Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Nice Eclipse made a face as he wiped at a mark on his casing, unsure if it’s a scuff or just grime, the doors to the daycare opened with an absolutely mystified Moon walking through, commenting on them being automatic now. Nice Eclipse watched him look around before making eye contact. 

“How did you get this much done so quickly?” Moon asked him, still clearly in shock. 

“It’s not that impressive.” Nice Eclipse shrugged. Moon furrowed his brow at the nonchalant response.

“Are you serious? This is insane! And the gift shop is open for the first time in… I don’t even know how long– Too long. You’re actually insane,” Moon complimented and Nice Eclipse honestly had no idea how to react to the praise. He’s not used to that. Especially not from a Moon model.

“Oh- I also fixed up the theater, wanna take a look?” He asked and Moon nodded enthusiastically. Nice Eclipse led him out of the newly automatic doors to the daycare and walked over to the theater doors, only realizing when he turned around that Moon was not behind him. 

“Did you make these!?” Moon shouted from inside the giftshop. Nice Eclipse walked back into the giftshop and looked up at the statues Moon was gawking at. 

“Oh yeah, I carved them myself,” Nice Eclipse said. Moon shook off the perpetual shock to continue looking around the giftshop. 

“It looks so nice in here,” Moon continued to compliment. He continued looking around for a bit before he finally followed Nice Eclipse out to the theater. The work that had been done was just as impressive as the work completed in the daycare. 

“Genuinely, how did you do all this?” Moon asked, looking at Nice Eclipse.

“I told you, I’m a mechanic,” he responded like it was nothing. Moon looked at him with wide eyes.

“That does not cover buildings,” Moon said.

“I may have dabbled in carpentry.” Nice Eclipse shrugged. 

“And engineering–” Moon tacked on. “Is there anything you haven’t dabbled in?”

Nice Eclipse thought for a moment as he led Moon up the stairs of the theater. “Uh- sewing?” He responded, tone unsure. Moon snorted as he was led through the poster and into the room in the tower. The room itself was very plain and undecorated. 

“This one I didn’t really touch, your room is up to you to decorate if you want to,” Nice eclipse explained. Moon nodded, that made sense. “Oh– Also, before I forget to tell you, your AI was moved down to the security desk computers. Figured that would be easier,” Nice Eclipse said as he took Moon up the ladder to the balcony section of the tower. 

“I gotcha, I think Sun is busy playing Life with Foxy right now, but he is going to love this,” Moon said, looking out at the newly rebuilt daycare. He settled his gaze on Nice Eclipse after the comment. 

“Oh, before I forget, Ruin is somewhere in the ballpit,” Nice Eclipse said and Moon looked down at it in concern. 

“Why?”

“He wants to be a shark.”

“What?”

“I don’t know–” 

Moon stared down at the ballpit, trying to spot any kind of movement, but came up blank. He shook that off and redirected his attention to Nice Eclipse.

“Thank you for everything, Eclipse.”

Eclipse’s expression changed a bit as he sat down, Moon following his lead not long after. 

“I hate the name Eclipse,” Nice Eclipse commented.

“Fair,” Moon commented immediately.

“It just feels wrong, especially after everything he did to you. I think your life has been plagued by enough guys named Eclipse by now,” He joked. 

“So, what were you thinking?” Moon asked. Nice Eclipse looked hesitant, he didn’t want to look stupid. 

“I was thinking like… Solar? Or something? I don’t know,” He explained.

“As in Solar Eclipse?” Moon asked and Nice Eclipse made a face. 

“Just Solar,” he corrected. Moon let out a laugh.

“You and Lunar match now,” he pointed out with a teasing tone and Nice Eclipse rolled his eyes. 

“Did you want to change your outfit? Maybe your body?” Moon asked genuinely, causing Nice Eclipse to quickly shake his head. 

“We have way too much to worry about right now to prioritize a costume change.” He pointed out and Moon had to agree. 

“Once we get some down time, we can work something out,” Moon promised. A comfortable silence fell over the pair. 

“So, how did you come up with Solar?” Moon asked curiously.

“It just made sense I guess. Fit the family theme,” Nice Eclipse responded. 

“Can’t argue with that,” Moon agreed. Nice Eclipse stood up from where he was sitting.

“Well, I need to get on a charger now because my battery is way too low,” Nice Eclipse said. Moon stood and watched him begin walking away. 

“Alright, see you later, Solar.” Moon said and Solar waved him goodbye. Moon turned back around to look down at the ballbit below him, nearly jumping out of his casing when he heard something metal slam behind him. He whipped around and saw Solar on the ground. 

“Good job, idiot,” Moon muttered to himself playfully as he attempted to pick Solar up and put him on the charger himself. 

“Oh my f– Why are you so heavy!?” He shouted in surprise, struggling to drag Solar over to the charger in the room instead. He huffed when he finally got Solar plugged in and looked down at him, making sure he was fine before heading back out to the balcony.

- - - -

Solar looked down at the letter he wrote he was sitting out on the porch alone. The sounds of crickets and the stars in the sky were his only company. Solar held the note a little tighter before he started reading it out loud. 

“Moon, you were the first person to call me Solar. You were the first person I felt comfortable enough with in general to talk about any of that actually. When I first arrived in this dimension, I was kind of a mess. You really helped me open up and be myself. I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me. You helped shape a lot of who I am today.” Solar read and hesitated before folding the note and put it away before he reached the end. He didn’t know if he could finish reading it right now and decided to go off script instead. 

“Goodbye’s are hard and I’m so bad at them, but sometimes you just need to let go. This process isn’t going to be easy, so for now I’ll leave you with a ‘see you later’. I’m just not ready for you to be gone yet,” Solar said. The note felt heavy in his pocket. He looked into the sky at the stars before the door behind him opened. He turned to look at Moon who stepped out of the house and sat next to Solar. 

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Moon asked. Solar smiled at Moon softly. 

“I don’t know,” Solar answered honestly. 

“That’s understandable. Do you want to talk about anything?” Moon offered. 

“Just, tell me about your day,” Solar requested. Moon looked at him for a second before he started talking to Solar about a project he’s been working on. 

Solar closed his eyes and listened to Moon talk. Listening to people ramble was always Solar’s favorite way of clearing his head. He focused on Moon’s words and leaned his head on Moon’s shoulder, causing the other to stop talking for a moment before resuming as if nothing had changed. After maybe twenty minutes of Moon filling the silence, the door opened again and Sun smiled at the two of them. 

“Hey– Uh, Jack is kind of running around the house and refusing to lay down for bed and I just got Dazzle to sleep. I don’t want her waking up. Are you able to help with that, Solar?” Sun asked nervously. Solar stood up quickly. 

“Of course. He’s been such a ball of energy since Dazzle got back,” Solar commented. 

“He’s been a bit of a handful, but I can’t stay mad at him because he really does mean well,” Sun explained and Solar chuckled. 

“I understand. I’ll get him down for bed, don’t worry about it,” Solar said. Sun stepped aside so that Solar could get inside the house. Moon stood up from the porch steps and looked at Sun, who was still standing outside.

“So,” Sun started. “You and Solar have been getting closer,” He pointed out. Moon looked at Sun suspiciously. He didn’t know where this was going. 

“Yeah?” Was all Moon said in response. 

“Any reason for that?” Sun asked, still beating around the bush. Moon was no less suspicious of what point Sun was trying to get to. 

“Because Solar’s a good friend and he talked me down from my bullshit when I needed him to. Where are you trying to go with this?” Moon asked, trying to get Sun to cut to the chase. 

“I’m just saying that you two are getting close, that’s all,” Sun said. His tone was still playful. Moon figured he’d jump the shark a bit and just say what he thinks Sun is trying to say. 

“Sun, I am aroace and you know it,” Moon stated.

“I mean, you never seemed to be repulsed by the idea of those kinds of relationships, plus there are more options for relationships that are somewhere between friendship and romance. It’s not one or the other,” Sun informed. Moon waved him off. 

“Drop it, Sun. He’s my friend. That’s all it is,” Moon said and Sun put his hands up in mock defeat. 

“Alright, alright. Just know I can read you like a book,” Sun said in a sing-song voice as he went back inside. Moon just stared at the door where Sun was standing, trying to process the audacity. He was glad Sun was back to his usual ‘annoying brother’ self. 

Moon went inside after a moment and made eye contact with Solar as he was walking to his room. Solar shot Moon a tired smile and waved at him. Moon waved back as Solar closed his door. 

Moon got to his own room and laid down on his bed, staring at the ceiling above him. His thoughts kept going back to the conversation he had with Sun. Sure his feelings for Solar felt different than his feelings for other people in the friend category, but they were definitely not romantic. He had no interest in any of that hallmark stuff. He felt comfortable with Solar though. He did enjoy the forms of physical touch that they shared, but he has no interest in it going further than what they’re already at. Occasional hugs, leaning on each other, and very mild hand holding doesn’t sound like a romantic relationship. Moon is 99.9% sure these aren’t romantic feelings… Well, more like a solid 76.4% sure, but still. Maybe he should look into those other labels Sun mentioned.

Why are emotions so difficult to figure out?

Chapter Text

“I have an announcement to make,” Earth said, getting the attention of everyone around her. “I am very excited that this is going to be our first Christmas together!”

“It’s going to be my second Christmas ever,” Lunar pointed out and Earth looked at him with a wide smile.

“That’s all the more reason to make this one special!” She cheered. Solar can’t lie, Earth’s smile is pretty contagious. 

“Well, we don’t really have anything planned to make it special,” Moon pointed out. He didn’t want to burst her bubble, but Christmas Eve was pretty late to decide on making a big show of celebrating it. 

“Well, we could always just do a gift exchange?” Solar suggested, walking up to stand by Moon. He wants to make this a good Christmas for her, even if they can’t do anything too special. 

“But we don’t have gifts?” Sun chimed in. Moon made a face at him. 

“I have gifts for everyone,” Moon said and Earth nodded.

“Me too,” Earth grinned while Sun looked more and more panicked.

“You all have gifts for everyone…?” Sun asked, his tone on edge. He looked around and everyone seemed to be in agreement that they did, in fact, have Christmas gifts already purchased. Sun’s rays shrank as he started pacing the floor. “Okay cool– great, I am going to be right back!” Sun shouted and sprinted out of the daycare before anyone could stop him. 

“I feel bad…” Earth said with a frown as she watched Sun run off. “He’s panicking.”

“When is he not panicking?” Moon said with a snort. Solar hit him on the back of the head playfully. 

“What? I'm not being mean, I’m telling the truth,” Moon justified, but Solar rolled his eyes. 

“I didn’t want him to panic, I just thought Christmas together would be fun…” Earth said and played with her hair nervously. 

“Earth, you’re fine. You know how Sun is. Honestly, him worrying about something that’s not life threatening is a breath of fresh air,” Solar admitted. Moon agreed while Lunar was distracted trying to hop onto the security desk to be level with everyone. 

“Why don’t we start family traditions this year and we can continue them next year?” Moon suggested and Earth lit up again. 

“That’s a great idea!” Earth agreed wholeheartedly. 

“We could open up one present on Christmas Eve? Some families do that,” Moon suggested and Solar chuckled. 

“Yeah, divorced families,” Solar joked and Moon elbowed him lightly.

“Well I think it would be fun to decorate gingerbread houses!” Earth said, stopping Solar and Moon from starting to play fight.

“Oooo, I like the idea of gingerbread houses!” Lunar said, swinging his legs from where he was successfully sat on the counter. 

Sun burst back into the daycare panting, nearly making Lunar fall. 

“There is no way you already got gifts,” Moon said in disbelief.

“Went to– Kmart- got– Xbox-” Sun said through pants. Moon raised a brow.

“Sun, are you okay? Do you need an inhaler?” Moon asked in a joking tone and Sun shot him a glare. 

“I don’t even breathe!” He protested. 

“And yet you’re out of breath,” Moon pointed out with an unamused expression.

“This is hilarious.” Solar said with a deadpan tone. Sun caught his breath eventually and finally could get out what he’s been trying to say. He pointed at Moon.

“You have Psychonauts for the Xbox now,” Sun said proudly. Moon looked amused. 

“You just told me the gift? Sun, it’s not Christmas,” Moon said and Sun looked ready to drop.

“No! Now I have to return it!” Sun raved and started walking toward the daycare doors. Moon followed after him. 

“No- Sun you’re fine! We were going over traditions and presents the day before was one we were talking about! You’re fine!” Moon tried to reassure but nothing seemed to get through to Sun. “Okay, if you are still insistent on getting something else, just use the computer and order it off Amazon or something. They have same day delivery.”

Sun looked at Moon with wide eyes before he raced to the computer. 

“Sun’s going to run himself into the ground,” Solar said, shaking his head while Moon rejoined the rest of the group. 

“What? I told him the present was fine! I don’t know why he’s doing all this. Sun’s typing was frantic before he quickly shot up from the seat, letting the chair quickly roll back behind him. 

“Done!” Sun announced proudly. Lunar leaned back to look at Sun from where he was sat on the security desk. 

“So what did you ge-” Lunar began, but was quickly cut off by a less than happy Sun.

“Shut!”

- - - -

Solar was sat out on the porch again holding the same note from a few days ago. 

“You loved this family so much and you would have done anything for them. You accepted me into your family so quickly. You showed me just as much love and care as you did everyone else. That level of care and respect meant everything to me. You helped keep this family together for so long. You did everything you could to keep everyone happy and make everything as close to perfect as you possibly could… You were just as harsh on yourself at the thought of becoming perfect too… You aspired to be the perfect Moon and everything you did embodied that. You wanted so badly to be exactly what the family needed, that you overlooked the fact that we already wanted you…” Solar trailed off and sighed. Closing the note again. 

“Fuck,” Solar laughed bitterly. “I still can’t do it.” Solar leaned against the bannister. Sun peeked out the door. 

“Hey Solar?” Sun said and Solar looked back at him. 

“What’s up?” Solar asked as Sun walked outside and sat next to Solar.

“Well, I just wanted to check on you, I noticed you’ve been coming outside a lot more than usual,” Sun said and Solar looked down at the note he had in his hands. The only person who knew what he was doing was Moon. Not because he’s hiding it or anything, Moon is just the only person who asked about it so far. 

“Yeah, I’ve been working through some stuff,” Solar said. Sun eyed the note and looked back up at Solar.

“And what would that be?” Sun asked, his tone was playful. Solar didn’t want to bring up Nexus and ruin Sun’s upbeat attitude, but he’d also rather not lie to him. 

“It’s about Nexus,” Solar responded, not missing the way Sun flinched at the name. “I’m just… trying to let him go.”

“Oh,” Was all Sun said in response as he made himself smaller next to Solar. Solar let out a sigh and wrapped an arm around Sun’s shoulders. 

“Hey, it’s not your fault. There wasn’t any of Moon left in him when he died. You did what you had to to protect your family. I promise you, I would have done the same.” Solar reassured. Sun leaned into him wordlessly. 

“Do you want to talk about it, Sun? It might make you feel better,” Solar suggested. Sun opened and closed his mouth a few times. 

“I just wish there was something I could have done. I didn’t want to kill him,” Sun said quietly. 

“I don’t think you could have done anything, Sun. He was being controlled by the star power and by Dark Sun. That was a mercy kill if anything. The Moon he used to be was already dead,” Solar responded. 

“I miss him,” Sun’s voice was so small. 

“I do too,” Solar agreed, looking up at the stars again, searching the sky for something, but he doesn’t know what. They watched a portal open in front of them and Moon stepped out looking tired, pausing when he saw Solar and Sun. 

“Is this the new hangout spot or what?” Moon joked. Solar rolled his eyes while Sun patted the spot next to him for Moon to join, but Moon quickly shook his head at the offer. 

“Sun, it’s freezing out here. I would love to hang out with you both inside of the house,” Moon said and Solar stood up.

“Sounds good to me,” Solar said, shoving the paper in his hand into his pocket. Moon looked at the letter and back at Solar, immediately connecting the dots on why he was outside. Sun followed suit and the three went inside. Sun took a seat on the couch as Moon made a beeline for the thermostat. 

“It’s cold in here too! What is wrong with you guys?” Moon asked as he turned the temperature up. Solar laughed at Moon as he took a seat on the couch with Sun. Moon flipped him off as he went to sit in the recliner. 

“Wait, you can sit with us on the couch,” Sun offered and moved over to let Moon have the spot in between himself and Solar. Moon raised a brow, suspicious of the offer. 

“Alright,” Moon accepted hesitantly and sat down next to Sun and Solar. Sun capped his hands together and grabbed the tv remote. 

“Should we keep our House marathon going?” He asked with a grin. 

“I’d be down for that,” Solar said and stretched.  Sun clicked into the episode they left off on and got up. 

“I’ll go grab us some blankets and pillows,” Sun offered and immediately went to grab pillows and blankets from the linen closet. He came back with one big blanket and threw it over Solar and a very cold looking Moon. Sun gave Solar a pillow which Solar stuck behind himself and readjusted. Sun then sat down on the recliner, leaving the couch to just Solar and Moon and gave Moon a look that made his eye twitch. So this is what we’re doing. For the sake of his sanity, Moon ignored Sun and watched the show. 

After an hour of quiet talking and watching the show, Moon felt Solar’s head on his shoulder. Fuck. Solar was out like a light and Sun had the most mischievous glint in his eye at the sight. 

“You and I both know you did this on purpose,” Moon muttered to Sun, not wanting to wake Solar up. 

“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. You have no proof,” Sun teased. Moon was now in checkmate it seemed. He couldn’t move and wake Solar up, and he also couldn’t yell at Sun for the same reason. There was nothing he could do to protest. Moon just let out a small huff. 

“I will get you back for this later,” Moon promised, and Sun let out a small laugh.

“Yeah, you probably will, but this is worth it,” Sun said. There was a small click that came from him afterward that made Moon freeze up. 

“You did not just take a picture–” He said in disbelief, causing Sun’s grin to widen. 

“Anyway, it’s getting late, goodnight you two,” Sun said as he stood up and walked away. Moon was helpless to stop this, of course, and stayed put. He muttered a string of obscenities and just got comfortable where he was, falling asleep not too long after. 

- - - -

Solar was the first to wake up of the two. He took a minute to process his surroundings before noticing the fact he was sleeping on Moon. Fuck. Solar’s fans began whirring harder when he realized Moon had his arm around him. How is he going to get out of this without it getting awkward? Solar let out a steady breath as he moved Moon’s arm off of him, missing the contact immediately, but ignoring the feeling in favor of not needing to endure whatever horrifically embarrassing interaction that would take place because of it. He slid away from Moon’s side and felt relieved that the other didn’t stir. He must have been pretty out of it. Solar grit his teeth at the dull ache in his body. Another one of those days. Fun. 

Solar ignored the pain and walked to the kitchen, starting up the coffee maker and taking a seat at the dining room table. Maybe if he doesn’t bring up whatever he woke up to, Moon won’t either and they could both just move on and be better as people. That sounds good. Solar heard footsteps coming down the stairs and made eye contact with a very smug looking Sun. 

“Did you sleep well, Solar?” Sun asked as Solar looked him up and down suspiciously. 

“I slept fine, why?” Solar asked. Sun let out a little giggle as he waved Solar off. 

“No reason.”

“Okay– I’m making coffee right now if you want some,” Solar offered, changing the subject as quickly as he could. Sun leaned over the chair next to Solar’s. 

“I’m good, but thanks for the offer,” Sun said. Solar gave him one more suspicious look before getting up to pour himself a cup of coffee in his favorite mug. It was then that Moon walked into the kitchen. 

“Morning Moon,” Solar greeted quickly. “Coffee?”

Moon looked back at Solar, then glanced over at Sun, who’s smile never seemed to falter. 

“Uh– Sure,” Moon said. Solar wasted no time grabbing him a mug and pouring him a cup. 

“How do you like your coffee?” Solar asked. 

“Black is fine,” Moon responded nonchalantly, side eyeing Sun who wanted to call bull. Solar handed Moon the mug and sat back down. 

“God, the temperature changing has got me all kinds of messed up,” Solar commented to break the tense beat of silence. Moon looked at him confused. 

“Are you getting sick? We can’t exactly get sick like that,” Moon commented. Solar blinked at him.

“I– No, my chronic pain. Temperature changes make it flare up,” Solar corrected and Moon nearly spat out his bitter drink. 

“Your what?!” Moon asked. Solar blinked at Moon slowly. 

“Did you not know?” Solar asked. 

“No, I didn’t,” Moon said dumbly. “How long?”

“Forever? I don’t know how you didn’t know, I don’t exactly hide it,” Solar explained with a surprised tone. Moon sat quietly in thought for a while. 

“This would have been good information to have, shit,” Moon muttered, suddenly feeling like the world’s biggest prick. 

“I mean, it doesn’t really change that much, does it?” Solar had a certain nervous edge to his voice that made Moon’s heart sink a little. 

“No– Well, yes. I just… If I knew that you had chronic pain I wouldn’t have given you so much shit to do all the time,” Moon explained. Solar rolled his eyes. 

“It’s not like I’m incapable of doing things. It doesn’t usually get so bad I can’t get out of bed or anything. I can live with it,” Solar explained.

“ Usually? What– Have there been days where you’ve been stuck in bed?” Moon asked with wide eyes. Solar was looking very uncomfortable to be put on the spot like this. He looked to Sun for help.

“Alright, how about we move on to another conversation?” Sun introjected. Moon looked at Sun then back at Solar, finally picking up on just how uncomfortable Solar has been. 

“Shit, yeah- I’m sorry,” Moon apologized and tried to keep a straight face as he sipped on his coffee. It’s too bitter. Gross.

“So how about we talk about last night?” Sun suggested, causing Moon to choke on his coffee. 

“Shut it,” Moon demanded through gritted teeth while Sun laughed. Solar’s fans began to speed up as he focused on his coffee, not wanting to take part in any of this conversation. 

“Oh, come on,” Sun continued to taunt, “You were both so cute all snuggled up against each other!” Sun clasped his hands together and bat his eyelashes. Moon stared back at him with an unamused expression while Solar refused to make eye contact with anyone. 

“Sun would you quit–” Moon began but was cut off by Solar hitting his hands against the table and standing up. 

“Well would you look at the time, I have to go work on something. Bye,” Solar said quickly, leaving without grabbing his coffee. Moon shot Sun a glare.

“Sun. Are you being serious right now?” Moon asked with a scowl. 

“What? I’m helping because you don’t know how to talk about your feelings,” Sun responded. 

“You made him uncomfortable, Sun. He clearly doesn’t feel the same,” Moon said with a huff. Sun stared at him with a blank expression before slamming his hands on the table and leaning over Moon. 

“Wait! ‘Feel the same’? You do like him!” Sun exclaimed, causing Moon to shush him. 

“It doesn’t matter how I feel Sun, this is my business. You don’t have the right to play matchmaker for me,” Moon said, leaving no room for argument. 

“But you do like him,” Sun pointed out. 

“Shut,” Moon threatened before he let out a sigh. “I don’t know. I’ve been trying to put a label on it. I feel different about him than I do other people but I don’t want to make out with him or anything. I like the physical touch and stuff though. It’s weird. This is so stupid,” Moon scoffed and buried his head in his hands. 

“Well, you should talk to him about it,” Sun said. Moon looked up at him with a furrowed brow. 

“Are you serious? After that conversation I’ll be lucky if he makes eye contact with me ever again. I get what you’re trying to do, Sun, but I would appreciate it if you let me go at my own pace,” Moon said and Sun’s face dropped a bit. 

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I just got excited for you I guess,” Sun admitted and nervously fiddled with the bell on his wrist. 

“I know you had good intentions; I'm just still figuring this out. I don’t need to rush into anything.” Moon stood up and grabbed his cup of barely touched coffee. 

“I am happy that you’re working through it. If you need me to help with anything, I’m here,” Sun offered. Moon smiled at him. 

“I know. Thank you.”

Chapter Text

Moon’s breath hitched as he closed the door, finally allowing himself to break down. His back fell against the wall of parts and service before he sank to the ground and sobbed. Solar stood frozen several feet away. Moon hadn’t noticed that he was in there in the first place and he didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t leave Moon to deal with this on his own, but he didn’t know if trying to comfort him would make everything worse.

After a minute, Solar walked up to Moon’s hysteric form and crouched down to be at his level. 

“Moon?” Solar said softly. Moon jumped and stared at Solar. 

“Shit– How long were you here?” Moon asked while frantically wiping his tears. Solar reached out and grabbed Moon’s hands, gently moving them down away from his face. 

“Hey, it’s okay to cry. Just let it out. I’m right here, Moon,” Solar comforted. Moon stared at him for a beat before leaning forward into him. Solar took Moon into his arms without a second thought and got comfortable on the floor. 

“Talk to me, what happened?” Solar asked. Moon didn’t respond for a long while. 

“Nothing big happened really,” Moon shuttered out. “It was just… small stuff. It doesn’t matter.” 

“I don’t care how small it seems, it matters if it’s affecting you like this. Tell me about it. Start anywhere.” Solar offered again. Moon weighed his options.

“No matter how hard I try, I won’t be good enough. I’m not what this family needs,” Moon croaked out, his voice small. 

“What do you mean? Of course you’re good enough. You do so much,” Solar tried to reassure him, but Moon wasn’t buying it. 

“It doesn’t matter how much I do when he probably would have done more.” Moon started scratching at his casing while he spoke. Solar gently pried Moon’s hands away from himself and began gently massaging at his palms.

“Moon, you don’t need to be anything but yourself. You are your own person.”

“But Sun–”

“Fuck him. Listen, I love Sun. He means a lot to me and he’s been through a lot, but don’t think for a second that justifies taking any of his baggage out on you. You don’t deserve that. You are a good person, Moon. You shouldn’t have to change that.” Solar said. Moon contemplated those words. 

“I don’t want anyone to hate me,” Moon whispered. Solar squeezed Moon’s hand a little tighter. 

“Moon, I know how you feel. But I promise you, conditional love is not worth it. If someone really loves you, they won’t leave you over something like that. I would never leave you over something like that,” Solar reassured. Moon leaned into Solar wordlessly.

They stayed like that for a while. Solar wrapped around Moon who was finally able to calm down and just enjoy the other’s company. It didn’t matter how grimy that parts and service floor was or how many problems they’ve yet to solve, they had each other. 

- - - -

Solar sat on the porch steps with a familiar note in his hand. 

“You did so much for this family. It baffles me that, until the bitter end, you didn’t think you were good enough or that we wouldn’t love you. We did love you, Moon. I will always love you. You are always going to be my best friend and every stupid little thing is going to remind me of you. I would do anything to be able to actually say this all to you. I hope you’re doing well wherever you are. I don’t remember anything from when I died so I don’t know if there is anything after. But if there is, I hope you’re happy. I hope you find peace in a way we could never have given you…” Solar clenched his fist and hesitated. He reread the last sentence over and over again before setting the note aside.

“Maybe it was just always going to end like this,” Solar laughed bitterly. “Isn’t that thought shitty? That maybe you were just always meant to turn out like that. I was always meant to fail you,” Solar thought out loud to himself. 

Solar looked back over at the note and contemplated what to do. There is nothing he can do. His best friend is dead and no matter how he copes or reacts to it, nothing is bringing him back. Solar picked the note back up, folded it, and put it back in his pocket. He huffed before using the railing to pull himself up. It’s cold out here. 

Solar walked back in the house with a lot less energy than he’d walked out with. If he looked as exhausted as he felt, he would probably be mistaken for a robot zombie. 

Solar was surprised by Jack suddenly running into the room with Moon chasing after him. 

“Jack put that down!” Moon called out as Jack ran past Solar, who was able to make out a red marker in his son’s hand. Solar opened his mouth to tell Jack to stop, but was cut off by Moon running directly into him. Solar let out a surprised yelp that was easily drowned out by the sound of clanging metal as both himself and Moon were knocked onto the floor. Solar blinked several times and looked up at Moon who was overtop of him. They looked at eachother with wide eyes for a moment before Moon flung himself off of Solar like he’d been burned, quickly offering a hand to help Solar up. 

“Shit, I’m sorry,” Moon apologized immediately as Solar got to his feet. “I wasn’t paying attention.” 

Solar waved Moon off, “You’re fine, I know how Jack ca–” Solar cut himself off and started looking for Jack. He was being chased for a reason. Moon seemed to follow Solar’s train of thought exactly as he began racing off to where he saw Jack running last. Solar followed behind him. 

The good news is that it was quite easy to see where Jack had gone. The bad news is that he left a trail of red marker along the wall. 

“Sun is going to kill us,” Moon groaned as they followed the trail as fast as they could. 

“It’s fine, I can clean it off before he gets home,” Solar said, nearly running into Moon as he suddenly stopped. 

“Jack, give me the marker,” Moon demanded, watching as Jack scribbled on the walls of Sun’s bedroom. 

“But I am helping! Sun said this house wasn’t colorful enough. I am adding color!” Jack justifies. 

“No bud, that’s not what he meant. He wants new paint on the wall, not markers,” Moon explained, talking to Jack with a softer tone than usual. Jack stood trying to process what was being said. 

“So if I get Dazzle’s paint–” Jack began, but was cut off by Solar quickly.

“Nope, we need special paint for the walls, Jack,” Solar said. 

“I see. Where do we get special paint?” Jack asked, putting the cap on his marker. 

“We’d need to run to the store for that, but we can’t go right now. We need to go with Sun to see what colors he wants the house to be,” Solar explained as Jack handed him the marker.

“Oh, will Sun like the marker on the wall before we get them painted?” Jack asked, looking up at Solar and Moon. 

“He will not. He doesn’t like messes and this is a big mess,” Moon said. Jack had a distressed expression at Moon’s words. 

“I don’t want to make him sad! Then Dazzle will go away again,” Jack said, suddenly panicking. Moon and Solar looked at eachother with equally saddened expressions.

“Oh, no Jack, Dazzle isn’t going to go away like that because of this. It’s okay,” Solar reassured, wrapping his son into a tight hug. Jack hugged back immediately. 

“Promise?” Jack asked, voice muffled by Solar’s chest. 

“I promise,” Solar said, “even though Dazzle isn’t going to go away, we still don’t want Sun to be upset, right?” 

Jack shook his head. “Of course not.”

“So then let's clean up the marker and you can help us paint the walls for Sun another day,” Solar suggested and Jack looked a lot more invigorated. 

“Yes!” Jack said excitedly. 

“So let’s go get sponges for cleaning and soap,” Solar said and Jack took off to get the requested supplies. Moon caught himself staring at Solar during the exchange. He felt himself heating up at the realization. 

“He’s a good kid,” Moon commented as they began walking down to the kitchen.

“He is. Sometimes I’m worried about him though. He’s a kid and he acts like a kid but sometimes I worry that he isn’t developing right if he can at all. I feel like I’m not teaching him the right things,” Solar confessed. Moon put his hand on Solar’s shoulder. 

“You’re doing great, Solar. There’s a lot that we don't know about how animatronic kids develop, but we’ll figure it out. I’m here for you. So is the rest of the family. If you ask me, I think you’re the best person for the job. You’re such a great person, Solar. If Jack grows up to be like you, which he already is, he’s going to be just fine,” Moon reassured. Solar looked at Moon with a small smile. 

“Thank you, for everything,” Solar said as they made it to the kitchen, watching Jack lather soap on the walls and try to scrub the mess away without adding water to the sponge. 

Moon snorted as Solar walked over and gently explained how to clean the mess properly. Moon watched the pair for a moment, feeling his systems heating up again. Moon’s fans kicked on louder to cool him down as he began helping clean the mess off the walls. 

They were able to get everything clean before Sun and Dazzle came home from their daddy-daughter date. The three of them had taken a break to sit on the couch and watch a cartoon with Jack. Moon sank into the recliner, not able to stop his attention from drifting back to Solar, whose attention in turn was on his son. Solar was listening to Jack talk about something that Moon wasn’t entirely listening to. He didn’t expect to be as captivated by Solar’s paternal side as much as he was. He may have been made to work in a daycare, but Moon has never really cared for kids much at all. Something about Solar makes him think that maybe taking care of kids isn’t so bad. Moon was pulled out of his domestic daydream by Solar meeting his eye and giving him a wave. Moon quickly looked away, not seeing the endeared look that snuck onto Solar’s face as he shook his head. 

Sun entered the front door looking absolutely exhausted, several bags in hand and a tired smile on his face. Dazzle, in contrast, was a ball of energy. She had a new stuffed animal in one hand and a Happy Meal in the other. 

“Welcome home,” Solar greets as Jack springs up from his seat to meet Dazzle by the door. Sun was about to respond, but paused as he caught the smell of cleaning products. He looked at Moon and Solar suspiciously.

“What did you two do while I was gone?” Sun asked with a raised brow. 

“Our best,” Moon easily responded while Solar rolled his eyes. 

“Jack wanted to help color the walls because he heard us talking about painting. The marker is washed off the walls now, don’t worry. If there is a spot I missed, just let me know,” Solar explained. Sun’s expression softened. 

“Aww, that’s so sweet of him,” Sun gushed, turning to thank Jack, but he and Dazzle had run off somewhere already. Solar chuckled and patted the empty spot next to him on the couch. 

“Sit down Sun, you look ready to drop,” Solar suggested. Sun sat down without another thought and huffed. 

“Fun day?” Moon asked, leaning forward and pausing the kid’s cartoon playing.

“Absolutely! I love being able to take her out and spoil her. She deserves everything,” Sun said with an exasperated smile.

“She really does,” Moon agreed. 

“Do you want to put something on to relax?” Solar offered. Sun debated it for a moment before he shook his head. 

“Honestly, I just want to lay down. Would you be okay with putting the kids to bed Solar?” Sun asked. Solar gave him a thumbs up. Sun stood back up and disappeared up the stairs. Moon watched as he went, remote still in hand. He made eye contact with Solar, holding the remote up as a silent question. 

“Yeah sure. Earth was telling me about this one movie that sounded kinda cool if you want to put that on,” Solar said and leaned back on the couch cushion, trying to get comfortable. Moon swiftly tossed Solar one of the decorative pillows off the recliner. Solar took it and smiled at Moon, putting the pillow behind his back and adjusting his posture. 

“What’s it called?” Moon asked. 

“It was The Count of… Uhh,” Solar started and trailed off trying to remember.

“Monte Cristo?” Moon finished. Solar pointed at Moon excitedly.

“Yes! That’s the one. Have you seen it?” Solar asked.

“Nah, Earth was telling me about it too,” Moon said and began searching for the movie. Sifting through the options on screen. 

“It’s three hours long,” Solar pointed out when they’d finally found it. Moon shrugged in response. 

“I’ve got time,” he said casually.

“Sounds good to me then,” Solar said before standing up. “I’m going to turn off the lights and make some popcorn.”

“I’ll help,” Moon offered, setting the remote aside, still hovering over their movie of choice. Solar turned off the overhead and walked into the kitchen, Moon trailing behind him. They made a big bowl of popcorn and grabbed snacks. Solar set it down on the coffee table in front of the couch and sat back down while Moon sat back on the recliner, picking the remote back up and pressing play on the movie. 

“Moon, come sit on the couch so it’s easier to share the popcorn,” Solar suggested. Moon felt a rush of nervousness fill his body at the offer. A late night on the couch led to an awkward morning after. Moon’s internal debate did not go unnoticed by Solar who raised a brow in response. 

“No thanks, I don’t even really want popcorn,” Moon finally replied, missing the clear disappointment on Solar’s face. 

“More for me then,” Solar said as nonchalantly as he could. They both let the conversation die as they focused on the movie as best they could. Solar’s mind was trying to figure out why Moon didn’t want to sit next to him and Moon was trying to figure out how to be less awkward around Solar. Three hours of racing thoughts partially occupied by a dramatic French movie about romance and revenge. Good stuff. 

When the movie had finally ended, Moon grabbed the remote, pausing the start of the credits and turning to Solar in an attempt to strike up a conversation. Moon quickly realized that Solar was out like a light on the couch and let out a small laugh at the sight. After standing up from his seat and stretching, Moon grabbed the spare blankets and pillows, setting Solar up a more comfortable sleeping arrangement on the couch before stopping. 

“The kids…” Moon muttered to himself as he walked up to Dazzle and Jack’s room. He’d completely forgotten Sun asked Solar to get them to bed. Moon opened the door and was surprised to see the both of them had already fallen asleep. Moon let out a sigh of relief and quietly closed the door. Everyone is asleep then. 

Moon looked down at Solar’s sleeping form before checking his own battery. He was still in the 60’s. After a short debate, Moon put down a portal to his lab and walked inside. He can get some work done with the time he’s got. 

Moon walked down the halls with a practiced precision as he knew this building like the back of his hand. He got to his main work room and checked for any sign of Dark Sun’s location. Not knowing where he is or what he’s planning makes him a very serious threat to the entire family still. He ran another universe scan for Dark Sun’s presence and got out a smaller project to tinker with in the meantime. Moon wasn’t even able to fall into his usual flow while working before he was interrupted. 

The door to his main work room opened and he whipped around quickly to find the intruder, pausing when he saw a very sleepy Solar standing in the doorway, still wrapped in the blanket Moon gave him. 

“What are you doing?” Solar asked, his voice a little raspy from being woken up. 

“How did you get here?” Moon questioned instead, quickly hiding the small project he had been working on. 

“I woke up to a portal open and went through, now answer my question, what are you doing?” Solar asked with a yawn and took a seat on a nearby chair. Moon quickly looked around.

“We still haven’t found Dark Sun,” Moon states quickly, “and every single day he stays unfound, we risk him showing back up and doing a lot of damage.”

Solar frowned as he watched Moon turn away and start searching the screen for anything indicating where the bot was. 

“So this is what you’ve been doing every day?” Solar pieced together. Moon sighed and made a so so motion.

“It isn’t everything I’ve been doing, but I can’t pretend like all our problems went away. I have to keep everyone safe,” Moon said, his body tensed up over the computer that still held his attention. 

“Moon, you don’t have to do this alone. I’m here for you,” Solar reassured. Moon was quiet for a long moment, trying to gather his thoughts. 

“Solar, you already have so much on your plate. You already do so much for me specifically, I won’t ask you to give up more of your time. Besides, you’ve looked absolutely exhausted all day,” Moon said, stopping what he was doing before whipping around to look at Solar. “I’m putting a portal back home down for you. You’re going to bed.”

“Nope. I’m going to stay right here,” Solar said stubbornly, “My battery isn’t even that low, I’ll keep you company while you work at the very least.” 

“Solar, no offense, but I really don’t care what your battery is at when you look this tired,” Moon said, rolling his eyes. Solar slowly blinked at him.

“Too bad,” Solar responded. He’s always been stubborn and Moon is not going to change that. 

“What can I do to get you to go home and go to sleep?” Moon asked as a last ditch effort to get the bot to sleep.

“I’m not going anywhere unless you come with me. We can come back in the morning, but I don’t like how much time you’ve been spending here alone,” Solar offered. Moon stared at him for a bit before relenting. 

“Okay, fine. This is only for you to get some sleep though,” Moon replied, placing a portal down to go home. Solar eyed him suspiciously. 

“You go first,” Solar demanded. Moon opened his mouth to protest, but realized with Solar’s current stubborn mindset, that wasn’t going to get him anywhere. Instead, Moon walked through the portal first with Solar trailing behind him. Moon walked Solar to his room, opening the door and allowing him to flop down on his bed, still wrapped in the blanket from the couch. 

“Alright, goodnight,” Moon said and turned to leave.

“Wait- How do I know you aren’t going to go back to the lab?” Solar questioned. 

“I mean I don’t think there is a way to be sure, but I will give you my word and hope that’s enough,” Moon said. Solar looked at him skeptically for a bit before shrugging, too tired to really argue. 

“If I find out you went back I’m going to… get you,” Solar threatened, his tone holding no malice whatsoever, and got comfortable on his bed. 

“Sure thing, Sol,” Moon agreed with a small chuckle. He closed the door and went up to his room, replaying the conversation over and over in his head. 

Solar looked kinda cute when he was tired.

Chapter Text

Moon and Solar raced through the familiar island house muttering strings of curses between each other. Sun was alone with Ruin and there was nothing scarier than that thought. They both stumbled into the room to see a scene that neither had expected. Sun looked scared but was unharmed while Ruin sat nearby watching TV. 

A deafening silence hung in the air as Ruin paused his show and stood up to face the two animatronics that entered the room. Solar and Moon immediately pointed weapons at Ruin who put his hands up with a smile. 

“I'm unarmed, gentlemen. And I do not plan on doing anything to harm anyone here. Your dear brother can tell you that. He’s been watching my every move,” Ruin spoke easily. He paid no mind to the weapons pointed his way. Moon broke eye contact with Ruin to look at Sun for answers. 

“He hasn’t done anything yet. I’ve been watching him,” Sun confirms.

“Then why are you here?” Moon demanded, stepping closer to Ruin. 

“You will find that out soon enough, my friend,” Ruin responded simply. Moon was far from satisfied with that answer. 

“You brought Eclipse back. Why?” Moon continued the interrogation.

“I am afraid I cannot divulge all of my secrets, but I am terribly sorry for lying to you,” Ruin said, just as unhelpful as his last answer. Moon went quiet, thoughts swimming with guilt and self doubt. 

“Your words don’t mean a damn thing to us! Why are you here,” Solar continued to press what Moon didn’t. 

“Have you heard of the creator council?” Ruin answers the question with his own. Solar’s brow furrowed while Moon’s face showed recognition. 

“I’ve heard of them,” Moon responded, “What do they have to do with this?”

“The creator council is a group formed of creators from various universes. They have dedicated their time to the study of Wither Storms. I believe you are quite familiar with those, no?” Ruin asked, noticing Sun’s visible flinch at the mention.

“Get to the point,” Moon demanded, getting defensive over Sun. 

“Right, the thing about Wither Storms is that they can only be formed at a universe’s end. That takes some time. The creator council have taken it upon themselves to plant Wither Storms into universes early causing them to be torn apart prematurely. They have killed countless people. I have simply fixed the issue,” Ruin finished explaining. Moon and Solar were following along.

“So you did all of this to stop them,” Moon clarified to himself. Ruin nodded as Solar stepped in again.

“Why wouldn’t you just tell us? We could have helped you!” Solar pointed out but Ruin just sighed in response. 

“I am afraid that’s where you are wrong my dear mechanic. The only way to snuff out the council was to destroy them at their source or they will continue. I have made the decision to cut off the rot. Permanently,” Ruin explained.

“What do you mean by that?” Solar asked with a sharp edge to his tone.

“I have to get rid of them,” Ruin stated vaguely.

“A creator genocide,” Moon pointed out.

“Indeed,” Ruin agreed, his tone light and carefree.

“Why would we not help with that? We hate the creator. We want him gone,” Moon asked. Ruin’s expression changed.

“Unfortunately, you cannot simply kill the creator, or things will begin to fall apart–” Ruin began but was cut off by Moon.

“So you’re destroying everything?” Moon tried to jump in but was stopped by Ruin laughing. 

“No, not quite my dear. I am simply destroying the dimensions with a creator present. I cut them off at the source and I spare more lives than we lose in the long run. It is simply a trolly problem. We must pull the lever so to speak,” Ruin continued. Sun looked like he was about to have a panic attack.

“What will happen to us?” Moon asked, “We have a creator, will we die too?” 

“Fortunately, your creator exists outside of this. He has destroyed his human body. Your universe is spared,” Ruin delivered the news with a cheery tone that made Moon see red. 

“And what about you?” Solar finally chimed back in. 

“Ah, how kind of you to think of me! I will be perfectly fine, my universe has been gone for a long time,” Ruin replies easily. 

“Solar. Did your universe have a creator?” Moon asked, his tone rigid. Solar’s eyes widened at the realization. He did not respond to Moon’s question. 

“Solar!” Sun shrieked as Solar fell back, suddenly feeling weaker. Moon caught him before he hit the ground and held him. 

“Ruin. What the fuck did you do?!” Moon shouted, eyes filling with tears. Sun ran to be with his brother and Solar on the floor. 

“What I had to,” He responded, looking down at the scene with a cold expression. 

“Solar, it’s going to be okay. I’ll figure something out. I’ll bring you back. It’s going to be okay-” Moon ranted trying to reassure Solar, but Solar just smiled up at his best friend and cupped his cheek. 

“Moon, It’s okay. I am fine with this. Please live your life. You’re doing amazing and I am so proud of you. I love you,” Solar said. Moon leaned into Solar’s hand as it began disappearing. 

“I’m going to fix this,” Moon promised. That was the last thing Solar had heard before he disappeared on the floor of the bedroom.

- - - -

Solar sat back on the porch and held a beat up paper tightly in his hands. It had been crumpled and folded in all kinds of ways. He sat alone, the warm light from the house behind him illuminated the note just enough to read without night vision.

“Moon. I loved you more than I’d ever loved anyone before. I knew you and you knew me. We both always had each other. When I came back, it was such a struggle to exist without you. I didn’t have that one person I could talk to. I didn’t have the one person who understood me. It's been a struggle to find the right words for you. You’re gone. You’ve been gone for longer than I want to admit. I wasn’t okay when I came back to life with you being gone. I wasn’t okay when you died in front of me and I will admit, I’m not okay now. I’m not okay, but I know I will be. I have people here to support me. They aren’t you and they never will be, but I’m okay with that. Goodbye, Moon. Until we meet again,” Solar finally finished the note. He scanned the last line again before closing his eyes and refolding it. 

He sat in silence for a moment before flicking on a lighter, holding the paper above the flame until it caught fire. Watching it burn up for a few minutes until he was left with nothing but a burnt up stub of paper left. He got up from the stairs and tossed what was left of the paper inside. He turned to grab the door handle, but the door opened before he could. Moon came out with a smile. 

“Hey, I gotta go grab something from the lab, wanna come with?” He asked. Solar shrugged, he didn’t really have any plans tonight. 

“Sure,” Solar followed Moon further from the house and through a portal to his lab. Moon led him through the halls and past the usual lab areas. He instead took Solar to the lounge area.

“Take a seat, I’ll be a second,” Moon said, heading out to a little side room. Solar complied and took a seat, watching Moon leave the room. His eyes wandered around the room freely as he waited for Moon to come back. 

It took a few minutes, but soon the door opened again and Moon came back through with a large, oblong box that had been delicately wrapped like a present. Solar raised a brow and eyed the impractically long gift.

“Who’s birthday is it?” Solar asked curiously. Moon gave him a look. 

“You don’t know?” Moon asked. Solar shook his head. 

“Uh- Should I?” Solar questioned, a nervousness seeping into his tone.

“Probably,” Moon shrugged. He didn’t seem too worried about it so in turn, neither was Solar.

“Could you just like… slap my name over the gift too?” Solar asked awkwardly. Moon let out a snort and checked his messages.

“Sure thing, Sol,” He agreed easily and took a seat next to Solar.

“Thanks, I owe you one,” Solar offered, but Moon waved him off. 

“Trust me, you’re fine. I did want to talk to you about some things though,” Moon said. Solar looked at him curiously.

“What did you want to talk about?” Solar asked. Moon suddenly found it a bit difficult to make eye contact. Well, he usually found it difficult to make eye contact, but he’s a lot more aware of it now. 

“I just wanted to check in on you. How's your condition been? Has it gotten better?” Moon asked. Solar snorted.

“Well, it hasn’t gotten better because that’s not how chronic pain works, but I know what you meant and not really. The cold has got me all sorts of fucked up. I hope we start seeing warmer weather soon,” Solar said, and Moon nodded along. 

“It’s supposed to get warmer soon. Until then, just remember to let me know if you need a break,” Moon offered. Solar smiled at him.

“Of course. I appreciate you,” Solar said.

“Other than that, how have you been lately?” Moon continued to question, he’s never been good with small talk. 

“I’ve been doing better actually. I’m not quite to that great status yet, but I’m getting there. Sun’s been spending more time with me which is nice because it lets Jack and Dazzle hang out more, it’s nice.” Solar stretched as Moon checked his messages again before standing up.

“That’s good to hear. You deserve to heal after all of the shit you’ve been put through,” Moon said, offering a hand to Solar who took it easily. 

Moon put a portal down and gestured for Solar to go through first. Solar walked through, Moon following close behind. As they approached the doorway, Moon tried to shift the gift in his hands but couldn’t seem to get one of his hands free enough to open the door. Solar took the hint and opened it for Moon instead. 

The lights were off as they entered, Solar made a face and checked the time. It is way too early for that. He reached for the lightswitch and flicked it on, nearly jumping out of his casing when everyone jumped out at him.

“Surprise!” They all shouted. Solar was so incredibly lost. Was it Moon’s birthday? No, that wouldn’t make sense. Moon got a gift for the party. Did they jump out at the wrong time, thinking they were someone else? Solar continued to cycle through possibilities before he read the banner that was hung overhead. 

‘Happy Gotcha Day, Solar!’

It was his. Solar looked back over at Moon, who looked very pleased with himself. 

“Surprise,” Moon said. Solar began tearing up, feeling oddly emotional that everyone put all this together for him. Jack ran forward and gave his father a hug. 

“You are old now, father,” Jack said, causing Moon to snort. Earth wheeled over and stood from her wheelchair to wrap Solar into a tight hug before fastening a party hat onto his head. 

“I hope this isn’t too much, I wanted to make it special,” Earth said. Solar didn’t know what to say. The circumstances of his arrival were not very positive so celebrating the day like it had been a good thing just hadn’t crossed his mind. He hadn’t expected anyone to really care that much either. Solar tried to find the words but just couldn’t. He watched Earth’s expression change to something more unsure at his extended silence and panicked, not wanting her to think he hated it. 

“Thank you,” Solar is finally able to say. His voice was quiet, but Earth lit up when he said it. Moon began ushering Solar over to the couch and sat him down.

“Alright, let’s give Solar a second to process all of this,” Moon suggested, and Solar looked appreciative of the suggestion. 

“We should do presents now!” Jack announced and held a small box out to Solar. 

“Jack, It’s Solar’s party. He chooses what we do,” Sun said gently. Jack looked a little disappointed but relented. That made sense.

“We can do presents. I’m fine, just a little surprised is all,” Solar said.

“Well, that was kinda the point of the surprise party,” Moon said, setting the present he got for Solar on the coffee table and ignoring the nasty side eye he’d been given by Solar in turn. Presents were moved to the coffee table as everyone both stood near and sat in the seats around the living room, ready to watch Solar open presents. 

“No one asked you, Moon,” Solar said with a small smile. He looked around the room for a second. Earth, Sun, Moon, Dazzle, and Jack were all here to celebrate with him. Solar couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that Lunar wasn’t here. Logically, Sun understood Lunar had done a lot wrong and wasn’t on good terms with anyone in the family, but he was still part of the family. His gaze was quickly drawn to Jack who held a small, poorly wrapped box out to Solar while jumping up and down excitedly. 

“Open mine first, father!” Jack pleaded and Solar found himself unable to say no to Jack’s request. He grabbed the small box and began to unwrap it. Solar looked at the strange macaroni sculpture that was revealed. 

“Oh, wow,” Solar said with a smile. He had no idea what he was looking at. 

“It is you and me, father,” Jack explained, and Solar did his best to make out himself and his son in the mound before him. 

“Oh, so this part is… You?” Solar asked, pointing at it. Jack nodded immediately with a wider smile. 

“Yes father! That’s me! And that is you! And we are holding hands!” Jack explained and Solar was starting to see what he was talking about. Jack was already an endearing enough kid, but when he does stuff like this, Solar can’t help but realize that Jack is just a baby. His baby. 

“This is the best thing I have ever seen in my life, thank you Jack. This is going in my room on my bedside table,” Solar said. His near deadpan delivery would sound like sarcasm to anyone else, but Solar’s words were genuine, and the family knew that. Jack jumped up and down in celebration. Solar looked at the coffee table in front of the couch that now had many presents set up. One from everyone. Solar carefully set the small sculpture aside and grabbed another present. 

“Oh! That one’s from me!” Earth called out, vibrating with excitement. Solar peeled the wrapping paper off to see a new pair of goggles. He hesitated for a moment when he saw them.

“I noticed that yours are pretty beat up, so I wanted to give you new ones!” Earth explained, her smile still wide. Solar picked them up and looked at them closer. They were a lot nicer than the ones he had. He set them down to free his hands so he could take his party hat and then old goggles off. The goggles he took from Nexus’s body. They were cracked, scorched and in horrible shape. He’d been holding onto them for nostalgic purposes, but their replacement has been long overdue. He set the old goggles in the empty box the new ones came in and set it aside, donning his new accessory with a small smile. He heard a click come from Earth as she took a picture. 

“Thanks, I’ve been needing a new pair for a bit,” Solar set the party hat aside, not wanting to put it back on. He grabbed the oblong present Moon brought next, his curiosity got the better of him. Before he began unwrapping it, Moon chimed in. 

“Oh by the way, I was told to tell you that one is from both Solar and I,” Moon said with a snarky tone.

“Oh ha ha, very funny,” Solar rolled his eyes and unwrapped it. Solar didn’t know what he was looking at at first and then he realized he was looking at a cane. 

“I know you’ve been having issues with your pain lately because of the weather and all that and I also notice that you tend to use things around the house for stability sometimes so I figured you might want to use this,” Moon explained. Solar took it out the box and gave it a proper look. 

It had some weight to it and looked like it could take a hit which were pretty good qualities to have when this family deals with a new threat every week. It was a single point cane with a curved handle that was wrapped in leather. If Solar had to guess, he’d say it was about half his height. It was clearly much too large for a human to use, Moon had to have made this. Solar thought back to the night he saw Moon in his lab. The other animatronic had quickly moved something he was working on out of Solar’s field of view. 

“You made this?” Solar asked, finally tearing his eyes away from the cane to look up at Moon who had nodded sheepishly in response. 

“I did,” Moon responded, and Solar looked back down at it.

“Thank you,” Solar said, his voice a little quieter. There was clearly a lot of love and time spent on it. Moon looked a little relieved at Solar’s words. He was a little worried that Solar was going to be offended by it. Solar leaned it against the side table and was going to reach for the last present on the table before Sun ushered an embarrassed looking Dazzle forward. She had a folded piece of paper in her hands.

“I made you a card,” Dazzle said, rocking back and forth in place as she held the card out to Solar. Solar took the card with a soft expression and read the front. Dazzle had written ‘Happy B̶i̶r̶t̶h̶d̶a̶y̶ Gotcha Day!’ on the front in bubble text with a cute doodle of the whole family holding hands under it. Solar opened the card and scanned the writing inside. 

‘I am happy you came here to live with us. You made my best friend and you are very nice.’ was written with messy handwriting. There was a drawn picture of Solar making Jack while Dazzle stood off to the side with a wide smile. 

“Thank you Dazzle, this is wonderful,” Solar complimented her work. She smiled wide and celebrated. Solar set the card down with the rest of the gifts and grabbed the last gift. By process of elimination, this had to be from Sun. It was the most neatly wrapped present of the group. He picked it up and opened it, seeing a box containing a projector. 

“I just figured because you don't have a tv in your room, you could use a projector! You pass out on the couch so much,” Sun explained. Solar snorted at the last part of Sun’s explanation. 

“Fair enough,” He said and moved it to the side, picking up the wrapping paper mess and beginning to break down empty boxes. Sun quickly grabbed a trash bag from the kitchen and held it open for Solar to throw everything into. 

“I can’t thank you guys enough for all of this. I really appreciate it,” Solar said.

“That wasn’t all we did,” Earth said and took charge wheeling over to the kitchen. Solar got up to follow her, grabbing his cane as he stood. When he looked in the kitchen, he saw desserts and treats lined up on the kitchen island. 

“I made the cake; it’s red velvet with cream cheese frosting!” Sun said, proud of his work.

“And I helped with the cake also, father! I did the mixing,” Jack chimed in. Solar pat Jack on the head. 

“Thank goodness you helped, Jack,” Solar began, crouching down to meet his son at his level, “Between you and I, I don’t trust Sun to bake anything.” Solar whispered loud enough for Sun to hear. Sun let out a string of offended noises at the comment.

“What! I’m great at baking! You’re lucky Moon wasn’t tasked with anything in the kitchen!” Sun argued, audibly clutching his pearls. Moon rolled his eyes. 

“Why am I being dragged into this? I didn’t say anything,” Moon asked. Sun waved him off.

“You’re an easy target,” Sun said dismissively. Before they could get into a little spat, Solar spoke up.

“You all really didn’t need to do this for me. Just saying happy birthday would have been more than enough,” Solar said.

“We wanted to do this for you, you deserve it. We’re all happy to have you here,” Earth responded and that was enough to make Solar nearly cry again. He wasn’t usually this emotional. With everything that’s been going on lately, Solar’s done a lot of reflecting about who he is and where he came from, and he is lucky to have everyone he does here with him. He may not be a fan of the family dynamic, but for all intents and purposes, these people are his family.

The night went on without a hitch. Everyone talked while indulging in treats, putting on a movie. When it was time for the kids to go to sleep, Sun took care of getting them there. After another hour, Earth took her leave. Thirty minutes after that, Sun finally headed to bed. Throughout the evening Moon looked more and more anxious. Solar tried to ignore it, assuming Moon will talk about whatever is bothering him when he’s ready, but as the night went on and he didn’t, Solar was getting a little impatient. 

Moon was bouncing his leg up and down with an iron grip on his knee. He has been staring at the tv with no real indication he was watching the movie playing. 

“Moon, talk to me. What’s going on with you?” Solar asked, causing Moon to snap to attention. 

“I– What? What do you mean?” Moon asked, his nerves were palpable in the room.

“I mean, you look like you’re a second away from a panic attack. What has got you so nervous?” Solar elaborated and Moon’s expression tightened. 

“Solar I–” Moon started but seemed to cut himself off. His mouth snapped shut for a moment. “I will be right back,” Moon said, standing up robotically– even for animatronic standards– and walking out of the room. Solar watched in confusion and frowned. Was it something he did? 

Solar sighed and grabbed the remote, turning off the tv and picking up the presents he was given. He was just going to go to bed. If Moon didn’t want to talk, Solar wouldn’t make him, but he wasn’t going to sit awkwardly next to Moon while he was sweating metaphorical buckets. He set Dazzle’s card and Jack’s sculpture on his bedside table, Sun’s projector was put on the long table near the foot of the bed, He took off his goggles and set them down on his bedside table while shoving his old ones into a drawer. He leaned his cane against the table and pulled the covers back with the intent of laying down. 

Before Solar could lay down, he heard a knock on the door.

“Come in,” he said, knowing it was Moon already. Sure enough, Moon opened the door with a hard to read expression. 

“Hey,” He tried to greet casually, but Solar’s eyebrow rose causing him to falter. 

“Moon let's cut the small talk. You have been acting weirder and weirder all night and I’m not going to force you to tell me, but I’m also not going to put myself in an awkward place. If you want to talk, talk. If you don’t, that’s fine too,” Solar said. It was better to be straightforward with Moon, especially if it's an emotion related thing.

“I do want to talk. That’s actually why I’ve been acting like that. I need to talk to you,” Moon said, his tone uncharacteristically shaky. Solar stepped toward Moon, completely off put by his tone. 

“This is something serious,” Solar clarified. Moon nodded.

“Let’s talk on the porch,” Moon suggests. Solar complied, grabbing his cane as he followed Moon out to the porch. Moon clenched and unclenched his fists while he was lost in thought. There was a thick silence that fell over the two. 

“So, what is this about, Moon?” Solar asked, breaking the quiet tension. 

“I am really bad with emotions,” Moon began, causing Solar to snort.

“Really? Are you sure?” Solar said playfully, trying to ease up the mood. A small smile found its way on Moon’s face. 

“Not quite sure, no. This is just a new revelation I’m having,” Moon continued, fueling the bit Solar had started. They had a laugh together before Solar spoke up again.

“Moon, you mean a lot to me. You know that I won’t judge you or react poorly to whatever it is you need to say,” Solar reassured, putting his hand on Moon’s shoulder. Moon took a deep breath, trying to straighten his thoughts out again.

“Right, I know. You’ve been nothing but nice to me this entire time and I’ve been… Not the best the entire time, but I’m trying to make up for that. You didn’t deserve all the shit I gave you,” Moon said. 

“True, I did not. I promise, you have made up for it. You realized you were being a dick and you changed for the better. I have forgiven you for it already,” Solar said, but his words didn’t seem to ease Moon’s regrowing nerves. 

“Solar, I need you to know that you’re one of my closest friends and someone that I can trust with nearly everything and I don’t want that to change. I am trying to figure out my feelings about a lot of things, you being one of them. I am aroace. I have never been attracted to things in a romantic way, and I will never be into that Hallmark stuff, but there’s a gray area between friendship and all of that and that’s what I feel about you. I don’t know how better to describe it…” Moon trailed off while Solar processed his words.

“Wait, what are you trying to say?” Solar asked, his tone baffled. Moon hesitated before speaking again.

“I like you. Not in a friend way. It’s not necessarily romantic , but it’s more than a friend,” Moon stared at the ground, not wanting to look Solar in the eye’s as he admitted how he felt. Solar really didn’t know how to respond to the confession. 

“Moon I’m going to be fully honest, I don’t know how I feel,” Solar began, “I care about you. I like spending time with you. You make me feel different than other people do…” Solar trailed off. Moon was waiting for the rejection to hit so he could just move on.

“Right, I understand,” Moon said, surprised when he felt Solar’s hand on his shoulder. 

“But I think I feel the same, Moon.” Solar smiled at Moon kindly as he looked up from the floor to meet Solar’s gaze with a wide-eyed expression. 

“You do?” Moon asked, his voice breathy and utterly dumbfounded. His nonexistent breath nearly caught as Solar’s hand moved up to cup his cheek.

“I won’t say any hard confirmations yet because I’ve never been in a relationship before, so I have absolutely nothing to reference here, but what you described sounds about right for me too. I do want to know what you’re looking for relationship wise– if any at all,” Solar prompted, making the ordeal sound a little more formal than he’d intended.

“Well– A relationship might be nice. I like spending time with you, and I do like the physical contact. A lot. I don’t want anything further than holding hands and maybe cuddling on frivolous occasions though…” Moon trailed off in thought, trying to think of any other boundaries to set. 

“What about pet names? And what kind of label do you want to put on it? Partners? Boyfriends?” Solar asked. Moon thought.

“Pet names would really depend on what they are and where they’re used, as for a label… I like partners better. It feels less elementary school to say and just feels right,” Moon said.

“I agree wholeheartedly, and besides, we’ve got plenty of time to figure out likes and dislikes together. I know I wouldn’t be scared to speak up if I didn’t like something we were doing or I would like to introduce something else into the dynamic,” Solar explained, and Moon laughed a little. Solar raised a brow at him.

“Nothing I just, God– I feel so stupid for getting so worked up about confessing to you. Hell, I almost ruined it because I was freaking out so much,” Moon said, laughing again. He sounded so relieved. Solar joined in Moon’s laughter. 

“You aren’t stupid, Moon,” Solar began, but cut himself off, “Well… Maybe you are sometimes, but I think it’s cute.”

Moon looked significantly more flustered at the compliment.

“No one is going to be happier to hear this news than Sun is. He’s been trying to set us up for weeks,” Moon said, trying to take the attention off of himself. Solar blinked.

“Is that what all of that was about?” Solar asked, having an epiphany at the realization. Moon snorted. 

“Yes, him leaving to go to bed was also part of his set up,” Moon said, rolling his eyes, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s still up scrolling through TikTok or something.” 

“Speaking of, I’m pretty out of it myself. I think it’s about time I head to bed for real this time,” Solar said. Moon nodded quickly.

“Yeah, for sure! Sorry to have dragged you all the way out here,” Moon responded, but Solar waved him off. 

“Oh please, I’m glad you did,” Solar said, leaning a little closer. If Moon were a human, that action would have made his mouth go dry. 

“Yeah?” Moon responded, trying to sound calm and collected. 

“Yeah,” Solar said, looking down at Moon’s lips before looking back up, “So, is kissing on the table?” Solar asked. Moon nearly short circuited.

“Maybe. I don’t know. I’ve never…” Moon found himself unable to finish his own thought with Solar so close. 

“I’m going to need a yes or a no before I do anything,” Solar left no room for argument with his words.

“Yes,” Moon responded. He’d barely even finished the word before Solar closed the gap. There was a small clink as their faceplates touched and the whirring of Moon’s internal fans seemed to kick up noticeably. The kiss was chaste, not lasting long by any means, but it was undeniably enjoyable.

Solar nearly snorted at the face Moon was making. 

“I take it you enjoyed it?” Solar asked. Moon cleared his throat and blinked a few times. 

“Maybe I did,” Moon admitted. Solar leaned in and gave him another kiss, just as short as the last. 

“I do need to go to bed now though, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Solar said and began walking back inside. 

“Sleep well, Sol,” Moon called to his partner as he disappeared into the house. Moon turned to face the yard, holding onto the railing tightly as he went over the entire exchange from start to finish. 

Holy shit.

He and Solar were together now.

Chapter Text

Solar blinked awake slowly. He took his time getting up, systems starting one by one and bringing him to life. When he was finally able to roll out of bed, he grabbed his new cane and stood up, letting out a yawn while doing so. He quickly checked the time and figured he had long enough to make himself coffee before dealing with the rest of today. 

Solar made his way out of his room and into the kitchen, starting the coffee machine easily enough and taking a seat at the kitchen table while he waited for it to start. He was startled out of his groggy trance by the front door opening and closing. 

Who else is up right now?

It didn’t take long for Solar’s question to be answered as Sun walked into the room. 

“Oh, Solar! Good morning!” Sun greeted, just as bright as his namesake. 

“Morning,” Solar replied, standing up as the coffee machine finished his brew. There was a beat of silence as Solar hooked his cane on his arm to free both hands while he poured his coffee and added a little milk and hot chocolate powder. He wasn’t really feeling black coffee right now. 

“Soooo~ How was your night?” Sun asked suddenly, leaning on the counter next to Solar with a smug look. Solar blinked at him.

“Fine,” Solar replied simply and walked to sit back down at the table. Sun’s expression dropped to clear disappointment. 

“Anything, interesting happen?” Sun continued to prod, but Solar wasn’t taking the bait. 

“Eh, kinda?” Solar said and didn’t elaborate further. Sun looked at him with a deadpan expression.

“You’re doing this on purpose. You coordinated this. You had to ’ve,” Sun said, his tone flat. 

Solar chuckled, amused by Sun’s attitude. Moon finally made himself known to the pair, he’d been watching the exchange while leaning on the doorframe. 

“Nope, we didn’t coordinate anything, that’s actually golden,” Moon said, looking very amused. Sun let out a huff. 

“I want details! You guys are together now and I want to know exactly how it happened!” Sun begged. Solar took a slow sip of his coffee as Moon walked over and leaned over the back of his chair. 

“How did it happen?” Moon asked Solar who shrugged.

“I don’t know. I think it’s one of those ‘you had to be there’ things,” Solar said with a devious little smile. Moon nodded in agreement which made Sun’s eye twitch. Solar let out a snort at the sight and finally relented. 

“Okay okay, I’m sorry, Sun. Last night after everyone went asleep, Moon looked like he was about to overheat and die in front of me. I slipped into my room when he left for a second because I didn’t know what to do about all that, but he pulled me back out of my room and onto the porch and dumped all of his feelings out at me. I told him I felt the same, we kissed, it was pretty cool, then I went to bed,” Solar explained dryly, but Sun did not seem disappointed at the lackluster explanation in the slightest. He clapped with a huge grin. 

“I’m so happy for you two! You should go on a date tonight! Like to the movies or out to dinner, or–” Sun began listing, but was cut off by Moon.

“Nope, we were going to my lab,” Moon said, Solar silently offered him a sip of his coffee which Moon declined.

“.... To have a date?” Sun asked, trying to salvage the interaction.

“Not at all, maybe another day though,” Solar said, looking up at Moon who gave a nod. 

“There’s just too much going on to be worried about that for right now,” Moon explained. Sun was visibly disappointed at their words. 

“Are you sure you can’t take a break today?” Sun asked, but Moon shook his head immediately.

“Our break was yesterday, there’s a lot to do. Speaking of, you ready to go?” Moon looked down at Solar and stood up straight, preparing to put down a portal. 

“Yeah, let me get a thermos for my coffee and I’ll be there,” Solar said, standing from his chair and walking over to the coffee machine. 

“I’ve got coffee machines in the lab too you know,” Moon pointed out, but Solar waved him off. 

“That would be a waste of this coffee though, you can go ahead and I’ll be right there,” Solar said, pouring the rest of his cup into a large thermos. Moon opened a portal to his lab and walked through. Solar poured the rest of the coffee he made into the thermos and added more milk and chocolate powder. He closed the lid and turned to look at Sun. 

“I’ll make sure he takes breaks when he needs to. I won’t let him overwork himself,” Solar reassured which did wonders for Sun’s nerves and Solar could tell. 

“You better take care of yourself too, Solar,” Sun ordered. 

“I will. I promise. Have a nice day, Sun,” Solar said, walking through the portal that was getting ready to close. When he got through, he noticed that Moon had already disappeared down the hall, but Solar knew exactly where he was. Solar entered the room to see Moon hunched over his computer, running through numbers. He looked a bit on edge about it. 

“Moon, what’s up?” Solar asked, walking over to him and looking at the screen he was looking at. Moon muttered something while he continued to comb through the stats on his screen. Solar’s brow furrowed as he tried to understand what the numbers meant.

Moon seemed to have finally processed Solar’s words. He stopped his skimming and muttering and looked up at him. 

“Since what happened, there has been an increased number of Suns violently lashing out at Moons. I saw one of those dimensions firsthand. The percentages have been fluctuating and it seems like it’s getting higher than normal. I don’t know what Dark Sun did or what the goal is, but it’s worrying me. Solar put a hand on Moon’s shoulder. 

“We’ll figure it out. It’s going to be okay,” Solar said. Moon’s shoulders fell a bit at the words as Moon leaned back in his chair to make eye contact with Solar. 

“Right. Watching the numbers won’t do much either. I just need to keep trying to find him,” Moon pointed out and Solar nodded in agreement. 

“Lets focus on something else while we let the computer do the work it needs to,” Solar suggested, “Are there any other projects that need focus right now?” 

Moon thought for a bit. There wasn’t really anything else he’d been occupying his time with besides the birthday present he gave Solar. All of his time in the lab has been looking at graph after graph, scribbling down percentages, and trying to predict outcomes. 

“I haven’t been doing anything else. Is there anything you wanted to work on?” Moon asked. Solar rolled his eyes. 

“You seriously haven’t been doing anything else?” Solar questioned, his tone utterly baffled.

“Well, given that he is our current most likely threat, yes,” Moon rationalized.

“Right, when you put it like that it makes a lot more sense. But still, you need something else to do…” Solar trailed off in thought. “I had an idea for a project I wanted to start if you want to help.”

“What kind of project?” Moon asked.

“Well, I figured because Jack is so high energy, I can’t always keep up with him, and Dazzle isn’t always able to play, he should have someone else to play with,” Solar explained and Moon’s eyes flew wide open. 

“What?” Moon asked, his tone shocked. Solar raised a brow at his reaction, trying to piece together what Moon found so horrific.

Oh.

“No! Not another kid! I meant–God, that's embarrassing–I meant a dog. But because I don’t think a real animal is a good idea, I figured we could make a robotic one,” Solar frantically clarified, which eased Moon’s nerves immeasurably, causing him to start laughing hysterically. 

“Holy shit, I really thought that you meant…” Moon nearly doubled over with laughter. 

“No you dumbass! Obviously I’m not suggesting we make a kid,” Solar rolled his eyes at Moon, “Not yet at least,” he teased, nearly causing Moon to choke. 

“What!?” Moon shouted, his voice pitched up from his usual baritone. Solar let out a snort.

“Let’s start drawing up blueprints, Moon,” Solar suggested. Moon went to grab papers to scribble ideas on, but was stopped by his computer’s voice. 

“Dark sun located. Do you wish to be transported to his dimension?” It prompted. Moon dropped everything he was doing and ran back to the computer, reading the details about the universe. 

“Solar, do you want to come?” Moon asked. 

“Is that even a question? I’m not letting you go in alone,” Solar responded quickly. Moon nodded. 

“Computer, take us there,” he ordered and the two of them disappeared from the lab immediately. 

They were both equally shocked at the new environment around them. It was a beautiful lobby area that had a divine appeal to it. The walls were carefully carved and elegant. Solar let out a small gasp at the huge floating crystal at the room’s center, nearly jumping at the sound of a voice booming overhead. 

“Your weapons will not work. You will be unable to cause physical harm to anyone here,” Dark Sun’s voice rang through the air. 

“Figured,” Moon responded simply. 

“I would also like you to know, I let you find me,” Dark Sun said. 

“Figured that too,” Moon muttered, but Dark Sun still seemed to hear him.

“Good, exit the room when you’re ready to talk to me,” The disembodied voice ordered, his tone leaving no room for questions. Solar and Moon both walked out of the room, passing by the floating crystal on their way. They were both in awe of the surrounding area. Floating islands surrounded the area with similarly built architecture as the building Solar and Moon were exiting, the sun was shining, and nature was thriving all around them. Dark Sun stood at the foot of a large stone staircase. 

“I see you decided to bring backup,” Dark Sun said, looking Solar up and down. “Interesting choice.”

“He isn’t here as backup and he’s not what we’re talking about. I need answers from you,” Moon said, cutting to the chase. 

“Do you need answers or do you want answers?” Dark Sun asked with a quirked brow, peering at Moon with those judgemental, crimson eyes.

“Need,” Moon snarled at him, but Dark Sun was unfazed by Moon’s aggression. 

“You don’t need them. You want them,” Dark Sun replied. 

“I do need them because my family could be in danger and I don’t know what-” Moon started to get himself worked up while speaking, nearly reaching a yell before Solar put a hand on his shoulder. Moon stopped and gave himself a second to think. “I know you have a thing against Moons, but I’m not like other Moons.”

“I know, that’s why you aren’t dead,” Dark Sun responded, looking between Moon and Solar curiously. 

“Lucky me,” Moon responded sarcastically. 

“So what was your plan? What did you do and why?” Solar finally spoke up.

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t owe you an explanation for anything I’ve done. I think if you used your combined intellect, you would figure out why,” Dark Sun explained.

“Because Moons suck. I know,” Moon responded with an eye roll. 

“And you used to be like them. Abrasive, dismissive, abusive . You may have worked through your little superiority complex, but you still used to think the people around you meant nothing. You changed though. Have you ever asked yourself why that is?” Dark Sun asked. 

“I know why I changed. I know myself,” Moon spat back. Dark Sun only looked bored of Moon. 

“That you do,” He replied simply.

“So why us? Why Sun? Why our dimension?” Moon asked.

“That is a much better question, but the answer is still an easy one. Your Sun was the only one that could. He has been through much more than other Suns have. Hell, most don’t live as long as he has. Three guesses as to why that is,” Dark Sun said and eyed Moon, “He isn’t the only Sun out there that is capable, but he was certainly the one that stood out the most in my search.”

“Why’d you pick Nexus?” Solar asked, a quiet rage laced in his tone. Dark Sun looked at Solar with a more amused glare in his eye and began to walk, motioning for the other two to follow him.

“Because, it didn’t matter. Sun needed to be pushed to kill one of them and he made his choice. If anything went wrong, I would have been able to dispose of him. And for what it’s worth, Moon, I’m glad he chose you,” Dark Sun explained as he led them through a particularly verdant garden. It was nearly too breathtaking to be real. It put a bad taste in Moon’s mouth

“How comforting,” Moon deadpanned. 

“That certainly is a word for it,” Solar muttered, getting the same uneasy feeling from the too-perfect environment. 

“So what is this place?” Moon asked.

“It’s paradise. A place to thrive away from the chaos of the multiverse,” Dark Sun responded, gesturing out to the beautiful scene around them. 

“So is it just you then?” Moon asked. 

“Oh no of course not, there are many more. This was all I was after. I have no evil plan waiting to be put into motion. I’ve achieved all I needed to. I have created a home for those who need it,” Dark Sun explained, his tone was genuine, but there was always something malicious about the way he carried himself. 

“It’s a safe place for Suns you mean,” Solar clarified. Dark Sun clicked his tongue. 

“Not all Suns. I am quite selective with who I let in, but the statement isn’t inaccurate entirely,” Dark Sun said. 

“How did you spread the data that you got from Sun. I know Ruin used the Wither Shard while he was achieving his own goals,” Moon continued to interrogate.

“Well that would have been idiotic. My goal wasn’t to kill every Moon, which is what the Wither Shard would have caused. I wanted to give Suns a fighting chance. They deserve to be able to fight back against their Moons. They deserve a chance to really live,” Dark Sun preached, continuing to lead them around the garden area. 

“And how did any of what you did help to achieve that?” Moon questioned. 

“Because your Sun did what I couldn’t do,” Dark Sun said and stopped where he was, not looking back at Solar or Moon. “He killed his Moon.”

“What?” Moon asked, stepping forward. 

“I used to be him. I am a Sun after all. I used to care so much about the people around me. My Moon broke me. Little by little. Piece by piece. He ruined my positive outlook, my innocence. One day, I found the strength to fight back, but I couldn’t kill him. I don’t know if it’s in my programming or some other reason, I could never bring myself to do it. But your Sun? After everything he’s been through. He could. After dealing with you. After Nexus. After everything. He had the strength to do what many Suns couldn’t. He killed Nexus and activated the trigger Ruin planted in him. His rage, his hope, and his resolve was spread throughout the multiverse. Other Suns are now able to stand up to their abusers the way that Sun did. Not every Moon will die. Only the ones that deserve to.”

“And what if a Moon finds out what you did and comes here to kill you?” Solar asked, his voice slightly raised. The way Dark Sun refers to Nexus as nothing more than a pawn was starting to get on his nerves. Dark Sun turned to look at Solar, noticing his anger.

“Then I will kill him. Obviously I gave myself that same resolve I gave the other Suns. I can do it now,” Dark Sun answered easily. 

“And what if they’re like you. What if they’re smarter than you?” Solar continued. 

“Highly unlikely, but if that’s the case, then I will die. I’m sure if Nexus were here, he’d certainly try,” Dark Sun answered, spitting Nexus’s name out, not losing eye contact with Solar. 

“I have one last question,” Moon butted in before Solar could lose his cool.

“The answer is yes, I did,” Dark Sun answered, catching Moon off guard.

“What?”

“I had planned everything from the beginning. I orchestrated events just enough to get Nexus to join my side. Everything you witnessed had been part of my plan. Nexus was an easy target. So moldable. So desperate,” Dark Sun teased, almost laughing at the way Solar shook. Moon was barely able to grab him before he tried to charge at Dark Sun, swinging his cane. 

“You piece of shit!” Solar screamed, trying to break away from Moon’s hold. Dark Sun looked satisfied with himself. 

“Do tell your friend here to calm down, he’s acting too much like an Eclipse for my liking,” Dark Sun requested. 

“Solar. It’s not going to help. We can talk about this later,” Moon said, his voice low. Solar did comply, realizing the truth to Moon’s words. This wouldn’t help. 

“Perfect. Did we get everything out of our systems? Are you satisfied after invading my home?” Dark Sun asked with a venom laced tone.

“Don’t come back to our dimension. Ever. Don’t bother us again,” Moon demanded. Dark Sun waved him off. 

“I have no interest in your universe. It has served its purpose to me. I only let you in my paradise to tell you to leave me alone. Now go home,” Dark Sun commanded. A portal was opened behind the two of them. Moon shot one last glare at Dark Sun before he brought a seemingly lifeless Solar through the portal back into the lab. 

Solar dropped his cane and fell to his knees the second the portal closed and  Moon immediately dropped to be by his side. Solar buried his face in his hands and muttered to himself in a low and shaky tone while Moon did his best to console him, but there was very little anyone could do. 

“We could have saved him. He wasn’t…” Solar trailed off. 

“Solar, we couldn’t have. He was too far gone. Dark Sun had control over him. He probably could have killed him if he wasn’t giving him the results he wanted,” Moon tried to rationalize, but Solar was lost in a sea of thoughts. 

“We don’t know that. I could have had him back. We could have brought him home. He could’ve been okay,” Solar rambled through tears. Moon couldn’t think of a response because maybe Solar is right. He wrapped his arms around Solar wordlessly and let him sob. There were no words he could say that would help. They stayed like that for a long time. Solar was a mess. All of the progress he made, the time he took trying to accept that New Moon was gone, felt like it meant nothing. He was right back at square one. It felt like he watched his best friend die all over again.

Chapter Text

Sun was finishing up the dishes after dinner while Jack and Dazzle ran around the house, excitedly yelling something about being pirates and ‘pillaging’ the living room of every single couch cushion. He let out a small huff at the thought of cleaning up after another stealing based adventure. He still doesn’t know where most of the lampshade caps are after the house was raided by super spies ‘Jack Bond’ and ‘Dazzle The Deer-ypus’. Sun was pulled out of his own little world by the front door opening. He put the last of the dishes on the drying rack and turned the water off, taking off the rubber gloves he wore to protect his hands from water damage.

Sun walked out to the front door, energy at an all time high to tease Moon and Solar about their first day together, but his mood was immediately shot down when he saw the scene before him. Solar looked tired–no not tired– beyond tired. He looked lifeless. Eyes staring forward but not seeming to really see what was in front of him. Moon had his arm wrapped around Solar, it looked like an attempt to keep him grounded, but that effort could not be more visibly in vain. Sun looked between the two of them, his rays retracting a bit.

“What happened?” Sun asked, his voice quiet. Moon looked at Sun and opened his mouth to speak, but closed it before anything came out. Sun didn’t want to press it further, it was very clearly something that neither wanted to talk about. 

“I’ll take the kids out to a movie. You two will have the house. Do what you need to,” Sun offered. Moon nodded in understanding as Sun walked off to collect the kids. Moon took Solar to his room as Sun fixed the couch cushions. After a few minutes, the front door was heard opening and closing. That sound opened the floodgates. 

Solar’s grip on Moon got tighter as tears began openly falling. Moon rubbed small circles on Solar’s back. 

“It’s going to be okay,” Moon reassured, his voice low. There was no telling if the words even reached Solar. He had no reaction to them. Moon has never been good with emotions, but he hasn’t felt this out of his depth before. He just held Solar tighter.

They stayed like that for a long while, not a word between the both of them. Solar’s cries began to quiet slowly, turning instead into silent sobs that shook his frame. Eventually, those died down as well. His ragged breath softened and steadied. Moon refused to loosen his grip all the while, comforting Solar as he slowly came down from his episode. Solar’s eyes stayed focused on the wall across from his bed.

“Solar?” Moon asked, looking to the other for confirmation that he’s okay. Solar didn’t feel like he could respond properly, instead deciding to reach one of his hands up to place over Moon’s. A quiet reassurance that he’s still here, no matter how much he wishes he wasn’t. 

“You’re doing amazing, Solar. I’m so proud of you. I know it’s hard and I know everything looks like a mess right now, but you’re so much stronger than you give yourself credit for. You can do this and I’m right here with you. Whenever you need me, I’m here. You don’t have to be alone,” Moon said, his hands moving to envelope Solar’s own hand. Solar slowly looked down at their hands and up at Moon. 

“I just thought I was finally over it,” Solar said, his voice scratchy. Moon sighed and shook his head. 

“That’s not how it works. Healing isn’t linear, Solar. As much as it sucks to hear, it doesn’t just stop hurting. It will get better, but it will never go away,” Moon explained. Solar took a moment to process his words properly. He wasn’t used to Moon being the voice of reason when the topic of discussion is emotions. Solar wordlessly leaned further into Moon after a minute of thought. 

“I know,” Solar muttered. He felt like crying, but no tears came this time. Moon let go of his hand to hug him close again and rub circles into his back.

“I’m here for you. So is Sun and so is Earth. You can always talk if you need to talk,” Moon reminded Solar, “We’ll be here for you, just say the word.” 

“Thank you. For everything. I’m sure it’s weird to comfort someone mourning a person that was supposed to be ‘the better you’,” Solar pointed out, but Moon just rolled his eyes. 

“It’s not the weirdest thing I’ve done and besides, you were right when you told me I needed to get over myself the first time around. It doesn’t matter who he was to me, he mattered to you and he’s gone now,” Moon reassured, “if you need anything, just tell me.”

Solar thought about Moon’s offer for a moment. 

“I think… I think I want to have a date night,” Solar said. He could use a distraction. Solar just let out the feelings he’s been needing to for a bit now and he would like something to make him feel like life is worth living after all that. Moon blinked in surprise.

“Yeah?” He asked, “Did you have something in mind?” 

“Not really, we could always do a movie,” Solar pointed out but Moon made a face. 

“We always watch movies, maybe we should try something else?” Moon suggested, Solar rolled his eyes. 

“Like what? I don’t feel like going out and I’ll take a shot in the dark and say you don’t either. There's not exactly a lot to do here,” Solar pointed out. Moon couldn’t help but agree. There really wasn’t. Moon thought for a bit. 

“Well… shit yeah, but still,” Moon replied which made Solar snort. 

“Hey, let’s just do a movie tonight and you can put something else together for me another night. It would give me something to look forward to,” Solar proposed. 

“Alright, fine, but we’re watching it in the downstairs living room. We can switch it up that way,” Moon haggled and Solar had no issues with that. Moon dried the rest of Solar’s tears and helped him up. 

“Do you have anything you want to watch?” Solar asked as he grabbed his cane. Moon shrugged in response, opening the door to Solar’s room for him. 

“Honestly, not really. I feel like we’ve watched everything,” Moon replied. Solar walked out into the living room while thinking about what they could watch. 

“Have you seen Supernatural?” Solar asked, something creeping into his tone that Moon couldn’t quite read. 

“Uh, I don’t think so,” Moon responded, trying to figure out what the strange inflection was for. 

“Perfect.” When they got down to the basement, Solar made a beeline for the remote, flicking on the tv and finding Supernatural. Moon grabbed 2 cokes from the twelve pack and started up the popcorn machine while Solar clicked onto and promptly paused the first episode. He waited patiently for Moon, who didn’t take long to grab a bucket full of popcorn and take a seat next to Solar. 

For the next few hours, the two watched Solar’s pick. Solar would pause periodically in an episode to info dump about something that is coming up or what something meant. This would have annoyed the absolute hell out of Moon if it were anyone else doing it, but because it was Solar, it was just endearing. It was good seeing him smile, even if it looked tired. They had gotten to the third episode of the first season when Solar paused the episode and stretched. 

“Alright, I’m about ready to call it a night,” he announced with a yawn, prompting Moon to yawn as well. 

“Sounds good to me,” Moon agreed and gathered the empty pop cans while Solar gathered the loose popcorn that had fallen around them. They finished cleaning up and walked upstairs together, Solar telling Moon any and all additional fun facts about Supernatural he missed while they were watching the show. Moon kept his full attention on Solar while he spoke and barely noticed he nearly walked into Solar’s room. He stopped in his tracks in the doorway. They had not entered the sleeping in the same room stage just yet.

Solar finished his little tangent and turned to Moon who was awkwardly standing in the doorway. 

“Thank you. For everything. I needed that,” Solar admitted and Moon felt a rush of relief wash over him at those words. All he wanted to do was help and the reassurance that he had helped did wonders.

“Do you need anything else? Are you going to be okay?” Moon asked. Solar made a ‘so-so’ motion with his hand. 

“I am about as okay as I can be right now and I think I’m good unless…” Solar began, but trailed off. His internal fans audibly kicked up and he got a little fidgety. 

“Unless?” Moon asked with a raised brow. Solar looked a bit lost for words. 

“Unless you wanted to… Stay in my room tonight? I mean– you don’t have to obviously, but it might be nice to have someone here,” Solar explained, trying his best not to make it sound like he needed Moon there. Moon’s expression softened.

“Okay, I’m fine with that,” Moon agreed easily, masking his own nerves at the new territory, and walked into Solar’s room. He closed the door behind him as Solar began getting ready for bed. He set his cane against his nightstand and took off his t-shirt to reveal a black tank top underneath. Solar tossed his shirt on top of the dresser and pulled the covers on his bed back. Moon stood by awkwardly until Solar patted the spot in bed beside him. 

“God this is so awkward,” Solar pointed out with a playful tone. 

“You’re telling me,” Moon agreed and climbed into bed with him. The two got comfortable laying next to each other for a moment before Solar inched a little closer to Moon.

“I really appreciate you, Moon. I feel like I don’t say that enough. You do so much and I am so grateful to have you in my life,” Solar said, putting his hand over Moon’s as he got sentimental. Moon leaned over a bit so they were even closer together.

“I like having you in my life too. I got so used to handling everything by myself, but you’ve kinda helped me get better about asking for help when I need it. Sorry I was such an asshole to you,” Moon replied.

“You were already forgiven for all of that Moon. You wanted to get better and you did. You need to give yourself more credit for that,” Solar closed his eyes and let all the tension leave his body as he got closer to entering sleep mode. 

“I love you,” Moon said, his tone hushed. The gravel in his tone scratched Solar’s brain in a way that he couldn’t explain. 

“I love you too.”