Work Text:
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This past week feels like a hallmark movie gone wrong. Things could not have been going worse frankly. You’re lying in bed, debating whether it’s even worth getting up at all currently… Especially when you’re so warm and cozy and it’s so cold- even in your townhome. It’s not like you can afford heating… So, you’ve chosen a cheaper bill and to freeze to death every time you leave your bed in the morning.
The heaps of blankets help to keep you warm, especially when Calypso is curled up on the side of your neck, purring quietly and making little biscuits. She’s only cuddly because she’s also cold, so you’re both sharing body heat and you’re technically under cat law. This gives you a valid excuse when Sun texts you about coming in today.
You’d feel bad not showing up though, even if you’d much rather not… It’s pretty obvious that both of them could use the extra help this week.
When you get an itch on your shoulder under where Calypso is lying, the slight and slow movement you make to carefully scratch it still disturbs the young cat and her ears go back into airplane mode before she shuffles in her tiny loaf position. The torti remains on your shoulder a moment longer before she decides she has better places to be, so she vacates the bed and takes her warmth with her, leaving you alone and cold.
You breathe a deep sigh, hitting your head repeatedly on your pillow before willing yourself to rise. Once you’re sitting up and no longer bundled up, the chill hits you, even in a sweater and long pajama pants. A shiver runs up your spine, and you hold your arms, trembling slightly as you slide out of bed reluctantly.
It takes a herculean effort, but you manage to bundle up for the oddly extra cold day today… Checking your phone, you notice it’s 6 Celsius and almost midday already. It’ll only get colder as the day wears on… You note the time is already noon, meaning you’ve slept far too long… You’re expecting to get reprimanded by Moon.
You dress nice and warm, in a Christmas sweater with a cat and Christmas lights, paired with black corduroy pants and big combat boots. Under the sweater is a black turtleneck, similar to the one Moon often wears. Once you make the drive to the cafe and park in the back lot where the employees are allowed, you walk through the back storage room, past all the extra bags of cat food and litter, and you enter the cat room.
You don’t know what you were expecting or bracing for when the past week has left you so ambivalent about even showing up. But, after working so hard to secure this job and growing your bond with Sun, and much slower with Moon, you decided… You really need the money.
You just weren’t expecting the cats to be all in a tiff when you walk in late. Sun isn’t even tending to them, which is honestly more surprising. Joey is hiding under the couch, Cheese is running in the wheel, Baker is hiding in one of the concealed litter boxes, and Yap is silent while she’s scrunched up in the corner. You’re beyond confused about what’s going on as you notice that Luna is curled up with Grand Larceny in the corner, the little tuxedo cat and black cat mixing together so much so that it’s hard to tell where one starts and the other ends.
Swirl and Strawb are both squeezed into a cat tree cubby on Sun’s side of the room, neither looks too happy, their ears in airplane mode and their tails are all fluffed up. You’re baffled as to why almost all the cats are so upset. A few are milling around idly and unbothered, but even they seem a little on edge- almost all the cats startled when you walked in after all.
You don’t even know where to start to handle such a situation, so you head to the cafe in the front, hoping to find Sun or Moon… Preferably Moon since he’s better at calming the cats.
Something Sun disagrees with, but you haven’t voiced your side to that argument and you don’t plan to…
Upon slipping past the gate and walking through the door, locking it all behind you, the sight before you is surely… Something.
Moon is on his knees, head bowed low and clearly in agony. You freeze up and glance between him and Sun, stunned into speechlessness.
Sun is rambling on and on, pacing behind Moon and shaking his hands out, making the ribbons with bells jingle. You notice both of them are wearing festive sweaters instead of their usual respective black and white. Moon has a blue-themed sweater and Sun has a red one. Your attention doesn’t linger on their festive attire for long though since Sun’s voice is awfully distracting. “How was I supposed to know? You’ve kept it so mysterious and- and- UGH! I don’t know! I was trying to do something nice! How could I know the difference between wet and dry and- and- grounded and un- not- er- not grounded…? SEE- I don’t even know the terminology!”
When Moon remains silent, head still bowed, Sun’s pacing quickens before he does a little anxious spin and halts. Neither of them seem to even recognize you’ve even entered the cafe… Sun shakes his hands out some more and shifts his weight from foot to foot now that he’s not pacing while he stands behind Moon and prattles on more apologetically, “I am SO sorry Moon- really- I swear I was just trying to help- I promise… It won’t happen again- I’ll m-” He pauses his rambling only when the darker automaton whips around to face him. Moon grabs the collar of Sun’s apron and drags him down to his level, leaving Sun bent over and frozen stiff with wide optics, the whites of his iris visible and constricted into tiny circles.
“I am SO mad right now. You have no idea… I don’t even- I-I don’t even want to see you right now… I’m taking the day off. You can handle the cafe by yourself. I will hurt you if-...” He trails off from that concerning sentence, leaving Sun to shrink his rays almost completely into his faceplate. Moon’s voice is deep and guttural, almost glitching like something’s frying in his systems, which honestly is entirely possible. There’s… Steam rising from the back of his neck under his cap.
Moon releases Sun and stands up, brushing himself off as he takes one last look at his smoking espresso machine before he turns heel and brushes right past you. He mumbles a gruff, “Sorry” while he’s passing you, but he still sounds very mad.
You watch as Moon stalks through the cat room, several cats scattering like rats, before he slams the back door shut so hard, that you can swear the building shake a tiny bit. You wince as the cats all seem to startle all over again… This explains why they’re so upset. Both animatronic caretakers appear to be very upset and both were getting loud in their respective ways, Moon moreso with the yelling, and Sun with his frantic ramblings.
You turn to Sun and notice he’s starting to disassociate… You didn’t realize Sun did that before now. It might have happened before but you hadn’t recognized it. Now, it’s clear with how he’s fidgeting with his fingers and staring off to the side of the coffee machine, frozen in place and dead silent.
From what you’ve gathered and what you’ve been learning about Sun, and what you just overheard, there’s a good chance he tried to do something with the coffee machine and busted it. The real question is how he busted it so badly… You snap back to yourself when you recall it’s smoking and you remember the whole concept of smoke alarms.
You rush into action, trotting over to the front, opening the door, and propping it open before rushing back behind the counter. You snag a kitchen towel and gently move Sun aside so you can fan the smoke out and disperse it out more so it doesn’t reach the sensor on the ceiling. Sun startles even at your gentle hand on his shoulder, nudging him out of the way, but he doesn’t stay frozen for long. He whirs anxiously before snatching a towel to help you, his longer arms reaching higher so he can fan a bit closer to the sensor to keep it clear.
Once the two of you handle the smoke, Sun plops down behind the counter, sitting down on the floor with his knees drawn up to his chest with his head in his hands. He groans and shakes his head, his fingers scraping at the metal of his face. You were folding the towels back neatly when the subtle sound caught your attention. You set the half-folded towel down on the counter and kneel beside Sun, gingerly taking his hands off his face, which he begrudgingly lets you do. There’s a moment of terse silence between the two of you, neither of you making eye contact, before an inconvenient customer walks in.
Without thinking about it fully due to the minor panic of handling a customer, you brush your fingertips along Sun’s cheek, letting them trail across it and slip under his chin to almost lovingly tilt it up so he isn’t staring at the floor so intensely. You turn your back to him while standing up as you address the customer and give the older gentleman the rundown, so you don’t see Sun’s reaction.
You don’t see how he trails his own fingertips over where yours ghosted his silicone ‘skin’. Sun blinks a few times before gazing up at you, watching how you seem to effortlessly take over for him.
He’s so relieved he requested you work with them at the cat cafe now… Even if he can’t voice it.
The rest of the shift happens to be rather busy much to your surprise and discomfort. A sticky note is made by Sun that reads, 'Sorry, espresso machine broke :c ’, and it’s pasted onto the front counter where anyone can see when they’re ordering. You end up handling the customers so Sun can calm the cats down and handle his job as usual.
You were trained how to take over for Moon, but that doesn't make doing it completely on your own any easier. Moon isn't here in case you mess up after all. It’s unfortunate you're doing it while he's vacant AND when the espresso machine is broken, plus there are so many customers… but misfortune seems to be a pattern this week… and the list only grows with every passing day.
You learn how to do it more on the spot, especially for the drinks, but you pull through, a little grateful the complicated coffee machine is broken. It makes your orders a bit easier. You ended up finding the problem in your bits of downtime, it seems Sun put pre-grounded coffee instead of beans and the machine overcompensated... Then the coffee grounds got all in the inner workings... It's impressive how deep it goes. Even just cleaning it out doesn't seem viable. It's overheated and burnt some things up in there.
For the rest of the shift, most customers leave within the hour, so they don’t overstay their paid visit time. This means you don’t have to worry about that, but the bigger issue is prepping the proper drink and food, and delivering it to the right person once they go inside the cat room. You get it wrong a few times and apologize, fighting off an anxiety attack almost all day, but you make it through. Closing time couldn’t come sooner for once.
You barely saw Sun the entire shift, he didn’t completely vanish, but he avoided eye contact and didn’t interact with the customers like usual. He still did his usual greeting, but it was quieter and more dimmed down. It was also the only time you really saw him since this afternoon.
After you’ve switched the sign to closed, cleaned up the cafe, and turned off all the lights, you’re heading out when you notice Sun is nowhere to be seen and the cat room is eerily clean but empty. At least the cats have calmed down now.
Even Cheese, Strawb, and Yap are sleeping so it’s nice and peaceful. Swirl meows at you while you walk by, the Maine Coon having a little, purr to his meow. He brushes against your legs and looks up at you almost expectantly.
You crouch down and give him some head pats, whispering to the little kitten, “What’s wrong Swirl…?”
He ‘prrows’ again, but longer and louder. You don’t want him to wake up or stress out the other cats, so you give him cheek scratches and tilt your head in thought. If he was hungry he would just go eat. It’s weird that he’s trying to get your attention before you leave.
You recall a passing detail in one of your many conversations with Sun since you started working. Swirl was found on the streets at night by Moon, so while he likes both of them, he prefers Moon. If that’s the case, it's possible he’s worried about Moon. He was awfully angry earlier. You thought you’d seen Moon mad before, but today you were proven dead wrong.
You do have to go home to your own kitten though, so you manage to depart after bartering Swirl with some treats. The cat crunches on them quietly, thankfully, so he doesn’t alert the other cats of the treats and you slip out the back door. Your mind momentarily wanders back to when Sun introduced you to him and how he praised Swirl for being so special since he’s a male tortoiseshell cat. Moon seems awfully proud of his find and had apparently done a lot of extra research just in case Swirl had any health issues, but as it stands, he’s a happy healthy kitty.
While you walk to your car, you’re a little confused and worried about where Sun vanished off to, but it’s not your business. You decide after the drive home to shoot him a quick message just in case though.
‘Hey Sun, sorry for leaving without saying goodbye but I couldn’t find you. I hope everything is okay, if you want to talk, I’m always happy to listen :)’
You desperately hope it doesn’t come off as kind of pushy or nosy. You genuinely just want to offer Sun some solace if at all possible. He’s never acted so weird before.
It’s on your mind all night, even while you eat dinner, shower, and feed Calypso. The little spicy kitten even seems to be more spicy this week, giving you trouble whenever she can. Just this past week, not even the current disastrous one, she scratched up your sofa, she’s got a nasty habit of tracking litter into your bed, and she’s somehow been knocking over anything she can move. This past week includes a glass vase that shattered, several glasses- some glass- some plastic, and your bag which spilled out all its contents.
Your countertops have never been so clean… There’s only what you’re currently using on them… but you keep forgetting so when you set your phone down, it startles you to hear it clatter to the floor.
“Calypso!” You exclaim to chastise the kitten, realizing something might have to be done if she doesn’t shape up soon… She is just a kitten, but she needs to learn not to do that… At least not to a phone.
Of course, whatever black magic has cursed you it would seem, the screen of your phone has a small crack in it now. You plop down on the floor and rest your head in your hands. This is getting ridiculous.
You have to take a moment so you don’t cry from the overwhelm and general despondency. Calypso just saunters off somewhere and you find it a little hard not to feel a bit bitter towards the kitten. You don’t do anything of course, but you close your bedroom door when you go to sleep that night.
Sun never answered. Which has never happened before.
He doesn’t answer til the morning at least, at 6:20 am to be exact. ‘Sorry, I left as soon as the cafe closed to take a walk. I meant to leave a note or tell you, but I’ll be honest, I was really upset that I made Moon so angry so I needed some space. I hope you’re not mad.’
The message buzzed your phone and woke you up somehow. It’s rare when that happens, but you’re glad it did because you end up having a nice conversation with Sun over text after you clarify you’re not mad at all, just worried. You even make plans to spend the remaining day with Sun.
You’re a little giddy since this is the first time you’ll be hanging out with the animatronic outside of work. You try to wash off the bad feelings from last night with a morning shower. You push it to the back of your mind and dismiss it as simply bad luck. Seasonal bad luck.
You change into some of your only holiday attire, a white sweater with gold stars and snowflakes paired with black cargo pants, an assortment of silver necklaces, bracelets, and rings, and finally, your beloved reindeer beanie. The light brown beanie with little fabric horns and ears matches nicely with the white of your sweater and the brown of your colder-weather boots. You’re proud of the outfit and thus feel better, feeding Calypso, neglecting to feed yourself, snatching your bag, and heading out.
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This is Sun’s first time hanging out with someone outside of Moon. To say he’s excited would be an understatement. He hasn’t known you for very long, but he’s gotten close enough to firmly say he believes you two are friends. Real friends. Not just the title he throws out to just anyone to make them feel more at ease around him, no, you’re really his friend in his eyes.
Not that he’s said any of that to you aloud. He’s never actually made a friend before. When he was a daycare attendant, it was easy to make friends with kids. Anyone they play with for more than maybe 10 minutes could be their friend… but you’re an adult. Sun has never hung out with an adult. To be fair, no adult ever wanted to hang out with him before.
He waits patiently at the front of the city’s park, rocking himself from the balls of his feet to the heel, his arms swaying with the motion, and his rays swiveling side to side and in and out. He’s much too excited to stand still. It’s such a relief to feel this excited too, since Moon is still so mad at him. This is a nice respite.
When he finally spots you, he waves his arms in an exaggerated fashion, trying to garner your attention and get you to smile. It works and when that beautiful smile graces your face, Sun is all aglow and warm inside. He squeals quietly to himself, fussing with his red sweater while he waits for you to cross the street.
He nods approvingly and gives you a thumbs-up for using the crosswalk and waiting for the light. When you finally reach him, he praises you for such lawful citizenship, he feels it’s rare to find a human who doesn’t jaywalk, and as a bot of strict rule-following, Sun finds it commendable.
“Good job crossing the street, friend! You stayed on the path and waited for the light!” He crouches down and doesn’t even seem to realize he’s treating you like a toddler who’s learning how to cross the street.
He only notices when that sweet smile of yours grows a little tense and strained, your voice low and slightly off-pitch. “Thanks, Sun… I almost got hit recently, so I decided to try and uh… Maybe at least get hit somewhere where I’d get money if I get run over.”
Sun straightens up and his rays retract into his faceplate, stifling a wince as he realizes he’s not treating you appropriately for your age. “A-Ah-! Sorry. Uh- I-I didn’t mean- I um… I won’t ask.” He ends up stumbling over his words, chastising himself internally for starting the hangout so poorly.
Your soft voice assures him it’s okay and it helps to ease Sun’s guilt and nerves a little. He hums and looks around the park, unsure what to do now that he’s actually out and about with another person… A friend hopefully.
He does recall he meant to compliment you yesterday and he chastises himself for forgetting, “Ah- before I forget. I had wanted to compliment your Christmas kitty sweater! I loved it so much, but I was uh… Upset... At the time. It made me smile when I saw it though, it’s cute.” He rambles on a little with his compliment and he grows bashful that he referred to something you wore as cute, he hopes you don’t think he’s calling you cute- not that you aren’t- but- he would never dare say that.
“Aw, thank you Sun, I try to dress more festive for the season in hopes it’ll help me feel more festive, ya know?” You explain casually, not seeming to think too deeply about his compliment. Sun sighs in relief and chuckles as he toys with the little fabric reindeer antler on your beanie, “Yeah, I get it and I think you’re doing a wonderful job. You look very classy and yet festive today.” He compliments you again, finding it hard to metaphorically keep his mouth shut.
You swat your hand at him playfully, mumbling, “Oh- hush! Thank you again though, you look very festive yourself!” You comment sweetly, gesturing to his red sweater and tan cargo pants. “Awe! Thank you! ” Sun coos excitedly, feeling this odd spark in his chest at hearing you compliment him. He doesn’t dwell on it though as you offer an activity for this hangout, “Do you want to walk through the park? It looks more festive at night when the lights are on, but it’s still pretty.” You ask quietly, a small tilt of your head to look up at him properly.
Sun can’t help this little flutter in his systems that makes them work a little harder and run a little hotter when you gaze up at him. He’s never had someone look up at him the way you do. So kind and curious… Full of wonder and cheer. He’s never had someone compliment him before… These are all new feelings in his chassis that he’s feeling for the first time.
Sun forgets to speak for a moment before he fumbles his words all over again, managing to mumble out a “Y-Yeah sure, that works.”
Thus, the two of you go for a nice walk in the main city park. It’s quiet and quaint, this city isn’t really on every map, so it’s far from a tourist stop. The two of you don’t talk very much and you only bring it up after it’s been almost an hour and you’ve switched to walking through the main plaza of downtown. Your voice breaks Sun out of his overthinking, “Is everything alright? You’ve been awfully quiet and I know that I don’t know you very well to know how to behave and what your mannerisms are yet, but you seem a lot more chatty at the cafe…”
Sun wrings his large mechanical hands together, tilting his faceplate away from you. He hesitates before deciding to try and open up… It’s the holidays after all. He sighs and turns back to you, gently grabbing the cuff of your sleeve to lightly tug you to a park bench where the two of you can sit down.
“I really upset Moon… and it’s just been on my mind. I don’t want to make it better, I need to… There’s uh… That on my mind… and um… I-I hope you don’t think less of me… but this is my first time hanging out with a friend.” He admits quietly, keeping his voice down and his gaze turned away from you. Whether or not you can see where he’s looking is another thing. He could stand for an optical upgrade, it’s a bit unnerving being unable to see his irises and pupils.
Your slightly cold hand on his forearm instantly grabs his attention and he turns back to you, his head crooking slightly in silent inquiry after that confession hung in the air for a few seconds.
“Of course I don’t think less of you Sun… If anything, I’m honored I’m your first…” Your tender voice and the soft way you look up at him render Sun nearly speechless again. He’s so unfamiliar with such… Care… He’s used to giving it, not receiving it, so it’s alien to him. If he could, he’d swallow thickly right now, but instead, a soft hum escapes his motor, almost like a cat’s purr.
…And then you keep talking, “If it helps, maybe you and I can work together on a Christmas gift for Moon? Maybe like, getting him a brand-new coffee machine…? Since it seems the one at the cafe is kaput.” Your offer is sweet, genuine, and thoughtful. Sun perks up at the possibility of righting his wrong, leaning in closer.
He nods enthusiastically and apprehensively grabs your sleeve, tugging it in his direction. Oh how he craves to be closer to you, but he doesn’t even really process it himself. It’s not a conscious forethought in his head. He just knows deep down that he wants you just a little bit closer… Just one more second of your eyes meeting his… Just one more word spoken from your lips. He’s caught hook, line, and sinker and he doesn’t even know it.
You didn’t even have to do anything, he’s just enamored with your existence.
“P-Please… I’d… Like that a lot- I just- if it wasn’t obvious from how I wrecked it, I know nothing about coffee machines…” Sun admits sheepishly, tugging your sleeve closer again.
You register the second tug and scoot slightly closer so your legs are brushing where you sit on the bench. Sun swears his systems were shocked like your touch is electric itself. “I can do the research and maybe you can pool some more of the money since you broke it after all… but I can help.”
Sun nods again, more enthusiastically, this sounds like a genuine plan and he’s all for it. He was just circling in his head and not making any progress for any kind of solution, so you’ve already helped him so much. He manages to find his voice after some minor system reboots, clearing his voice box quietly.
“I’d appreciate that more than I’m capable of verbalizing… Thank you…” Sun whispers softly, inching closer on the bench before he takes both your hands in his and squeezes gently. When you squeeze back he can’t control how his rays start to spin a little around his head and he can’t muffle the happy whirr that escapes his chassis. He giggles softly and retracts one hand to cover his face, thoroughly embarrassed that something so small is making him so giddy that he’s literally giggling and kicking his feet.
When he peeks behind his fingers he notices you’re smiling so fondly up at him, he nearly short circuits, he needs to get control over himself or he’ll start overheating. Sun’s left to retract both his hands so he can recover as he promptly pops up off the bench and motions for you to follow. He needs to move around or something, because sitting there, next to you on that bench, holding hands… It’s leaving Sun with so many unfamiliar fluttery feelings he didn’t even know he was capable of feeling, and he doesn’t want to delve into whatever that is so soon before Christmas.
So, ignoring any weird looks the two of you get while walking in the heart of downtown Oleander Grove, the two of you window shop and chat for the rest of the early evening… But once the sun starts to set, a twinge of deep-rooted nervousness settles in Sun’s chest and he hunches in on himself. It’s one of the telltale signs that something’s not quite right in his head.
“You ready to head home?” Your question rings in his vocal processors and Sun straightens back up with an eager nod. “Yes please…”
Considering how eager Sun seems to be to get wherever his home is, you decide not to question it. Even though the lights have only just turned on in the city, they’re best seen at night. The two of you walk through the main square one more time, seeing as Sun persistently insists he walks you to your car. He sees you off with lowered optical lids and he even opens the car door for you and holds your hand like a respectful young gentleman. He leans against your car window when you close the car door and put down the window from where you’re parked in the public lot and he tilts his head.
“I’ll do some research on coffee machines, could you just send me a picture of the old one? It’ll help if I know which one he previously had. We don’t want to downgrade his coffee machine after all.” You request politely, sitting back in the driver's seat. While Sun nods his head and gives a thumbs up, he almost misses how your gaze rakes up and down his form in comparison to your car.
He’s keeping his mouth shut, but it’s a really small car and it doesn’t look to be in good condition. In comparison, Sun is much shiner and cleaner. It’s a good question if he’d even be able to fit in your car at all, and that question seems to be on your mind. You pipe up soon after a slightly awkward silence settled over the two of you, “Do you… Need a ride?”
It clearly just dawned on you that you have no idea if Sun or Moon have a vehicle or how they’d get anywhere without one. Sun’s optics blink a few times as he looks around, shifting on his feet. He fidgets with the hem of his sweater before ducking his head. “I-I mean… I wouldn’t be opposed… If you offered…” He admits bashfully.
You scoff and snicker at the way Sun ducks his head and kicks one shoe against the pavement like a small child getting told off. You lean over and manually unlock the passenger door, “Hop in then and tell me where to go.”
Sun perks up and eagerly trots around the front of your car, ignoring the bushes that catch on his sweater a little before he slides into the seat and closes the door behind him. His knees are almost to his chest due to how forward he’s bent over to fit. His mechanical sun rays are retracted into his faceplate and he laughs sheepishly at the fact that he barely fits in your car.
“Heh- ah- maybe push the seat back…” You advise gently, stifling some giggles as you reach over under his legs to pull the bar back and scoot his seat back, which helps a little so he’s not so scrunched up and compacted. “T-Thank you Sunshine…” He mumbles quietly, not even conscious he used the old nickname he used for the kids at the daycare.
It isn’t until you perk up with wide eyes and a small tilt of your head that Sun slaps his hand over his unmoving mouth. “S-SORRY! Ah! I-I-” He begins stuttering after his shouted apology, his free hand waving frantically. “O-Old habit… I-I’m sorry.” He ends up muttering as he covers his face with both his hands and plops his face in his lap since his knees are still scrunched up a decent amount.
Your gentle, still slightly cold hands carefully pry his hands off his face and your kind eyes meet his nervous optics. “An old habit?” You prompt curiously. You don’t seem put off or babied by the nickname, so Sun takes a deep, synthetic breath and admits the truth.
“When… Before- the uh, cafe, I took care of children a lot and I called them Sunshine or Sunbite or Sunbeam- ya know… Silly little nicknames that made them happy.” He explains quietly with a shrug of his shoulders.
Your smile widens and you tilt your head up at him again, resting your chin on the palm of your hand while your elbow is propped up on the middle console of the car. “I don’t mind… I think it’s cute and it makes me happy too… But, if you refer to me with any of those nicknames, can I call you Sunny then?” You offer softly, the car is still off so there’s a tense silence over the both of you in the quiet of the car with Christmas music muffled outside.
Sun can tell his pupils are dilating when he looks at you. Suddenly this foreign feeling isn’t so scary… He hums quietly and leans in too, resting his elbow on his knee and leaning his cheek into the palm of his hand. “Sounds like a deal Sunshine…” He whispers tenderly, unable to contain the warmth in his voice as he gazes down at you.
When your smile widens so much so that the corners of your eyes crinkle, Sun finds his soft whirring has grown to a much louder one that noticeably fills the silence. You still never comment on it, which relieves Sun since he doesn’t even know how to explain it himself aside from maybe a ‘robot purr’, but that would be utterly embarrassing. Instead, you straighten up and ask for the destination and Sun just explains it’s the cat cafe. On the drive there, you wonder about where he lives, but the question feels a bit… Prying to ask, so you never do.
You park around the back and tilt your head as Sun gets out. He notices your silent but curious expression and he grins sheepishly as he rubs the back of his neck under his sweater. “Y-Yeah… Moon and I live at the cafe. There’s a sort of secret second floor... It used to be the attic of the previous place, but we renovated it. Sort of… It doesn’t leave us much personal space.” He explains quietly, a little ashamed to admit that.
“Where are you going to spend Christmas?” You ask gently, but you sound concerned and Sun picks up on it.
He rubs his arm and looks away, “We- won’t.” Is all he manages to rasp out.
“You won’t?” You echo with an inquisitive tone, turning your car off and leaning out the opened window where Sun stands beside your car.
Sun pauses before he goes into it a bit more, he’s unsure if he’s allowed to tell you this much when you’re employed by him and Moon, but you’re more than an employee and a coworker, you’re his first friend… “We… We have no inclination to celebrate Christmas since it’s just the two of us. Moon is still mad at me so I doubt he’ll be in a uh… Jolly mood… So to speak… but our past Christmas was no better, so we have no good memories or money to really celebrate. We’ll celebrate by decorating the shop, that’s pretty much it.”
You only hesitate for a second before you recall you’d be spending Christmas alone this year due to financial issues for yourself and your family. No one can afford the travel bill. “Why don’t you spend Christmas at my place?”
As soon as you offer it, you second guess yourself, that might be pushing it since you’ve only known each other for a few months, but Sun perks up. He looks a bit nervous, but excited about the idea nonetheless. “R-Really? You-You’d… Let us?”
You smile and nod to Sun, “Will it help if I talk to Moon? Maybe check in on him, or would you rather-” You don’t even get to finish the question before Sun shakes his head and cuts you off, “Oh- No- by all means, please- you go ahead and try and talk to the Grinch.”
You snicker and laugh as Sun refers to Moon as the Grinch. It doesn’t seem completely out there. Moon has yet to really show any holiday cheer after all.
˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗
Moon ended up taking a walk around town to cool off. He hadn’t meant to snap at Sun like that, but he really loved that coffee machine… He put so much time and effort into working for that pricy machine, plus the time to research, assemble it once it got there, and learn how to use it. He took such good care of it too.
He still regrets slipping up and almost threatening Sun with violence. He hasn’t done that in a while, he doesn't want to go back to the way things were before… So, he took a walk to calm down, which helped, then he recharged at the cafe, and now he’s lying in bed, reading a book on cat behavior.
When he hears a knock on the hatch that leads up to their attic home, he expects it to be Sun, steeling himself with a deep, synthetic breath, he hollers out, “Just open the door. I’m not getting up to open it for you.”
He buries his face back in his book so when your face cautiously appears over it he nearly jumps out of his silicon skin. “GAH- W-What are you doing up here!?” He demands, throwing his book down and sitting upright as he defensively gets aggressive when you startle him so badly.
Your hands raise defensively and take several steps back, seeming to have forgotten to close the hatch behind you. Moon sees it but you don’t. He lunges forward just in time to grab your waist as you nearly fall back down, having stepped back too hastily- even more so when he started to approach without warning. He moved before thinking to speak and now he’s holding his large metal hand that completely captures your waist, holding you up precariously over a good 1 story drop to the tile floor beneath. Sun isn’t down there to catch you, he’s tidying up in the cafe and looking for odd jobs online to wrack up some last-minute cash.
Your hands tentatively hold onto Moon’s sweater vest and he carefully pulls you up, away from the hatch before he gently shoves you out of the way and closes the hatch. He’s inadvertently sealed you up here with him now, and he realizes that once it’s closed. All he has to do is ask you to leave, but you came up here for a reason… Likely something to do with Sun since there’s no other reason you could know about this place.
“Watch your step next time… Just- what do you want? Be quick about it…” Moon insists firmly, sauntering past you to plop back down on his bed and fix his nightcap.
You look embarrassed over that whole situation and you sit down on the floor in front of him. He feels bad so he grabs the collar of your sweater and drags you over to his bed. “I won’t bite. You can sit on my bed.” He mutters as he inadvertently almost tried scruffing you like one of the cats.
You hesitantly abide by his… Request… If you can even call it that, but you plop yourself on the edge of his bed, keeping a respectable distance, and you stare at your lap while your fists scrunch up the fabric of your pants. Moon notices your stiff posture and avoidance of eye contact. He doesn’t really want to talk to anyone right now. He’s never had anyone to talk to after all.
You finally pipe up and it’s not exactly what he was expecting… He had been expecting an, ‘Are you still upset’, ‘Are you going to hurt Sun’, or ‘Do you want to talk about it’... but instead, he hears, “How are you feeling?”
It’s open-ended, not leading or prying, and you sound genuine. When your gaze finally meets his, he can see it in those eyes, it’s an honest question. You want to know how he’s feeling.
Moon doesn’t quite believe it at first, so he squares his shoulders and hunches in on himself in a similar fashion to how Sun does, “Fine. I’m- ...fine now.”
He doesn’t give you much to work with on purpose. He would rather push you away. He doesn’t know you too well, he’s fine keeping it that way.
You remain quiet for a moment longer before piping up, “I won’t pry or pester you… I just mainly wanted to check in on you and offer something.”
Now his interest is piqued and you likely worded it that way to grab his attention. He scowls at you for that successful strategy. Your smile softens into an apologetic one and you don’t drag it out, “Would you like to spend Christmas at my place? It’s not that big, and it’s just me, but… I-I thought I’d offer. Sun seems interested, so I believe he’s going and I wanted to offer it to you too.”
Moon tenses up at the offer. His mind reels as he processes some implications behind that question. Sun rarely parts from Moon. Of course, Sun is his own bot and can make his own decisions, but more often than not, Sun is almost Moon’s shadow, which seems backwards, but Sun follows Moon around a lot. Moon seems to have a better understanding of ‘the real world’, so Sun tries to follow in Moon’s footsteps to understand it better himself. It’s rare to hear Sun deciding something before consulting with Moon first.
Moon doesn’t hold it against Sun, but after he broke his coffee machine, he’s still a little on edge and irritated… Mixed with some feelings of guilt for snapping the way he did.
Now that you’re here, next to him, sitting on his bed, he recalls you were there to see that horrible display too and he cringes at the memory. “I-... I’ll think about it… But I don’t… Have any gifts for anyone. You or Sun.” He explains quietly, attempting to find an excuse. Maybe you’ll revoke your invitation that way.
“That’s fine, you don’t have to get either of us gifts if you don’t want to. I will let you know, Sun and I are gonna exchange gifts though.” Your voice is so undeterred by his gruff and curt mannerisms with speaking, it puts Moon off. It mentally unbalances him and leaves him grappling internally with how to reply. He never has to think this much about what he’s going to say next and it irks him.
He falls silent, feeling at a loss for words. He has no real reason to reject your invitation aside from just rudely saying he doesn’t want to… but that would be a bald-faced lie.
Your gaze drifts to the small window and then back to Moon, “How would you feel about… Maybe going out with me tonight? I walked around the park and the main square of downtown with Sun during the day, but it feels cooler out and looks prettier at night. You- you don’t have to of course, but, maybe it’ll give you some time to think about it and also get into the spirit?”
Moon narrows his optics at you. That sounds lovely… He hates how nice you make it sound. “Is Sun back…?” He asks quietly, keeping his voice low since the floor of the attic isn’t the thickest.
Your nod settles it for Moon and he grumbles as he stands up and grabs his coat from his closet. “Fine. Let’s go.”
After convincing Moon to let you drive a bit closer, he scrunches up in the passenger seat and you don’t question his insistence on dodging Sun. It makes sense if he feels guilty after all. Moon is silently grateful you don’t question him.
Once you park and walk through the park, Moon finds himself relaxing. While the bright Christmas lights kind of hurt his eyes, he pushes through the pain. He works during the day now after all… It just… Messes with his optic readings when it’s clearly night out, yet it’s so bright and then suddenly so dark, only to be bright again. It’s giving him a headache, but he doesn’t want to ruin the mood… So he keeps quiet.
You take a similar tour of downtown, only with a different automaton this time. Moon is much quieter and much less excitable. He follows ever so slightly behind you, keeping you within his sight. You’re worried about losing him in the crowd as it picks up. More people enjoy downtown when the Christmas lights are on and a lot are probably doing last-minute gift shopping. You hold a hand out to grab Moon’s sleeve but you end up grabbing one of his fingers. You start to retract, but his finger curls slightly into your palm and he walks a little faster so he’s right behind you.
He can feel the slight body heat you give off. He radiates his own heat, but it’s the mechanical heat of his internal systems that indicates that he’s in working order. Moon doesn’t really feel like talking with this headache as the hustle and bustle of the crowd start to make it worse. His expression sours and while he’s stuck smiling, his optics are very narrowed, and to most, he likely looks like he wants to kill the first person in his path… but in reality, he’s just got a nasty headache that’s making it hard to keep his eyes open.
He’s surprised when you duck into a little pretzel store without warning. You order one soft pretzel and then lead Moon out the back. He’s never actually explored downtown since he's had no interest in doing so, especially restaurants since he doesn’t eat… but where you take him is dark, quiet, quaint, and peaceful. It's a little garden, hidden away right off the main street. With little metal benches, chairs, and tables and one small Christmas tree in the center. It’s not twinkling or flashing, and the lights aren’t blindingly bright. He can open his eyes again and he looks around in awe while you lead him to a little table.
You never let go of his finger and he never pulled away, so even as you sit down, you’re still connected under the table. It’s only once he’s thoroughly examined his surroundings and looked at you, that he realizes you’re still linked. Something stutters in his chassis and he retracts his hand instantly. He clears his voice box and finally speaks his first words since the outing began. “Thank you… This is much nicer…”
You nod in agreement and trace the patterns on the metal table, “Yeah, I forget how crowded it gets during Christmas... Have you spent the holidays here before?”
Moon shakes his head, casting his gaze away as he looks around the little garden some more, “No. We moved here more towards the beginning of the year.”
You hum in acknowledgment as the waiter brings the pretzel out with a cup of water. “I wish I could offer you some…” You comment softly once you're both alone again, unwrapping the warm pretzel.
Moon shrugs, “I’m used to just watching others eat. It doesn’t bother me.”
“Do you ever wish you could eat?” You pipe up, prying a little further since he’s finally talking. Moon catches on and scoffs, amused by your questions. They’re harmless after all.
“Sometimes... I just don’t see how that would be possible.” He explains quietly, clasping his hands together on the table and straightening his poor posture for once.
“I mean, people said the idea of sentient AI wasn’t possible…” You point out quietly, looking up at Moon through your lashes while you take a sip of water.
“You’ve got a point…” Moon scoffs, shaking his head while he looks away from you.
Moon falls quiet for another moment, allowing you to eat the pretzel, he mulls over the morning, lingering feelings of guilt plague his mind and he can’t get it to go away. So, he steels himself to do something that’s still very foreign and new to him, “I’m… Sorry. ” He pauses when you look up and seem a bit confused by the apology that feels out of nowhere to you.
His fingers twitch anxiously as he continues a little more hasty now, “A-About this morning. I-... I really don’t like… Feeling that angry. I’m ashamed. I’m… I didn’t…” He falters, finding it strenuous to admit his feelings to someone now that he’s trying… He falls silent, stalling over the admission when your hand gently reaches across the table, palm up as a silent offer. He hesitates for a while, staring at the offer.
No one’s ever offered to hold his hand… Aside from Sun, and he refused Sun all but once. He tentatively holds onto your pointer finger, not wanting to hold your whole hand. That’s a bit too much for him right now… But just this little gesture of comfort helps him spit it out. “I didn’t… Mean to say that to Sun… I’ve hurt him before… I never want to hurt him again… But I don’t… Want… To apologize…” He trails off, his voice growing quieter and quieter as he realizes how horrible that sounds.
Your expression is soft and not judgemental like he was expecting. It makes his processor whir a little harder as he tries to understand why you don’t look disgusted or wary of him now. Instead, you whisper tentatively, “Why not?”
Moon’s optics flicker as he lets out a quiet, ‘tch ’ and turns his head away. He squeezes your finger a little tighter between his thumb and index finger before he manages to mutter out his answer, “I’m… Embarrassed… and… Nervous, I think. I’m not… Good with… Emotions.” Even admitting that, Moon stalls a lot and hesitates over almost every word.
“What’s the worst that could happen?” You ask bluntly, gently squeezing his finger intermittently to grab his attention, which works. Moon turns back to you and narrows his optic lids, “He rejects my apology and shuns me.” His answer was almost immediate.
You nod and seem unfazed which further bothers Moon. He cannot understand you for the life of him, “Okay, does that really sound like something Sun would do?”
Moon stiffens up. You have a good point. Sun usually apologizes when Moon is the one to mess up after all. He’d take the blame in a heartbeat, but it never eases Moon’s guilt. He scowls at you, not used to help and advice. “No…” He admits begrudgingly.
You shrug your shoulders and look away so there’s not as much pressure on Moon with your intense gaze, “I’d just try it. I think Sun will appreciate an apology.”
Moon grumbles and retracts his hand from yours, setting it in his lap. “We’ll see.”
The evening progresses slowly, but after Moon has recovered from the light sensitivity, you both venture outside the sanctuary of the little garden… This time not holding hands or even a finger. You don't want to overwhelm him. Moon is right behind you the whole time and the entire walk, he’s in his head, still mulling over your conversation.
He glares at the back of your head, internally cursing you and your kindness which makes him feel weird. He’s never had advice given to him before like that. It’s unfamiliar to him and he doesn’t know how to properly respond, so he doesn’t.
Once the city has been toured and the park walked through for a second time, you return to your car and Moon decides to sit in the backseat so he can stretch a little. “I hope this car doesn’t kill me…” He mutters half sarcastically while he climbs in and shoves the few wrappers and plastic bags off the seat to make room for himself.
“Oh, hush. It’s served me well all these years.” You snicker and throw a snack bar at Moon from the front seat. It hits his lap and he huffs, also swatting it off him as he leans against the car door tentatively so he can lie sideways in the backseat and be somewhat stretched out. “If you say so…” He grumbles as he settles down for the drive.
On the quiet drive back, Moon looks out the window. It’s been so long since he’s been in a car. He watches the dark forest and the occasional street lamp pass by. It’s calming and there’s only some quiet Christmas music playing on the radio so he can relax.
Once you get back to the cafe, Moon slides out of the backseat and closes the door a little too hard on accident, wincing and muttering a sorry before he glances at you. He notices you look a little sleepy so Moon taps on the window, which you roll down in response to, and he leans against the top of your car and looks down at you. “Thank you… I… enjoyed tonight. Even if it was a little too bright, flashy, and crowded… I think I had fun and I hope you did too… I’ll take your advice into consideration. Drive safe and text me when you get home.”
You smile so drowsy and content up at him, it makes something deep within his chassis run a little hotter and he tries to suppress it. He’s never seen someone look at him like that before. “Aww… Thank you, Moon… I will… The offer remains, by the way. If you want, you can spend the holidays at my place with Sun and I…”
Moon nods and pushes off your car, the small vehicle swaying when he does so. He waves you goodbye and watches as you pull out of the back parking lot and drive off. Moon waits outside a little longer, looking up at what he can see of the starlit sky. He lingers there for a good long while as he thinks over everything that happened today and finally, he feels more at peace.
˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗
Christmas day rolls around way too fast. You just barely managed to wrangle enough extra cash with Sun to buy that coffee machine for Moon… and on top of that, get a gift for Sun too. You had to get a little creative with Sun’s gift due to budget cuts… You just hope it’s good enough.
Moon texted you a day after you hung out, and all he said was he’d be there... And he asked if there was a dress code or anything he needed to bring. You replied dress comfy, it doesn’t have to be festive, and to bring himself. He left you on read.
Sun on the other hand texted you the night you got back from hanging out with Moon and he sent a text wall about how excited he was to go to your house and ‘Oh, Moon apologized to me too! That’s new! It was so sweet! He got all embarrassed and then we tussled and upset the cats but everyone is ok! ’
You felt relieved you got through with Moon. It’s been difficult working with him due to how gruff and stony he is when it comes to showing emotion. You don’t even blame it on the fact that he’s a robot, it’s just who he is. So, seeing small cracks in his mental walls has felt relieving. You’d like to be friends with them both after all, and Sun is already almost assuredly your friend.
You’ve been prepping since last night and all day today. You've got a Christmas movie channel on the TV, your Christmas tree has been tidied up, the gifts are under the tree, and there are a few decorations in and outside your house that weren’t there a few days ago… Not that Sun or Moon will know that.
When the doorbell rings you feel your heart leap in your throat. You check yourself over one more time, tidying up the Christmas hat on your head, straightening out your half-red and half-green Christmas sweater, and brushing off your soft, fuzzy, Christmas cat pajama pants. Your reindeer slippers nearly cause you to slip when you rush to the door but you catch yourself on the door with a solid THUD.
You open the door casually, brushing any hair off your face and tucking it under the cap as you open the door for the two celestial-themed automatons who await on the other side. Sun looks wide-eyed and slightly concerned and Moon is holding back a snicker.
“Welcome, welcome, Merry Christmas you two!” You greet them warmly, promptly ignoring how you slammed into the door and they both can clearly tell you did.
Sun shakes his head and blinks, rays twirling excitedly around his head as he trots inside, a small wrapped present somewhat hidden behind his back in hand, “Merry Christmas Sunshine!” He greets back warmly, giving you a side hug since one of his hands is occupied. You miss how Moon shoots Sun a look when he registers what Sun referred to you as.
Moon steps in behind Sun, nodding to you, “Merry Christmas…” He murmurs much calmer than Sun while you close the door behind them. You lock the door and turn to them both, examining how they’ve dressed as they seem to be doing the same with you.
Sun is wearing a reindeer horn headband, it fits perfectly between two of his rays at the top of his head, it’s quite endearing, and it has ribbons and bells at the base that jingle when he turns his head. His sweater is red with a reindeer on it, he’s got his usual red ribbons around his wrists with the bells, and he’s wearing matching brown corduroy pants and nice shoes to go with it. “I-I know you said comfy but, I consider this comfy.” Sun explains nervously when he notices how surprised you seem to be by how stylish and yet festive Sun has dressed.
“No, it’s perfectly fine, you can wear what you want silly.” You ease him gently, smiling fondly up at him. He returns the smile and spins around to set his gift under the tree.
You turn to Moon and he turns to you, meeting your gaze as he stands with his arms crossed, his own gift held carefully under his arm. He’s swapped out his usual sleeping cap with a more stereotypical Christmas hat, only it’s blue. It has a bell on the end of it still so it jingles when his head moves. His sweater is patterned with lighter and darker blue colors with little white snowflakes here and there, and he’s wearing these big, baggy, genie sleeping pants that are blue with yellow stars on them… and plain white slippers.
He seems a bit bashful over going out in such comfy attire. You attempt to ease his nerves by kicking out your left foot to show off your reindeer slippers. “Slipper buddies!”
Moon scoffs, shaking his head as he slowly, begrudgingly, refusing to meet your eyes, lifts one foot up to bump your slipper with his own. You stifle your giddy squeal and trot over to the living room, motioning him to join. Moon won’t look at you or Sun, who’s snickering behind his hand, as the three of you sit down in the living room.
Plopping down, criss-cross applesauce, you scoot back against the tree and set your hands in your lap, attempting to contain your excitement and nerves, “Okay, I think we’ve all waited long enough, who’s ready to exchange gifts?”
Sun raises his hand, also sitting criss-cross and he bounces up and down eagerly, “ME! Me, me, me, me!”
You laugh softly and glance to Moon who gives a lackadaisical thumbs-up. You start to ask the next question, “Who wants to open first?” “ME” Sun answers without giving you even time to fully get the question out.
Sun holds his hands out and makes a grabby motion, to which to provide your little gift bag. Inside is a decently sized wrapped box. Moon subtly scoots over a smaller wrapped box, looking away as if he’s a bit embarrassed or nervous about the gift he seemed to have gotten for Sun, likely last minute.
Sun perks up and pauses unwrapping your gift to give Moon a happy whir and a tilt of his head before he tears into your gift. He pauses as he looks it over, turning it this way and that as he reads over the contents of the scrapbook-making kit.
“You seem to really love life and of course the cats, so I thought you’d be into scrapbooking since you seem very creative… I hope you don’t already have all that stuff- if you do I have the receipt so I can-” You’re cut off when Sun lunges forward to slam into you for a fierce hug. “THANK YOU, THANK YOU- THANK YOU!” He shouts joyfully, nuzzling his faceplate against your cheek like a happy cat. He’s whirring very loudly and he’s kicking his feet while he’s laid out on his stomach to reach you.
You’re knocked onto your back, but you quickly wrap your arms around Sun’s neck and nuzzle him back. “Haha! I’m glad you like it!”
Sun squeals with joy and sits back up, bouncing in his seat on the carpeted floor. You pull out your phone to take a picture of it, wanting to save these memories. Sun looks up and his rays spin while you take the picture, still bouncing. He can’t sit still for the picture, he’s much too excited.
Sun squeals with glee again, mumbling another few ‘thank you’s’ as he sets it down, shaking his hands out so the bells jingle on his wrist while he tries to shift his focus to Moon’s gift now. He turns to Moon and faces his brother, tearing through the box with equal enthusiasm.
You keep your phone out to record this, the camera captures Sun’s enthusiastic elation when he sees another artsy gift, this one is more for physical crafts. Along with bags of fuzz, googly eyes, crinkle paper, and squeakers. You tilt your head a little confused until Moon mirrors how you explained the reasoning behind his gift. “I know funds are a little short at the moment, but I remember you like making toys for the cats… So… Yeah.” He mutters, ducking his head and batting at one of the bells on his wrist since he adorns those matching red ribbons.
Sun sorts through it all and sets them down next to the scrapbook kit you got him and he tentatively opens his arms up for a hug, not wanting to throw himself at Moon like he did with you. Moon scowls but scoots a little closer and gives Sun a side hug, patting him on the back.
Sun squeals excitedly and the both of them only notice now that you are recording, so you turn it off to take a picture. Moon backs up and puts his hand up to try and block the camera, embarrassed to be caught in 4k hugging Sun. The picture captures at the perfect time, catching Sun laughing and Moon just barely misses hiding his face while he’s in the process of escaping the side hug.
You laugh at the picture and show it to them, Sun giggles and glances at Moon, clasping his hands in a pleading gesture. Moon’s scowl deepens. “Fine. Only because it’s Christmas…” He grumbles, allowing you to keep the photo despite him not liking it.
You and Sun cheer with a ‘yay!’ in unison. Moon rolls his eyes and shoves his gift to you. Sun follows suit, snatching your phone to take pictures of you on it.
You sigh, but allow Sun, fairs fair. You look between the gifts and choose to open Sun’s first. You examine the wrapped gift, noticing how pristinely wrapped it is. It feels like a crime to tear into such a nicely wrapped-present. You give him an apologetic smile before tearing into it, feeling the contents inside. It feels soft.
You open it to find it’s a mixed blue and yellow short-sleeved shirt with the cafe’s logo. You’ve never seen it for sale though. Your eyes widen as you unfold it and turn it to the front. It has the logo design in the corner breast pocket. Turning it around to see the back, it has the name of the cafe and the logo in the center. It’s split diagonally and has blue on the bottom and yellow on the top, the back left corner of the shirt has a sun and the bottom right has a moon and stars. It’s a beautifully designed t-shirt.
You’re left speechless as you look up at them both. “It was my idea, but Moon figured out how to make it digitally before printing it. We don’t have the money to sell it in the shop yet, so consider yourself our beta tester! I-I hope it’s not… a shabby Christmas gift…” Sun mumbles, shifting his legs together since he’s moved to sit on his knees.
You set the shirt down and now it’s your turn to lunge at Sun for a big hug. He squeals with joy, allowing you to knock him over. He wraps his arms around your back nice and tight, squeezing you as you squeeze back. Your phone is dropped in the process and Moon picks it up to take a picture.
You sit up and snatch your phone back, but you only have it for a second or two before Sun swipes it back. “Ah, ah, ah! You still have to open Moon’s gift!” He chides playfully, pushing you back so you slide on the carpet without any pain or rug burn thanks to your pajama pants.
You giggle and roll your eyes before shifting to Moon’s gift, glancing back to Sun, “Thank you Sun. I love it so much… Really.”
Sun’s expression remains the same, his optics wide and the whites of the iris are faintly visible in the dim light of the Christmas tree in the early evening, but that whirring sound comes back, humming in his chassis as he ducks his head sheepishly, aware he’s making the sound but he has no control over it.
You notice that Moon’s wrapping is a bit sloppy. It’s still neater than yours, but not as pristine as Sun’s. There is a little bow on it though which makes you smile. You tear it off and stick it to Moon’s nose. He tenses up and his optics grow wide as his gaze shifts to his nose, making him go a little cross-eyed. He huffs but leaves it there, shaking his head as if he’s disappointed in such childish behavior… Hiding that he finds it enamoring. He takes it off once you start opening the gift though.
Once you tear into Moon’s gift, you find it’s a… Music box. Your eyes widen and your unwrapping becomes more delicate as you carefully tear it off. You examine the small box, noticing how intricately designed it is on the outside… It’s got a starry sky with constellations etched and engraved in. It looks beautiful. It’s instantly become the most beautiful item in your possession now.
Moon takes on the same style of explanation now, “I engraved it myself. I found it uh… In the um… Garbage… It was broken, but I spruced it up. I cleaned it, fixed it, and um… The music doesn’t work yet because I need to find or make a new cylinder to input the music. I didn’t have enough time to do all that, just fix up the box… So, sorry, it’s a little incomplete.”
You stare at the box, admiring the little details slowly and carefully, fighting back tears. No one’s ever given such a manually taxing gift… And one so, so beautiful… Your gaze meets Moon’s and he takes a synthetic breath to seemingly say more, but then he sees the glossy sheen to your eyes. He falls silent and looks you over, at a loss for words now. He’s never had someone… Cry… In front of him. Except for little kids or Sun, and he was often the reason behind it... This is entirely different.
Moon falters and Sun lowers the phone camera, the darker automaton stalls over his words, stuttering like never before and glancing at Sun with wide, unsure optics. “I-I’m… Sorry?” He whispers nervously, wringing his hands together.
You set the music box down and tentatively open your arms for a hug. “Moon… Holy hell… It’s beautiful… I-I…” You choke up and your hands tremble a little at the sheer amount of emotion coursing through you. Moon’s optics widen substantially and he scoots a little closer, scooping you up and setting you in his lap so he can hug you properly. Sun scoffs playfully at Moon’s favoritism showing, but he takes a picture regardless and is whirring quietly. Moon flips off the camera before he wraps his arms around you tentatively.
“You’re crying.” He points out, his voice is deep and close to your ears with your head against his chest.
“Tearing up.” You correct him, jesting slightly. Moon scoffs and pinches your side, leaving you to squeal at the ticklish jab, swatting him back as you play fight a little in his lap. Moon scoffs and grabs the back of your head to dunk it down and muss up your hat and hair underneath. You tug his hat and he leans back, taking you with him while he rolls over to pin you. His hands rest on either side of your head and his knees on either side of your legs.
“They’re happy tears… I really appreciate it, Moon. It’s the most beautiful thing I think I’ve ever been in possession of.” You clarify while looking up at him. You both look a little disheveled after the tussling. Sun took pictures the whole time and he lies on his side beside the both of you, snickering at the scene. He hasn’t seen Moon this playful in… Probably over a year.
Moon shoots Sun a glare and sits up off you, holding a hand out to offer assistance to help you up, which you take. “I’m glad you… Like it… I’ll get the cylinder to you once it’s done.” He murmurs with a dip of his head while he shifts to sit on the other side of you.
You take his hand in yours and then you take Sun’s. Sun sets your phone down beside you, tilting his head now that you have both their hands in your grasp. You take the most delicate and tentative kiss to their respective metal knuckles. The soft silicone is cold on Moon’s hand and warm on Sun’s. Moon jolts at the tiny, chaste kiss and something starts to steam, meanwhile, Sun’s rays shoot out all the way before a LOUD, building, quick, ‘whirRRR’ escapes him. You release them and apologize softly, but Sun shakes his head and hands, chuckling and babbling incoherently before he takes your hand to return the gesture as best as he can. He presses that unmoving smile of his to the back of your hand before leaning back and falling onto his back to kick his feet excitedly.
Moon covers his face with his hand. He can’t return the gesture yet, but he can accept it. He gives another thumbs up… His hand is trembling a little.
Your face is burning up, you can feel it, your sweater feels a little warm now, but it feels worth it. You don’t want to dwell on this too long, wary of what might come of it, so you stand up and go behind the Christmas tree to grab Moon’s present you and Sun worked on.
Sun perks up as he realizes what you’re grabbing, snatching your phone again to record. Moon tenses up, setting his hands in his lap. He recovers slowly, fanning himself while he glances at Sun recording nervously… Then he sees you dragging this large box and his jaw drops. “W-What the hell- What is that!?” He demands incredulously.
Sun pipes up, helping you drag the box over by the ribbon, “It’s your Christmas gift! From both of us, sorry we don’t have separate ones.”
You push the gift to Moon and he sits up straight, since he was slouching, and he looks between the both of you with intense optics, his smile, while it’s unmoving, feels earnest, albeit nervous. The way his hands grip his pants and his fingers flex while his gaze darts between you, Sun, and the gift shows it.
You plop down beside Sun and the both of you lean forward eagerly, silently imploring Moon to open it. The darker automaton stares at you both for a solid moment before nervously undoing the bow and tearing into the blue wrapping paper. It takes a second before he can read the cardboard box the coffee machine is in… and when he does he freezes. Moon goes completely still as he stares at the machine.
You and Sun are aware he has an almost autistic amount of knowledge on coffee machines so he likely knows this is a very nice coffee machine. He stares at it, half unwrapped, before he slowly turns to the both of you. He’s deathly silent as he slowly turns back to finish unwrapping it, opening up the cardboard box to see if this is some sick joke, only to find the genuine item in the box. He sits down slowly, his hands falling in his lap as he sits there at a loss for words.
He slowly covers his face and brings his knees up to his chest as this… Sad… Sound escapes him. He’s crying. Tears can’t escape his optics, but the red irises are wobbling and unsteady as he stares at his knees and lets out these soft little gasps. “Y-You both…” He manages to croak out.
Sun sets the phone down and crawls over, resting a hand on Moon’s back. “Please don’t feel guilty. You apologized to me, it’s okay… Merry Christmas Moon.” He gives Moon another side hug, but this time Moon turns to give Sun a proper hug, pulling his brother down onto him as he lets out a choked-out sob, clearly trying to stifle it, but failing since he isn’t used to such strong emotions wracking his systems.
You lean over and manage to take one more photo before Moon sits up, releases Sun, and pulls you into another hug. He squeezes you from behind, “Thank you… Thank you both and Merry Christmas…” He whispers softly, nuzzling into the back of your neck, leaving your Christmas hat a bit crooked again.
Sun wraps his arms around the both of you and you get a big Christmas group hug between the three of you. Moon ends up ranting about the coffee machine for nearly an hour about how cool it is and how it’s even better than his last one after he recovers. He’s clearly eager to set it up as soon as he gets back to the cafe… but you all end up binging Christmas movies until so late in the night, you request they don’t walk home and you don’t particularly want to drive on Christmas… So they spend the night, sleeping in the living room on the couch and the floor with an abundance of pillows and blankets. Calypso ended up hiding in your room, still not too fond of either automaton, so Sun only got to see her for a few seconds before she fled and hid under your bed, leaving Sun to lightly punch the floor on his hands and knees.
In the morning when they get ready to leave, Sun gives you a lengthy lecture about taking care of yourself since he noticed how cold your townhouse got since the heater isn’t turned on for money reasons. Moon backs him up with an agreeing hum and when you drive them to the cafe, since Moon’s gift is rather difficult to walk with, you end Christmas feeling much better than usual when you’re with your family.
You're not the only one feeling much better this Christmas season and it shows in the following days with little stolen glances and smiles... Seasonal secrets are kept between the three of you. Unbeknownst to you all, more than friendship has begun to blossom even in the harshest winter cold.
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