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Today was the day. The wretched day that Sun had been dreading for the past few years since his activation. As soon as Sun woke up, he could tell what was happening, despite not knowing much about it. He supposed it was instinct or something.
Sun groaned quietly, and wanted nothing more than to stay in bed. Just curl up in the blankets and go back to sleep. Sadly, he had a job. One that he couldn’t just call out of. As he rolled out of bed, he could immediately tell that his scent was much stronger than normal. It filled up the small room and clung to everything he came into contact with. And his head felt a little cloudy, as if he was running on 5%, despite his battery being fully charged. He was not looking forward to the day ahead.
Sun left his room, walking slowly toward the ladder. As he reached it a sudden commotion came from behind. He turned to watch Moon practically fall out of his tunnel. He looked around the room before his eyes landed on Sun.
“Is…Is that you?” he asked, walking over.
Sun wilted, wrapping his arms around himself. Was it really that obvious? Oh, great…
Moon came to stand beside his brother, looking concerned. He was the only one who knew that Sun was an omega. They’d agreed to hide it back when they were first activated. They were the newest animatronics, and when they found out that none of the others were omegas, Sun couldn’t help but feel a spike of fear. Both twins had done research and came across several terrible stories of omegas in similar situations as Sun. Especially when their heat began, which for Sun, was today. He’d been secretly hoping that he was somehow defective and would never have a heat cycle. He guessed he wasn’t lucky enough…
Looking at Moon, Sun could see that his brother was also lost in thought. No doubt he was trying to come up with solutions to their new problem. Sun felt guilty for causing Moon so much worry. Why couldn’t their creator have made Sun into an alpha like his brother? Or at least a beta. He supposed it went with their theme of being opposites, but still.
“I-It’s okay.” Sun said, unable to watch Moon stress any longer. “We knew this was going to happen eventually. It’ll be fine.”
“Sun, we can’t just ignore-”
“Yes we can!” Sun waves his hands in frustration, climbing up the ladder. “We just ignore it, and let it pass, and eventually things will go back to normal.”
With that he stepped off the stage and into the ballpit. He pushed away the fog in his head and focused on readying the daycare for the flood of kids that would soon be pouring in. And boy did they pour in. As usual, the day was hectic with Sun running around taking care of dozens of children. By the time the hours dragged by and all of the kids left, Sun wanted to crawl up to his room and collapse in bed. His scent was absolutely everywhere, nearly overwhelming. He was so glad that the children seemed to be completely unaware of it, because it coated every surface he touched. He knew that it would be like blood in water for any of the alpha animatronics, and dearly hoped they all stayed far away. If he could just get through this without his big secret getting out, then he’d be happy.
So, Sun quickly got to work scrubbing the daycare with every cleaning product he had on hand. But as he cleaned, he found that his scent still lingered, and nothing could get rid of it. After nearly an hour, he gave up, pulling at his rays in frustration. The doors to the daycare opened, making Sun jump in surprise. He quickly turned to see Monty walk into the room. His gaze swept around before spotting Sun. As he stared Sun felt…something churn within the fog in his head. He didn’t know what it was, some new unfamiliar instinct, but whatever it was he didn’t like it. A part of him screamed internally to run away, to hide, but he just stayed frozen in place.
“Well well well,” Monty laughed. “Who woulda guessed little Sunshine wasn’t really a beta. Y’know, it’s actually kind of obvious, looking back.”
Sun felt his face heat up. Of all people to find out, why did it have to be freaking Monty? He would either crack a thousand jokes, or try to hit on Sun. And Sun didn’t know which would be worse. The fog in his brain was smothering out all thoughts, and it got so much worse as Monty walked further into the daycare. He was talking, but Sun couldn’t even focus on his words anymore. He just wanted Monty to back up and go away! He wanted to be able to turn and flee, and find somewhere safe to hide.
A distinct sound whirred overhead, and Sun instantly recognized it as Moon’s wire. His brother flew over on it and dropped down between them. Sun felt such a huge wave of relief that it nearly brought tears to his eyes. Moon stood rigid, his back to Sun, facing Monty.
“What’s up, Montgomery? Out for a walk?”
Though Moon’s voice was casual, a tension immediately filled up the room, chasing away the relief Sun had felt. He’d never before experienced what it was like for two alphas to clash. All of the alphas at the plex got along just fine, with very few fights. He remembered commenting on it once out of curiosity. After all, he’d researched about how territorial alphas tended to be. But then everyone laughed and someone cracked a joke about it being because no omegas were around to rile them up.
“Well, I was just hangin’ out at the course.” Monty replied, just as casually. “When I started picking up on this weird scent. I followed it, and it led me here, right to our little resident Sunshine. Which is pretty funny, considerin’ we all thought he was a beta.”
“And I don’t see how any of this is your business.” Moon shot back, letting an edge enter his tone.
Thankfully, Monty eased up, raising his hands in a show of surrender.
“Easy, Moon, I can tell when I’m not wanted.” he said. “I’ll just see myself out.”
As he left, he seemed to take the oppressive tension with him, and the air around Sun lightened up enough for him to relax. Moon was quickly in front of him, placing his hands on Sun’s shoulders.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Sun nodded.
“I’m sorry,” Moon said. “I didn’t even think about…”
He gestured at Sun, and he knew that Moon was talking about his scent. Even Sun was shocked that it had wafted out beyond the daycare and apparently got into Gator Golf. Sun felt his face heat up again, tears blurring his vision. He just knew Monty was going to tell everyone now. He hated this so much…
“Hey hey hey!” Moon gripped Sun’s shoulders tighter. “It’s okay, really. It’s going to be okay, Brother.”
Moon called his wire back down, letting it latch onto his back. He held Sun close and lifted them both up, taking them to their room. Moon led Sun into the little tunnel and through to his bedroom, where Sun had a surprise waiting for him.
“I’ve been working on this.” Moon said. “I was reading up on ways to help with…the symptoms, and a lot of sources talked about the importance of nesting.”
Moon’s bed was piled high with blankets and pillows, and even a few Sun and Moon plushies. Sun recognized his own blanket and pillows in the pile, causing both his and Moons’ scents to combine in a comforting way. Sun once more felt tears gather in his eyes, and he pulled Moon into a hug.
“Thank you, Moony!” he said.
Sun turned and jumped right into the pile, unable to stop the happy squeal from leaving him. It just felt right somehow to fuss about on the bed, digging at the blankets and organizing the pillows until he had a little nest made. Moon sat on the edge of the bed, watching this all with a smile. Sun curled up in the middle of his new nest, feeling a sense of calm wash over him. Peeking an eye open, he looked to his brother and grinned, reaching out and making grabby hands at him. Moon laughed and moved into the nest as well. Sun latched onto his twin, curling around him and snuggling into the bed, basking in the sense of safety and comfort. Moon reached up and ran his hand gently through Sun’s rays.
“We’ll get through this, Brother.” Moon said. “One day at a time, and then it’ll be behind us.”
Sun hummed with a sleepy smile. In the sanctuary of his nest, it was easy to believe Moon’s words. This wouldn’t be so bad. It would soon be over, and it would almost certainly be a few more years before another heat cycle came over him. He could do this.
The next day was worse. Sun opened his eyes, still wrapped up in his nest with Moon, and he could feel his entire body ache. His scent had smothered Moon’s out almost completely. And Sun’s mind was even foggier than yesterday, making his head feel heavy.
Sun whimpered quietly, forcing himself to get up and start the day. He carefully untangled himself from Moon, who slept peacefully. He practically tip-toed out and into the daycare, stumbling with his eyes half-closed over to the entrance. He opened up the doors, and nearly jumped into the air when the tall figure of Roxanne stood right outside.
“Morning, Sun.” she said, leaning against the doorway.
She smiled at him, but Sun didn’t like how his mind felt when she met his gaze. It was exactly like with Monty, and Sun found himself stepping quickly back. She followed, walking casually into the daycare.
“So I guess the kitty cat’s out of the bag, huh?” she said.
Sun blinked at her, his muddled mind trying to catch up.
“You know,” Roxy continued. “Heats can be pretty tough to get through without an alpha.”
“Huh?” Sun squeaked. Roxy stepped closer.
“I’m just pointing out a well known fact. I’m worried about you.” she said. “It must already be getting frustrating and lonely, to have no alpha to turn to.”
Sun was saved from having to reply by a swarm of children. They rushed into the daycare, only a few stopping to gawk at Roxanne. A pair of hands landed on Sun’s shoulders from behind, and even through his mental fog Sun knew it was his brother.
“Good morning, Roxanne.” Moon greeted as he pulled Sun away from her. “Nice of you to drop by, but unfortunately it’s business hours. You know how it is.”
Roxy stared past Sun at Moon, her smirk gone, and Sun felt that same tension from yesterday swirl up around him. He shrank back a bit against Moon, grateful that his brother had come to his rescue. But now it felt like he might be caught in the middle of a fight, and his desire to run and hide in his nest nearly overwhelmed him.
“I’m sure everyone’s waiting for you at the track.” Moon continued.
Roxy didn’t bother responding, she merely huffed and tossed her hair, turning and sauntering away. The brothers watched her go for a moment, before Moon sighed.
“Maybe I should install some extra security.” he said half-jokingly.
He then left Sun’s side and walked to the security desk, leaning against it and watching the kids as they ran around and played.
“Um, what are you doing?” Sun asked.
“Helping you.” Moon shrugged.
“You don’t have to! I’m fine-”
“Nope. Not up for argument. I’m helping.” Moon then pointedly ignored Sun’s protests, and he eventually gave up trying to convince Moon he didn’t need to stay.
Sun was both touched and embarrassed. He hated making Moon worry and he knew that Moon found the kids to be…a bit much. But still, it helped ease some of Sun’s stress to know that his brother had his back.
The twins proceeded to watch over the kids together, with Sun insisting on doing most of the activities. Moon let him, remaining at his post by the desk for most of the day. When he glanced at Moon, Sun often saw his brother staring out past the netted walls of the daycare, toward the main entrance. Sun also looked a few times, and swore he caught glimpses of other animatronics peeking in. Sun would always quickly look away, not wanting any more attention on himself than he already had. He was very grateful for Moon’s presence, as he was sure that was the only reason the others weren't coming over to say hi. He really didn't want any more encounters like he'd had with Roxy and Monty.
Sun walked out of the daycare, holding two kids’ hands as they skipped happily. He led them out to their mother, who greeted them with a smile and hugs. Sun watched them leave, returning the kids’ goodbye waves. He was so happy that the day was officially over. Now he just had to clean up the daycare, and then he could finally curl up in his nest and go to sleep. Sun had never really been one for sleep before. He was usually up and moving right until his battery nearly gave out, or Moon forced him to relax. But now it seemed like laying down and passing out was the only thing that brought him any relief. His circuits and wires felt like they were covered in cobwebs, and his body was a little too warm.
Sun realized that he’d been standing in one place, staring off into space, and shook his head to clear it. That just made things worse, and now he felt dizzy. Tilting to one side, a large hand suddenly caught him, and Sun looked up to find that he’d gained a new audience. Freddy, Chica and Foxy all stood around him, looking concerned.
“Are you alright?” Freddy, the one who’d caught him, asked.
“Uh…yeah.” Sun said tiredly. He yanked on one of his rays to try and wake himself up.
“Oh, we just heard the news.” Chica said. “You poor thing! This must be so hard.”
“I-I’m, uh- it’s fine.” Sun stammered. He stepped away from them and turned back toward the daycare.
“Well if you need any help, we’re all here for you.” Freddy said as the three trailed behind Sun.
They all walked in an awkward silence for a few seconds, before Foxy broke it.
“So you got eyes on any alphas yet?” he asked.
“Foxy!” both Freddy and Chica admonished.
“What? We’re all thinking it.” he shrugged. “Everyone knows an omega needs an alpha, especially during all this mess.”
“Whoever Sunny chooses, we’ll support him!” Chica said.
“Guys, please, this is Sun’s personal business.” Freddy sighed.
“Well yeah but he kind of has a lot of options.” Foxy pointed out. “He could get with any alpha he wants-”
“I don’t want anybody!” Sun shouted, whirling around to glare at them. “I don’t want to get with any of the stupid alphas around here! I hate this whole thing! I hate how everyone’s acting around me, I hate how weird I feel, I hate all of this!”
His face erupted in heat at his outburst, and Sun felt himself wilt from exhaustion and embarrassment. He really didn’t mean to yell, or let on just how much this sucked. The three looked at him in a mixture of surprise and pity, and Sun wanted to burst into tears.
“What’s happening out here?” Moon appeared in the doorway, quickly walking over.
“Um, we were just checking in on Sun.” Freddy said.
“Thanks, but I’ve got it handled.” Moon said shortly, staring daggers at them all.
“Moon, it’s okay.” Sun interjected. “They’re just worried about me.”
“Well that’s nice, but it’s not needed.” Moon replied, dismissing the three with another sharp glance.
He took Sun’s hand and quickly led him into the daycare. Sun waved goodbye to the others, who all returned the gesture.
“Um, bye Sunny!” Chica called, before the three were blocked out by Moon closing the daycare doors.
“Moon...” Sun said. He didn’t like when his brother was rude.
“They upset you.” Moon said as he latched the door.
“Not on purpose! It’s just…my emotions are all over the place. I can’t think straight! I hate this.”
“I know, Brother.” Moon said. “Now why don’t you sit down for a bit? You need to rest.”
He then got to work gathering cleaning supplies. Sun immediately sputtered about how Moon didn’t have to clean the daycare, which Moon of course ignored. In the end, Moon let Sun clean and stack his precious barrels, but he handled everything else. Despite Sun’s grumbling, he really was very grateful. He couldn’t imagine going through this by himself. The thought alone made him shudder.
Or maybe that was just the fever building up in his body. Why did he feel so hot and cold at the same time? His body shivered, his already heavy head tilting downward. He tried to place another barrel onto his newest tower, but it clattered out of his hands. He stared down at it for several long moments, before Moon appeared at his side, wire already attached. He didn’t bother speaking as he picked up Sun, lifting them into the air.
“But I have to finish cleaning.” Sun whined quietly.
“I’ll stack your stupid barrels later.” Moon replied.
“Not stupid…” Sun grumbled.
Moon just carried Sun into his room, dropping him down onto the bed. Sun griped and grumbled as he snuggled into the blankets. Moon reached down to rub soothing circles into Sun’s rays. Sun gave him a half-hearted glare, his head filled with thick awful fog. He was exactly where he wanted to be, and yet he still felt miserable. Moon observed him, his hand moving from Sun’s rays to his head. He felt the heat building up under Sun’s plating.
After a few moments, Moon’s hand retreated, causing Sun to whine. He’d been nearly able to fall asleep despite his discomfort, and now he missed the nice cold hand. He peeked open an eye to stare up at his brother.
“I’m gonna go grab some things,” Moon said quietly. “I’ll be right back.”
Sun watched him disappear from sight. And while he understood what Moon said, he understood that his brother would be right back, he still felt more whines and whimpers build up. He felt tears gather in his eyes and panic rush over him. He was all alone now! He was weak and hurting and completely defenseless! What if one of the alphas found him? He didn’t like the way they made him feel. He didn’t feel safe when they were around.
Tears ran down his face, despite his effort to stop them. He felt so stupid! Why was he cowering in Moon’s bed, crying like a frightened little kid? Nothing bad was happening! He was perfectly safe up here! He knew this, and yet he couldn’t stop his body from shaking with quiet sobs. He buried his face into a pillow, feeling completely miserable. He floated in his foggy head for who knew how long, lost to his internal turmoil and aching body.
Familiar, comforting hands came back, pulling Sun’s face away from where he was trying to smother it. He opened his eyes to find Moon gently shushing him, wiping away the tears.
“Hey, I’m here. I’m sorry.” Moon whispered.
“No, I'm sorry.” Sun sobbed. “I’m being so stupid! I don’t know what’s wrong with me!”
“Nothing’s wrong with you.” Moon replied.
He turned away and picked up a rag. Sun noticed that he’d brought a little bucket filled with water. Moon dipped the rag into it, making sure to wring it out.
“You’re overheating.” Moon said, sitting on the edge of the bed. He reached out and pulled Sun a little closer before carefully running the rag over his head.
Sun sighed, finally feeling himself relax. Moon was back, and Sun knew that meant he’d be protected. And the cold rag was definitely helping fight back the oppressive heat that wanted to melt his wires.
Moon watched his brother fall to sleep, worried about the amount of heat that came off him. He internally pulled up his research he’d been frantically doing since Sun’s heat first started. He wanted to kick himself for not thinking to plan ahead. As the years went by, he’d honestly just forgot that omegas went through heat cycles. He still remembered the fear he’d felt the day that both twins looked up what the three classifications meant. He and Sun read all kinds of worrying stories and supposed facts about alphas and omegas, and especially what was expected from omegas. He frowned to himself, remembering how he’d calmed his panicking brother down, convincing him that they could just lie and pretend he was a beta. It had been easy enough to pull off, until now…
Shaking himself from his thoughts, Moon felt his brother’s temperature, and was relieved to note that he felt much cooler now. He placed the rag and bucket aside for later, and quietly left his room. He moved out into the daycare and continued to finish the cleaning. He didn’t need Sun waking up in a panic because there was a mess. He glanced up at the high walls, and caught movement. He wasn’t sure who it was, since they quickly fled out of sight, but he had a feeling it was one of the other alphas. They’d been dropping by all throughout the day, peering in, eyes searching for Sun. Moon growled, wondering why those assholes couldn’t figure out that they weren’t wanted. Sun made it very clear that he wasn’t interested, and yet they couldn’t seem to take no for an answer. And to have the nerve to enter what was basically Moon’s territory to scope out his brother…It filled him with anger, and he had to quickly distract himself with cleaning before he stomped off and tracked down every single alpha and beat some sense into them.
Huffing, he stacked Sun’s dumb barrel towers as best he could, before returning up to his room to check on his brother. He found Sun still asleep, curled up beneath a thick blanket. Moon reluctantly pulled the blanket off of him, feeling heat rising off Sun once again. Moon went back to the water bucket, retrieving the rag to cool him off again. He continued like this for the rest of the night, eventually plugging himself up to charge and sitting on the bed beside Sun, playing little games inside his head to keep awake. He didn’t want to risk Sun becoming too overheated, so he forced himself to stay awake.
The next morning found Sun in an even heavier fog then before. He didn’t know why it only seemed to be getting worse and worse! He hated all of this!
Groaning, Sun slowly sat up, feeling dizzy and unbalanced. He saw Moon, sitting slumped over and snoring softly. Sun slowly crawled out of the nest, trying his best not to wake his brother. He, by some miracle, made it all the way out onto the stage. He dropped down into the ballpit, and proceeded to just float around for several moments, his body and mind both aching and wailing at him to go back to bed. He eventually regained enough control to pull himself up and stumble over to the doors, reaching shaking hands out to grab onto any structure he could to keep his balance. He eventually reached the doors, unlocking and opening them.
He was immediately surrounded, voices and bodies on all sides. He squeaked, trying to back away, but several hands were now on him. Words danced on the edge of his hearing, getting lost in the fog before he could decipher what they were saying. Tears came quickly, and Sun pressed his hands over his face, trying to keep them in. Sobs hiccuped from his shaking body.
“-you okay?”
“-scarin-”
“Sun! Hey, wh-”
“-it’s just-”
Their forms closed in on him more and more, their voices and their touches and their scents suffocating him. He couldn’t even tell where he was anymore! He was lost, and alone, and unable to do anything to defend himself! He knew he was sobbing and making pathetic keening noises, and he desperately wanted to stop! He wanted all of this to stop! He reached up and yanked hard on his rays. More hands came in to grab his, and he flinched and swayed away from them.
“-no, don-”
“Stop-”
“-urting yourse-”
“LET GO!” Sun knew that voice.
The hands released him, and Sun crumpled toward the ground. He was quickly caught and wrapped up in his brother’s arms. He knew it was him, and it only made him cry louder. He couldn’t even begin to be able to organize his churning thoughts into words, but he wanted to beg and plead with Moon to hide him. To take him back to where it was safe and quiet.
He felt himself be pressed tightly against Moon’s chest. He could feel the vibrations of Moon’s voicebox, and knew that meant his brother must be yelling, but he couldn’t hear anything anymore. He couldn’t see, either, he could only hang limp like a sobbing ragdoll in his brother’s arms. His whole body felt like it was melting, and his thoughts grew further and further apart, consciousness floating away. All he could see was darkness. All of his senses were shutting down. His last sensation was feeling the floor fall out from under him, and then there was nothing.
Sun’s vision came back slowly. Everything was blurry, no matter how many times he blinked. He moved a bit, and winced as his joints flared in pain. He could feel something soothing and cool moving over his body, and tried to see what it was. That was when a blue figure came into his view. Moon! Sun’s vision at last cleared, and he saw his brother sitting next to him, rag in hand. Sun tried to speak, but his voicebox was hazy and static.
“Shhh.” Moon said, running the cold rag over Sun’s face and rays. “You overclocked yourself. Shutdown. But you’re gonna be okay, I promise.”
“Kids?” Sun managed to say.
“The kids are all gone. The day’s over.” Moon replied.
“W…hat…appened?” Sun asked, and Moon sighed.
“What happened was a bunch of idiots decided to stand outside the daycare to check up on you, and they also decided that crowding around you and grabbing you was a good idea.” he said, before giving Sun a sharp look. “And you also decided to be an idiot by going out into the daycare alone without even waking me.”
Sun whined at the harsh words. He knew he was being stupid. He just wanted everything to be normal again! Moon’s expression turned gentle again, and he rubbed soothing circles on Sun.
“Just relax, Brother.” Moon said. “You still need to rest.”
Sun tried to listen, letting his eyes fall shut. His entire body ached, like he’d been trampled on, or plugged into a faulty outlet and got zapped. He also felt so guilty and ashamed. Moon had been up the previous night taking care of him, and then Sun goes and gets himself into trouble, worrying Moon even more. Now apparently it was the end of the day, and he was sure that meant his brother had to take care of the kids alone. And here Moon was, still watching over Sun. Sun wanted to cry. He hated feeling like a burden. He hated putting more stress on his brother.
Moon sighed again, and Sun watched him get up from the bed. He put the rag down and looked back at Sun.
“I’ve got to go patrol around for a bit. I can’t keep putting it off. The higher ups are getting on my case.” he said reluctantly. “But before you start panicking, remember, you’re completely safe up here. I’ve got the computer watching to make sure no one gets in here. Once I’m done with patrol I’ll clean up the daycare, and then I’ll be back here, I promise.”
Sun wanted to whimper and cry and cling to his brother. He didn’t want to be alone! But he managed to swallow it all down, and just watched silently as Moon left. Sun felt completely useless. More than useless, he was being a huge burden! Here he was, laid up in Moon’s bed taking up his brother’s space and time, forcing him to do extra work, and to nearly get in trouble with the company!
Sun forced himself to sit up, swaying as his vision faded in and out for a moment. He fumbled about, crawling out of the nest and landing in a painful heap on the floor. He managed to pick himself up enough to crawl through the tunnel, making his way toward the ladder. He was determined to clean the daycare. It was his job, not Moon’s! He had to make himself useful somehow!
Jumping down into the ballpit was…not fun. Very not fun. Neither was trying to get all the way to the security desk. Sun ended up tripping over toys and barrels, relying heavily on the play structures to keep himself upright. He finally stumbled to the desk, grabbing the countertop and peeking over its edge to where he kept his cleaning supplies.
And…there were no supplies left. Sun groaned, pushing his face into the countertop. Moon must have used them all and not retrieved more. Of course. Well, Sun couldn’t be mad at Moon. This was Sun’s job, after all. He just needed to walk to the supply closet and get more. Yep. Just go all the way to the supply closet. The supply closet that was outside of the main entrance to the daycare.
Sun groaned again, before bracing himself and leaving the desk to head toward the doors. He reached his hands out desperately for the door frame, stumbling toward it as if he were drunk. His vision swam, but Sun ignored it as his eyes landed on his next target, the stairs. He may or may not have fallen to his knees and crawled there, but he made it, and that’s what really mattered.
As he slowly pulled himself up the stairs, gripping the railing, Sun felt his legs wobble. After what seemed like a century, he finally made it to the very top. Still clinging on to the rail, Sun then began the intimidating trek toward the main entrance. And at last, he made it. He was finally in the front entrance to the daycare! Looking up, Sun couldn’t help but smile at the large golden statue of his brother. Boy did he miss his brother. Where had he gone again? Sun wasn’t sure, but when he returned, he’d see how hard Sun worked, and he’d surely be proud of his efforts.
Still smiling, Sun wobbled his way through the entrance. He squinted under the bright neon lights as he looked around, and then he slipped on the smooth tiled floor. Sputtering, Sun lost all sense of balance and nearly crashed face first onto the floor, if it weren’t for a pair of strong hands closing around him. A harsh voice laughed close by, causing Sun to flinch.
“Ha! Lucky I was nearby, huh?”
Sun was set upright again, though the hands stayed on his body. Sun didn’t like that. These hands obviously weren’t Moon’s. He peered up and saw a large green figure. Oh. This was Monty. Sun now really didn’t like this.
“Here, let’s get you sat down somewhere before you bash your brains in.” Monty continued, already dragging Sun toward Gator Golf.
Sun babbled incoherently, pointing back behind himself. “Closet. Clean, gotta…”
But Monty just ignored him, and Sun soon found himself in the dim miniature golf course. He was led over to a bench and placed down on it. He immediately tried to stand, but Monty just pushed him back down.
“Hey now, Sunshine, let’s take a breather. You nearly sprawled out back there.”
Sun whined but stayed put. This was Monty’s territory, and his scent hung in the air. It made Sun’s already cloudy mind even worse. Monty hummed in satisfaction when Sun listened to him, moving to sit down beside him.
“What are you even doing, roamin’ about?” Monty asked. “Thought your brother was keepin’ you on a short leash during your whole ordeal.”
Sun just stared ahead, blinking. Monty hummed again, shifting closer.
“Moon clearly doesn’t know what he’s doing, keepin’ you locked away. Just look at you! This is like torture, Sun. What you need is an alpha. A real alpha. One who’ll help you out with your little situation.”
Sun felt something moving. Oh, his ruffles. Monty was toying with his little ruffle skirt. Monty was leaning in close. His scent was all Sun could focus on. His body felt hot all over again, and he shifted in discomfort.
“Anyone with any sense knows there’s only one sure way to help an omega feel better during their heat. Moon’s just draggin’ out this whole thing.” Monty unclasped Sun’s skirt, lifting it off of him.
As he did, Monty caught a strong wiff of Moon’s scent lingering on the clothing. It just agitated the gator, a growl rumbling in his chest. He tossed away the skirt in distaste, turning back to Sun, whose body was limp and sliding down the bench. Monty reached out and wrapped an arm around Sun, pulling him back up.
Sun continued to blink silently. His thoughts were all fuzzy and uncertain. Why was he here? What was happening? He had somehow ended up in an alpha’s den, and now this alpha was pulling him close. He felt one of the alpha’s large hands clasp his leg, pulling it open slightly, kneading his thigh. Sun moaned quietly, that was really helping his achey leg feel better. Now if only this nice alpha could massage all of his limbs, Sun would probably melt into a puddle. He leaned closer to Monty, wanting more of the gentle attention.
But Monty responded by stopping his little massage, and Sun whined. Monty’s hand began traveling further up Sun’s leg. Soon, Sun felt a tugging at the waist of his pants. He tried to look down, but moving his head caused his vision to swim, and all he could make out were blurry colors.
And then the world shattered apart.
Monty was wrenched away from him, causing Sun to flop down onto the floor. From his spot on the ground, Sun saw Monty’s green form, also lying across the ground. And above him stood a blurry figure that sparked something in Sun’s mind. He knew who that was.
The familiar figure held a long thin object in his hands, and was swinging it down repeatedly onto Monty’s prone form. The loud shattering sound continued with each strike, and Sun wished he had ears he could muffle.
At last, the figure stopped, and Sun’s hearing slowly came back to normal. The figure pointed the now dented object at Monty, and his voice faded into Sun’s hearing.
“-nd if you ever, ever put your hands on him again, I will decommission you myself.” the voice hissed. “I know you’re still conscious, so I’ll only tell you this once. Sun is my brother. He is my pack member. You get that? That means if you ever try to hurt him again, you’ll have to deal with me!”
With that, he landed another blow to Monty, before tossing the object aside and turning to look at Sun. And Sun knew who this was! It was Moony! His brother! He was back! Sun missed his brother, it felt like so long since he’d last seen him. Sun wanted to reach out for him, but his limbs were still heavy and achey. Moon darted over to him, crouching down and placing a hand over Sun’s face. It felt so soothing and cool, Sun leaned into it.
“You’re burning up again.” Moon muttered, reaching down and scooping Sun up.
He turned and walked quickly out of Gator Golf. Sun closed his eyes against the harsh lights, turning and pushing his face into Moon’s chest. Being away from Monty’s overwhelming scent and presence brought Sun back to himself. His mind cleared just enough for him to be aware of where he was. He couldn’t believe that had actually happened. He couldn’t believe that Monty had almost…that he had almost…
Tears rushed to Sun’s eyes, and his body started shaking with sobs. He felt so wretched. He couldn’t believe how stupid he was! He’d just decided to stumble out of the safety of the daycare, out where there were alphas that he knew had been watching him lately. And then he’d just let Monty drag him off to the shadows. If Moon hadn’t shown up when he did, Sun wasn’t sure if he would have been able to do anything to stop what was about to happen, and that thought terrified Sun.
And of course, because things had to go from bad to worse, Sun became aware of something…A wet and kind of sticky feeling, on his thighs. Looking down, he saw a small wet patch in the crotch of his pants. Oh no…he knew what this was. It was his own slick. It must have been triggered by Monty’s…actions.
Sun felt so humiliated and gross! He hid his burning face in his hands, sobs shaking his entire frame. He tried to wiggle out of his brother’s arms, making Moon stumble and pause. Sun was disgusting! He had to get away! He had to run and hide away somewhere!
“Hey hey hey!” Moon tried to sooth him, but Sun could hear the note of panic in his brother’s voice. “It’s okay, it’s okay! I’m gonna get you somewhere safe, I promise!”
Sun gave up, curling as much into a ball as he could. Moon continued to speak frantic words, clearly trying to push his own emotions aside and comfort Sun. Sun just lay in his arms and bawled like the useless baby he was.
Eventually, Moon reached a hallway that Sun wasn’t familiar with. Vaguely, he noted that they weren’t even near the daycare anymore. His still foggy brain was filled with confusion. Moon pushed open a door marked as staff only, and flicked on some lights. Sun could see that they were now in a large restroom. A long row of shower stalls stood against the wall. Moon gave Sun a reassuring squeeze before lowering him onto the floor. Sun watched in a daze as his brother ran about, finding a towel from somewhere and opening the curtains to one of the showers. He turned it on and held his hand underneath the stream, feeling the temperature. He then came back over to Sun, kneeling down in front of him.
“Okay,” Moon said. “We’re gonna get you cleaned up and cooled down a bit. Then we’re going to go back to our room, alright?”
Moon helped Sun discard his ruffled collar, his pants, and his little shoes. Sun felt sad for his skirt left behind in Gator Golf. No way he was going back for it, though. Sun couldn’t help but notice how Moon’s fingers trembled. It made him realize clearly for the first time that Moon was just as scared as he was. Looking up at his brother’s face, Sun could see the fear in his eyes. Sun felt even more horrible. In his dumb attempt to help Moon out, he’d just put his brother through a terrible situation. He could imagine how frantic Moon must have been when he discovered Sun missing from his bed. And to then find him getting taken advantage of…Sun would have to beg for his forgiveness when this was all over.
“I’m so sorry.” Moon said, making Sun jolt in shock.
Moon picked Sun up and brought him into the shower stall, setting him down again under the spray of water. For the first time, Sun really appreciated that he was technically water proof. All he had to worry about was potential rust, and at this moment he couldn’t care less.
Moon stood up and stepped back, leaning against the wall. He sighed heavily, closing his eyes. Sun watched him, not sure how to break the silence. After a few long minutes, Moon opened his eyes and looked at Sun.
“I’m so sorry.” he repeated. “I should have never left you alone. I knew one of those creeps would be waiting for an opportunity. I should-”
“No!” Sun finally found his voice. “It’s not your fault, it’s mine!”
“Wh- how could it be your fault? You didn’t ask for any of this.”
“But I left the daycare!” Sun cried, more tears falling. “I was stupid! I went out, and I could barely even walk! And then I didn’t even try to fight off Mont-”
“No!” now it was Moon’s turn. “No, you do not do that! Don’t blame yourself for his sick actions!”
He pointed at Sun, glaring. Sun groaned in frustration. How could Moon say it wasn’t his fault? All of this was his doing! Why couldn’t he just fight through this thick fog in his head? He’d pushed himself through worse things, and yet some aches and pains were enough to turn him into a complete helpless idiot! Sun yanked on his rays, wanting to kick and scream and cry.
“Okay, let’s stop that.” Moon said.
He was again kneeling in front of Sun, his hands wrapped around Sun’s and pulling them away from his rays. Sun let him, curling in on himself and sniffling. Moon looked down at him for a moment, reaching out and feeling his forehead. He was relieved to find that Sun had cooled down a lot.
“Can you turn off the water?” Moon asked.
Sun fumbled around behind himself, and was able to stop the flow of water. As soon as he did, Moon wrapped the big fluffy towel around him. Sun shivered, pulling the towel tighter around himself. Whoever had ordered large thick towels for the staff washrooms, Sun was eternally grateful to them.
Moon watched Sun bundle up, smiling a little, before he once more lifted Sun into his arms. He didn’t bother retrieving his brother’s clothes. They had plenty of spares. He exited the bathroom, eyes scanning for any signs of danger as he called his wire over. It arrived and hooked up to him, and he lifted off toward the daycare.
Sun stayed curled up in a ball, his eyes squeezed shut and his face pushed into Moon’s shoulder, as he felt them soar through several halls and rooms. After a few short minutes, he was encompassed in the familiar scent of himself and Moon. It lingered faintly, as always, in the daycare. And then Sun felt Moon land on the stage, his wire disconnecting as he stepped down. He expertly moved himself and Sun through the tunnel and then Sun was placed down into his nest.
And because Sun already wasn’t pathetic enough, he immediately felt tears rush to his eyes again. He rolled over and curled up on his stomach, smushing his face down into the mattress. He felt Moon’s hand rubbing his back, and heard his brother’s voice murmuring reassurances. Sun wanted so badly to be able to express just how wretched every last detail of this entire experience was. From the aches to the foggy thoughts to the very unwanted attention. From the humiliation to the helplessness to the total fear once he’d realized exactly what he nearly let happen.
“I hate this.” he finally settled on.
“I know.” Moon replied, sitting beside Sun. He reached out and pulled Sun up, bringing him into a hug.
“I’m sorry.” Sun sobbed into Moon’s shoulder.
Moon heaved a heavy sigh. “What are you sorry for?”
“Everything!” Sun cried out. “All th-this mess! I hate all of this!”
“Sun, you literally can’t help any of this. It’s completely-”
“That doesn’t matter! I was an idiot!” Sun pulled away, scrubbing the tears from his face.
“I knew better!” he continued angrily. “I knew it was a bad idea to leave the daycare! But my stupid brain jus-just forgot or something! And I just let M-Monty drag me-”
“Hey hey hey!” Moon stopped him, finger pointing in Sun’s face again. “You wanna talk about people being idiots? Let's start with that goddamn gator! No, even better, let's start with my big screw up. I thought it was a good idea to just leave you alone, knowing there were rabid assholes stalking around and- ah, ah! My turn now! Shush! I knew it wasn’t a good idea to leave you alone, and yet I did! And look what happened! That absolute jackass was just hanging around waiting to grab you-”
“It wasn’t Monty’s fault!” Sun yelled, and Moon paused, staring at Sun for a moment.
“It was-excuse me? What did you just say to me?”
Sun wilted a little, but held firm. “It wasn’t his fault, it’s because of me!” he gestured down at himself. “Because of all this s-stupid heat stuff, it’s making them all crazy! Th-they can’t help themselv-”
Moon reached out and grabbed Sun by the face, shutting Sun up and making him flinch. Moon looked so angry that Sun wouldn’t be surprised if his brother slapped him.
“Let me make one thing crystal clear.” Moon spoke, visibly fighting to keep his voice level. “Their actions? Entirely their own faults. I don’t give a shit what effect heat cycles have on alphas, they are responsible for their own actions, Sun! They’ve all been acting like creeps, and Monty just took it a huge step too far, and that. Is. All. His. Fault!”
Moon shook Sun slightly as he emphasized the last words. The brothers stared at each other for a moment, both waiting for the other to continue the argument. But Sun was too tired to keep going, despite him still disagreeing with his brother. He knew that the other alphas were all nice and kind, and would never behave like this if it weren’t for him. But Moon obviously saw things differently, and Sun knew he’d never be able to convince him otherwise. If there was one thing the twins were perfect equals in, it was their stubbornness. So, Sun just closed his mouth and stopped trying to argue. He was too exhausted.
Sun drooped in his brother’s hold, eyes closing. He just wanted to curl up and forget about this entire day. Moon sighed again, releasing his hold and helping Sun lay back down. He gently took the damp towel away and pulled a few blankets over Sun instead.
“Get some rest.” he said quietly. “I’ll be here.”
"You, too." Sun said. "You haven't slept in almost two days."
"I'm fine." Moon replied, but Sun ignored that.
He reached out and took his brother by the arms, dragging him down into the nest with him. Moon gave him an annoyed look, but complied, laying down beside Sun. He wrapped his arms around Sun, resting his head above Sun's, mindful of the rays. He closed his eyes and fell into rest mode almost immediately, making Sun feel one last flutter of guilt before he too was drifting off. He closed his eyes, telling himself that this would only last a few more days. And despite everything, as long as he had his brother at his side, Sun knew he would be okay.