I have not yet determined a name for this

~Chapter Four~ NIGHT TWO pt. 2

Some sort of signal fired off in me right at that moment—a burst of shock and potentially fear. This was the last thing I was expecting from Sundrop right now, and his behavior made it clear that he wasn't messing around. I frowned.

"No, I wouldn't—I couldn't hate you," I replied gently, wanting to ease his worries. "In fact, I'm sure I'd like your alter-ego too—"

The animatronic shook his head rapidly. "You wouldn't," he insisted in a firmer tone, elevating my concern. "You wouldn't...like him at all."

"Sun," I returned simply, taking a small step towards him; he cowered a little in response, and the sight hurt. "I promise, whatever he's like, I accept both you and him. You have nothing to worry about."

He shamefully turned his head to glance away from me, his hands fumbling lightly with each other at his chest. "He also only comes out...at niiiiight..." The way he emphasized the word was undoubtedly creepy. "That's why...the lights must always...stay ON."

My eyes widened in realization, my heart thumping rapidly in my chest. Was he telling the truth? Did turning the lights off really trigger some sort of alter-ego that Sundrop didn't want others to see? He certainly didn't appear to be lying, but the concept was a tough one to grasp. Regardless, I had to comfort him.

"It's okay, the lights will stay on," I gently assured him, taking another step closer but moving slowly, carefully. "You don't have to show me him, you don't have to worry about it. But just know I don't like you any less for it, okay? I promise. I'd never hate you."

He was finally acknowledging me again, turning his head slowly towards me in response to my words. "Really?" he asked in a sort of light gasp, his voice seeming to fade out a little. "Really...I wouldn't—I don't want you to hate me, Jesse. Please don't hate me...I really like y—"

He was unable to finish his sentence before I'd fully moved in, embracing him gently but warmly. My head only made it to his chest, so I simply rested it against that, gradually tightening my hold around his waist. He released a sort of breathy noise at this, like a heavy sigh or gasp, but it sounded more like he was actually releasing air somehow. He didn't return my gesture just yet.

"Ah...ah..." he simply mumbled, his fingers trembling lightly at either side of me as he seemed to be trying to figure out how to respond. I wondered then if he'd never received a proper hug before. Probably not from an adult, anyways.

"Everything's okay, I promise," I murmured, my eyes lightly closed for the time being. He was strangely warm to the touch, and it was comforting. "I'm not gonna hate you. No matter what."

I could feel his entire body relax in my arms, another breathy sound escaping him in the process. He was calming down, I could tell. Finally, though hesitantly and shakily, he returned my hug, wrapping his arms slowly around my back. "Okay," he whispered, potentially to himself, "okay, okay. Promise..."

"Promise," I repeated.

~

While he was notably calmer now, he remained nervous and jittery as we prepared for bed, and I led him to the same spot we had occupied the night before. Both sleepy and warm, I handled him as gently as I could, encouraging him to make himself comfortable beside me before draping the blanket over both of us, an action that seemed to surprise and fluster him further. His cheeks were red again, I noted. Maybe mine were too. Far more comfortable with the developing affection between us, I made the move to ditch the Freddy Fazbear plush and embrace Sun again, wrapping my arms around his torso while laying my head against his chest. This caused another light wheeze from him, whatever it meant, but he didn't reject my advances.

"I hope this is okay," I murmured as my eyes began to close, a small yawn escaping me.

"Ah...it's...fine," he quietly and nervously replied, his arms hovering in the air as though he didn't know what to do with them. "Are you...comfortable? Is that really...I'm not made of soft material..."

"Mhm," I mumbled, my lips turning up in a light smile as I drew closer to him to emphasize just how comfortable I was. I didn't want him to worry. He was still warm, and soothing, and not as difficult or uncomfortable to rest against as one might have imagined. I almost felt tranquilized. "You can get comfy too if you need...just throw me off if you need to."

"Oh—oh, I couldn't do that," he worriedly replied, and I released a tired chuckle.

"Only if you need to, silly," I murmured. "Just do what you need to get comfortable, I mean...I'm not bothered." I was quickly drifting off, my voice lowering further mid-sentence.

"Oh...okay," he quietly said, and after a couple moments of calm silence, I felt one of his arms drape over my back. I was already rapidly descending into unconsciousness, but it caused my smile to widen and my body to relax further, sinking fully into the comforting warmth being provided.

I slept better than usual.