted your half-form, your feline ears appearing on the top of your head as your tail curled around your leg. This was the form in which you felt most vulnerable, not physically speaking, but emotionally. You were half and half. Human and animal. It was in this form that you were the epinome of 'Fantastic'.
"There, there... It's all right, Kitten. I'm here." Sun sighed softly against you.
Sun's hand had stopped for a second after you changed before resuming his caresses, his fingers brushing the fur around your ears, his fingertips scratching your skin delicately as he continued to whisper comforting words to you. You began to clutch his clothes periodically, releasing them only to clutch them again, basking in the comfort and warmth of his presence as you gave free rein to your feelings.
You remained like this, sitting on the dining room floor for long minutes that turned into an hour before you finally disengaged yourself from Sun slowly, the animatronic letting you do so while helping you untangle yourself from his legs before you both stood up again. You rubbed your nose and eyes with the back of your hand, glancing discreetly in Sun's direction as he stretched, draping his arms over his facial disc before turning to face you. One of his hands rested on your shoulder, swiveling you towards him, his other hand resting against one of your cheeks to make sure he had your attention.
"I know it's hard and some times it'll be harder and some times a little less, but as many times as you break down, as many times as you need, we'll be there for you OK y/n ?"
You nodded gently, your ears following the movement of your skull slightly, his words this time anchoring themselves firmly in your mind and heart. You were still a ship lost in the storm, still tossed by waves and wind, but you hadn't sunk and the lighthouse in the distance still shone, to guide you back to the right path. As Sun turned, you reached out and caught his little finger, causing him to stop before turning slightly towards you, giving you an interrogated little smile.
"Thanks Sunny." You sighed, giving him a small smile, looking into his eyes.
"You don't have to thank me for that. It's... natural to do so."
"I still want to thank you." You reply, shaking your face.
"All right, then. I accept your thanks. But now... How about watching a movie ? Or a cartoon ? I'd love to watch the one with the mommy cat and her three kittens who get thrown out by his evil butler who wants to send them to Timbuktu." Sun said, tapping his chin with the index finger of the hand you weren't holding.
You let go of his hand, letting a chuckle leave your lips at his suggestion, then looked up at Sun, your tail wagging in mock annoyance as your ears twitched softly. Sun blinked before shrugging his shoulders innocently, as if he hadn't just suggested the film because you were half-cat. Sun told you to go and settle down in the armchair in the living room, and invited you to start looking for what you wanted to watch. You left the kitchen, letting Sun clear the plates as you went, as he'd asked, to settle into the sofa, making your feline attributes disappear.
You grabbed the remote control for their TV, which was far more technologically advanced than yours, and had to spend several minutes deciphering the writing on the remote and rummaging through the menus before you managed to do something productive and opened the application showing the films. You spent a few seconds searching, typing into the search bar the name of the movie Sun wanted to watch, deciding to give in to him this time but also because you didn't know what you wanted to watch.
It wasn't long before Sun joined you on the sofa, settling down next to you as you launched the film before handing him the remote control, preferring to let the animatronics manage their little technological jewel. The cartoon began to play and you found yourself strangely absorbed, forgetting your problems just for the duration of the film, returning to the days of your childhood and the little carefree days you'd had. You found yourself smiling at some of the scenes, enjoying the music and other childish songs being sung. But if you were invested in the film Sun was even more so, you could feel him shaking his face disc to the rhythm of the songs as his foot tapped in time to the beat, making you laugh slightly.
You'd glance in its direction from time to time, raising an eyebrow, and the animatronic would only respond with a smile, sometimes singing even louder. You watched the film, then another, then another without even realizing it. Sun got up between films to get something to nibble on, and came back with some salted popcorn and different little sweets, which you began to nibble on almost mechanically while watching the film. You even ended up with a soft drink in your hand at one point, probably brought to you by Sun, but you didn't even notice.
Continuing to chew popcorn, you rested your head against Sun's shoulder, one of your hands absent-mindedly playing with his paw pads, while your other hand fetched another handful of popcorn and brought it to your lips. You had moved closer to Sun during the films, the food placed between you being the main factor in your migration, but also because you had at one point wanted to feel his presence close to yours, a silent reminder that he was there. Sun didn't seem bothered by your touch, letting you lean back and play with your hand without flinching. He even wiggled his fingers a few times when you stopped crushing his paw pads, as if to ask you to continue.
Feeling Sun stir beside you, you let your eyes slide from the TV in front of you to the animatronics. The solar detective had picked up his phone at some point, exchanging messages with you don't know who exactly, but it was probably important. You saw him tapping away on his phone with one hand, giving a new answer to his correspondent as you turned your attention back to the film. You didn't have time to immerse yourself in it for very long, as Sun next to you addressed you.
"Hey Kitten. Moon said he had to go by your apartment. He offered to pick up a few things for you if you wanted."
"Oh... Hmm... Yeah, I'd like that. My phone, I think it might be in my room, but I can't remember exactly where I put it, sorry. Oh, and my toothbrush." You say, feeling slightly embarrassed to bring up the fact that you hadn't brushed your teeth.
"Okay, I'll tell him that. And do you want him to bring you back some clothes ? We don't mind lending you ours at all, but maybe you'd be more comfortable in your own clothes ?" Sun suggested, looking in your direction while typing on his electronic keyboard.
"Ah ! Yes... Yes, that too." You replied quickly, concentrating again on the popcorn packet.
Feeling even more embarrassed that you hadn't mentioned clothes, you lowered your eyes in the direction of the clothes you were wearing, which were Sun's and Moon's. You rather liked wearing their clothes, the pieces of fabric were wide and comfortable and it smelled a bit like them, pleasant and comforting. But it was true that you weren't going to be able to make a life in their clothes, even if you would have liked to. Sun then sent the message to Moon, concentrating again on the film.
"Good. What do you say I go and start cooking ? Moon should be back in a little under an hour and noon will be coming soon."
"I'm not really that hungry." You reply softly.
"That's understandable, but I'm still going to prepare something a little more substantial to eat than sweets."
You hummed a reply, detaching your hand from Sun's and moving away from him to make room for him to get up, which the animatronic did very slowly, almost as if reluctantly. Once Sun had left the sofa, you sat down in his place, taking advantage of the hollow he'd formed with his weight in the armchair and the warmth he'd accumulated there. You continued to watch the film that had been shown, but you weren't quite as invested, and you'd finished the popcorn. You paused the film, got up with the now empty bowl and headed for the kitchen.
Sun had put on an apron and was currently cutting up pieces of chicken cutlet. When he saw you enter the kitchen, he looked up at you, giving you a smile before concentrating again on his cutting. You approached the sink, placing the empty bowl inside. You looked at the bandages on your hands; you didn't want to get them wet, but you also didn't want to leave a simple bowl in the sink to give Sun more work. Your gaze then fell on a pair of pink plastic gloves lying not far from the sink. You turned to Sun and asked :
"Sunny, can I borrow these gloves to wash the dishes ?"
"Oh yeah sure. They're Moon's." Sun replied.
"Aren't you supposed to be waterproof ?"
"Yes, we are. But he doesn't like washing up without gloves, he thinks it's disgusting." Sun said, looking over his shoulder in your direction with an amused expression.
You let a small laugh leave your lips before finally grabbing the gloves to put them on and wash the bowl and the few other utensils in the sink. Sun tried to tell you that you didn't need to do it, but you'd already started, so he finally let you. You wiped up the utensils before asking Sun where to put them, which you did, following his instructions. By the time you'd finished, you weren't in the mood to continue watching the film, so you turned off the TV and returned to the kitchen where Sun was standing.
"Sun ? Can I borrow the bathroom to take a shower ?" you asked, almost embarrassed and hesitant.
"Kitten." Sun paused raising his eyes to you looking at you with an almost hurt expression. "We told you to make yourself at home. So you don't need to ask me about things like that."
You hummed again, before thanking Sun as you spun around and headed for the bathroom. You heard Sun give you the locations of some things you might need, which he'd probably put away since the day before. You arrived in the bathroom, closing the door behind you, and looked down at the T-shirt you were wearing. You'd found a way to get yourself wet by washing only a few played, and you'd also gotten the bandages wet, even with the gloves you'd worn to keep the bandages from getting wet. Letting out a sigh, you began by picking up a towel and then some clothes, placing them at your side before concentrating on your hands.
The bandages were so well made that you had trouble undoing them, and had to use your teeth to finally manage to remove them, placing the bandages in the little garbage can in the bathroom. You inspected your hands, looking at the many small cuts and bruises they contained. After only a day's care, the wounds were already looking better. You took off the clothes you were wearing, folding them as best you could before placing them in the dirty clothes basket and finally stepping into the shower. You played with the tap for several seconds before finding the right temperature.
You enjoyed the shower for long minutes, letting the water remove the perspiration and anguish from your skin. You left the shower after massaging your tired muscles with soap. Some of your wounds were covered by the water, so you were careful to wipe them off, not only to avoid hurting yourself, but also to avoid getting your blood on the towel. You grabbed the clothes you'd selected from all those lent to you by the two animatronics, this time a 'Nasa' T-shirt and shorts that you could use as leggings. You then left the bathroom, making sure it was as spotless as when you'd entered.
As you walked along the corridor, you heard two voices, Moon's letting you know that the nocturnal animatronic had already arrived. Stumbling into the living room, you saw Moon standing there, the animatronic having removed his jacket, placing it on the back of the armchair as he rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt. Moving closer, you saw that the first-aid box had already been placed open on the coffee table. You blinked, raising your eyes in the direction of Moon, whose scarlet pupils were fixed on you, and as he met your gaze he gave you a smile before saying :
"Good afternoon Kitten. How are you ?"
"I'm... better." You replied after a little hesitation. "And you Moony ?"
"I'm fine thanks for asking. Now, come over here so I can redo your bandages."
"You've only just arrived..." You sighed, obeying the animatronic all the same.
Moon laughed softly as he sat down on the coffee table, letting you take your place opposite him on the armchair. Once seated cross-legged, the animatronic picked up one of your hands with one of his own, beginning by examining your wounds and noting their evolution before disinfecting them one by one. Part of you wanted to ask Moon what he'd done at the police station, wanted to ask him if the investigation had progressed, if... If the police knew any more about what had happened with Mr. Botzaris. But you knew you weren't ready to hear that, not yet. You still needed time to put everything back in place, you wouldn't be able to do it perfectly but just enough not to collapse entirely again.
You watched Moon start to wrap your hands with your bandage as carefully as was possible. You could hear Sun in the kitchen stirring the contents of the pots, his voice calling out to you that lunch would soon be close. You could feel your heart beating gently in your chest, not because it had to, but because you wanted it to keep beating, because of them. You could only be grateful to them as they both gently helped you heal your wounds.