Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Stolen Solstice. 

You knew the name well. A dating sim, made by Fazbear enterprises after their last restaurant closed down a few years ago due to the number of missing people. Fazbear’s characters still remained so beloved by the people despite how terrible the company was, so the line of video games got quite popular.

Especially the dating sims. There were several of them, all centered around a certain group of characters, usually by the model (there was a game with all the rabbits, bears, chickens, and canine or vulpine characters). In each game, there was the original cast from each location, along with plenty of new characters. You knew that in the one centered around the dog-like ones, there was a new character by the name of Fitzy that got quite popular.

Stolen Solstice was a peculiar one of the games, far less sought after as well. It focused on those two daycare bots from the old Pizzaplex that burnt down. You’d have thought it would have a much smaller cast of characters, but no, it actually had quite a large one. You didn’t even know all the characters, but you knew there was Sun and Moon, one named Eclipse, and a character you were pretty sure was a secret one by the name of Quasar.

The way the game worked was also a little peculiar. Each time you started a new game or a new run, the setting and storyline wouldn’t be the same. Sometimes a character was a bartender, other times they were a singer. You’d also start out in completely different points. Even still, you could easily guess which character was where. (You say that, but it’s truly a pain in the ass to figure out where certain characters will be. You’re just trying to cope with the insane amount of time you’ve wasted searching for certain characters)

As someone who played the game religiously, often holed up in the darkness of your room with the game lighting up the screen of your laptop, you were a bit ashamed to say you didn’t know much of the cast.

You were enamored with one character.

Eclipse.

The guy was the definition of ‘tall, dark, and broody’ and you were absolutely here for it. The guy was the very reason the word ‘cunty’ existed! He was the quintessential ‘bad boy’ with an ambiguous queer flair that made you want to sink your teeth into him. You wanted to consume him like a hungry dog to a piece of meat. You’d also want him to consume you, to be honest. He certainly had the teeth for it…

You were a total, pathetic little simp for Eclipse. Posters and art of him plastered your walls, and you’d gotten almost every ending with him you possibly could- well, all the good ones of course. You were too scared to try and get a bad ending with him, feeling as if it would forever tarnish your fictional, digital relationship.

You’d really only gone after Eclipse in the game, other than that one odd run. In that one, you had gone after Quasar.

Quasar was… weird. The very character sprite was so dark that it seemed to suck the light away from your real-world surroundings, the vantablack of its being was so ominous that it made the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Of course, then there were its eyes, and its mouth, and the crown of rays that floated around its head. All of those were so incredibly bright, burning into your eyes to the point that sometimes you’d get those little blue spots in your vision.

You couldn’t even finish the Quasar route before resetting and going right back to Eclipse.

Quasar had left a bad taste in your mouth.

But, aside from that, tonight was like any other, you pulled out your laptop, and opened up Stolen Solstice, expecting to start a new run to romance Eclipse once again. Maybe he’d be a bartender this time around, that would be fun!

Only, opening up the starting page, you felt.. Odd. You could feel your heart pounding in various points of your body, your hands, your stomach, your throat. Sensations felt too strong, too dull, everything and yet nothing all at once. Your head was throbbing and sweat began to bead on your forehead. Your eyes seemed to glide around in their sockets like marbles set to rolling, nothing able to hold your gaze

The darkness of the starting screen was hungry.

And it ate.

And it ate.

And it ate.

.

.

.

[WELCOME, PLAYER!]

What..? 

You blinked. The world around you was naught but a haze of bright lights and… pixels?

You whipped your head around, trying to find out where you were. A soft music reached your ears, a familiar little upbeat tune that you knew damn well you had heard plenty of times. 

The theme song for Stolen Solstice.

You looked back forward, only to see (or hear? You were having a difficult time telling what you were imagining and what was actually happening, what senses were being triggered and which ones were not) words in front of you.

[WELCOME TO STOLEN SOLSTICE!]

[YOUR JOB IS TO FIND ROMANCE AND SURVIVE ! IF YOU DIE, YOU WILL INITIATE A RESET, WHERE YOU ARE PUT INTO A DIFFERENT STORYLINE. IN THIS VERSION OF THE GAME, MANUAL RESETS ARE NOT AN OPTION.]

[THERE ARE SIX LOVE INTERESTS FOR YOU TO CHOOSE FROM. LOVE INTERESTS WILL HAVE STATS YOU CAN VIEW ON YOUR PHONE. STATS ARE ONLY VISIBLE TO YOU.]

[STATS ARE FORMATTED AS SUCH:]

[INTEREST NAME]

[LOVE - HOW MUCH ROMANTIC LOVE AN INTEREST HOLDS FOR YOU. 1-20 IS USUALLY FOR VERY CLOSE FRIENDS. THE INTEREST TRUSTS THE PLAYER, BUT IS NOT AWARE OF THEIR OWN ROMANTIC FEELINGS. 21-40 IS OFTEN WHEN A CHARACTER IS AWARE OF THEIR ROMANTIC FEELINGS FOR THE PLAYER, AND CAN BE DESCRIBED AS A CRUSH. THE INTEREST WILL TRY TO GET MORE OF THE PLAYER’S TIME, AND WILL WANT TO INITIATE MORE PHYSICAL AFFECTION. 41-60 IS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH AN ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP. THE INTEREST WILL BE RATHER DEVOTED AND WANT TO SPEND AS MUCH TIME AS THEY CAN WITH THE PLAYER. PHYSICAL AFFECTION IS ESTABLISHED AND USUALLY QUITE COMMON. 61-80, THE INTEREST IS INCREDIBLY DEVOTED, BUT COULD ALSO BE ON THE EDGE OF LOVESICKNESS. THEY ARE WILLING TO TRUST ALMOST EVERYTHING THE PLAYER SAYS IN THIS LEVEL, AND IF THE INTEREST IS NOT LOVESICK, THEY ARE OFTEN AT THE STAGE WHERE THEY ARE THINKING OF MARRIAGE. 81-100 IS WHERE THINGS GET DANGEROUS. THE INTEREST IS COMPLETELY ENAMORED WITH THE PLAYER TO THE POINT OF DELUSION. IT IS BEST THAT INTERESTS WHO HAVE REACHED THIS STATE ARE AVOIDED, IF POSSIBLE.]

[TRUST - HOW MUCH AN INTEREST IS WILLING TO BELIEVE THE PLAYER. 1-20 IS QUITE MINIMAL, AND THE INTEREST WILL LIKELY QUESTION ANY AND EVERYTHING THE PLAYER SAYS. THEY MAY GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO FIND REASONS NOT TO TRUST THE PLAYER. 21-40 IS ENOUGH THAT AN INTEREST WONT AUTOMATICALLY QUESTION THE PLAYER, BUT WILL FACT-CHECK ANYTHING AND IS NOT LIKELY TO BELIEVE THE PLAYER ON CERTAIN MATTERS. 41-60 IS WHERE AN INTEREST IS A MORE NEUTRAL PARTY, THEY WILL BELIEVE THE PLAYER JUST AS MUCH AS ANYONE ELSE AND WILL NOT QUESTION THE PLAYER UNLESS THEY HAVE A REASON TO. 61-80, AN INTEREST IS MORE LIKELY TO BELIEVE THE PLAYER OVER OTHERS, BUT IT IS NOT QUITE TO THE POINT OF THE INTEREST BEING COMPLETELY UNREASONABLE. 81-100, AN INTEREST IS BEYOND REASON, AND WILL WHOLEHEARTEDLY TRUST THE PLAYER. THEY CANNOT BE SWAYED.]

[AFFECTION - THIS STAT COVERS A FEW BASES, AND USUALLY HAS TO DO WITH HOW MUCH AN INTEREST CARES ABOUT THE PLAYER, HOW FRIENDLY THEY ARE WITH THE PLAYER, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, HOW LIKELY THEY ARE TO INITIATE PHYSICAL OR VERBAL AFFECTION. 1-20, AN INTEREST IS NOT PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN ANY SORT OF AFFECTION AND WILL NOT GIVE IT, AND MAY BE RELUCTANT TO ACCEPT AFFECTION (NOTE: SOME INTERESTS WILL ACCEPT AFFECTION AT ANY STAGE). 21-40, AN INTEREST IS MINIMALLY AFFECTIONATE, USUALLY JUST THINGS SUCH AS HUGS OR BASE COMPLIMENTS. THEY WILL BE MORE WILLING TO ACCEPT AFFECTION. 41-60, AN INTEREST CAN BE RATHER AFFECTIONATE AND MIGHT START TO SEEK OUT AFFECTION FROM THE PLAYER. VERBAL AFFECTIONS BECOME MORE COMMON AT THIS STAGE. 61-80, AN INTEREST IS OFTEN ROMANTICALLY AFFECTIONATE AND WILL SEEK OUT THE SAME AFFECTIONS. KISSES OFTEN BECOME PREVALENT AT THIS STAGE. THE INTEREST MAY START TO BECOME A BIT NEEDY. 81-100, AN INTEREST IS CONSTANTLY WANTING TO GIVE AND RECEIVE AFFECTION FROM THE PLAYER. THEY BECOME VERY NEEDY AND DESPERATE FOR TOUCH, ESPECIALLY.]

[POSSESSIVENESS - HOW MUCH AN INTEREST FEELS AS IF THEY OWN THE PLAYER. 1-20 IS THE MOST HEALTHY OF THE STAGES, WHERE AN INTEREST FEELS LITTLE TO NO OWNERSHIP OVER THE PLAYER, AND WILL NOT ACT ON ANY POSSESSIVENESS. 21-40, MOST INTERESTS AT THIS STAGE ARE NOT THAT BAD, AND OFTEN REACH THIS STAGE WHEN BECOMING CLOSE FRIENDS OR ROMANTICALLY INVOLVED WITH THE PLAYER. INTERESTS WILL FEEL A MILD CLAIM OVER THE PLAYER AND MAY BECOME PROTECTIVE. 41-60, AN INTEREST SEES A DEFINED CLAIM OVER THE PLAYER AND WILL BECOME AGITATED WHEN SEEMINGLY HAVING THEIR POSITION THREATENED. THEY FEEL AS IF THEY MIGHT NEED TO HAVE SOME CONTROL OVER THE PLAYER’S ACTIONS. 61-80, AN INTEREST WILL ACTIVELY TRY TO KEEP OTHERS AWAY FROM THE PLAYER, WHO THEY COMPLETELY DEEM AS THEIRS. CERTAIN INTERESTS WILL BE WILLING TO SHARE THE PLAYER WITH OTHERS, BUT WILL OFTEN TRY TO KEEP THE PLAYER FROM INTERACTING WITH ANYONE OTHER THAN THE APPROVED PEOPLE. 81-100, AN INTEREST WILL BECOME PRONE TO KIDNAPPING AND WILL OFTEN TRY TO MONOPOLIZE THE PLAYER’S SOCIAL LIFE. INTERESTS THAT HAVE REACHED THIS STAGE SHOULD BE AVOIDED.]

[OBSESSION - HOW FIXATED AN INTEREST IS ON THE PLAYER. 1-20 IS THE SAFEST STAGE, WHERE AN INTEREST IS NOT AT ALL FIXATED ON THE PLAYER. THEY MAY BE INTERESTED OR EVEN ROMANTICALLY INVOLVED, BUT THEY HAVE NOT STARTED TO OBSESS OVER THE PLAYER. 21-40 IS ALSO A RELATIVELY SAFE STAGE, WHERE AN INTEREST MAY WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE PLAYER OR OBSERVE THEIR EVERYDAY LIFE, BUT OFTEN TIMES THIS IS MERELY A CURIOSITY. 41-60, AN INTEREST MAY START TO SERIOUSLY CONTEMPLATE STALKING OR OTHER INTRUSIVE BEHAVIORS SO THAT THEY MAY FURTHER FIXATE ON THE PLAYER’S LIFE. THEY WANT TO KNOW EVERY LITTLE DETAIL OF THE PLAYER’S LIFE BUT ARE LIKELY TOO SCARED TO ACT ON IT. 61-80, AN INTEREST WILL START STALKING THE PLAYER. THEY MAY FOLLOW THEM EVERYWHERE OR FIND WAYS TO INSTALL HIDDEN CAMERAS TO WATCH THEM. AT THIS STAGE, THEY MAY ALSO START TO STEAL ITEMS THAT REMIND THEM OF THE PLAYER, USUALLY MEANING CLOTHES. 81-100, AN INTEREST IS ACTIVELY STALKING THE PLAYER AND MAY EITHER KIDNAP THEM OR START BREAKING INTO THEIR PLACE OF LIVING ON THE REGULAR. IF PAIRED WITH HIGH POSSESSIVENESS OR JEALOUSY, AN INTEREST MAY BECOME INCREDIBLY VIOLENT.

[JEALOUSY - HOW AGITATED AN INTEREST BECOMES IF THE PLAYER IS AROUND OTHERS. THIS STAT OFTEN GOES HAND-IN-HAND WITH POSSESSIVENESS. 1-20, AN INTEREST IS NOT PARTICULARLY JEALOUS AT ALL, THEY DO NOT CARE IF THE PLAYER INTERACTS WITH OTHER PEOPLE. 21-40, AN INTEREST BECOMES MILDLY JEALOUS BUT WILL NOT ACT ON THAT JEALOUSY. 41-60, AN INTEREST MAY BECOME SNIPPY WITH OTHERS THAT INTERACT WITH THE PLAYER, BUT ARE NOT MUCH OF A THREAT. THEY ARE OFTEN JUST RUDE TO PEOPLE THEY DO NOT WANT AROUND THE PLAYER. 61-80, AN INTEREST ACTIVELY TRIES TO KEEP OTHERS AWAY FROM THE PLAYER AND MAY START TO BECOME AGITATED WITH THE PLAYER AS WELL. THEY MAY BECOME VERY ACCUSATORY AND AGGRESSIVE. 81-100, AN INTEREST WILL BECOME VIOLENT TO KEEP OTHERS AWAY FROM THE PLAYER. AN INTEREST MAY BE WILLING TO KILL PEOPLE WHO THEY FEEL THREATENED BY.]

You gawked at the information before you. Your brain wasn’t processing it nearly as badly as you would have assumed, but the shock of everything was.. Well…. A lot. You were in the game Stolen Solstice, and for all you knew, you were probably just stuck here. And if things started to go poorly in the game your only way of resetting was by dying. 

But… if you were to look at this in a more positive manner… You could actually get a love life, and with a hot robot for that matter! And you’re pretty sure that if you don’t look at this in a positive manner, you might die or something.

Once again, the words started to show up, so you decided to tune back in to whatever information you might be getting.

[AS THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME PLAYING THIS EDITION, YOU WILL GET HELP STARTING YOUR FIRST RUN! INSTEAD OF HOPELESSLY SEARCHING FOR A JOB, YOU MAY CHOOSE ONE OF THE OPTIONS AND YOU WILL BE ALL SET TO WORK THERE! YOU WILL NOT BE GIVEN A HOUSE, THOUGH YOU WILL BE SET UP AT A HOTEL FOR THREE WEEKS.]

[EACH OF THIS JOBS WILL HELP YOU FURTHER PROGRESS IN THE GAME! ALL OPTIONS ARE GOOD OPTIONS!]

[OPTION 1 - BAKERY! YOU WILL LIKELY DO SMALLER, MORE MENIAL TASKS, AS THE BAKERY OWNERS ARE PLENTY CAPABLE WITH BIG TASKS, BUT MAY NEED HELP WITH THE SMALLER THINGS. THE PAY IS $10 AN HOUR]

[OPTION 2 - BARTENDER! PUT THAT REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE OF YOURS TO USE ONCE AGAIN! BEING A BARTENDER OFTEN INCLUDES DEALING WITH UNPLEASANT DRUNKARDS, BUT ALSO MEANS MEETING SOME INTERESTING PEOPLE! THE PAY IS $12 AN HOUR]

[OPTION 3 - ASSISTANT! YOU WOULD BE AN ASSISTANT TO A CELEBRITY, WHICH MEANS YOU’LL BE FIXING THEIR SCHEDULE, ANSWERING PHONES, AND OVERALL KEEPING AN EYE ON THEM WHILE DOING WHATEVER OTHER TASKS THEY MAY NEED FROM YOU. FRUSTRATINGLY, THEY CAN BE QUITE HIGH MAINTENANCE. THE PAY IS $35 AN HOUR]

[OPTION 4 - JANITOR! YOU WOULD BE ONE OF TWO JANITORS IN AN OFFICE BUILDING, CLEANING UP AT THE END OF THE DAY. YOUR HOURS ARE OFTEN LATE AT NIGHT, AND YOUR CO-WORKER MAY BE A LITTLE ODD. THE PAY IS $7 AN HOUR]

You huffed. You hadn’t a clue how a game knew you had been a bartender a few years back, but you supposed it was useful. You’d at least know how to do that job… but compared to the assistant job, the pay wasn’t great. For the life of you, you couldn’t figure out who the celebrity character might be, but to be fair, it was quite the gamble on who anyone would be. As much as you adored that piece of the game, that also made it frustrating. You had no idea who would be where or what job they would have or how you’d find them. 

The janitor job, for whatever reason, seemed ominous. You’d never taken that job in the game before, so hey, maybe it was totally normal, but something about the idea of cleaning an empty office building in the middle of the night seemed almost.. Liminal? But it was a bit intriguing, overall. The bakery job didn’t seem that bad either, but you had no idea how to bake anything, so you were unsure if you’d be able to stay hired for long. But still, the bakery sounded like it would be cozy, at least. 

Stars, what should you do?

Chapter Text

Everything felt solid again. You had made your choice, and now you found yourself blearily scrubbing sleep from your eyes as you sat up in a hotel bed. 

You felt no different than you had before being sucked into your laptop.

Holy shit, you got sucked into a game . That’s a fucked up thing to realize and truly comprehend.

Of course, everything around you looked normal. No pixels, no 2-dimensional art style for all the surroundings and furniture, no. It was just normal. The fact that everything around you was so comprehensible was baffling on its own.

You checked around you, trying to get a feel for your surroundings. On the bedside table was your phone, plugged in alongside your headphones. On the floor beside that, there was a small suitcase, opened and revealing a few outfits. One looked like a generic bartender’s suit, and the rest looked like casual clothes. A set of tennis shoes and a pair of black work shoes were set neatly beside the suitcase.

Aside from the clothing, there was a small bag of what you assumed were basic necessities. Hairbrush, toothbrush, the like. 

Quite frankly you hoped some sort of narcotic was in those necessities. You needed it. Realistically, of course, you knew you would not be getting any. 

For now, you just picked up the phone, opening it up. Although, instead of your usual interface, you were presented with the same sort of text you had seen right before being thrown into this world.

[WELCOME, PLAYER !]

[IT’S YOUR FIRST DAY ! HOW EXCITING!]

[NOW, YOUR JOB DOES NOT START TODAY, SO YOU CAN GET USED TO YOUR SURROUNDINGS AND GO EXPLORE ! THERE ARE PLENTY OF PLACES TO SEE AND PEOPLE TO MEET!]

[YOU ARE ALREADY EQUIPPED WITH $500 IN CASH. YOU CAN SPEND THIS MONEY ON WHATEVER YOU LIKE!]

[NOW GO HAVE FUN !]

You huffed. You had forgotten this part of the game. No matter how quickly you got a job, your first day was always quite consistent - it was always a Monday morning, 8:00 in the morning, and sunny when you first started, and you never had anything to do other than explore and get a feel for the world around you. That first day had usually saved you from several ‘bad routes’. They were the ones where everything was just a bit off, where the world was more dangerous, where the interests were more… unhinged.

The one time you had played through one of those runs, you had been kidnapped and killed by an unknown stalker, who had apparently been one of the interests.

If you could find any articles about a series of horrific murders, then you knew you needed to reset immediately. Alas… that was not an option in this world. You had no desire to die, so you’d just have to suck it up if you were in one of those scary runs.

You decided not to check for the murders. It would likely be better on your conscience. 

“Might as well get going. Ain’t got shit else to do,” You mumbled to yourself, rolling out of the bed to go investigate your suitcase.

Getting ready was a rather menial affair. You threw on a hoodie and sweatpants, slipped on your tennis shoes, and then went into the bathroom to make yourself look a little bit more human.

And then, after locating your hotel keycard, you grabbed your phone, headphones, keycard, and then left.

It was, as expected, a beautiful day outside. Pigeons could be spotted bobbing around, cooing at the passerby. You really only saw humans walking around, which was a bit interesting considering the main characters of this game were all animatronics, but you supposed there was some odd lore to go with that. You didn’t really know much lore-wise, other than what you knew of Eclipse.

You sighed softly, a smile coming onto your face. Oh, Eclipse… If you were happy about anything in this weird isekai situation, you were happy that you had a chance to actually meet Eclipse and perhaps romance him. 

Would he be as tall as you imagined? Would he be just as suave? Stars, you hoped he was just as perfect as you imagined him to be. You’d marry that man in a heartbeat if you could.

Eclipse had become your saving grace, of sorts. Perhaps it was a bit sad, considering you had no other social life, but Eclipse had truly saved your life on multiple occasions. You weren’t doing very well when you had started playing the game, your mental health was shit and you could barely take care of yourself. 

Eclipse had changed that. It was weird to you, when you thought about it, but you felt like you had to at least look a bit presentable when you played the game, and had to at least brush your hair and teeth before seeing him. Sure, it may sound a bit stupid, but it was one small step to improvement. 

You felt like he was proud of you each time you looked a little better, each time you actually ate a good meal, each time you showered and cleaned yourself up.

You couldn’t let yourself rot or die, not when he was there. And there were always so many ways to play or to know him, so many different stories or teeny tiny little details that you could learn, there was never a point where it ended or became dissatisfying. 

Many would say the video game addiction was terribly unhealthy but dammit Eclipse kept you alive.

You loved him for that, even when he was just a 2D sprite in an otome game.

And now you could love him for real.

The thought was invigorating as you walked down the sidewalk, a slight pep in your step. Just further evidence of how happy Eclipse made you. Once he was in your thoughts, it was hard to be unhappy!

But, you probably wouldn’t meet him today. That was fine, you figured you’d probably meet him at your job. A few times when you played, Eclipse was a bartender or a regular at that sort of scene, hence why you decided to be a bartender.

Your thoughts continued on that path, lingering on Eclipse and all the happy things. 

Pausing, you could smell something absolutely delightful. You looked around, trying to determine where the scent must have come from, and then spotted a bakery.

“ Dusk to Dawn ”, the sign read, in pretty flowing letters.

You decided to go in, the little door jingling as you stepped inside. You couldn’t see any other customers inside as of the current moment.

Mere seconds after you arrived inside, a familiar automaton greeted you, having entered from the door that presumably led to the kitchen.

“Well hello there, friend! Welcome in! Is there anything I can get you this lovely, lovely morning?” The synth spoke cheerily, sun-like rays spinning around his head. His nametag read “ Sun \ He/They ”. 

Sun was one of the main faces of the game. You’d never played his route, but you knew the character, of course. Well, you knew of him, not anything about him. “Oh uh, good morning! I’m not sure what I want to get, I’ve never been here before..” 

You hummed, looking at the display case full of delightful-looking pastries.

“I was about to say, I certainly didn’t recognize you! Are you new around here?” He cocked his head to the side, pretty blue eyes regarding you with a slight suspicion to them that made you think there was more to his question. You nodded your head in response. “Well then, it’s lovely to see a new face! My name is Sun, I own this lovely little bakery with my partner Moon. As for what to get, I could certainly make some recommendations, if you’re alright with it, sugar?”

The little pet name surprised you a bit, but you didn’t comment. “Oh, that would be great! I’d appreciate it!”

The sunny bot went on to explain the various pastries they had available, while you nodded along and observed him. You’d never run into Sun before in the game, so you wanted to get a good look at his design.

He had the iconic flat disk for a face, although fully able to express and move. Seven rays jutted out around his head, sometimes twitching and rotating around. His eyes were a pretty sky blue, and they held a certain… oh, you hadn’t a clue what to call it. It was something a little bit hungry, something a little bit curious, and something that, in larger doses, would have you red in the face and stuttering like a fool.

He wore a simple outfit, a white sweater and an apron as well as a pair of brown pants. You wondered what Moon would look like, especially considering he wouldn’t be in his original jester outfit from the Pizzaplex, just going off of Sun’s design.

“So, today we have a delightful selection of danishes, I’d recommend the raspberry ones, they’re my favorites, and we also have an assortment of muffins! Our blueberry-lemon muffins are my Moonie’s favorites, and I quite like the banana ones. Of course we have the usual bakery selection of breads, currently we have a pumpkin bread, considering the fall season!” He spoke with a flourish, pointing out each item in the display case. His eyes remained perfectly trained on you the entire time, never once faltering. You weren’t sure if it was unnerving.

“Moon is making some cupcakes right now, so we’ll have those up for sale soon,” He mused, rays ticking to the side as he hummed, finally looking away from you and glancing instead at the empty part of the display case. The very moment he did, another bot entered from the door behind the counter, holding a tray of beautifully decorated cupcakes. He had three trays balanced, each with what you assumed was a different cupcake flavor.

“Oh- dear, let me help you!” Sun fussed, immediately taking a tray from the other. Moon, you assumed. He was gorgeous, to put it simply, with garnet red eyes and that lovely crescent detailing on his face. He wore his signature nightcap, along with an outfit similar to Sun’s, although it was entirely black. 

It took him a moment to look up and notice you, his eyes widening before he whipped his head to look at Sun, then back at you. 

You tilted your head. Did you do something? Did he recognize you from somewhere? Mistaken identity?

Sun, after putting the tray of cupcakes into the display, leaned over to Moon and whispered something to him, taking a little glance at you. Whenever he pulled away to help put the rest of the little pastries into the display, Moon’s face had absolutely lit up with a deep lapis blue blush, his eyes flicking to you for a moment before going absolutely anywhere else.

“Why don’t you tell sugarplum what you’d recommend, Moonpie? I’m sure they’d appreciate it!” Sun snickered. You blinked incredulously, confused out of your mind. Sugarplum? Where did that come from??

Moon wouldn’t look at you, but he did come up to the counter to point certain things out. “T-the raspberry danishes are good. Sunny probably said that already, b-but they’re quite.. They’re quite nice. You look like you’d enjoy them… O-or.. I uhm… I just made some uh… some cupcakes..?”

You were quite surprised at just how sheepishly he spoke. Everything you’d thought just from the cover art of the game made you assume that Moon would be a flirty bastard, but no, it seems you got a shy, stuttering mess of a man.

“Well, you’ve both recommended the danishes, so I guess I’ll get one of those! And uh… I’ll take a….” You paused to look at the cupcake selection. Chocolate, vanilla, and… oh fuck yes, red velvet! “A red velvet cupcake, please!”

The darker of the two automatons lit up every so slightly as he started to get you your pastries. Sun smiled at you, that odd look still in his eyes as he went up to Moon, grabbing one of the blueberry-lemon muffins as well as your requested pastries. He then came, rang you up, and handed them to you as you paid. You raised a brow at the extra muffin.

“On the house, sugarplum~ such a sweet new face deserves a sweet treat, I believe!” He grinned as you took the pastries. “And what a lovely day for you to show up as well! We’re having quite the quiet day, it seems!”

“Oh! Well uh… thank you! I appreciate it, sir!” You grinned, not sure if you should try and stop whatever flirting appears to be going on or if you should revel in it considering both of these synths were quite attractive. Should you remain loyal to the one character you haven’t even met yet or should you decide to be an anime protagonist and romance them all?

The latter sounded enticing…

Sun’s eyes seemed to burn with… something… when you called him ‘sir’. You didn’t know if that smolder was good or bad, and quite frankly you were not planning on finding out at this exact moment.

“Thank you so much, both of you! Have a lovely day!” You said, deciding to leave before your face got any hotter or before you perhaps imploded.

“Come again, sugarplum!” Sun called, with Moon calling out a similar message at the same time.

You walked out, deciding to sit in a nearby park to eat. It was when you passed by an alley that your heart jumped into your throat, having sworn you saw something in the shadows. You didn’t care to look, though, simply wanting to get to the place you wished to sit.

You swore you had seen something darker than any dark, but eyes brighter than anything you could have imagined. You hoped it was just your imagination.

Instead of lingering on the thought, you sat down to enjoy your pastries, biting into the cupcake first. You could have moaned at just how delicious it was. It was perfect, not too dense, perfectly moist, and the icing wasn’t too heavy or too sweet. You scarfed down the cupcake within seconds, it seemed, and quite frankly those were the best seconds of your life in this game.

Well, speaking of the game, maybe you should check those character stats or whatever. After all, you did meet two main interests in the game!

So, you pulled out your phone, and tapped the very obvious app that read [STATS].

The interface was simple, just showing you the character stats, no other buttons or anything to look at. You quickly scrolled to read through the two that were available.

[ SUN ]

[LOVE - 5]

[TRUST - 50]

[AFFECTION - 55]

[POSSESSIVENESS - 19]

[OBSESSION - 21]

[JEALOUSY - 1]

[ Well aren’t you just an interesting little thing? ]

You hummed, reading Sun’s stats. Most of them were pretty low or at a solid neutral point, but the affection level was higher than you’d think. Maybe he’s just a particularly affectionate character? Not that you were complaining too much, you did just have a hot synth calling you pet names and giving you free pastries. You scrolled to look at Moon’s stats.

[ MOON ]

[LOVE - 7]

[TRUST - 45]

[AFFECTION - 40]

[POSSESSIVENESS - 10]

[OBSESSION - 15]

[JEALOUSY - 17]

[ He’s shocked to have met you ]

Well that flavor-text sure as hell was confusing. What was so shocking about meeting you? You’re just one person, one totally random person who walked into their shop. Well, random other than literally having been isekai’d into this world, but it's not like they knew that!

You decided to start heading back to the hotel after reading that. Maybe you’d save your other pastries for the rest of the day, or for breakfast tomorrow.

So, with that, you walked back.

===

Sun and Moon were thankful it was a quiet day.

“I never would have thought! We’d never seen them before now..” Moon huffed, not upset, just… bewildered.

“I know! I thought we didn’t have one. Not opposed, of course!” Sun said, optimistic about the whole thing.

“I wonder who met them before this?” Moon cocked his head, worrying at his lip.

“I wonder too, Moonpie. Let’s hope they don’t get whisked away by whoever it is or was. I know the two of us have been looking for a new addition…”

“Yeah, let’s hope…”

Chapter Text

The day started almost identical to yesterday, except it was a soft alarm that woke you up instead of you doing so naturally. Looking out of the hotel window, it was a sunny day without any clouds in the sky. Picking up your phone, the time read 8:00AM.

Well, you’d have work today. Opening up your phone, you were once again hit with the information text.

[GOOD MORNING!]

[WELCOME TO YOUR SECOND DAY! HOW EXCITING!]

[WORK STARTS AT 10:00AM ! YOU WILL NEED TO HEAD TO THE CASINO AT 9:30AM IN ORDER TO GET ACQUAINTED!]

[YOUR SHIFT WILL END AT 6:00PM TODAY! YOU WILL BE PAID AT THE END OF THE WEEK!]

[HAVE FUN AND GOOD LUCK!]

Ah, well that’s simple. You had an hour and a half to get ready and to eat, and thinking about it, you probably had enough time to quickly go to the bakery and grab breakfast.

You wouldn’t mind seeing Sun and Moon again…

Sun’s flirting had implanted itself in your mind. It was so unexpected, and yet so… just… you were making yourself blush thinking about it. And Moon, too, he was just adorable. You’d take a bite out of him if ever given the chance! Well, maybe not, biting down on metal and silicone probably won’t taste all that great nor will it feel great. 

But whatever, they were hot, and you are a weak little bitch.

Getting ready was a quick affair, throwing on your uniform, shoes, and doing what you could to make yourself look nice, and then grabbing all your things and heading out the door.

You knew you’d be getting that raspberry danish again this morning. You had eaten your other two pastries right before going to sleep, and you’re quite sure you had a spiritual experience. If you were being honest, it might be hard for Eclipse to top that. (This is a blatant lie, Eclipse could top anything in your mind. Although, you’d have to admit, you were quickly becoming fond of Sun and Moon the more you thought about them).

Soon enough, you were out the door, and briskly walking over to the Dusk to Dawn cafe.

It was a bit colder today than it was yesterday, and your uniform wasn’t as warm as the comfy set of clothes you wore yesterday. You couldn’t help but shiver a bit.

Luckily, the bakery came into view sooner rather than later, and you hurried inside. Like yesterday, you didn’t see anyone inside, other than a pair of automatons behind the counter. Both ended their conversation to look at you, smiling. Moon gave you a little wave, while Sun greeted you.

“Good morning, sugarplum! Left you craving more, did we~?” Sun purred, leaning on the counter as he gazed at you with those pretty blue eyes. Stars, it is 8 in the morning, and he’s already on this shit.

Well, he can’t be making all of the moves, can he? (Not like you know how to flirt, but you can try!)

“What can I say, I’ve got a sweet tooth, and the two of you just happen to be oh so sweet ,” You said, letting your gaze fall over to Moon, who was looking at you with wide eyes. You threw in a little wink, making his face turn dark with blush as he averted his gaze. 

Sun giggled, his eyes never leaving you. It seemed he only just took note of your attire, as well. “What’s got you dressed so nice, sugar? As much as I’d like to think you got all dressed up for me and Moonie, I doubt that’s the case,”

“Ah, right,” You huffed, looking down at yourself. “Well, I’m starting a new job!”

Moon perked up a bit, coming over by Sun to talk. “Where are you working?”

Sun’s rays ticked to the side in curiosity, looking at you with anticipation. He and Moon had mirrored expressions, both entirely focused on you. Stars, it was damn near embarrassing.

“Well, I’m working as a bartender at the casino downtown… I gotta be there by 9:30 today just to get everything figured out,” You explained, fiddling with your sleeves. You didn’t know why you were suddenly a bit nervous about explaining where you worked, but you did quickly pick up how Sun’s expression suddenly seemed a lot more strained. Moon’s brow furrowed a bit, but nothing too telling.

“The.. casino?” Moon prodded, looking concerned. He looked like he wanted to say more. Unfortunately, Sun spoke up before he could. “You should be careful around there, sugarplum, I’m sure you know what sort of crowds those places attract…”

Those places attracted Eclipse. Fuck all the other people there, you wanted a chance at meeting your Clipsy. 

“I’ve been a bartender before, plus, this place looks way nicer than some of the places I used to work,” You spoke, attempting to laugh it off. It did not work, no, instead they just both seemed more concerned. Well, Sun almost seemed a bit mad.

You wanted to shrink under his expression.

“Look, it’s just for now. It was my best option and had the best pay for things I’m qualified for. It’s not great, but it’s what I got.” You said, unconsciously shirking away, much like a scolded puppy. 

Moon elbowed his husband, making him jolt and making his glare drop almost immediately, straightening up and looking at you with a slight wince.

“Oh my, I’m sorry, sugarplum, I wasn’t glaring at you, no, no, no, never at you, sugar, never, never, never!” He waved his hands. “I just-! Well, Moonie and I sure do like having you here, yes, and you know we’d just hate for something to happen to our sugarplum,”

Our sugarplum.

That’s going to be in your brain for a while. Oh dear. You forgot that you’re weak to that sort of thing.

“Just… promise you’ll be safe..?” Moon piped up, tentatively taking one of your hands into his own. His hands were cold. You wondered if Sun’s were warm…

“I promise, Moon.”

Should you be questioning why bots you met just yesterday were already being so overprotective? Yes, you probably should. But are you? No, because you’re in a dating sim and you want to be fawned over by hot robots, as disconcerting as some of these immediate affections may be if you looked at it in a more logical and rational way.

“Well, I suppose that’s good. Now, I’m sure you’re hungry, sugarplum. What would you like?” Sun said, having relaxed a bit. Moon didn’t give you your hand back immediately, only when you tried to take it back did he let your hand slip from his own.

“Oh, I know I want a raspberry danish. I think I had a spiritual experience when I ate that,” You snickered. Sun smiled proudly. 

“Well then I’ll absolutely get you one of those! Although, I hate to be controlling but you can’t just have sweets before work, sugar, so you’re getting a breakfast sandwich. Simple, just sausage, egg, and cheese on ciabatta. You’ll like it,”

You nodded along, letting him grab your pastry while Moon went to prepare your sandwich. Sun rang you up, refusing to let you try and pay for the sandwich since he was insisting you get it. 

“Do you have enough time to sit and eat? As you can see it's just us here, and I think it’s obvious that we enjoy your company,” Sun’s question made you pull out your phone, wanting to check if you did have time. You had about… 20 minutes to spare, as your job was about 15 minutes away walking distance.

“Sure, yeah I think I have time!” You smiled, sitting at one of the booths while Sun and Moon came to join you. This was probably very unprofessional of them, but, hey, you’re in a dating sim, you do not give a shit. 

So, the three of you sat, and you were too distracted conversing with Sun to pick up on how Moon stared every time you took a bite of your food.

===

Walking to work, you decided to quickly check Sun and Moon’s stats. After all, you had them readily available, might as well look at them, right?

First up was Sun.

[SUN]

[LOVE - 25] (+20)

[TRUST - 48] (-2)

[AFFECTION - 60] (+5)

[POSSESSIVENESS - 23] (+4)

[OBSESSION - 21] 

[JEALOUSY - 11] (+10)

[ Why the casino, of all places? ]

Huh, his stats… certainly shot up… Well, it didn’t seem all too bad, but you’d want to keep an eye on that Jealousy stat… You then quickly scrolled to look at Moon’s. Surely they wouldn’t be anything bad?

[MOON]

[LOVE - 25] (+18)

[TRUST - 45]

[AFFECTION - 52] (+12)

[POSSESSIVENESS - 33] (23)

[OBSESSION - 40] (+25)

[JEALOUSY - 25] (+8)

[ Why did you have to leave so soon? ]

You gawked at the last three stats. Holy shit, those jumped up a lot… you definitely needed to keep a good watch on that. As much as you're flattered by those two, you don’t need anyone stalking you, especially when your current goal is to romance your darling Eclipse. Sure, you’d really enjoy a polycule, but you’re not sure if that would work… 

You chewed the inside of your cheek, just continuing your walk. For a brief moment, you swore you saw a dark figure inside a store, but upon looking, you didn’t see anything. Huh.

You just kept walking.

===

You got to the casino exactly at 9:30!

The casino was busy, bustling with people. When you went in, you located the nearest help desk, and you were soon met by a tall, rather handsome man with a smile that screamed ‘dirty money’ to you. Well, if not that, it was the ‘I am involved in organized crime but I am so charismatic that no one would ever suspect me’ sort of smile.

“Ah! Welcome! Follow me, I’ll show you where you’ll be working.” The man said, quickly leading you to another area of the casino. You’re brought to a private lounge area, the lounge also having a poker table decently close by to your station. Another bartender was already at the bar, a woman in a similar uniform to you, with her lips painted a pretty red. You waved at her, and she gave a professional grin and wave in return. Thankfully, there was no one in the lounge as of the moment, as it was closed off to the public until 10.

“Delia, this is your new coworker. They’ve got plenty of experience, but show ‘em everything just in case, will you?” The man said, sending the woman a charming grin. She simply nodded, waving him goodbye.

And soon enough, you were being taught where everything was. It was easy to catch onto, and Delia seemed very relieved that she didn’t have to talk to you.

Mid-way through getting all set up, you noticed someone had started manning the poker table. Your eyes slowly took in the new person.

Two sets of arms, plating colored in reds, oranges, and blacks, the sleeves of his black and white uniform rolled up to his elbows. Ridiculously tall, slim-waisted, and beautifully catlike in build. Around his head was a stunning crown of rays befitting of royalty, golden and red.

He wasn’t looking at you, but you knew that face by heart. Black, with the most gorgeous golden eyes with little white pupils, and a crimson color on the eyelids, sort of like eyeshadow.

There he was, the man of your dreams.

Eclipse.

Stars, he was even more beautiful in person, he was absolutely perfect.

And then- And then he looked at you. He turned and faced the bar, politely waving at Delia before his eyes locked on you. You didn’t know what to say that expression was, but whatever it was, it was focused on you and you alone.

Desperately, his eyes stayed on you, so very shocked.

You wanted to think that maybe it was like him meeting his soulmate or something romantic like that, but it was probably just curiosity towards a new employee.

Suddenly, you were elbowed by Delia, who didn’t look nearly as friendly. Fake friendly, that's what she looked like now. “Hey, don’t be slacking off. Don’t want a bad rep when it’s only your first day, do you?”

And you nodded, giving Eclipse a little wave before continuing whatever busy work you could, and noting that… Well, Delia could hardly keep her eyes off of Eclipse.

Shit, you’ve got competition. 

===

You continued working throughout your shift, which was going much more smoothly than you had expected. Thus far, your customers were nice, and there weren’t too many of them either. That, unfortunately, left you with your thoughts.

You’d assume the love interests had no idea who the player was, so was there a possibility they could just… date anyone? Was Delia more than competition? What if she was dating Clipsy? Stars, what would you do then?

Well, you’d probably just suck it up and hope you found love in this run elsewhere to distract yourself from the man you’d married in game so many times being in love with someone else. But you weren’t going to hate Delia for it, and you weren’t going to hate Eclipse for it. 

You’d still hope they weren’t together, though.

Without you knowing, hours had passed, and someone else had taken over the poker table. You were pretty disappointed when you noticed that, as the many glances you’d shared with Eclipse whenever you could were nice.

Your half of the bar was pretty empty, while Delia was entertaining a few men. Well, she was quite pretty, so it made sense. You weren’t all dolled up or anything, anyways, so you weren’t expecting people to come over to you for your looks. But you’d say your drinks were pretty good, so maybe you’ll have people coming for that.

“Dar- ah- bartender-” A voice called from your half of the bar, at the very end. You quickly looked over, only to see a very familiar automaton.

Eclipse’s yellow eyes looked so much softer than you’d expected. Sweeter than they were flirtatious like he’d always looked in the game. Not that you were complaining.

“Oh, yes?” You said, coming over to see what he might want. You desperately hoped he just wanted to talk. 

“I just happened to notice you earlier. Apologies I didn’t come to introduce myself sooner. Eclipse, darling,” The bot purred, shaking your hand before gently pulling it to his lips and kissing your knuckles. Your face was so very red, you knew it.

He’d always called you darling at the start of the game. But, without fail, as your relationship grew, he tended to switch to something different. You wondered if he’d call you one of those nicknames again.

Stars, you probably looked a fool, staring at him like he was a lover.

“It’s nice to meet you, Eclipse. You’re ah, very very handsome,” You flushed, introducing yourself bashfully. Eclipse hadn’t let go of your hand, gently playing with it in a mindless way. It was soothing, familiar despite the fact you’d never had someone do that before. 

His expression softened, and if you were letting yourself be greedy and hedonistic, you’d say he looked at you as if you were the moon itself, the stars and even the setting sun. But you knew, it was probably just your mind projecting your desires onto him.

“A beautiful name for someone so lovely. What an honor it is to have you working in my area…” He said, almost breathlessly. His eyes were like the stars against his face, and they were just.. Mesmerizing to you.

You could just look at him for hours.

“O-oh gosh, thank you! You’re quite the flatterer, huh? But uh- that aside, is there anything I can get you?” You sputtered, feeling as if you were overheating. Who wouldn’t, though? Eclipse was hot, stunning, sexy, gorgeous, beautiful, all of it. 

“Just water, my darling. I’m not allowed to drink when I’m working, and unfortunately my break is not that long. What a pity…” He pouted.

“I bet you’d prefer a wine, though, hm? You seem like a wine lover, maybe a Pinot?” You spoke. You knew very well that he enjoyed a Pinot, especially a Pinot noir. You turned to get him a water, quickly presenting it to him.

“You read me right, dear. I would consider myself a bit of a wine connoisseur, actually,” He chuffed, using one of his hands to adjust his tie a bit. He was quick to take your hand back into his own, having lost it when you got him his drink. “I enjoy reds, particularly.”

He sipped his water, about to say something before Delia came over. “Clipsy, your break is up, I know we take our breaks at the same time,” 

She said, making her voice sweeter as she spoke to him. Eclipse didn’t look all that impressed.

“Hm. A pity. Well, darling, I suppose I’ll see you another time.” He said to you, kissing your knuckles one last time, and getting up to go back to his poker table.

You finished your shift happy as could be, even if Delia glared at you and stepped on your toes a few times.

Even when you got back to the hotel, you were giddy and excited, Eclipse taking over your mind entirely. You decided not to check his stats, kind of scared that your little romantic illusion would be broken.

===

Eclipse slumped against the door when he got home, and everything, so very suddenly, was at the surface. Tears burst forth, and he was sobbing before he knew what to do with himself. He shook, a smile on his face. 

“Yes, yes, yes!” He wailed, victoriously. His servos and inner mechanisms seemed to be working thrice as hard as usual, as if his non-existent heart was racing.

He was truly happy for once.

Chapter Text

Wednesday morning, and it started just like yesterday. Your alarm woke you up, and upon checking your phone, the text was the same as yesterday, except you didn’t need to get to work early.

[WELCOME TO YOUR THIRD DAY! GETTING THE HANG OF THINGS, YEAH?]

[WORK STARTS AT 10:00AM!]

[HAVE A LOVELY DAY!]

The wishes for a good day were certainly appreciated. Even if those wishes are from a video game interface.

Immediately, your mind was filled with just how wonderful it was getting to meet Eclipse. Stars, everything was so perfect about him. You were excited to see him again…

Definitely not as excited to see Delia. She did not seem to like you.

You were also not that excited for the walk home. The cold weather meant it was getting dark much earlier, and walking in the dark meant it likely wasn’t as safe. Plus, considering how you’d been seeing weird dark figures in the corners of your vision, you felt that walking back to the hotel alone in the dark was a terrible idea. But you were also trying to save money to find a place to stay. You only had this hotel for the rest of this week and then the next two weeks, so you’d have to find somewhere to stay.

You got up with a huff, stretching before grabbing your clothes (which, somehow were clean and folded on the suitcase? Game logic, you supposed) and going to the bathroom to try and make yourself look at least a little bit alive. 

You took a quick shower, looking blankly at the white tiles of the bathroom as you washed your hair. Turning your head to the mirror, you eyed your body. There was a time where you looked… terrible, really. Sick, tired, and completely unwashed. You had been so close to inviting death into your house. Your hygiene was of no worth to you at that point, your hair had only been somewhat manageable because you always ran your hands through it. 

There was a point you had very seriously considered overdosing. Not that you did any drugs, but there were plenty of medications that you never took that you could have taken. You had nearly a full thing of sertraline (it had been to help, but quite frankly only made things worse), concerta (you had stopped taking it when it made you stop eating), and plenty of over-the-counter things that would probably do some damage if you took enough. 

But then, you had started playing that silly little dating sim. You started flirting with some funny little robot sprite. You started feeling adored by a bundle of code. Eclipse had made you feel like you needed to impress him, and not in the sort of way that made you feel lesser, no, but the kind of way where you just… wanted to look good for him. So you did.

How funny, a character in a dating sim got you to the point where it wasn’t a chore to shower, where it wasn’t hard to brush your teeth or wash your face. You hoped that, maybe, you could repay him for that. You were alive because of Eclipse, and he didn’t even know it.

You finished your shower and got dressed, Eclipse lingering in your mind. 

Should you go to the bakery today..? You chewed the inside of your cheek. Sun and Moon’s more concerning stats had gone up quite a bit, and you had a feeling they wouldn’t really fancy hearing about you meeting Eclipse just based on how they felt about the casino in general. Plus, considering Moon’s jealousy and possessiveness stats being as high as they were already (well, they weren’t really that high, but still, that much after two meetings?), you probably should try and keep a bit of distance.

So, once dressed and ready, you left the hotel and headed to the first fast food place you could. You just grabbed a quick breakfast, ate, and then started the walk to work.

It was colder than yesterday, and you grumbled at the biting wind. You distracted yourself by looking at the buildings as you passed by. A shiver went down your spine as you passed a certain office building, and you weren’t too sure why. There was no dark figure or bright eyes to unnerve you but… you just got the feeling that you were being watched. You sped up, walking away.

Thankfully, you made it into work pretty soon. You were quick to make it to your place, letting yourself fall into the rhythm. Eclipse was already working, sending you a little wave and the prettiest grin. The way he looked at you had you red in the face, blushing like a fool. He just looked so sincere…

Delia didn’t say anything to you, shooting you a huffy sort of look. You were pretty quick to learn from yesterday that she was not a fan of you getting all flustered over Eclipse. You didn’t give her the time of day, simply greeting her and letting her ignore you.

The day started off slow, as one would expect. There were only two people at the bar, two older men who were both on Delia’s side of the bar, openly flirting with her. It was a little disgusting to hear, but Delia seemed to know how to deal with it. If things got out of hand, you’d try and step in. 

You busied yourself with sending glances to Eclipse as you organized things, more so pretending to be busy. 

As the hours passed by, it got busier. It was around 2:00PM now, and you worked until 6:00, so you still had a while to go. Most people flocked to Delia, considering the group was mostly consisting of men who were easily influenced by a pretty lady. There were two ladies on your half of the bar, both of them drinking martinis and quietly chatting with each other. 

You idly wiped a glass, looking at the shiny surface as someone sat down. You hadn’t noticed them sitting in front of you until they tapped their hand against the bar.

You looked up, putting away the now clean glass. “Oh, so sorry, what can I get you?” 

You were quick to look at the stranger, smiling as charismatically as you could without showing your surprise at the appearance of what was very clearly another automaton before you. Therefore, one of the love interests in this game.

Their face was covered by what looked like an expensive pair of reflective sunglasses, leaving only their mouth visible. They wore a hoodie as well, hood up to hide any defining features. What you could see of their face was entirely white with the lips painted black and two red studs below the bottom lip. Their hands, resting on the bar, were grey and black with beautifully manicured nails, sharp and bright red.

“Something fruity, pretty thing. You can surprise me. You’re new, yeah, babes? I wanna see what you’ve got. Price doesn’t matter,” They said, their voice smooth and silky, almost melodic. They had a certain swagger to their posture, confident and as if they owned the very room.

You hummed, eyeing them a bit in hopes of gathering an idea of what they might like. You started making them a strawberry daiquiri, deciding they were probably the type of person to enjoy strawberry or flavors associated with the color red, just judging by the tiny red accents of their appearance. Soon enough, you handed them their drink, the color of it matching their nails damn near perfectly. 

You told them what the drink was, watching them lift it to their lips and take a sip. They seemed to relax a bit in their seat, leading you to realize that despite how confident their posture appeared, it had been quite tense.

They laughed a bit. “Damn, and I was worried it wasn’t gonna be all that great. Looks like my worries were without reason. Have you worked as a bartender before?” 

You nodded, chuckling softly. “Yes, I have. It was my job before this. Honestly, I’m surprised they let me work in the VIP lounge, but I suppose my experience was enough,”

“Hey, maybe so! Don’t think anybody knows how this world works. I sure as hell don’t, I just do my thing and keep going,” They took another sip of their drink, inspecting their nails. They really did look fabulously done.

“Your nails are great, where do you get them done?” You ask, if only to keep up some sort of conversation (and to hopefully get a nice tip).

“Oh, a friend of mine does them! Not her main job, it's just her hobby. I should bring her here sometime, bet she’d think you’re just the cutest thing~” They purred, leaning forward and propping their chin up on one of their hands. “I mean, you really are just adorable~..”

“Awh, you’re sweet,” You spoke in a bashful manner. It probably wasn’t the most genuine, but I mean, you’re working, and part of being a bartender was dealing with this type of thing. 

“Me, sweet? No, no, that’s my friend. I bite,” They chuckled, playfully snapping their teeth at you. You did not miss how sharp those canines of theirs were. “I’ll have another of these-”

“Hey, my old friend’s cat would bite me and I’d still tell you he was a sweetheart,” You said, taking their now empty glass to get them a new drink. You didn’t question just how quickly they drank that down, quickly supplying them with a new one.

They murmured a thanks, slightly lifting the glass in a ‘cheers’ motion before taking a sip. 

Soon enough, the bar had filled up more, and you were easily moving between people. More women flocked to your half of the bar, much to your comfort. You did not want to deal with the sleazy-looking men that were on Delia’s side. Though, there were two men on your half, sitting beside the hooded stranger. They were talking amongst themselves, and you just so happened to pick up on pieces of their conversation.

“-ey, y’know that uh- that singer? The- the bot one- wha’s ‘er name- Dolly?” The first one slurred a bit. He had had a few drinks already.

“Nah- nah, it’s uh- Doli, th‘as ‘er name. Pareidolia ‘r s’mthin’ like that. What about ‘er?” The second, a little less drunk, spoke, raising a brow.

“Well- y'know I been thinkin’- I mean- look at that slutty little waist she got-” The first started, leading the second to laugh and join in on what you assumed was going to be a very unpleasant conversation to overhear. But alas, they weren’t really being quiet, and you unfortunately have ears.

“Wonder what it’d be like to uh- to fuck ‘er!” The second said lewdly, his smile sleazy.

You cringed outwardly, not the most visible cringe but you imagine that anyone watching you would notice it. As you turned to try and focus on anything else, you noted the hooded automaton seemed just as uncomfortable as you, if not a bit more angry based on how they nearly bared their teeth.

“God, would they shut up? That talk is sickening. She doesn’t deserve being talked about like that.” They spoke to you as you gave them another daiquiri, their fifth by now. They had been sitting at the bar for about two hours now, just hanging out and conversing with you.

You found their words odd. To a degree, it sounded like the automaton was personally offended. You’d almost have assumed they were some weird fan of the singer in question if not for something that told you it just wasn’t that. “Like, what if she was just sitting beside you? Would they still be talking that way?” 

The stranger was practically growling, bristling in their seat. You huffed, whispering back to them, “Probably not, those types of people are cowards, I’ve learned. And if they aren’t cowards, then they’re a danger to the safety of others.”

Luckily, after about another thirty minutes of the two men sharing disgusting thoughts regarding the singer they spoke about, one of the men’s wives had stormed in, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and berating him as she dragged him out. You’re pretty damn sure everyone watched the whole spectacle, and you heard a few people trying not to laugh. The other man ended up paying for both his drinks and his friend’s, tipping you pretty decently if only out of embarrassment while he ran off to join his friend.

And then, everything went back to normal. You served your customers, chatted with a few of them, ended up learning all the juicy details about someone’s friend’s divorce, and watched the hooded stranger slowly become more tipsy. They seemed to enjoy humming, you found, and luckily their voice was quite nice.

By the time the end of your shift was nearing, the stranger was damn near laying on the bar, purring. You had barred them from getting another daiquiri, giving them a glass of water instead. It seemed they were about to be leaving anyway, as they had asked for the bill.

“Hey, hey, I got a good feel ‘bout you, babes. ‘Ere’s my number. Ain’t gotta do anythin’ with it but uh-” They trailed off, quickly signing whatever they needed on the bill as well as handing you the slip of napkin with their number “-If you like, i dunno- ever need anythin’, just hit me up, ‘kay, cutie?”

You nodded, taking the napkin, and, against your better number, you slipped it into your pocket. You should throw it away, your job most likely was going to tell you to throw it away, but something prevented you from doing so.

“Stay safe, babes, I’ll be seeing you,” They said, getting up after downing their water and leaving, somehow not stumbling. 

You gawked at the tip they gave you. $1,000. 

===

Your shift ended easily, thank the stars, and you headed to the exit, only to hear your name being called. You turned around, seeing Eclipse walking towards you. He smiled, a softness in his gaze that nearly baffled you.

“Hey uh- I noticed you don’t drive- saw you coming in this morning. May I walk you home, lovely?” He cocked his head to the side.

You flushed, wincing a bit. As much as you trusted him, or wanted to, you only just met him, and no matter how many times you had married this man in the game, you weren’t sure if it was a good idea to let him know where you were living at the moment. And you also didn’t really want to tell him you were living in a hotel. 

He was quick to notice the unspoken ‘no’ in your expression. “It’s just fine if not, I just thought I’d offer-” 

“Oh, no- I appreciate it- I just- I mean-” You sputtered, not exactly sure what to say.

“Uhm.. well, it’s dark.. I just- I don’t feel safe with you walking home alone at night. How about I call you a car?” He offered, to which you nodded.

“Yeah, yeah let me just pull it up-” You said, about to take out your phone.

“No, no, I’ve got it, dove. You just tell the driver where you’re heading and it should charge to my account,” He said, taking out his phone and doing so before you could do anything. One set of his hands were on his hips as he did so. You wondered what it would feel like to have his arms around you.

“Okay, the car should be on its way. I’ll wait with you, yeah?”

“That sounds nice, Eclipse. Thank you,”

===

You got home safely, the driver being the nicest guy. He wasn’t too chatty, but did keep up a little bit of conversation to keep you from just sitting in silence. Soon enough, you sat in the hotel, in your pajamas. You decided to pull out your phone and check all the stats, your curiosity over Eclipse’s getting to you.

Sun’s were first, as you expected.

[SUN]

[LOVE - 25]

[TRUST - 45] (-3)

[AFFECTION - 60] 

[POSSESSIVENESS - 29] (+6)

[OBSESSION - 30] (+9)

[JEALOUSY - 20] (+9)

[ Where were you? Are you okay? Why didn’t you show up? ]

You winced. Ah, maybe not going to the bakery was the wrong choice. His stats had gone up but you did note that his trust went down. The last three stats were your main concern, of course. You scrolled to Moon’s, bracing yourself.

[MOON]

[LOVE - 25]

[TRUST - 45]

[AFFECTION - 60] (+8)

[POSSESSIVENESS - 39] (+6)

[OBSESSION - 50] (+10)

[JEALOUSY - 35] (+10)

[ You didn’t replace them, right? ]

Alas, they had also gotten worse, although you rose a brow at how Moon’s affection stat had gone up. Did that mean he was going to be more needy or something? His jealousy stat had gone up quite a bit though… As did obsession. You’d have to be careful. Moon seemed to be a bit insecure, based on his text, so maybe you needed to give him attention pretty regularly to keep him sated.

You scrolled to the next one, quite excited as well as nervous to see Eclipse’s.

[ECLIPSE]

[LOVE - 60]

[TRUST - 75]

[AFFECTION - 44]

[POSSESSIVENESS - 10]

[OBSESSION - 15]

[JEALOUSY - 15]

[ Stars, you’re lovely. He hopes you made it home safe. ]

It took you a moment to really register what you were seeing. His love stat was in the numbers associated with an established relationship, if you remember correctly. His trust was also very high. Affection made sense, at least, Eclipse had always slower to affection in the game. If you were correct it was simply because he was worried about coming off too strong. You sighed in relief at the last three stats actually being something normal. You scrolled to the last one.

[???]

[LOVE - 20]

[TRUST - 42]

[AFFECTION - 21]

[POSSESSIVENESS - 19]

[OBSESSION - 16]

[JEALOUSY - 19]

[ You’re cute. ??? is going to love this ]

At least this one was normal, you grinned. Although, you were disappointed about not getting a name or anything all that interesting on who the character was. 

You decided to finish with that, and go to sleep after watching TV and ordering some food. 

You were excited for tomorrow.

Chapter Text

It was cloudy outside when you woke up. Same as the previous days, your phone read 8:00AM.

And, of course, the usual message showed up on your phone.

[WELCOME TO YOUR FOURTH DAY! I HOPE THE DREARY WEATHER WON’T GET YOU DOWN!]

[WORK STARTS AT 10:00AM! ]

[STAY SAFE.]

You don’t know why, but the message today seemed… odd. Just the tone of it, and how it almost seemed personalized. Maybe you’re simply personifying your phone, that’s the most likely option.

As you got up and threw on your clothes, you wondered if you should go to the bakery… considering Sun and Moon were apparently high maintenance enough that their stats got quite concerning when you weren’t around, you probably should go.

You might need to actually play the game. Appeal to them so that they aren’t risking going crazy or stalking you, but also avoid making them hate you. You did not want them to hate you. Stars you had no idea what would happen if they hated you, that could probably go quite badly…

With a huff, you left the hotel and started the walk to the bakery. It was freezing outside today, but you noticed a bunch of posters around. Concert posters, you realized. Apparently, some singer was going to be appearing in the plaza in… a few days, actually! You peered at the poster. The singer was an automaton by the name of Vigintillion, and the picture was of what you assumed was their album cover. It was almost entirely monochrome aside from a few bright red details, being the spikes between their rays, their facial piercings, and their nails, as well as their name written beside them. They looked pretty cool. From everything you could grab, they were some sort of alternative singer, for lack of a better term.

You hummed, snapping a picture of it before turning around to head to the bakery, only to find someone behind you, looking at the poster as well. They only glanced at you with a hum, bright eyes beholding you with mild interest.

They were an automaton, darker than any dark you’ve seen, seemingly vantablack except for their eyes and the crown of pure light around their head, both of which shined bright enough they almost made you squint.

“Oh- sorry-” You muttered, slipping by them as they muttered something similar. Glancing back at them, you noted they were wearing a colorful, 80’s arcade floor patterned sweater, and a pair of sequined silver pants. Definitely quite… eclectic.

As you hurried to the bakery, your mind realized that it recognized that character. A character who, you were sure, wasn’t actually supposed to be a main interest in the game, but one you could pursue all the same. You had very briefly played their route, and you were so unsettled that you quickly reset.

Quasar.

===

The bakery was quiet as per usual when you entered, shivering. You were so very thankful for the heating systems, the bakery keeping a cozy temperature.

“Sugarplum! Oh, you’re here, you’re here!” You heard Sun say, making you look to the counter and seeing him grinning at you. He had seemingly just finished putting some pastries in the display.

“Morning, Sunny!” You hummed, waving before walking over. Sun’s rays were spinning happily as he rounded the counter, coming over to greet you. Before you could say much, he hugged you, squeezing you a bit.

“Stars, where were you yesterday? We were so worried! And- oh my goodness you’re freezing, sugar! What in the world were you doing without a jacket?!” He fussed, pulling back to look over you carefully. He had a pout on his face, before looking over to the door leading into the kitchen. “Moonie!”

Almost immediately after he called out, Moon poked his head out from the kitchen eyes locking on you like a cat to a mouse. It was almost unnerving. Sun spoke up again, still holding on to you. “Moonie, go get one of your jackets from upstairs, our sugarplum is just freezing!”

“Of course,” Moon nodded, rushing back into the kitchen. Sun guided you to sit down, bustling over to the door and flipping the sign to ‘closed’. You raised a brow, confused by the action, but if you had to guess, Sun and Moon did not want to be distracted from you. It was a bit disconcerting, but calling them out on it would probably not be the best choice.

Soon enough, Moon returned, holding a dark blue jacket and walking over to you. Sun had disappeared into the kitchen after saying something about getting you food. Moon stared at you intensely, silently draping the jacket over you. 

After a moment, he sat across from you, not blinking. “Where were you yesterday?”

You swallowed. “Oh, uh.. I was running a little late since I took a shower in the morning, so I just ran somewhere closer on the way to work… But it really wasn’t good compared to here, so I guess you two are stuck with me coming here for food.”

You tried to add a bit of human to your voice, but you were sure it was obvious that you were a bit nervous. Moon grinned, his stare becoming a bit more bearable as Sun came in with food. Moon purred at you quietly. “Good, good. Keep coming here. We enjoy your company,”

Sun put some food in front of you, a sandwich as well as a danish and a sugar cookie with blue and yellow icing. “Now, sugarplum, you eat while we catch up. I’m curious how the new job has been!”

===

You managed to leave without Sun or Moon getting upset. Of course, you decided to omit that you had met Eclipse, instead talking about various customers and the stories. Sun was apparently a sucker for drama, as he was eating up every bit of gossip you had to give. Moon seemed more relaxed, especially after you joked about the two of them not being able to get rid of you and things of the sort.

You were, though, almost late to work. You barely managed to run in and hang up your jacket in the break room before getting to your place, giving Eclipse a wave before getting right to work. It was easy to settle in to what you were doing, managing to entertain a nice group of older ladies who were celebrating a birthday. They seemed to quite like you, calling you a ‘charming young man’. You did not correct them, simply flattered that you could at least pass as a man. Gender is such a fun thing.

Although… Delia wasn’t being all that pleasant. Her section wasn’t that busy, and she brushed you off when you asked for help. You were absolutely adoring these ladies, but they sure as hell could drink a lot and you were getting overwhelmed. 

You didn’t even notice when the automaton from yesterday sat down, simply serving drinks as needed. Luckily, due to how full your half of the bar was, they were placed on Delia’s half, and therefore she was the one serving them. 

At some point, Delia stomped rather harshly on your foot while you walked past her to get something, making you hiss through your teeth as your face scrunched in pain. You didn’t say anything to her, not wanting to cause a scene while you’re working. You missed the way the strange animatronic growled under their breath.

Slowly, the older ladies decided to leave, and your half of the bar emptied. You sighed, wiping down the places where the ladies once sat, cleaning up the leftover cups and coasters. The bar was almost entirely empty at the moment other than the stranger, who you noticed was now very much so on your half of the bar. Once you finished wiping down the bar, you turned to the automaton with a smile.

“I’ll get the same as yesterday, babes,” They said, leaning on the table. Delia scoffed as you started to prepare the drink. You ignored her. Apparently, the stranger did not.

“Wow, you’re a bitch,” They spoke bluntly, looking at Delia. You blanched, and Delia looked at the stranger incredulously. You handed them their drink, muttering desperately, “Please don’t be mean to her-”

You were quickly interrupted by the stranger. “Why? She’s being a bitch. You think I didn’t notice you stepping on their toes? Goddamn, what a sad life you must have if you’re pulling that kind of shit!”

The stranger laughed, practically sneering at Dahlia, who could do little more than stare and gawk. You were appalled, staring at the stranger.

Delia apparently took their words as an excuse to drop any professionalism. “Well excuse me! It’s not my fault they’re stealing my customers and openly flirting with people on the job!” 

She damn-near screeched, leading to Eclipse and a few people at the poker table looking up. You were stuck in the middle of it, making the stranger another daiquiri as they downed their first one. That’s not even the kind of drink your supposed to down like that, what the fuck?

“Uh huh, sweetie, I’m not dumb enough to miss how you keep giving the guy runnin’ the poker table bedroom eyes, what’s going on is that you’re jealous . They ain’t doing shit wrong, but you’ve got some little fantasy in your mind that makes them the villain. Real sad, honestly,” They sassed her, downing the second drink with ease. It really was concerning that they were able to do that… You prepared them a third drink.

“Well who are you to judge!” Delia said, glaring. The stranger began to laugh, clearly tipsy or perhaps more as they laughed. “Who am I? Who am I? You have no fucking idea who you’re talking to! Well- that’s the point but stars if only you knew!”

The third drink was downed with ease. Jesus- that really can’t be healthy. You’re really not supposed to get through a drink like that so quickly, but here you are, seeing this person doing exactly that.

But, before you knew it, security had walked in. Delia was removed, as was the now very drunk animatronic. It was hard to focus on whatever was going on with Delia, though, considering the shrieking of the automaton who had been grabbed by the shoulders and was being actively dragged out.

“Let go of me you shitheads! You can’t fucking touch me! Do you have any idea who I am?! Fuck off!” They yelled, trying to tear away from the security guards.

Of course, you ended up having to answer some questions, as did Eclipse. You answered honestly about Delia’s aggressiveness towards you and the stranger’s actions as well. After that, both you and Eclipse took your break, going into the break room.

“That was… certainly something..” You huffed. Eclipse walked up to you, reaching as if to touch you, but he hesitated. His rays ticked once to the right, once to the left.

“Are you alright, dove?” He asked, brows pinched. You nearly gasped when he called you ‘dove’, but for the sake of not appearing suspicious, you held it back. You simply nodded, taking his hand and squeezing it reassuringly. He let his fingers twine with yours, gazing at your hands for a moment. His expression was soft.

Eclipse had called you ‘dove’ quite consistently in the game, but usually much later in the progression of your relationship. This was… odd.

“I’m glad. I was worried… that drunkard makes me… nervous isn’t the right word, but it's the only one I can think of..” He hummed, taking your joint hand and bringing them to his lips, gently kissing your knuckles.

“E- Eclip-” You stuttered, face hot. Eclipse’s eyes widened, as if he only just realized what he was doing. He pulled away his hand, allowing you to take your own back.

“Oh stars- I’m so sorry- I- I was lost in my head-” Eclipse apologized, his two lower hands clasped together tightly while he covered his face with one of the others. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

“No, no, you’re fine, Clip, I was just surprised,” You said, reaching out and patting his arm. He looked down at you with a soft grin. 

“Clip?” He asked, raising a brow. It was a common nickname you had used in the game around when you were dating Eclipse.

“Is that okay?” You asked, cocking your head to the side. Eclipse just nodded, grinning at you with such a sweet look in his eyes that you damn near fainted. Who knew that a character who was usually so flirty and suave (at least, every time you played the game before getting sucked into it) could be so adorable!

The rest of your break went by with soft chatter between you, and looks that were far more tender than just acquaintances would give each other.

===

When you got back to the bar, someone had replaced Delia. They looked young, and there was something slightly unnerving about them. Like seeing something animal playing a human, but doing so frighteningly well. But they were pretty, and very charismatic judging by the small group of women seemingly enamored with them. When you got over there, the short-haired person smiled, waving at you. 

“Hi! I’m Parker June, call me PJ or Junie, or any combination of my name. I’ll be working with you!” They smiled, and you couldn’t help but think you were seeing a wild dog show their teeth. It wasn’t aggressive at all, no, but just… odd.

You introduced yourself and the both of you went to working. Junie was easy to work with, luckily, very talkative and easily helped you get into a rhythm. You noted they were also very good at appealing to their audience without playing pretend. They were just good at wording things in a certain way.

Although, you suddenly realized that a very familiar person was at your side of the bar again. The automaton grinned at you like a cat with the canary, resting their chin on their hands.

“How did you get here? I thought security took you?” You asked, raising a brow. 

They shrugged. “They didn’t know who I was. Once they found out, they eased up real quick. Also, I wasn’t able to pay you so obviously I came back. They did cut me off, though, so just a soda for me, babes.”

You snickered a bit, grabbing them a soda as requested once they specified what type they wanted. They lifted their glass in a sort of ‘cheers’. 

“I have to wonder - considering I have a feeling I’ll be seeing quite a lot of you - what should I call you?” You asked, serving a drink to the person beside your stranger.

“Mhh, tricky thing, that is. I can’t give you my actual name, but I’ll let you call me Vi. Vincent, if you want to get silly with it. My friend calls me that in public to annoy me, especially if we can’t use our actual names.” They shrugged, although they grimaced a bit at the name ‘Vincent’. You snickered to yourself. 

“Well, it's nice to put a name to my most frequent customer, Vincent .” You couldn’t help but chuckle to yourself. Vi laughed a bit, snorting. “Noooooooo, not you too! Doll is gonna get such a laugh outta this. I’ll have to bring her around sometime, you’d probably like her,”

“Doll? That’s a cute name,” You hummed. Where have you heard a name like that? It sounded vaguely familiar and was certainly something you had associated with Vi… huh, you can’t remember. Then again, your memory could be really shitty sometimes, so you’re not all that surprised.

“I mean, it is. Her actual name is cool too, but unfortunately that’s not mine to give.” Vi huffed. “But yeah, I’ve probably got to go. You stay safe out there, babes. I’ll try and convince Dolly to come along with me next time,”

And with that, Vi left after signing the check. Once again, your tip was absurd, this time $1,500. God, what kind of person had that much money to throw around?

===

Your shift ended, and Eclipse called you a car just like yesterday. It was the same driver as last night, and you made it to the hotel safely. You got out of your uniform, threw on some pajamas, and found yourself sitting in bed. Time to check everyone’s stats before going to sleep.

As usual, Sun’s were first up.

[ SUN ]

[LOVE - 30] (+5)

[TRUST - 47] (+2)

[AFFECTION - 66] (+6)

[POSSESSIVENESS - 30] (+1)

[OBSESSION - 30]

[JEALOUSY - 20]

[ You looked adorable in Moonie’s jacket! ]

Okay, his weren’t that bad. Well, to rephrase, they didn’t jump up in a way that was concerning. Next up were Moon’s. 

[ MOON ]

[LOVE - 30] (+5)

[TRUST - 45]

[AFFECTION - 60]

[POSSESSIVENESS - 48] (+9)

[OBSESSION - 55] (+5)

[JEALOUSY - 35]

[ He wants to see you in more of his clothes. In his shop. In his home. In his room. ]

You stared at Moon’s for a moment. You’re fucked when it comes to him, aren’t you? His concerning stats just keep. Going. Up. And you’re not even going to start on that flavor text. You really don’t want to think about how that could go. But at the same time.. You were curious as to how Sun and Moon would be as romantic partners. They obviously came as a package deal, and you had never been in a relationship much less a polyamorous one, so you couldn’t really help but be curious. 

Despite your curiosities, you scrolled to the next one.

[ ECLIPSE ]

[LOVE - 65] (+5)

[TRUST - 75]

[AFFECTION - 48] (+4)

[POSSESSIVENESS - 20] (+10)

[OBSESSION - 15]

[JEALOUSY - 16] (+1)

[ He adores you. Hopes you made it home safe, worried about that drunkard’s interactions with you. ]

You cooed. Eclipse was such a sweetie… You could ignore that possessiveness stat, and honestly, considering its Eclipse, you  wouldn’t be bothered if he was possessive over you.

And then, you scrolled to the last one.

[ Vi (???) ]

[LOVE - 25] (+5)

[TRUST - 42]

[AFFECTION - 24] (+3)

[POSSESSIVENESS - 25] (+6)

[OBSESSION - 16]

[JEALOUSY - 22] (+3)

[ Being called Vincent wasn’t really all that annoying from you… ]

Again, at least this one was a little bit normal. Sure, you’d probably have to watch that possessiveness stat. You were about to put your phone up, only to find you could scroll to one more.

[ QUASAR ]

[LOVE - N/A] 

[TRUST - N/A]

[AFFECTION - N/A] 

[POSSESSIVENESS - N/A] 

[OBSESSION - N/A]

[JEALOUSY - N/A]

[... was that you? ]

You stared. And stared some more. This was… honestly a bit frightening. You quickly just put your phone up, and put on a cute movie before you went to bed.

===

They entered the penthouse with a grin. Another sat on the couch, lounging in a cutesy, frilly pink pajama set. They leaned over the couch to look at her.

“Hey, Doli. Guess what,”

“Whaaaaat?” She rolled her eyes playfully.

“I found them,”

=====

I HAVE ART here my lovelies, enjoy the photo you saw on a poster!! the drawing is a bit lazy bc i did not want to put all that effort in sob it took forever to get this bitch's design down

btw bc ive been asked a few times, i do not have any other socials. i exist exclusively here! I am legitimately terrified of other socials

Chapter Text

You woke up particularly tired today. As per usual, it was 8:00AM.

[GOOD MORNING! IT’S YOUR FIFTH DAY! FRIDAYS ARE LOVELY, AREN’T THEY?]

[WORK STARTS AT 10:00AM ]

[...]

[Please Be Careful.]

You did not like this morning’s message. It worried you. When your phone starts leaving you cryptic messages about staying safe, you should probably be worried.

But, you had a game to go through, and that meant you had to get up, get dressed, and head out the door to see Sun and Moon before going to work.

Your morning routine did not change, and soon enough you were out the door, Moon’s hoodie wrapped around you. You really hated to admit it, but you loved the hoodie, it smelled quite nice. Like blueberries, if you had to guess. Plus, it was incredibly comfortable.

The day was dreary as yesterday, the sun hidden by clouds.

The walk to the bakery was, thankfully, not that long. You saw a pair of pigeons on the way that just so happened to be especially cute, making you smile and coo at them. The birds just looked up at you when you did so. 

As per usual, the bakery was empty when you went in. It was kind of odd that it always was that way, but maybe that has to do with you literally playing the protagonist of a romance game where there two were the face of the game. Perhaps interactions with them were meant to be uniquely easy.

Sun was at the counter as per usual, and quickly came out from behind it to greet you. He embraced you, and for a moment you swore he sniffed you, but that also could have been the sound of the door closing behind you.

You hoped it was the door.

“Good morning, Sunny,” You said, pulling away from the hug as Sun went to flip the sign to ‘closed’.

“And good morning to you, sugarplum! You look just adorable , don’t you?” He said, smiling sweetly at you. “I’m almost jealous of how good that blue looks on you. I bet you’d look just ravishing in a pretty golden color~,”

There was a tease to his voice that made your face heat up. 

“Mhh… There’s probably- probably a lot of things you’d look good in… But you do look nice in the jacket.” Moon’s voice was suddenly behind you, making you jump and look to see him coming around beside you. He grinned at the squeak you made when you jumped.

“A-ah.. thank you,” You said, awkwardly caught between them. It would be stupid of you to not realize the very obvious - these two were flirting with you and most likely wanted you in some way. And really, you were starting to consider it. But, at the same time, you did note that their love stat wasn’t at anything other than a crush. It was their more concerning stats that had really gone up. 

So, logically, they were probably more obsessed with you than in love. Or maybe you were wrong and didn’t remember how the stats system worked.

Moon ushered you to sit in a booth with him, and instead of sitting across from you like usual, he sat right beside you. You flushed, unsure of how to feel. A weird, desperately lonely part of you was flustered more than you probably should be, craving another’s desire for you, craving the feeling of being craved.

It didn’t take long for Sun to join you, sitting across from you with the sweetest smile, although you weren’t dense enough to miss that look in his eyes. He looked like he’d eat you…

“We tried something new today, made a replica of another little snack pastry. A moonpie,” Sun said, handing you the pastry in question. A chocolate covered marshmallow sandwich, essentially, although the chocolate was dyed blue. 

You took a bite. It was good, better than the ones you could find at the store. “Ooh, it’s delicious,” 

Sun and Moon preened, Moon especially. Perhaps the fact it was his namesake or at least quite close to it was the reason for him doing so.

“Mhhh, I bet you’re delicious too~” Moon said lowly from beside you, quietly enough that you nearly didn’t hear it. You whipped your head to him. “What?”

“What?” Moon quickly deflected. Sun giggled, pushing the rest of the breakfast they had made you over to you. A sandwich and a raspberry danish.

“I mean, he’s not wrong. Moon, sweetie, you did not speak quietly enough, but that’s just fine,” Sun purred, looking at you with a startling intensity. You kind of froze up like a deer in headlights. “I’m sure you’re very well aware of our intentions, sugarplum. We want you. We’re not shy about it. Well, I’m not, my Moonpie might be a bit shy~”

Moon grumbled beside you, tugging the rim of his hat to try and cover his eyes.

“I- I mean- I kinda knew-” You sputtered, not quite sure how to address what was essentially a confession. Sun smiled at your flustered attempts of speaking, practically purring.

“No need to give us an answer quite yet, sugarplum. We wouldn’t want to stress that pretty mind of yours, no, no, no.” He crooned, and you heard the darker animatronic beside you purr a bit himself. You could feel those ruby red eyes of his on you. “However, you will find that we are quite... How should I word it? Hm.. Competitive, let's say. We do not like to share.”

Moon rumbled, adding in, “We have every intention to make you ours. I hope you’ll find us convincing,”

“Now, sugarplum, you eat up and think about everything. I know that’s quite a lot, so we’ll leave you to take it all in. Moonie, help me with something, please?” And with that, Sun and Moon walked away, disappearing into the kitchen. You ate as quickly as you could before rushing out.

Sun looked at Moon with a serious expression, determined as he lightly traced the collar of his lover’s sweater. “I want to play a game, Moonpie,”

Moon knew what was being said behind those words, eyes lighting up with excitement. If he had a tail, it would be wagging.

“How about fetch? I’m sure you know what to do.”

“Yes, sunshine,”

“Good boy,”

===

You were just barely on time to work, quickly getting into place. Parker June was already bustling around, having been nice enough to have set up everything. You noted they were wearing an interesting pendant, bronze with something white in the center.

“What’s that?” You asked, looking at the necklace.

“A mouse skull!” They responded cheerily, grinning at you. Stars, they were a little unnerving. Their brown and platinum streaked hair was pinned back, revealing the wine red under area, and the two side pieces that were blonde with red raccoon stripes.

“A… mouse skull?” You asked, looking at it closer. Indeed, it was a mouse skull just as they said.

“Yes! I have a lot of bone jewelry. I just think it’s neat,” They hummed, abruptly freezing and closing their eyes, their head jerking to their left, before suddenly going right back to normal as if that did not happen.

“Huh. That’s interesting,” You hummed, deciding not to comment on the movement as they did it a second time, this time followed up by them snapping their teeth a few times. 

“Yeah. Death is a part of existence, better to appreciate it than fear it. I hope the things I wear know I love them, even if I never got to see and appreciate them in life. I believe it is kinder they get love post-mortem than never.” They said, and the conversation ended as a customer came to Junie’s side of the bar, taking up their attention.

And soon enough, your favorite customer sauntered over to the bar, side by side with another person. Vi sat down with a grin, waving at you.

The other person with them was wearing a pink hoodie-sweatpants combo, their face uncovered but hood up. They were entirely white from what you could see, looking at you with large, pale red eyes that lacked pupils. 

“Babes, this is Dolly, my friend,” Vi spoke excitedly. “She’s lucky, she doesn’t have to cover her face like I do,” 

Dolly snickered at this, her laugh sweet and high-pitched. “I’m not all that recognizable without my makeup, or without the rest of me visible,”

Her voice was quite nice to listen to, soft spoken and just… sweet. “Well, it's nice to meet you, Dolly. Maybe you can ensure this heathen doesn’t start fighting with someone drunkenly, again,”

Dolly turned to look at Vi, looking stern. “Again? You need to stop doing this! No drinking for you today,”

“Aw- c’mon, Dolly, the lady was being a bitch-”

“Hate to interrupt, but look, she was being a bitch. Old bartender, Delia, she was a twat,” June popped in before going right back to whatever they were doing.

“See! I was in the right this time!” Vi puffed, and Dolly rolled her eyes, making Vi whine and slump against the bar. “Baby, she’s bullying meeeeeeeeee,” 

You huffed, patting their head to which they leaned up into the affection. Dolly snickered, poking Vi. “Don’t trust their whining, honeybee, they oughta be used to my bullying by now, and I’m not even using my mean voice,”

You raised a brow. Vi puffed, their sunglasses having gone askew a bit, looking up at you with piercing silver eyes before they were quickly covered by the glasses once more. “Her mean voice is scary,”

“It’s necessary for my singing,” Dolly rolled her eyes, before focusing on you. “Vincent talks about you a lot, honeybee. You seem like a good influence, so I’ll tell you now, cut them off after two drinks, mkay? Now, a shirley temple for the both of us, please,”

You chuckled and complied, hearing Vi whine like a sad puppy.

As you prepared the drinks, you noted June doing the little head jerk again, although this time smaller and without the closed eyes. Instead, they gave a sharp click of their tongue before resuming what they were doing. How interesting.

You soon gave the two automatons their drinks. The conversation continued easily, primarily coming from Dolly.

She was just sweet as could be, and apparently a huge fashionista. She enjoyed pastel colors, and making herself look like a doll - hence her nickname. Apparently, she was also quite the contortionist, to a point it was even abnormal by automaton standards.

“Most automatons have limits to how their joints can bend, to keep them realistic and also for some safety reasons. I don’t have those, except for on my head, hands, and feet. That’s intentional, though.” She explained, squeezing her tail that had laid across her lap. You didn’t know how you didn’t notice she and Vi both had tails, hers white from what you could see of it, although most of it was wrapped up in baby pink ribbon, hiding any patterns there might be. Vi’s was entirely black. “Being an automaton with customizable joints might be seen as cheating for contortionism, but for me it's a work of careful balance. I do a lot of things while dancing, so sometimes that means quick movements and quick transitions into different moves, and it took a lot of practice for me to get good.”

“That’s interesting! I always thought contortionism was cool, but I know my poor back couldn’t handle it,” You huffed, your back deciding to remind you of its plight, giving you a mild ache. 

“Aw, that sucks. I’d help but I don’t really know anything about human anatomy, so I couldn’t” Dolly said remorsefully, pouting as she sipped her drink.

“It’s sweet that you want to help, though, I appreciate it,” You patted her hand, which you noticed was in fingerless gloves. 

“Of course, honeybee! You’re too cute to not wanna help! I just wanna like- squish you and squeeze you but like in a good way!” Vi snickered at their friend’s words.

You chuckled as well, not quite sure what to say. 

Soon enough, the two had to go after receiving a text from Dolly’s phone. They bid you goodbye and tipped you another ridiculous amount, $1000 each. Stars, you’d probably be able to afford a little apartment at this rate!

Next thing you knew, another familiar automaton was sat at the bar.

“Oh, Clip! Nice to see you!” You grinned, the warmth in your face hard to soothe. Eclipse smiled at you like you were the moon itself, hanging so honestly in the sky. 

“Lovely to see you, my dove. I missed getting to talk to you,” He said, and you gave him a water. Free of charge, obviously. Who charges for water ?

“It’s always nice getting to talk to you. I feel like you’re so… down-to-earth compared to some of the other people I interact with regularly.” You hummed, the conversation with Sun and moon resurfacing in your mind. You shuddered a bit, not sure if you should feel worried or incredibly flustered, because you were both. You couldn’t deny you were honestly considering trying out a relationship with them, but at the same time… their negative stats worried you… they worried you a lot. 

“I’m glad I can be that stability for you,” He chuffed, seeming quite pleased with the compliment. “I’d prefer not to be a source of stress,”

“You’re doing a very good job of that, Clipsy. Although I admit you tend to fluster me,” You said, nervously chewing your lip like a cliche character in a movie.

“And I’d hope that’s a good thing. A blush looks just fetching on you, dove,” He chuckled, and the two of you eased into relaxed conversation after that as you moved between him and other customers. It was nice.

Once he had to leave though, June kept giving you teasing looks, busting out in giggles when you made eye contact. They most definitely were going to tease you about your crush on Eclipse.

===

Getting home was a simple affair, the driver that Eclipse insisted on calling you was polite as ever, and you idly watched a motorcycle that seemed to be on the same path as you, albeit it didn’t stop at the hotel when you got out.

You went up to your room, huffing as you sat down on the bed. You’d check everyone’s stats before taking a shower and maybe ordering some food. Luckily, this little hotel had pretty decent room service. 

You pulled up Sun’s first, as usual.

[ SUN ]

[LOVE - 40] (+10)

[TRUST - 40] (-7)

[AFFECTION - 66] 

[POSSESSIVENESS - 50] (+20)

[OBSESSION - 50] (+20)

[JEALOUSY - 40] (+20)

[ Impatient. So very impatient. ]

You didn’t even know what to feel. At this point, you felt numb, not really registering what you were seeing as you scrolled to Moon’s stats, knowing damn well they’d probably be worse.

[ MOON ]

[LOVE - 40] (+10)

[TRUST - 30] (-15)

[AFFECTION - 70] (+10)

[POSSESSIVENESS - 67] (+19)

[OBSESSION - 70] (+15)

[JEALOUSY - 70] (+35)

[ A shame that drastic measures must be taken ]

His stats were frightening. You wanted to cry, wanted to break your phone and throw it away, maybe you just wanted to reset and start a new run but you couldn’t do that without dying in this world.

[ ECLIPSE ]

[LOVE - 65] 

[TRUST - 75]

[AFFECTION - 50] (+2)

[POSSESSIVENESS - 20] 

[OBSESSION - 15]

[JEALOUSY - 16] 

[ He’s nervous, but not sure why… ]

Thank goodness Eclipse was normal, he really was your source of normalcy. You scrolled to Vi’s stats.

[ Vi (???) ]

[LOVE - 30] (+5)

[TRUST - 50] (+8)

[AFFECTION - 30] (+6)

[POSSESSIVENESS - 25] 

[OBSESSION - 16]

[JEALOUSY - 22] 

[ Delighted you got along with Dolly ]

Ah, thank the stars, another normal one. You were curious about Vi, you honestly didn’t know much about them, you didn’t even know what they really looked like. Maybe one day…

Scrolling to the next, you found Dolly’s stats instead of Quasar’s.

[ DOLLY(???) ]

[LOVE - 22] 

[TRUST - 50] 

[AFFECTION - 26] 

[POSSESSIVENESS - 10] 

[OBSESSION - 20]

[JEALOUSY - 7] 

[ You’re so cuuuuuteee!!! ]

Aw, and Dolly’s was normal too! You were quite flattered she found you cute, though. She was quite cute herself, so she would probably be quite the expert in knowing if someone was cute.

You tried to scroll down only to find... Quasar’s stats were completely gone. Nothing there at all. Huh…

You should probably go to sleep… you did not want to keep worrying about this.

===

“Hm. Seems we need to act quick.”

“I can’t believe- uhg! Him, why him?”

“I know… I hate having to tell you all of this.”

“No, don’t feel guilty, sweetie, you did a good job, doing what you’re told.. We just need to do something about this predicament.”

Chapter Text

You woke up, feeling mildly like shit. The room service you had gotten the night prior was partially on the table and on the side of the bed you weren’t sleeping on. You grimaced as you sat up, scrubbing at your eyes.

Opening up your phone, it was 8:00AM.

[GOOD MORNING, IT’S YOUR SIXTH DAY! I'M PROUD OF YOU FOR GETTING THIS FAR!]

[YOU’RE OFF WORK TODAY! HAVE FUN AROUND TOWN OR JUST STAYING IN BED!]

[MAKE GOOD CHOICES . Please.]

You huffed, and pocketed your phone.

You were hungry. You didn’t want to go to the bakery. In your late-night eating, you came to the conclusion that you are fucked in the head. You were considering having something with Sun and Moon, and whatever midnight clarity you had made you realize that it was an awful idea.

But desperation makes people think and do strange things.

And what choice did you have? No matter what you did, Sun and Moon’s obsession would get worse. Avoid them or placate them, they were both bad options. Making them hate you was an even worse option, as their stats indicated they could get violent, and by the stars you did not want that to happen.

The best option would be to try and placate them. For all you knew, avoiding them would mean you’d get stalked, or if you were already being stalked, then it meant they could get aggressive towards you.

So, with a heavy sigh, you got dressed in comfortable clothes and threw on Moon’s jacket before heading out.

A crow hopped along the pavement, looking up at you as if it pitied you, cawing before it flew up onto a powerline, joining the rest of its murder as they beheld you from their lifted perch. The council of corvids seemed to heckle you, or perhaps they were trying to tell you to avoid this action of yours.

But you kept walking until you got to the bakery, mindlessly trying to open the door. Locked. It was only then that you noticed the sign read ‘closed’. 

You paused for a moment, breathing in the cold air as if you had just noticed it was cold. And then, you began to turn away and walk elsewhere.

“Wait, wait, wait! Sugarplum!” You whipped your head back around, seeing Sun poking out of the door. He was dressed casually, in a yellow and blue sweater with white pants. You made yourself smile, waving at him. “Come in!”

“But, you’re closed-?” You blinked.

“Well we’re not going to avoid getting to hang out with you! Come, come, you can come sit in the apartment with us. I’ll make tea!” Sun said, and against your better judgement, you came in. Again, you knew denying him would make things worse.

He led you in, past the kitchen and up a set of stairs that led you into a cozy apartment. You didn’t see Moon anywhere. Well, not until Sun called out, “Moonieeee, I have a surpriseeeeee!” 

A bundle of blankets on the couch moved, and Moon poked his head out like an angry cat, eyes narrowed before landing on you. His pupils dilated, but he did little more than stick an arm out to wave.

“He doesn’t like mornings. I’m surprised he’s ever up to help me run the bakery,” Sun snickered, leading you to sit down on the other couch that Moon was not laying on. “I’ll go get some tea,”

Once Sun went to do so, Moon grumbled, moving himself and his cocoon of blankets over to the couch you were on, and flopping beside you with his head by your legs. Soon enough, his eyes were closed and he had made himself comfortable curled up beside you. 

What exactly possessed you to start petting the edges of his faceplate was beyond you, but you found yourself trailing your fingers over the edges. Moon slightly leaned into your touch, his eyes remaining closed. 

Maybe, if Moon’s stats weren’t so frightening, you would have found him cute. Adorable, even, as he sleepily scooted so his head was on your lap. You continued to pet him, starting to mindlessly trace over his face. Your fingers traced over the curve of the white shock on his face, over the curve of his nose and then his one visible brow. 

It was nice, this moment. You would enjoy this sort of thing, domestic and normal. You wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe, this is what Moon was really like - maybe he was a sweet, grumpy person who didn’t like getting up in the mornings. Maybe he wasn’t some obsessive and possessive animatronic who had his eyes on you.

You thought to Sun, as well, hearing him hum to himself as he waited for the kettle. Maybe he was  just like this, welcoming and hospitable, not jealous and unnerving when he stared at you with such absurd tunnel-vision. 

It was almost disturbing that you could imagine a domestic life like this, you could imagine making breakfast with Sun and helping coax Moon into the waking world. You could imagine helping out around the bakery. You could imagine late nights snuggled between them. You could imagine going on dates. You could imagine…

But you really shouldn’t. These two aren’t stable. They’re obsessed, not in love. You’ve only talked to them, what, four times? And they already have this idea that you’re theirs. Now, you kind of appreciate that they’re being clear about their intentions rather than becoming your friend to try and make you want to date them, as you had always kind of hated the idea of dating a friend, especially when it often meant making things really awkward.

Soon enough, Sun came over, handing you a mug full of tea. It smelled delightful.

“What’s on your mind, sugarplum?” Sun asked, rays ticking to the side. He looked curious as you sipped your tea. It tasted delightful.

“A lot. Too much, in fact,” You huffed, staring into the glass mug. Moon had shifted so he wasn’t on your lap, somewhat sitting up and propping his feet on the coffee table. 

“Care to share? Maybe we can lift the burden.” Moon spoke quietly. You shook your head, taking another drink of your tea.

“Nothing I can talk about right now. My mind’s hectic and contradictory at the moment,” You found yourself relaxing against the couch. 

“I get that. I know my mind is often a rollercoaster that I got stuck on and the guard rail isn’t properly attached and the support beams are on the verge of breaking,” Sun said, making an awkward expression. “Wow, that sounds much, much, much more depressing when I say it out loud.”

You couldn’t help but laugh as you took another long sip of your drink. “I mean, it’s a very understandable metaphor. Especially if you’re like me and dead terrified of rollercoasters.”

“Sunny’s scared of them as well, screams bloody murder on them,” Moon grinned smugly, looking over to his now-pouting husband. You were halfway through your tea.

“I do not!” Sun gasped, crossing his arms indignantly.

“You so do,” Moon chuckled, snorting a bit.

“And you scream like a girl if a haunted house’s scare actor jumps out at you, even when you worked as one for a year after we started working,” Sun shot back. “And those scare actors are usually teenagers in dollar-store Halloween masks.”

“I- oh shut up!” Moon pouted, pulling his hat over his eyes. You had nearly finished your tea, taking the last sip and setting the cup on the coffee table. As you tried to sit back up after leaning over to do so, you found yourself short of breath and unable to properly focus on anything.

Your head hurt, so very badly, and you squeezed your eyes shut when the light of Moon’s ruby red eyes was too bright. Phosphenes danced behind your eyelids, and when you opened your eyes, you couldn’t see. There wasn’t anything covering your eyes, no, it was still dark and swirling with phosphenes as if you hadn’t opened your eyes at all. 

And suddenly, you were gone from consciousness as two sets of arms wrapped around you.

===

You woke up with something around your mouth. A gag, you were quick to realize. 

You couldn’t move your arms or legs, they were tightly bound, your arms behind your back. There was a weight on your lap, and you identified you were laying on a bed. Or at least something that felt like it. 

Forcing your eyes open, you found that the room was dark aside from a lamp beside the bed. The room was furnished but not visibly lived in, as if it had been set up for a guest. There wasn’t really any personality of clutter in the room.

Looking down to see what was on your lap, you saw rudy red eyes looking up at you, a sweet, saccharine grin on his face.

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit.

Sun had drugged you, hadn’t he? There was nothing in his words or actions that would have given it away. You’d always thought that if someone had drugged your drink, they’d be weird about it. Watching you drink, staring, something like that. But no, Sun was entirely engrossed in banter with Moon.

You didn’t exactly trust them, but you had trusted them to at least not take advantage of you. 

You thought back to what you had seen in their stats, feeling tears start to build up in your eyes. Was it Moon’s that had mentioned drastic measures?

Moon immediately sat up when you started to cry, fretting over you with a whine. “No, no, no, don’t cry, little starling, shhh, shhh, shhhh,”

He wiped your tears, whining sadly when you tried to pull away. “I’m sorry, but we had to, you see-”

Your indignant and frankly terrified yells were quickly cut off by Moon putting his hand over your already gagged mouth. Sun, just then, waltzed through the door with a sickly sweet smile.

“Oh, poor birdie, I know, I know, it’s scary,” He crooned, coming to sit beside you. “But we had to. I had our sweet Moonpie go check in on you yesterday, you know? Made sure everything at work was just dandy and made sure you got home safe. And he told me some things that got us so very concerned!”

Ah, so Moon had been stalking you. You wanted to vomit, especially when Moon wrapped his arms around your middle and started snuggling your torso. 

“You’ve been around Eclipse .” Sun growled the name, rays shuddering. You shook, seeing him bare his teeth. “And, now, we really don’t like criminals like him. Eclipse is a bad, bad guy, birdie! We can’t have someone like that manipulating you!”

“And you’re- you’re not even.. Not even in a proper house or- or apartment-” Moon spoke, his voice shuddering as if he was scared you were mad at him. You were, you were furious with him, in fact. And downright terrified. Their reasoning wasn't even good!

“But now, here you have your own room and two lovely boyfriends to look after you!” Sun squealed, kissing your tear-stained cheek. You tried to jerk away, but Sun did not let you.

“I know it’s a lot to take in, so we’ll leave you to rest and process everything, okay? We’ll come check on you later, birdie,” Sun spoke, petting your head before he left. Moon lingered for a bit.

“Please don’t be mad.. Please, please, please. We’ll be so good… please, I promise..” Moon looked up at you pleadingly, like a dog being scolded. “Y-you’ll understand.. Right?”

You glared at him, and he sighed, getting up and leaving after shooting you another pitiful look.

With them both gone, now, you wept and wept until you passed out.

=== 

It was pitch black when you woke up, the lamp off and the moon outside providing no light.

You weren’t alone. You didn’t know how you knew you weren’t alone when you couldn’t see anyone, but you knew someone or something was there.

You felt inclined to believe it was a some thing. 

Not Sun or Moon, either, you would have been able to see their eyes, and they likely would have spoken to you.

And well, this person did, but you couldn’t identify who it might be. It’s a voice you knew, though. But who? Where had you heard that voice?

“I’m sorry things came to this. I am sorry I never acted. I really should have told you I had a bad, bad feeling sooner.” They said, voice quiet as to not be heard outside the room.

“Please believe me when I say this is a mercy. Suffering should not have to be a part of death.” There was a desperate cry to the voice, like the injured cries of an animal. 

A click.

The cocking of a gun.

“I’m so sorry.”

A bang.

And gone, gone, gone.

===

You opened your eyes painlessly, and found yourself on that weird waiting screen from when you started.

“I died. Oh my god, I died.”

[THAT YOU DID. A SHAME, REALLY, BUT WHAT WOULD HAVE COME IF YOU DIDN’T WOULD HAVE BEEN WORSE]

[THIS MARKS THE START OF YOUR SECOND RUN! A CHANCE TO START OVER AND A CHANCE TO LIVE A DIFFERENT LIFE!]

[THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE MET WILL NOT BE EXACTLY THE SAME NOR SHOULD THEY REMEMBER YOU. IT IS A COMPLETE FRESH START !]

You nodded, honestly quite thankful for that. You do not want Sun and Moon knowing who you are, especially after they had kidnapped and drugged you. “That’s.. A relief, honestly.”

[PERHAPS! NOW, LIKE THE LAST RUN, YOU WILL BE SET UP AT A HOTEL FOR A WHILE! ALTHOUGH, SINCE THIS IS YOUR SECOND RUN , YOU ARE ONLY BOOKED TO STAY FOR TWO WEEKS INSTEAD OF THREE!]

[OF COURSE, THERE ARE ALSO YOUR JOB OPTIONS! CHOOSE WISELY!]

[ OPTION 1 - SCHOOL JANITOR! YOU WILL WORK AT THE LOCAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AS A JANITOR DURING THE DAY AND FOR A WHILE AFTER SCHOOL ENDS! THE PAY IS $10 AN HOUR]

[ OPTION 2 - CELEBRITY ASSISTANT! YOU’RE FAMILIAR WITH THIS ONE! YOU WILL BE AN ASSISTANT TO A CELEBRITY, WHICH MEANS KEEPING THEM IN LINE, MONITORING THEIR SCHEDULE, AND DOING OTHER MENIAL TASKS FOR THEM! THE PAY IS $45 AN HOUR! WHY THE RAISE? WELL, YOUR CLIENT THIS TIME WILL NOT BE THE SAME AS THE LAST TIME COULD HAVE BEEN!]

[ OPTION 3 - SECRETARY! YOU WOULD WORK AS A SECRETARY FOR A HIGHLY INFLUENTIAL LAW FIRM! THIS MEANS HELPING CLIENTS GO TO THE RIGHT PLACE, HELPING TO SCHEDULE MEETINGS, AND SOMETIMES DOING BUSY WORK FOR YOUR SUPERIORS! THE WAY IS $15 AN HOUR]

[ OPTION 4 - HOUSEKEEPING! YOU WOULD WORK TO CLEAN SOMEONE’S HOUSE TWICE A WEEK! THIS INCLUDES VACUUMING, CLEANING THE TABLES, PUTTING AWAY CLUTTER, STARTING THE LAUNDRY, ETC! THE PAY IS $400 PER JOB!]

You looked over the options, considering them silently. Chewing on the inside of your cheek, you settled on a decision.

Chapter Text

Celebrity Assistant was your choice.

You woke up.

You gingerly brought a hand to your head, feeling the spot in your forehead the bullet had hit.

Who killed you?

How did they know where you were?

Why were you thankful you had been killed? Well, actually, that kind of made sense. You had been saved from what was likely going to be a far worse fate, considering you were bound and trapped in a household with two obsessive animatronics. 

But, maybe it was a mercy you hadn’t a clue who killed you. Just as it was probably a mercy you were killed.

The hotel room you were in was nicer than the last, and looking out of the window, you were in a much more urban area compared to last time. The city was bustling with people and saturated with colors. It was easy to liken it with the busier areas of cities like New York or maybe even Tokyo, the shining lights of screen advertisements flashing across buildings.

You picked up your phone. As expected, it was 8:00AM and you had a message.

[WELCOME TO THE FIRST DAY OF YOUR SECOND RUN !]

[LIKE LAST TIME, YOUR JOB DOESN’T START UNTIL TOMORROW, SO YOU HAVE TODAY TO EXPLORE !]

[AS WELL AS THAT, YOU HAVE TO PURCHASE CLOTHES FOR WORK! YOU NEED WORK-APPROPRIATE CLOTHES IN THE COLORS PINK , WHITE , AND/OR BLACK !]

[YOU ARE EQUIPPED WITH $700 IN CASH! YOU SHOULD USE THIS MONEY FOR CLOTHES AND OTHER THINGS! YOU ARE PROVIDED WITH MORE CASH THIS RUN BECAUSE OF NEEDING TO PURCHASE CLOTHES!]

[HAVE A LOVELY TIME! STAY SAFE !]

You huffed, putting away your phone and looking over at your open suitcase. Your clothes from the previous run were here, including your work uniform from being a bartender. You easily threw on some sweatpants and a hoodie, a classic ‘I’m not working therefore no effort’ combo. 

Walking out of the hotel, the sun was shining proudly despite the biting cold air. First off, you needed to find food - and avoid any bakeries run by obsessive automatons.

You were not looking forward to the chance of running into Sun and Moon. Logically, you knew that in this run they would not be bakers, as it simply didn’t work that way, but the anxiety was still there.

You also knew, logically, that they would not remember you. That they would not be the same. But yet, the idea of seeing Moon’s ruby red eyes or hearing Sun call you a pet name was terrifying. 

But, what if?

What if they were totally normal people this run? What if they were perfectly lovely people with no bad intentions or obsessive tendencies? What if they were entirely undeserving of your fear?

It hurt to think about, as a dove walked by you, poking at a plant growing through the cracks of the sidewalk. You did not like hating people or fearing them without reason. You were aware you were fully entitled to your fears, but it just.. It just felt wrong.

You shook your head, continuing to walk forward and watch the sidewalk until you happened to run right into someone.

Looking up, you were faced with a colorful, arcade-floor-pattern jacket, unzipped and showing off incredibly dark plating, and when you looked up more, you were facing impossibly bright eyes on a dark face, a mildly shocked expression on their face that soon became a giddy smile. Their teeth glowed, too, but not nearly as bright as the ring of sheer light around their head, like seeing the sun itself peeking out from behind them.

“Oh! My gosh, it really is you!” They said, voice a bit nasally and a bit… tinny, almost. It was very minutely like hearing them through a radio or something. Well, they actually sounded quite like a radio host.

Quasar.

You winced a bit, just from how bright they were. Plus, that sentence was certainly… something.

“Setui ei? Ilo kyt uts kiey ål vëey ei!” They said, in a language entirely incomprehensible and alien to you. You just stared at them, befuddled beyond belief. What the actual fuck ? They quickly picked up your visible confusion. “Oh, well I guess that’s neither here nor there. What’s that face for?”

They cocked their head, crossing their arms.

“Uh… can you like.. Turn down your brightness, you’re uhm… very.. Very bright,” You said, without really thinking. It sounded a little silly, you realized. Asking a robot to turn down their brightness, what were you thinking?

“Oh!” They said, and, interestingly enough, you watched in real time as their brightness did indeed lower, in visible stages as if you were clicking down the brightness on a computer. “How’s that?”

“Uh… good?” You nodded. It was easier to see them now, light yellow eyes with tiny white pupils that damn near blended in with the rest of their eye, and spiky lashes around their eyes that glowed as well. 

“Good! Good, good, good! You see I’ve really been meaning to say hi! We’ve got so much to catch up on, really!” They said, laughing like a teenager excited to hear all the drama at a sleepover. Stars, this was incredibly unexpected. Quasar had always seemed so frightening and menacing, so what in the world was this?

“We… we do?” You said, raising a brow. So confused, you were, so confused indeed.

“Yes indeed-y! Now, now, now, it’s morning time, mourning of the night, and honey do I have an appetite! What to eat, what to eat?” They hummed, resting their hand on their hip while the other tapped their chin. The pose was sassy. They thought for a moment. “Oh my gosh, I know! Come, come, come, we’re going to the diner!”

Before you could really process anything, you were being pulled along by Quasar, their large hand completely dwarfing yours. Quasar was huge, and that was especially noticeable now. They had to be at least twice your height.

“So, tell me how you’ve been! How’s the whole arranged marriage thing going? Husbands treating you decently? Really sucks that had to happen, huh? But pretty boys at bars can heal the heart, methinks. Pretty boys and plenty of drinks!” They chattered, a little pep in their step. You shook your head, looking up at them as you responded. “I- uh... I’m not married?”

“Hm! Well there’s a time and a place for everything, and I suppose I’m in the wrong place! Hahaha, how funny is that?” Quasar brushed it off, leaving you even more confused than before.

“You are very, very strange,” You mused, finding yourself mildly amused by this peculiar automaton.

“Better strange than deranged!” They lightly elbowed you, grinning cheekily.

“I can’t argue with that, can I?”

===

It didn’t take long for you to find yourself walking into a diner with Quasar, sitting down in a booth by the window. 

As you looked out of the window, you noted another automaton, red in color with a stack of papers in their arms. They attached one to the light pole, leading you to realize it was a sort of flyer.

You couldn’t see too much of what the flyer said, but you could pick up that it had something about housekeeping on it. Was that… was that the other job offer you had gotten? How interesting. You never really considered that the jobs you didn’t choose were still technically available. That was quite reassuring, plus, if you wanted to, you could perhaps pick up extra shifts. Of course, that entirely depended on how your job as a celebrity assistant would work out.

You idly watched the red automaton. They seemed paranoid, twitchy as they watched everyone around them. Over their mouth and nose, they wore something that looked like a filtration mask - one of those heavy duty ones.

“Oh, that poor thing. Senses probably going haywire. All that blood in all those bodies.” Quasar hummed, looking at the smaller automaton themselves.

“What? You gawked. 

“What?” Quasar shot right back as a waitress came over. Quasar ordered themself a waffle with a side of hashbrowns and sausage, and when you completely froze, having not looked at the menu, Quasar said you’d get the same thing.

The waitress nodded and got your order. 

“So… what was that about?” You asked, hoping to at least get something sensical out of Quasar. They just cheekily grinned at you. “What was what about?”

You just deadpanned at them. You were definitely not getting anything out of them.

“Have you ever wanted to swim with mermaids? I bet you will, eventually. Go dance at a festival and be wooed by pretty things that shimmer in ways that you can’t tell are scales or glitter. Before they decide legs are for the dead, of course,” Quasar mused, having an almost dreamy look on their face. “But of course, the poor fool who fell for jesters must attend the rapture ball,”

If Quasar was actually saying things you should pay attention to, you really were not grabbing onto any of it. Their words made so little sense. You were hearing the words but there was no comprehension in them.

“Your poor paradoxal paracosm.” Quasar hummed, looking at you with a seemingly more soft look, contemplative. “The doll of a child with hands that crave to write. But aren’t we all? Except that odd little one of course, to which death is a solace and perhaps a fascination. Perhaps the god of one face and two bodies will find curiosity in us.”

“I really can’t pretend I know anything you’re talking about.” You spoke bounty, not sure exactly what else you should or could say. 

“My expectations are the complications of dedications and foolish apprehensions.” Quasar shrugged, grinning. “Now, now, now, I’ve asked so many questions, tell me about you! I’ve hardly learned, you know? We haven’t gotten much time to talk before this! I’m so curious!” 

“Uh- okay? I just got to this area, so I’m pretty new… I like animals?” You shrugged, the waitress bringing you your food and kindly placing it before you both. You and Quasar thanked her. “I uhm… I’m 25, I don’t really have many hobbies or anything, not lately. Used to draw a lot but things happened and I just… haven’t. I tended to be on my computer all the time”

As you rambled, Quasar idly munched on their food, listening intently to every word you said. You took bites of your food in between words, finding it to be quite good.

“I just got a new job, too, I start it tomorrow,” You didn’t catch the way Quasar seemed to expect this. “I’m an assistant for some celebrity, not sure who, though. Speaking of- I need to go buy myself some clothes for the job,”

Before you could say another word, Quasar gasped, smiling, “Oh my gosh can I help? Pleeeaaaaaaaseeeee? I promise I’ll be a huge help!”

You stared for a moment. “Uhm… you know what, sure, why not? You don’t seem like you’d kill or kidnap me,”

The sentiment was honest. Quasar was strange and overly eccentric but you also felt that they had no bad intentions. Of course, you could be reading them entirely wrong, and Quasar could very well be a huge threat. But for now, Quasar wasn’t quite bad in your book. Of course, that didn’t mean you were going to trust them completely, but you’d trust them enough to go shopping with you.

“Kidnapping is tacky, anyways, people have forgotten the art of like, actually romancing someone!” Quasar laughed as they finished up their food, you doing the same. “All Skies’ Dance will not behold the teary-eyed jesters,”

“At this point, I don’t think I’m even going to question the weird shit you say, dude,” You just laughed, because what else were you to do when a strange automaton modeled after a black hole was telling you cryptic things?

“As you should! No come on we’ve got a mall to hit, honey!” They cheered, quickly paying for the meal when the waitress came back, paying in cash before hopping out of the booth. You did the same, and followed after them.

===

Shopping with Quasar is both the most frustrating thing and the most wildly fun thing you’ve done in a while. By the end of it, you were exhausted, but had four full outfits ready for work. 

Quasar was incredibly fun, and also a very tough judge for fashion. If they didn’t vibe with it, it was an immediate no, and there was no convincing them otherwise. They even bought you a bit of makeup (they paid for that bit, thankfully, and they were the one that insisted on getting it for you) to match your outfits. You weren’t really one to wear a lot of makeup, but you’d been wanting to get back into it. You used to do it a lot before your mental health went to shit, so this was another chance to do it! Most of what Quasar got you was pink or meant to fit a more neutral everyday pallet, which was just fine.

“You happy with everything?” Quasar hummed, eyeing the bag of clothes you had. You nodded, grinning. The clothes you had bought fit you well and they were quite flattering. Plus, they were comfortable, and Quasar managed to find most of them on sale. You only spent around $300, which is honestly a wildly small amount considering prices these days.

“Good, good, good! You make sure that job treats you well, you hear me? Screams and eyes can be bratty things sometimes, especially when they have money and talent,” Quasar poked your shoulder, making a sort of fake-stern look.

“Yes, my liege, I promise I will make sure my job treats me just fine,” You snickered, lightly shoving the taller bot, who feigned fainting like some sort of theatre actor.

“Ok, theatre kid, stop being dramatic,” You shoved them again.

“I was made for drama but never theatres! I was actually an acrobat by design.” Quasar preened, grinning to themselves. “That’s cool! I never would have thought, honestly,”

“Most people don’t, I think I present myself more like a weird psychic or some theatre performer.”

“I can definitely see weird psychic, that is definitely something you embody,”

“The world has ears and mouths and eyes and the senses that neither you nor I have, so they scream. I so happen to be a gossip,” Quasar hummed to themself, and soon enough, you bid them goodbye to go back to the hotel. 

You ended up passing by one of those housekeeping flyers, deciding to grab one just in case. It was asking for two cleans a week, but… maybe you could see about doing just one. It just… something about the job seemed like it was a good thing to consider.

Making it back to the hotel, you decided to quickly order some room service before you took a shower. Once your food was ordered and on the way, you pulled out your phone. Might as well see about those stats.

You were almost surprised to see Quasar’s stats there, as a part of you was expecting that they just wouldn’t show up at all. Of course, they still couldn’t be read at all.

[ QUASAR ]

[LOVE - N/A] 

[TRUST - N/A]

[AFFECTION - N/A] 

[POSSESSIVENESS - N/A] 

[OBSESSION - N/A]

[JEALOUSY - N/A]

[ This time will be better. ]

Well, that wasn’t ominous at all, was it? You rolled your eyes, more entertained by it than weirded out. You had come to expect it in the few hours you got to hang out with Quasar. They’re just weird.

You weren’t sure if you should look forward to tomorrow. But you might as well be somewhat optimistic. 

===

He sat, they both did, quiet and hands clenched together. It wasn’t supposed to go this way. They had promised it wouldn't go this way. 

They didn’t want to. Who would?

They’re not sick in the head but this place is making them start to question it.

“I feel sick. I never would have done such a thing…”

“I know, I know. I’m scared. I- god we’d never, never, never- what is this place doing to us?”

“I don’t know. I- I’m not.. I’m not that fucked, am I?"

Chapter Text

Waking up felt weird today. The sun made the back of your eyelids glow with a dull red, and waking up felt natural - as in it was a slow process, the grudge of sleep holding heavy on your mind as you stretched.

Waking up felt real.

There is a warmth where light hits your face, it is cooler where it doesn’t. Phosphenes dance across your vision, the lingering blue of sleep in your sight.

How were you to feel about that?

The answer - you just refused to think of it. Why think of things and question it if it will only end in misery? Well, your answer is there, you are aware it will bring misery. Perhaps it has been lingering behind your eyes, perhaps you were unwittingly thinking about it. You just refused to acknowledge it.

Truly, you should be thinking about this a lot more. You are trapped inside of a game. You will never sit in your old apartment again. You will never have all of your possessions again. You will never sleep in your bed again. You will never see your friends again. You are stuck in a game where love interests can become obsessive and dangerous enough that they would drug and kidnap you. You, in fact, did get drugged and kidnapped. You had even been considering being with those two, as well, even when you knew they were dangerous. You are completely and utterly fucked in the head. You have died, you were shot. You are going along with all of this too easily. You are refusing to question anything. You aren’t being careful. You are not doing anything to save yourself.

Everything is moving so fast, and you are not questioning it, you are not becoming suspicious of it, you are simply ignoring it .

Do you even know how much you’ve shut down?

Ignorance will be your only bliss. You have been denied bliss for so long, you will destroy yourself for it now.

You do not wish to think of it again.

You sat up, finally, looking over to your phone. Do you want to really open it? Do you want to acknowledge it? Do you want to see that the reality of your existence is truly within a game?

You picked up your phone, opening it with a huff. 7:30AM, rather than 8:00.

[GOOD MORNING! IT’S YOUR SECOND DAY ! WORK STARTS AT 9:00AM ! YOU NEED TO GO TO DOLL EYES STUDIO AND HEAD TO THE 10TH FLOOR !]

[GO AHEAD AND GET ALL DOLLED UP!]

[HOPE YOU HAVE A LOVELY DAY!]

You did not wait another moment, sliding out of bed to go get ready. You chose a white button-up with pink slacks, before digging through the makeup Quasar had bought you before grabbing a few things and going to the bathroom to get ready. 

Getting dressed was easy. Brushing your teeth and hair was easy. Doing your makeup was surprisingly easy.

But with easy came the dull feeling of a cycle. 

You paid no mind to it, the same way you paid no mind to the horrifying things you’ve been through in the past few days.

You’ve decided that you should perhaps not seek out any specific person. You loved Eclipse, you truly, truly loved him, but if you go after him you could risk the same sort of situation as last time. Or, at least you could avoid Sun and Moon. If you were correct in your assumption, Sun and Moon were the easiest love interests, meant for people just starting the game. They were like a tutorial, hence why they warmed up to you immediately. You assumed that Eclipse was in the middle on the difficulty level, while Vi and Dolly were probably some of the most difficult ones. Any other interest, you had no idea.

You also didn’t have a clue with Quasar, either. But you have a feeling that it's intentional.

You grabbed everything you’d need, and promptly left the hotel, humming to yourself. 

===

It’s busier in this area. People with faces you can’t remember pass by you, someone plays music on the street corner. Someone walks by with a big fluffy dog on a leash, and you coo at the puppy as it passes.

Some people are clearly in a rush, some people are taking their time.

You find yourself comfortable in the human chaos, perhaps out of nostalgia. 

Of course, this comfort is brief.

It’s hard not to miss him, towering over the average human - Sun, looking down at his phone with a troubled expression. He was dressed in brown pants and a colorful button-up, with a leather satchel slung across his chest. The automaton was obviously in a rush, the lanyard he wore jangling as he weaved through the people.

It was very briefly that you met his eyes. Beautiful sky blues locked onto your wide, likely frightened eyes. His own eyes widened before you quickly put your head down and sped up your walking. 

You pulled out your own phone, checking the directions to the studio. You weren’t far, but it was still quite a long walk. Perhaps you should invest in a car.

No, best not to get that immediately. What you need to do is get a house or a place you can stay in for a reasonable time. You wondered, briefly, if there were any chances you could find a roommate and get a house. You have a feeling an actual house might be safest. 

But, for now, you just needed to get to work.

===

Dolls Eyes Studio was a surprisingly small building. Tall, yes, but still small. It was fairly unassuming from the outside, nestled between two other large buildings.

Stepping inside, the interior was nice. A few people bustled about as you headed towards the elevator, which quickly opened for you. You were thankful no one else needed the elevator, you’d rather not stand awkwardly with someone.

You arrived on the 10th floor, and found it to be much more nicely decorated, and the people you saw were all in the same color palette as you. You saw a sort of front-desk, and approached it a bit nervously.

The person behind the desk looked up at you, and asked for your name. Upon giving it, they nodded, giving you a mildly pitying look. “Alright, just wait here for a moment and we’ll bring you in to meet her. Good luck, hon,” 

You do not know why they spoke as if you had signed your life away.

You assume that approximately 5 minutes passed, before someone in a black suit came up to you and said your name, asking if that was you. You nodded in affirmation, and he reached out to shake your hand.

“Sorry for the abrupt change of plans, but she won’t be meeting us here. We’ll head to her apartment.” He apologized, and motioned for you to follow him. You both went back to the first floor and you followed him out into a parking lot, where a sleek back car was parked. He opened the passenger door for you, and you got in as he went around to the driver’s side.

“Alrighty. Let’s go,” He hummed, smoothly pulling out of the parking lot and going onto the road.

“So, what made you decide to apply for being Pareidolia’s assistant? You know she’s difficult, right?” He asked, keeping his eyes on the road. 

“Well, uh- I’ll be honest I actually had no idea who’s assistant I’d be. I just happened to get the opportunity and I took it. Really need the money, too, kinda need to get a place to live.” You shrugged, starting to worry at your lip. Your lipstick would not last long, you guessed. 

“I get it. But yeah, look, Pareidolia can be a huge brat. I mean- you were probably told you’re being an assistant but you’re really being paid to be her friend, or her little purse chihuahua as some of the ladies have joked. It is not as fun and sparkly as it sounds. Sure, not as much busy work or anything like that, but I’ve heard she’s really just a huge pain in the ass,” He said, making a turn. The surroundings were starting to be full of luxury apartments that towered above you. 

You continued to chew your lip nervously. The guy clearly noticed as he pulled into the parking lot of one of the apartment complexes, looking a bit nervous. “I mean- hey, maybe she’s not that bad, but I’m just trying to give you a bit of a warning-”

“No, no, I appreciate it. I’ll… I’ll figure it out. If it all goes to shit, I think there’s a different job I can get.” You said as you got out, quickly fiddling with your outfit to ensure you looked presentable. The guy led you to the entrance of the apartment, calling the very top floor to be let in. The door was opened almost immediately, and the two of you headed inside, and into the elevator.

“Look, just… If she’s giving you issues, like you’re uncomfortable or anything, give me a call. My name’s David, by the way,” David quickly took a card from his pocket, handing it to you. It was a business card. You simply nodded and put the card in your own pocket.

Next thing you knew, you had arrived at the top floor of the complex.

The both of you got out, and David walked to an ornate door, rapping his knuckles against it. Next thing you knew, the door was being opened by a tall, pale automaton.

She was looking right at you, looking curious.

It was Dolly, that was painfully obvious. But now you understood exactly why she mentioned that her face wasn’t recognizable compared to the rest of her. Her entire body was covered in marks that looked like eyes.

“Oh my gosh! You’re so cute! Come in, come in!” She squealed, opening the door wider for you both. You shuffled in awkwardly, and took in the place. It was incredibly fancy, but also had a certain coziness. Pink decor was what made it look most lived in, as well as the pairs of shoes haphazardly pushed into various corners, usually by a seat or something of the sort. You could easily guess she just left her shoes wherever she took them off. 

“I’m so sorry it’s such a mess in here, I really haven’t had the motivation to clean and I found the last cleaning service I hired trying to steal my jewelry, so yeah,” She huffed, putting her hands on her hips. She wore a little pink dress with a chain belt that had opals embedded into it.

Pareidolia really didn’t look any different than the last time you saw her, and for that you were thankful. She sounded the same, had the same body language and facial expressions, everything other than how she dressed was the same.

“No worries, Miss. This is your new assistant,” David spoke your name, and you smiled at the automaton, noting how her tail was softly wagging behind her. “Shall I let you two get acquainted?”

“Absolutely!” Doli said, shooing David out. The moment he was out, her attention was wholly on you, and you couldn’t help but feel like a mouse caught by a playful, but not hungry, cat. Perhaps you weren’t in any danger, but you had a feeling you would be exhausted.

“Come, sit with me, honeybee!” She said, grabbing your arm and dragging you over to her couch. It was white with pink throw pillows as well as some soft-looking blanket in both pink and black. The rug was soft and felt like faux fur.

“Soooooo, I’m sure you know, I’m Pareidolia, call me Doli, though! So! Tell me about yourself!” She said, seating herself right beside you and holding onto both of your hands. Her hold was gentle if not excited, but not forceful.

“Ah- well- I’m really not interesting-” 

“Awhh, come on! Someone as cute as you has to be interesting! And you’re just adorable! ” She interrupted. Yeah, you could already tell she’s going to be a lot. Perhaps Vi tended to mellow her out. “Or maybe you’re just shy and don’t wanna tell me, that’s okay too,”

“No, really, I’m just not that interesting. I just… I mean I worked as a bartender for a good while? I’m really just a big shut-in if I’m being totally honest,” you said, shrugging. You felt a little bad, you really didn’t have anything to tell her, and it was obvious that she was genuinely interested.

“Oooh, my friend Vigintillion might try to steal you - but anyways, I guess I’ll just have to de-shut-in you. Or whatever better way there is to explain that.” She squeezed your hands, grinning at you. “I mean, you’re gonna be hanging out with me , you’re bound to have some interesting stuff to tell people after a while!”

“I’m sure I will…” You hummed. She didn’t say anything, her pink eyes trained carefully on your own. It was almost a little uncanny how quiet she had gotten, slowly and almost too smoothly tilting her faceplate to one side, then the other.

You blinked at her, shrinking a little under her stare. 

“I know exactly what you’d look good in. Pink’s definitely flattering on you, but I can probably find a better shade than what you’re wearing. You’re gonna be my little Barbie doll for a bit, mmmmkaaaaaaay~ ?’’ She spoke, analytical. Her voice ended with a purr as she suddenly stood, taking you with her as she strutted on into another room. You were almost expecting it to be her bedroom, but no, it was basically a huge closet-vanity hybrid. She placed you onto the chair by the vanity, and you already knew that you were going to be both overwhelmed but professionally styled by the end of this.

===

Working with Doli was exhausting, but you’d have to admit it was a little fun. She insisted on calling you a cab when you accidentally let it slip that you were in a hotel that was pretty far from her apartment, and she had managed to set something up where you would be picked up in the morning too. 

She was also nice enough to get you both food before you left, and you’d admit that it was perhaps the best take-out sushi you’d ever eaten in your life. Doli seemed to find it adorable how much you had enjoyed it.

By now you were flopping into your hotel’s bed, tired out of your mind. You didn’t bother wiping off your makeup or anything, just turning something on the TV and quickly ordering yourself some room service. That’s… $35 out of your current $400, so you’ve got $365. You need to try and keep track of your money better, if you’re going to get a house or an apartment. Game logic can’t save you this time, but maybe pretty rich robots could.

You did eventually get out of bed to actually put on some pajamas, going to the bathroom and cleaning off your face a bit. It was nothing perfect, far from it, but you’d probably be thankful for it in the morning.

Of course, you quickly checked stats. As expected, Quasar’s had disappeared, but Doli’s were there, at least!

[ PAREIDOLIA ]

[LOVE - 15] 

[TRUST - 41]

[AFFECTION - 40] 

[POSSESSIVENESS - 4] 

[OBSESSION - 1]

[JEALOUSY - 0]

[ You’re adorable as ever! Had fun seeing you! ]

Thank the stars, everything was normal. Her trust and affection both seemed high but they also lined up with her actions. That, and a basic trust level always looked high, you’ve noted. It was almost frightening how perfectly normal and reasonable her stats were, but it also made you want to cry with how relieved you were. If this persisted, Doli could be a safe person to stick around or even pursue.

===

Getting home was tough, he was exhausted. Such is the life of a teacher. But yet, he seemed more troubled than usual.

This was not missed.

“What’s wrong..?”

“I saw them. Fuck, fuck, fuck, they were terrified! Terrified of me! I never would have done that! And I can’t say sorry or try to explain!” He very rarely curses, but he feels it is necessary. Sobbing is not enough

“Oh, oh dear-”

“What is this place doing to us?! I hate this, I hate this!”

===

She almost immediately called. Once she heard a response from the other line, she was quick to speak.

“I’ve got a dead person working for me. I… I can’t help but be happy. Who knows if I’d ever get another chance to see them after…”

“That… Hey, I think I can be in your area in a few days. Mind if I come over?”

“You already know that answer!”

“You’re right, I do,”

Chapter Text

Once again, you wake up to an alarm on your phone, which you numbly reach over and turn off.

Perhaps numbness is a mercy. Or is it a curse, to feel yourself fall into sickening normalcy when you are in a situation that you truly, truly shouldn’t get used to?

You do not want to think about it. You do not want to think. But yet, you are.

You are trapped, indefinitely so, in a game where your right to die and stay dead is taken away, where you are in a constant cycle of balancing survival and hopeless romanticism. You are in a video game.  A video game that saved your life, to be frank, but a video game that makes you question if you will want to stay alive any longer. 

You do not want to think about it.

It is easier to play along, to follow along with romancing attractive robots and trying to reach some sort of ‘good ending’. Perhaps that is your method of coping. Perhaps it is not a good one, but it is better than letting yourself rot away in a bed with food on your bedside table that is starting to mold, it is better than constantly thinking about overdosing on whatever medications were in your reach, it is better than signing yourself away to your death.

So, you will play along. You will keep going regardless of what happens because there is nothing else you can do. You will ignore what will destroy you so that it cannot rot your mind. A weak, fragile little mind that cannot handle the truth of your situation.

You will ignore that you have died. You will ignore that you were drugged. You will ignore that you are kidnapped.

What you will do is let a famous robot celebrity pamper you and you will let yourself be her lapdog.

Finally, you look at your phone.

7:30AM.

[WELCOME TO YOUR THIRD DAY! EVERYTHING IS GOING SO WELL! WORK STARTS AT 9:00AM!]

[ DAVID WILL PICK YOU UP AT 8:00AM ! GO AHEAD AND GET READY!]

And that was that. You were very thankful to Doli for getting someone to drive you to her place, as there was no way you’d be able to make the walk to her apartment. Perhaps you should start saving up to get a house or apartment nearby…

Well, this job pays… what was it… ah, $45 an hour, and it is an 8 hour job, so each day you get $360. This city seems pretty similar to New York, if only because it is a large city, so assuming prices line up, you’d need at least $3,500, which, doing some lazy and perhaps incorrect math, is approximately 10 days of work. Not bad, not bad at all. 

You force yourself out of bed, and begin getting dressed. You decide on all black, today, and you keep your makeup light. The only reason for doing so being that you have a sneaking suspicion that Pareidolia might want to have at it with your outfit and makeup. Not that you really minded, if you were being paid good money to be her “purse chihuahua”, then you suppose it was just fine to be dressed up like a little lapdog.

Even then, you are quite sure her enthusiasm towards dolling you up isn’t exactly a degrading thing. It’s clear she enjoys it, and as much as it seemed like she was treating you as a little Barbie doll yesterday, there was a certain care to what she did.

Regardless, its really not bad at all, you think as you brush your teeth. You could have been running around doing busy work and constantly being on your feet, but instead you’re being paid to be an accessory under the guise of being a personal assistant. It is a cushy little job, in reality. 

As you finish getting ready, you stare at yourself in the mirror. You are not sure if you look more alive or more dead than usual. Typically, such a thing is obvious, but not today. You hum, and then go get your things to head out.

As expected, David is waiting for you when you get downstairs. The car was the same as yesterday’s, a sleek black car that you didn’t know the brand of. He quietly greets you as you get into the car.

“How are you doing this morning?” He asked, glancing at you as he started to drive away from the hotel.

“Ah, I’m alright.” You answer. He was quick to ask another question, “What do you think of Ms. Pareidolia? I’d hope she’s not too much of a handful…”

“Oh, no, she’s lovely. I enjoyed yesterday a lot. She’s… certainly a lot, but I think she’s fun!” You say, a bit of fondness in your voice. In all honesty, you’d say you quite like Doli. David nods at this, seeming pleased.

“Good, good. Glad you like her. She actually reminds me a lot of my younger cousin - y’know, just big personalities, loud outfits, that kinda thing. Parker’s a real neat kid,” David says, a fondness in his voice. You raise a brow. Parker? What are the chances that it's Parker June? And even then, you’re quite sure Junie wasn’t a kid - perhaps it was just a fond nickname, but still.

“Yeah?” You say, hoping he’ll continue. He does, thankfully.

“Mhm. Parker June’s a sweet kid. He’s - ah, I think he? I’m not sure, they’re uh, transgender - but he’s real cool. He turns 17 in April, actually. April 8.” There’s a bit of hesitance in his voice as he mentions Junie’s gender, but hey, it’s sweet that he’s doing his best. But you’re quite surprised that you were correct in assuming it was Parker June, as in the person you worked with in your last run, and that they were apparently a 16 year old. Were they older in the last run? How the hell does that even work? Can a teenager even work as a bartender? Or is there some sort of weird plot-protection stuff going on with them.

You shake your head, and decide it’s really not that important to think about. David continues talking. “He’s really smart. Big science nerd, I think he’s actually taking a forensics class for school. And he’s a good artist, as well. It’s uh… it’s been a bit since I’ve talked to him, but I think he’s starting some sorta fashion thingy. He’s designing clothes ‘n whatnot.”

“That’s cool. And at that young age, too! I hope it all goes well for them,” You nod along, and from there, the car falls into silence. 

Soon enough, you’ve arrived at the apartment complex, and you and David are walking over to the elevator. The taller man presses the button to head up to the top floor, and within a minute or more, you are stepping out of the elevator and walking towards the apartment’s door.

You knock, and almost immediately you can heal the clacking of heels on polished floors coming towards the door. It opens, and you are met with Pareidolia’s grinning face. She’s dressed in a frilly cropped shirt with off-shoulder sleeves, as well as those ruffled shorts designed to look like bloomers. She wears a set of leg warmers as well, complete with lace trim and plenty of ruffles. They sit over a pair of chunky heels. The whole look is just very… frilly. And pink, of course.

“Honeybee! You’re here!” She squeals, leaning down and hugging you tight. She then looks to David, who stands there politely, if not a bit awkwardly. “Give us two hours, then we’ll head over to the studio for recording, mkay?” 

David nods, and leaves, waving to you both before you are dragged into the penthouse.

You weren’t able to even say anything before Doli was dragging you along to her dress-up room, humming to herself. You were quickly plopped down into the chair by the vanity, and Doli stood back to get a good look at you.

“Mhh… Now, honeybee, cute as you are, you need an outfit change. I hate to say it, but what you’re wearing is boring,” She puffed, pouting a bit. You were actually quite proud of yourself for assuming correctly that Doli would want to style you.

“I anticipated that. Thought I’d make myself a bit of a blank canvas for you,” You damn-near preened. Only one day (or, technically two if you count the previous run) of being around Pareidolia and you already knew what she’d do!

Her pout quickly melted away into a happy little grin, and she pranced over to you and threw her arms around you. “Awhhh! Sweetieeeeee! You already know me so well!”

Thus began the chaos. You had been put in at least 12 different outfits by the end of it, but Doli settled on a cute set that was, as expected, mostly pink aside from the black and white details. The pants were pink and white checkers, with a black grommet belt and a silver belt chain with hearts on it. The top you’re wearing is a soft pink button-up, and Doli fixed you with a black tie that was slightly loose and had safety pins and various rings in it. It was actually a pretty cool piece. You even let her put a spiked choker on you (she was very nervous about asking you to wear that, fully under the assumption you’d be repulsed by the idea). Lastly, your shoes were some black platforms that, if you recall correctly, Doli called ‘jirai kei’. 

She didn’t do much with your makeup, other than doing some quick eyeliner and gloss, but it all went together really well.

You looked nice. You weren’t really one to dress so alternatively, but you had to admit that you looked really good! Like - shockingly so. 

Doli sat down herself and began to do her own makeup as she chattered with you. “I’m excited for today. I’ve got a new album I’m releasing and I’m recording a few of the songs today. My friend Vi will be there too, mainly just to watch but I’ll maybe make them play an instrument of something,”

“Sounds fun, I’m excited to hear it!” you muse, watching as she meticulously draws lines all over her face. The patterns were reminiscent of cyber-sigilism, just with eyeliner. You were surprised at how quick she was with it, too. Within just a few minutes, she had finished the complicated patterns she drew on her face, and she was standing up to go. 

You followed her without complaint, and she led you down to the apartment entrance, where David was waiting.

Without much fanfare, the three of you got into the car, you and Doli in the back, and started off towards the studio.

===

You’ve been watching Doli get ready to record for a bit, now. The studio is pretty nice, and you’re on the other side of the glass as Doli does her vocal warmups. Why exactly a robot needs to do vocal exercises is beyond you, but you must admit she has a lovely voice. It is the kind of voice that would be perfect for a pop song, sweet and light. You’d attribute it to many of the J-pop songs you had heard before your whole… situation.

The producer - at least you think that’s what he is, you’re not really well-versed in the roles of certain people in the music industry - watches as she does so. You’re pretty sure his name is Jo. He seems very nice.

You continue to watch Doli quietly, until you hear the door behind you open and someone walks in. Before you can turn around in your chair to look at who it is, two grey and black hands sat themselves on the arm rests, each one having sharp, beautifully manicured red claws. You slowly crane your head back, coming face to face with the white faceplate of an automaton. Around their head was a crown of 5 points, jutting out around their head like a star. Steely silver eyes beheld you, and a smirk was on their face. 

The hands gave it away, really. Vi. Or, as you could infer, Vigintillion. You remember seeing them on a poster in your last run, outside of the times you anonymously met them at the bar.

“Well aren’t you a pretty thing?” They hummed, before both of you were startled by a knock on the glass. You look to see Doli pouting at Vi, who playfully groans and goes to join her in the recording room without another word to you. They do send you several glances, though.

“Which song are we recording first, Pareidolia?” Jo piped up. Doli squealed excitedly, “Let’s do X first, then we do Sit / Stay, yeah?” 

“Sounds good. But I have to leave early, so we might only be able to do X. Sorry, it will be a pretty short session. Vigintillion?” Jo looked at the other automation, who was currently fiddling with an electric guitar that they had picked up. 

“I’ll do some of the guitar stuff or background vocals if she needs me to,” They affirmed, not looking up at Jo. With everyone in place, the recording started.

You were absolutely not prepared for the genre.

Vigintillion started, expertly strumming the guitar as Doli began. At first, her voice was soft, more like she was just talking or musing something she found interesting. 

“Ooh~ Heavy!”

And with that, the song really started. Doli’s voice was still upbeat in this next part, more pop-music-y. She was very interesting to watch, as she kind of danced in place as she sang. Vi hummed and softly sang along in the background. 

“I wanna love everyone,

Take every bullet out of every gun,

Please take me back to where we began,

Ba, ba, ba,

Ba, ba, ba,”

Truly, you were not expecting what came next - the song changed pace a bit, going from slower to much more fast paced. Doli kept up her sweet little voice, but it truly just wasn’t at all what you expected to hear her singing.

“Get me, get me bloody, please get me bloody,

Get me get me bloody, please get me bloody,

You can get down on your knees if you’re naughty,

You can get down on your knees if you’re naughty,”

The sound that came out of Doli’s voicebox with that last line threw you for a loop. It was the type of growl-scream sort of thing you’d associate with death metal. It was uncanny coming from Pareidoli, who was dressed like a cutesy little doll.

“Get me, get me bloody, please get me bloody,

Get me, get me bloody, please get me bloody, ”

There that growl was again, and the song seemed to dip momentarily. Doli slowed her movements, her expression seeming a bit out of it. It was almost like method acting, you’d think. Changing her body language to fit the song and lyric.

“Poetry, poetry, poetry,

Ecstasy, ecstasy, ecstasy,

Poetry, poetry, poetry,

Ecstasy, ecstasy, ecstasy,”

Vigintillion interrupted with a guitar and a growled out (not as in the same sound Doli was making, but vaguely similar) a ‘yeah’ that almost blended into the sounds of the instrument. And once again, Doli was back to her upbeat singing.

“Maybe we can save the world,

From every evil boy and dangerous girl,

Please make me believe in harmony,

Ba, ba, ba

Ba, ba, ba

Ba, ba, ba

Ba, ba, ba”

Once again, The song changed pace.

“Get me, get me bloody, please get me bloody,

Get me, get me bloody, please get me bloody,

You can get down on your knees if you’re naughty,

You can get down on your knees if you’re naughty ,

Get me, get me bloody, please get me bloody,

Get me, get me bloody, please get me bloody, ” 

Stars, that growl is almost terrifying. But very cool at the same time, you can’t lie. You never expected Doli to be singing metal of all things, but it’s certainly an interesting juxtaposition to your experiences with her.

The song went back to how it was at the start, upbeat and similar to a pop song that was almost a little disconcerting after the bit you just listened to.

“I wanna love everyone, 

Empty every bullet out of every gun,

Maybe you can save the world,

For every boy and every girl,

Take me back,

Take me back,

Take me back to the place where we began,”

Vigintillion finished out the song with the guitar, and after a moment of silence, Jo stopped recording and the two automatons cheered. You clapped as well.

You didn’t get to talk to Vi again or at all before Doli was dragging you out, overexcited and talking your ear off. Apparently she was quite proud of her performance. As she should be, quite frankly.

===

The rest of the afternoon was quite relaxed, Doli treating you to some food at her place before you left to head home. Or, more so before David drove you back. 

It was a quiet drive back. 

Soon enough, you were in your hotel bed, looking at your phone as some sort of trash TV played. Your day with Doli was thoroughly enjoyable, the lady’s a total sweetheart. You know there’s plenty of people who did have and would have an issue being her living accessory, but you really don’t mind. Who can blame you for enjoying a well paying job that entails you essentially being pampered by a celebrity?

You decide to open their stats.

[ PAREIDOLIA ]

[LOVE - 18] (+3)

[TRUST - 50] (+9)

[AFFECTION - 45] (+5)

[POSSESSIVENESS - 5] (+1)

[OBSESSION - 1]

[JEALOUSY - 0]

[ What a cutie! Excited to see you tomorrow! ]

You giggle at her stats. You’re quite thankful for how… normal they are. Hopefully they stay that way. But her stats aren’t progressing strangely or anything, no big jumps you feel the need to worry about. Next, you scroll to Vi’s.

[ VIGINTILLION ]

[LOVE - 30] 

[TRUST - 50] 

[AFFECTION - 30] 

[POSSESSIVENESS - 12] 

[OBSESSION - 16]

[JEALOUSY - 2]

[ It was nice seeing you again ]

You blink. Now, there’s nothing necessarily concerning about these stats, but… the numbers themselves are overly familiar. Sure, your memory isn’t anything too good, but you’d swear that almost all of their stats are identical to the last time you saw Vi - as in, in the last run.

Plus, that flavor text.

You’ve only met Vi once this run. What do they mean by again ?

Something… Something just isn’t adding up. You don’t want to think about it, you really don’t, but when it is right in your face it is hard to ignore. Someone or something is possibly misleading you. Who or what, you’re not sure yet. Maybe it’s your eyes, maybe it’s Vi, or maybe it’s the system itself. You are leaning towards the final.

With a tentative hum, you get out of the app, and stick to scrolling through videos before you go to sleep.

On your next day off, you think, you need to talk to Quasar. You have a feeling that within their nonsensical chattering, there might be something more they know.

Chapter Text

You wake up.

You do not think.

You simply get up. You do not check your phone. You know what it will say. It will greet you for your fourth day, it will tell you when to go to work. 

You refuse to check it. 

There is nothing that you loathe more than the idea of losing what peace you have in your mind. It is easy to be happy when there are romantic interests that are focused on you, practically at every corner. It is easy to be happy when you can indulge in the romance you have craved.

You will never go back to rotting in your bed, mold growing in the styrofoam cups from fast food chains, still halfway filled with soda. You will never go back to rotting in your bed, the air stale and numb. You will never go back to rotting in your bed, your teeth unbrushed, bladder full, hair uncombed. You will never go back to rotting in your bed, sick and with no reason to live left within you. 

You refuse.

It is not healthy to rely on ignorance, but goddamnit you do not care.

You will be happy .

And you are, you think, as you get up out of bed and put together an outfit for the day. You go with something simple. If Pareidolia decides to go out, then she’ll dress you up, and if she doesn’t, then she’ll still probably play dress-up with you.

Pareidolia is rich and famous. And she likes you. You practically have the world at your fingers, if you get closer. It will be easier for you to get a house, it will be easier for you to live comfortably, it will be easier for you to get access to certain people.

Everything will go just as you want it to. You’re not even too sure of what you want, but you know that you’ll get it.

You deserve to be happy.

You decide to forgo makeup today. You looked just fine, and again, Doli was probably going to have her fun with dressing you up and doing your makeup. 

So, you simply get dressed, a grin on your face, and you ignore the way your phone weighs heavy in your pocket. You refuse to let your phone tell you that you are in a game. If you don’t look at the stats, if you don’t look at the morning messages, then you’re not in a game.

Perception is reality, and so on.

…

How many times will you have to have the same conversation with yourself in the mornings? How many times will you defend your willful ignorance?

You brush your teeth, brush your hair, and grab your things before heading out the door.

David is downstairs. As expected, of course. He greets you plainly and with a smile, and the both of you go to the car.

“Ms. Pareidolia quite likes you,” He says, amusement threaded in his words. You chuff, grinning at him. “I’d hope so, she is the one paying me after all,”

Well, that, and she’s most likely your guarantee for stability in this situation. She likes you. She could like you more. She could like you a lot more. 

She could be your sanity.

Money, romance, and connections to others - all of it could come from Doli.

Perhaps it is a manipulative way to think, perhaps that makes you bad. But the truth is, you genuinely like Pareidolia. Yes, she’s a lot. But she’s certainly someone you’re fond of thus far. If she wanted you to commit to the bit as her purse chihuahua, you’d fucking bark .

Doli is very nice, she’s a complete sweetheart, and you are delighted by that. 

You very much so like Pareidolia.

“Well, still, I don’t think she likes most of her employees as much as she likes you. It’s interesting, but it is pretty sweet,” The man shrugs, bringing a hand up to itch at his beard as he drives. “I mean, she likes her other employees, but she really likes you.” 

You just give a bit of a noncommittal nod. You’re certainly happy she likes you, you’d absolutely hate it if she didn’t, but you’re not too sure on how to respond to that. So, you simply go into silence, and David does the same.

===

Once again, you and David make your way up to the top floor of the apartment complex, and you walk out of the elevator to the door of Pareidolia’s apartment. Upon knocking, it takes a minute or two before the door opens, and Doli stands before you, smiling. There’s smudged makeup around her eyes, and she’s wearing a pink babydoll nightgown. 

“Oh, honeybee! Come on in,” She says, opening the door wider for you as she bids David goodbye.

As the door closed, she whirled around and quite suddenly you were wrapped in her arms, squished against her chest as she hugged you. 

“Mhhh, I’m having a day, I just want to order food and stay in, mkay, honeybee?” SHe mumbled, adding a dramatic sigh for extra effect.

“It’s not a problem for me,” You shrug. “Maybe we can watch a movie?”

The automaton pulls away from you, in a sort of drag that leaves her fingertips trailing your skin. She brings her hands to take your own, easily tugging you along with her. Upon reaching the couch, you expect to pause, only to keep going towards the set of stairs. 

You are a bit baffled about how huge this penthouse is, being at least two floors, but you’re not complaining. It’s very nice. 

“A movie might be nice… Or maybe just trash TV? That’s my usual go-to.” She hums, leading you up the stairs and moving her hand from yours, instead bringing it to sit against your lower back to ensure you didn’t fall walking up the steps.

“I’m down for that as well,” You respond. Trashy reality TV really was quite fun, especially on the days you don’t feel well. Dance Moms had been a favorite of yours, and you even watched 90 Day Fiance on the days you needed to feel even better about yourself. You may have been in a shitty place mentally, but at least you weren’t manipulating some poor girl from another country by not confirming if you were going to marry her so she could get her visa and leading to her not knowing if she had to return to her home country or not.

“How do you feel about sushi? I think the Nobu near here does delivery… I’m gonna order like the whole menu, it's all just so good,” Doli says, her tongue flicking over her lips at the last bit. Huh, her tongue was entirely black.

She led you to a door, opening it to reveal her room. It most definitely had to be her bedroom, judging by the cutesy pink comforter with ruffles on it and plenty of signs that she had just rolled out of bed. It was a little bit messy, but whose room wasn’t?

A pair of shoes sat toppled over on the floor, a pair of tennis shoes that looked fairly worn. They were white with marker all over it, and you’re quite sure it looks like Vigintillion’s name is signed on the side. 

“I’m fine with sushi. Isn’t nobu one of those like- really fancy restaurants?” You asked, sitting beside her when she sat herself on the bed. She nodded, leaning back to grab the remote for the TV from where it sat on her bed. “Yeah, it’s pretty nice. Not Michelin or anything, but I’m a real sucker for it. I have like, every dish I enjoy memorized.”

“Huh, I haven’t tried it. Or, was that what you ordered last time we had sushi?” You asked as Pareidolia turned on the TV to find whatever dumb reality show you’d both be watching. She shook her head. “No, that was somewhere else. Nobu is more sashimi dishes, I don’t think I’ve ever tried the rolls from there anyways. They make this amazing tempura, I love both the king crab and the lobster, and it comes with this ponzu sauce but the lobster’s sauce has truffle in it, and oh my god, it’s so good,”

Oh the joys of working for someone who is filthy rich, she can treat you to incredible food.

“I’ll get that order in, I’ll just order a bunch, mkay, honeybee?” She spoke, taking out her phone. Why would a robot that presumably has a computer in her head need a phone?

You voice the question. Doli snickers. “I was going to show you what I’m ordering, duh, plus, having so much up in my computer brain gives me a headache. It’s like opening up too many Google tabs on an older computer.”

“Huh, that actually makes a lot more sense than I thought it would. Though, it's honestly hard to comprehend you having a computer for a brain.” You muse, slipping off your shoes and letting them fall at the foot of the bed. You then bring your legs up, hugging your knees.

“It’s pretty much just like yours. A bunch of electricity, y’know,” Doli shrugged, her long tail flicking.

“So, for cold dishes, I’m getting all the specials - they’ve got a caviar thing that I just adore, and they’ve got kinmedai with uni, and this toro dish with this sauce that’s just divine, it’s amazing. Of course, I have to get the yellowtail jalapeño, and another one with toro instead of yellowtail. Then, there’s the fluke with dry miso… oh, and the new style sashimi, I’ll get the salmon and the wagyu for that, it’s delicious. I’m going to get myself some uni nigiri, I’ll get extra so you can try some.” She hummed, also listing off a few more cold dishes that you didn’t really absorb. You don’t have too much of an idea of everything she’s ordering, but the photos she shows you look delicious. She continues onto the hot dishes. “I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest fan of all of the hot dishes, but we’ll get the lobster and king crab tempura. Those are so delightful… I used to really really love their tenderloin but I feel like they changed it so I just can’t find myself liking it anymore.”

“That all sounds good,” You hum, and with that, Pareidolia orders the absolute shit ton of food she pointed out.

The automaton beside you maneuvers herself, laying on her stomach with her head propped up on her arms. She falls quiet for the time being.

The two of you sit in comfortable silence for a while, with you eventually mimicking Doli’s position as you watch the TV.

The show is far more entertaining than one would expect. It’s one of those ones about various housewives. Thus far, you’re quite sure Katie’s husband is cheating on her with Miranda, Stacy’s having an affair with a man from England, and she’s also having an affair with Kyle’s wife, Andrea. Miranda and Andrea have gotten into two fist fights already, Andrea won both of them despite being the more petite of the two women.

Of course, there’s Hayden, Jayden, and Brayden, all husbands of various women within the show, and for the life of you, you really can’t tell them apart nor do you know who is married to who. They’re all square-headed white men with stubble and a ‘more on top’ haircut and veneers. 

To be fair, all the women in the show look damn near identical too. White, blonde, blue eyes, fake tan, and enough plastic surgery that you would guess they’re all from Utah. At least the names make it easier to tell them apart compared to the ‘-ayden’ club. And Kyle is easy to recognize, he’s also probably the only sane person in this show. You feel bad for him.

You’re a bit surprised when Doli gets up, pulling your focus away from the show. “Food’s about here,”

You got up and followed her, you watched as she peered through the peephole to ensure whoever left the food was gone before opening the door just enough to snatch the food in like a goblin. 

You did have to stifle a laugh.

===

You’ve learned that Doli is very meticulous about how she sets everything up at the dining table. She set out the larger dishes towards the center, and the smaller ones towards the outside, where you’d be more likely to eat them first. 

After she finished setting everything up, she invited you to sit down across from her, and handed you a set of chopsticks. The two of you began to eat.

Doli also has incredible taste in food, you’ve learned. Every single dish before you ends up being absolutely delicious. Particularly, the kindemai one. It was a sashimi dish, each piece sitting in a citrusy sauce with a small glob of uni - sea urchin, as clarified by Pareidolia - on top. The uni cut through the citrus perfectly, the slightly sweet and buttery taste complimenting the dish. 

As you and Doli ate, she suddenly spoke up. Your meal had been mostly silent for now.

“I’m glad that you seem to like… actually enjoy being around me.” She says, not meeting your eye. You tilt your head a bit.

“I don’t see why I wouldn’t. You’re very nice to be around,”

Pareidolia chuckles at that. “Well I mean… You’re literally being paid to be my friend. To put up with me. To entertain me and keep me company.”

She pauses momentarily. “I just… I hope we can actually be friends. Real friends. Like, even if you weren’t working for me, we could still do this sort of thing, y’know?”

You nod, fiddling with your chopsticks. “I get that. I’d like to be your friend. I think you’re really cool, and you’re super sweet, too.”

The smile she gives you makes your face heat up. It’s so very delighted, such a genuine look of happiness. It feels like a weird sort of punch to the gut, but not an entirely unpleasant one, oddly enough. It hits you hard, makes your stomach and your chest tighten.

Pareidolia is very pretty.

“Do you want to try one of the uni nigiri? Uni’s not for everyone, I know people who get grossed out by the concept of it. Vi can’t stand the stuff,” She giggles, taking one of the nigiri and holding it out to you. 

You take it. You put a bit of soy sauce and wasabi on it, and you eat it in one bite.

You give Doli a thumbs up.

===

Getting home went the same as it always did, except for Pareidolia giving you a key to her apartment before you left. She told you that you can just let yourself in whenever you come by, and even gave you her personal number so you could message her if needed.

Of course, when you got in the car with David, she had sent you a very sweet goodbye with excitement for seeing you the next day, followed by plenty of emojis.

It felt bleak, stepping back into your hotel room. It was nothing bad, of course, but being at Pareidolia’s place was just… much better. It was hard to compare the two. 

But, you did your typical routine, ordered room service, and then took a quick shower before your food arrived. 

As you waited, you decided to check your phone for once. You can’t deny that you’re not exactly looking forward to checking it, but yet, you do anyway.

[MISSED YOU THIS MORNING! HOPE WORK IS GOING WELL! YOU’VE DONE A GREAT JOB THUS FAR!]

[MAKE SURE TO CHECK THOSE STATS EVERY DAY!]

You huff at the message, mysteriously frustrated with it for reasons unbeknownst to yourself. But yet, you obey it, and you go check your stats.

[ PAREIDOLIA ]

[LOVE - 22] (+4)

[TRUST - 61] (+11)

[AFFECTION - 55] (+10)

[POSSESSIVENESS - 7] (+2)

[OBSESSION - 2] (+1)

[JEALOUSY - 0]

[ So very thankful for you. It’s… easier with you around. ]

You smile upon seeing her stats. You’re not worried about any of them, her dangerous stats have remained pretty low and don’t appear to be growing much, which you’re very thankful for. Plus, her flavor text was sweet.

You really like being around her. 

You went into this game immediately hoping to follow an Eclipse route, to immediately romance him and marry him, but you must admit that you’re not bothered by the fact you haven’t even met him in this run. You’re not against expanding your horizons. Something, something, tasting the different cuisines. What exact line you’re thinking of, you’re not sure. You’re not even sure if the phrase you’re thinking of actually fits your situation.

You just scroll to Vigintillion’s stats.

[ VIGINTILLION ]

[LOVE - 30] 

[TRUST - 50] 

[AFFECTION - 30] 

[POSSESSIVENESS - 12] 

[OBSESSION - 16]

[JEALOUSY - 2]

[ Eugh, if only going to bed was an immediately available option… ]

Vi’s stats hadn’t changed at all, something you’re thankful for. You’d be worried if their stats changed after only meeting them once. But at the same time, it shows that the stats being identical to what they had developed to in your last run wasn’t a fluke. You chew your lip.

Best to just ignore it.

And the distraction presented comes in the form of your room service arriving, much to your delight.

Food secured, now time to lay in bed, watch TV, and go to sleep.

=====================

ART TIME ART TIME ART TIME!!! i drew these during my class that my pitch competition is for. its the only in-person class i do and ngl it is the only time i leave my house each week (i am very lonely and do not want to leave the house despite being quite the extrovert)

I do not post my art anywhere else but on ao3, i will not be posting it anywhere else, and if you see it elsewhere, that is not me!

First up, Doli!!! i realized yall legit have no idea what this lovely lady even looks like so ye! i only had green and yellow highlighters tho so i couldnt give her all the pink she deserved

and more doli! i really really like this one

now!!! we haveeeeE!!!! QUASAR!! finally lmao i desperately needed to draw them,, but ofc with limited colors i could not really capture the vantablack

and lastly!!! vigintillion!!! fun fact all their piercings are magnetic so they can be moved wherever

yaaaay all my goobies!!!! hope you enjoyed all the art!! you are free to make fanart if you so desire, just link it or post it in the comments so i can see it!! i do not have any other social so yeah

Chapter Text

You wake up with a groan. The sunlight streaming through your window is not being kind on your eyes, but you need to get up and get ready.

Like yesterday, you refuse to look at your phone. This time, not so much for the delusion that this isn’t a game, but because you really don’t feel like interacting with anyone yet, and that includes the weird thing on your phone that greets you. 

You force yourself up and out of bed, glaring at the room service table still sitting by your TV. As much as you wanted to eat some of the leftovers you may have had there, you knew they were cold and wouldn’t taste good.

Maybe you should quickly grab some food… you had gotten David’s number at some point in the week, you could text him to grab you from a different location…

You decided to do exactly that, and you took a very quick shower before getting ready for the day and heading out of the hotel.

===

The air is cool and the weather is sunny, it’s a nice day. There are no corvids pecking along the pavement to bother you or to warn you of anything, instead you see a few bluebirds tittering by some crumbs. 

You’re out and about much earlier than usual. David typically picks you up at 8:15 so you’ll be at Doli’s by 9:00, so you wake up around 6:00 to get ready.

It’s only 7:00 by now, you still have plenty of time. You had already messaged David when you left, and he had said it was fine and he would pick you up from wherever you were.

It’s quite easy to find a nice cafe, especially considering you’re in a fairly busy area and there’s plenty of people walking around. You do make sure to check the sign, hoping it isn’t something that could be related to obsessive otome-game automatons. Thankfully, it’s not, and you don’t see any automatons inside, anyways.

You easily slip inside the building. The smell of baked goods and coffee reaches your nose, and you hum, hopping into the line. The person at the counter takes your order, and you go stand at the other end of the counter to wait. 

It is while you wait there that you see someone walk in. 

They’re… mildly familiar. A smaller automaton, perhaps your height or even a little shorter, with red plating. They wear a pair of sweatpants and a deep navy blue hoodie, the hood up. The pants are a darker red with white stars stitched into them. The stitching looks a bit amateur, but still good. Even with the hood up, you can see that they have a twin-tailed nightcap on, not dissimilar to Moon’s, but in more of a harlequin jester style.

They have the same respirator mask on their face, the one you had seen them wearing when you were with Quasar. 

They were the one with that flyer, asking for housekeeping, right?

You watch as they tentatively approach the counter and give their order, then rummaging through their pockets for money. They carefully handed over some cash before walking over to where you were, waiting for their items as well. 

It was odd, having them in your vicinity. They were tense, on edge, and seemed wary of every person around them. The automaton was standing a little closer to you than anyone else.

There’s a weird part of you that’s… endeared by this. The automaton is quite cute. They remind you of a nervous cat. 

You see as your items are put out, and your name called. The name “Bloodmoon” is called as well. You assume that is the name of the automaton, considering how they perk up.

A few other people’s items are left over there, and there’s two people lingering much closer to the counter. You note that Bloodmoon doesn’t move to get their things. Instead, they simply sit there and nervously shift their glances between their items and the two people loitering right by the counter.

Ah, they probably don’t want to be too close.

Didn’t Quasar make some sort of cryptic comment about Bloodmoon? Something about being overwhelmed by all the blood in all the bodies? Could they smell it or something?

You decided to grab not only your stuff, but theirs as well when you went up to the counter. The automaton stared at you with wide ruby eyes, thin pentagrams present in both of them. Without a word, you offered them their things.

Clawed hands nervously reached out and took the items, eyes never leaving you.

Bloodmoon looked at you as if you had hung the stars in the sky. It was flattering, but you couldn’t help but feel nervous. You think back to Sun and Moon - they were almost immediately into you. And that got you kidnapped and shot in the head.

But…

Maybe it was just some sort of tutorial run? Things went so quickly just because it was supposed to? Maybe Sun and Moon were only that way because you met them first?

Perhaps this new situation was just giving you a taste that time. Maybe it was just a bad run. Everything else will be normal. You’ll be fine. You’ll be fine. You’ll be fine. Nothing is wrong anyways, nothing is wrong at all.

Bloodmoon is cute. You could entertain them.

“ Thaaaaank yooouuuu …. Thank you very much…” Two voices spoke quietly from the automaton before you.

“No problem!” You hum, and you sit down at one of the tales by a window. You see the flower box outside is full of geraniums.

Bloodmoon lingers for a moment, but does not further engage you, instead leaving. 

After you finish eating, you go outside and wait for David to get you.

===

The drive to Doli’s had gone as per usual. David talked to you a bit, telling you that Parker June had turned 17, and you wished them a happy birthday that David promised to give them. 

You hoped the kid had a nice day. Parker June was nice the times that you met them, if not odd and a tiny bit off-putting. Hopefully they had a fun birthday.

David dropped you off at the apartment complex, leaving once he saw you get into the building. He had said that he was going to try and get something for Junie, maybe a bundt cake or something small. 

Now that you think about it, a bundt cake sounds delicious…

Perhaps Pareidolia might get some, if you ask nicely. Or was that weird, asking your employer to get you a bundt cake? But at the same time she kind of functions as your sugar mommy (you slightly cringe thinking that, it’s quite embarrassing) so maybe it was fine? 

Heading up the elevator, you chew your lip.

You’re… kind of surprised that you’ve just settled with being around Pareidolia. You’ve always been so focused on Eclipse, you’ve never really looked to anyone else. But you also need to get money and get a place to live if you want to have the best chance of surviving or properly romancing someone. Having that bit of stability could make things a lot easier, and even then you’ve got it pretty easy right now. Your job is easy and very enjoyable, and it pays incredibly well. $45 an hour just to hang out with Doli? 

You’ve basically got the best job ever.

You’ll stick with this for a while, then… maybe you’ll see about finding a way to reach Eclipse, or something like that…

You walk towards the apartment’s door, letting yourself in after knocking. You called out, but didn’t see Doli. She was probably in her room, so you decided to just wait on the couch. Maybe she was sleeping late.

It was tempting to hop on your phone, but you knew that stupid message thing would be there.

Temptation won regardless.

You opened up your phone, and looked at the message that was there.

[ARE YOU IGNORING ME?]

You blink.

The message is gone.

[IT’S YOUR FIFTH DAY! HAVE A GOOD WORK DAY, AND REMEMBER - TOMORROW IS YOUR LAST DAY OF WORK FOR THE WEEK!]

[STAY SAFE!]

You pocket your phone. Any entertainment you hoped to get out of it is gone, and all because of a stupid little message that flicked across your screen for a second. It probably wasn’t even real! You probably imagined it!

But what if you didn’t?

No, no, you did. 

How do you know?

It can’t have been real. None of it was real. 

Are you sure?

Yes, you are.

You need your thoughts to shut up.

Everything is fine, everything is fine, everything is-

Your distraction comes quite quickly. The front door to the apartment opens, and you watch as someone dressed in black and grey walks in like they own the place.

“What’s up, sluts!” Vigintillion greets loudly, grinning like a smug cat. They seemed to regularly have that sort of look on them. They look around, deflating a bit when they don’t see Doli, but they perk right back up when their silver eyes find you. 

“Ooh, hello pretty thing~” They purred, strutting over to the couch you sat on. “Lovely to see you again, I don’t think I got to introduce myself. Vigintillion.” 

They held out a hand for you to shake, and you took it, their longer fingers easily encircling your hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Vigintillion.”

“You can call me Vi, if you want, or anything, really. Any name that comes from those pretty lips is fine by me~” Vi flirts, and you feel your face heat up. They’re certainly being very open… You’re weak.

They’re hot, and you are a weak little bitch.

Didn’t you have that same thought with Sun and Moon..?

It’s fine. It will be fine. Vi’s stats have been pretty good about staying normal, from your experience, and the last run was just a fluke, it had to be a fluke. 

“Viiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! Stop flirting with my humaaaaaaaaan!” A shrill whine came from the stairs, and you saw Pareidolia making her way down, a pout on her face. It was a playful pout, very clearly not upset with Vi. 

She was in one of those satin silk pajama sets, in pink, of course. She and Vi both seem dressed for comfort, with Vi in cargo pants and a hoodie. Once Doli made it to the bottom of the stairs, Vi was quickly making their way over and hugging her. 

You got up as well, wanting to greet Pareidolia.

“So glad to see my favorite security camera!” Vi snickered as they hugged her, and Doli groaned in annoyance. “Uhg, shut up, Vincent !”

There’s that fake name from the last run.

“Sorry, my favorite ho, is that better?” Vi cackled as Doli shoved them away from her. She quickly went over to you, hugging you tight. “You’re my favorite, honeybee. Vi is so mean to me!”

“Oh, I can see. Don’t worry, you’re my favorite too!” You ease into the joke, snickering. You and Doli both looked over at Vi, who had a very exaggerated frown on their face.

“I’m being conspired against. I can’t believe it. By my favorite bartender too-” Vi very suddenly cut themselves off, clearing their throat.

You’re pretty sure Doli isn’t a bartender.

You’ve been a bartender for Vi, but not in this run.

“Bartender?” You ask, cocking your head. Pareidolia chuffed, snickering a bit as she pulled away from you.

“I told Vi you’d been a bartender - you told me when you started working. They’re just trying to pander to you, honeybee!” She laughed, going over and flicking Vi in the forehead. Vi sputtered, their face lighting up with a slightly red-toned grey blush. 

You… you don’t want to think they’re lying. 

But something about the tiny pause after Vi spoke rubbed you the wrong way.

It’s probably nothing. You’re just on edge from last run. Everything is fine. Everything is fine. Everything is fine.

“Oh, that makes sense.” You huff, chuckling to yourself. Vigintillion relaxes a bit.

“Sorry, that probably sounded weird. I uh- I’m a bit of a drinker so, y’know, gotta love a bartender.” They speak sheepishly, their smug smile having turned into something more awkward. In a way, the awkwardness seemed a lot more natural on them.

Now that you’ve seen them be so awkward, you can tell just how much they wore their smug and suave personality. They wore it like high fashion, they modeled it like a professional, but it was just clothing. 

“No worries, hey, maybe I’ll fix you a drink sometime. I’d like to say I’m a pretty good bartender!” You hum, smiling to yourself. It might be fun to do some private bartending for celebrities. If they ever have parties, you could probably do the same.

“That would be fun.” Vi chirped back, their tail wagging behind them. It was cute. You had to admit, you liked this more authentic Vigintillion. This shyer, more awkward personality was adorable.

“Okay, lovelies, no more silly flirting. What do we want to eat, and what do we want to watch? I really don’t feel like doing much and I’m hungry. No alcohol, Vi, you get super emotional drunk.” Doli asked, deadpanning right at Vi for that last bit. You wanted to snort. Last time you saw Vi drunk, they were throwing a complete fit. ‘Emotional’ was probably an understatement.

Or maybe it kind of applied to everything? Overly angry, overly happy, overly sad, etc. That could be good.

“I’m kind of craving a bundt cake…” You piped up, a little nervous making suggestions. You were supposed to be Doli’s assistant, but here you were, essentially just getting to be her little friend that she pays for. 

Vi perked. “Ooh, that does sound good. I’ll get red velvet, pleeeeaaaaaaaase~!”

You chuffed. Vi did look like they’d like red velvet. Doli agreed to get it, and you gave her the flavor you wanted while she put in the order.

“Now, actual food. I’m not feeling sushi, for once…” Doli flopped down on the couch, and you joined her, sitting down beside her. Vi sat down on your other side, a little closer than would be considered normal but not in a way that was too close.

“I’m kind of craving pizza, but like the thick crust ones…” Vigintillion hummed, and you made a sound of agreement. That did sound good…

“I’ll get that, then.”

===

The rest of the day had gone by rather relaxed, with the three of you hanging out on the couch and eating pizza. It was quite nice, and you found yourself quite endeared to Vigintillion. They were fun to be around, and at one point during watching Dance Moms, they decided to get up and try mimicking the dances. It was hilarious, and you laughed until your stomach ached and there were tears in your eyes. 

You managed to get Vi’s number, and Doli’s as well when she realized you didn’t have hers, and then you left.

David drove you back to the hotel, and you immediately changed into pajamas and flopped into bed when you got in. The bed seemed comfier than usual, or perhaps you were just happy and having a good time.

You were exhausted, though. Spending time with them was all fun, but your social battery was more drained than usual and you were about ready to pass out, even though it was only around 6:00.

You decided to order room service, as per usual, and got yourself all cozy in bed. You didn’t check your phone or anyone’s stats, just finding something on the TV to watch.

===

“There was one…?” They asked into an empty house, one much too big for them. The entire second floor was unused.

“ I suppoooooooose sooooo! ” They cheered, grinning and giggling to themself. “ Oooooooh, I’m sooooo exciteeeeeed! ”

“I’m nervous, I think.”

“ Ah… me too, kiiiiiiindaaaaaa… ”

===

ART!!!!!

teeheeee vivi

i was so amused by the idea of their greeting being "whats up sluts!" lmao anyways so sorry the side profile looks a lil wacky i did my best. frisbee lookin ahh 

AAAAAAND!!!! a little personal art becauuuseeee!!! i will be 17 tomorrow!! (april 8) so enjoy this and enjoy knowing what Parker June looks like!! (albeit my cool hair w the raccoon tails completely washed out so we just got the brown and blonde in the art,,, sob)

Chapter Text

You dreamed for the first time last night.

Your dreams were jumbled, incoherent, and quite frankly you couldn’t really make sense of them. 

You remember something sweet on your tongue. You remember hearing cheers. You remember hearing a lot of noise, actually. You remember two sets of hands on you. And lastly, you remember a loud noise, and you woke up.

You sat in bed for a moment.

Without thinking much further on it, you got up, and checked your phone as you grabbed some clothes for the day.

[GOOD MORNING! IT’S YOUR SIXTH DAY ! HAPPY TO SEE YOU!]

[WORK STARTS AT 9:00AM !]

[HAVE A NICE DAY!]

You look at your phone impassively before you put it away. 

The cafe from yesterday popped into your mind. Perhaps you could go there again… you’re hungry, and a nice breakfast sandwich sounds delightful…

You quickly text David your plan, and you go to get dressed and brush your teeth and hair.

===

It was an overcast day, windy but not particularly cool outside. The air was starting to feel warmer, a welcome change from the biting cold.

Stepping into the coffee shop, your senses are hit with the smell of bread, just as it had been the day before. You don’t see Bloodmoon anywhere in the shop, so you simply go to the counter and order, and after doing so you go to the waiting area.

It is while you are waiting that you notice the familiar red synth ordering. They must have been right behind you. Or, at least a person or two behind you.

Once they ordered, it was a repeat of yesterday. They nervously went to the waiting area, and stuck nearby you. Not too close, but closer compared to everyone else. 

And just like yesterday, both of your names are called at the same time, and you head up to the counter. Just like yesterday, you grab your things. Just like yesterday, you grab Bloodmoon’s things as well. Just like yesterday, you walk over and give Bloodmoon their items. Just like yesterday, they look at you as if you are the stars themselves.

You are unsettled by the repetition. You’re not sure why. Your past few days have been repetitive, yes? Go to work, hang out with Doli, go back to the hotel.

So why do you decide to break it?

“Hey, didn’t you put out a job posting a while ago..?” You asked. You did take one of the flyers, after all.

Bloodmoon paused, still gazing at you with wide eyes before nodding “ Yesssss … We did….”

“I’m kinda interested in it- y’know, it's always good to get a little extra cash… Uh, not sure if I can do it twice a week, though… I do have another full-time job.” You said, walking over to one of the tables and sitting down. Bloodmoon sat down across from you, fidgeting in their seat.

“Once a week is fine…” They said, hesitantly taking off their mask to sip from their drink. You noticed that their pupils were quite tiny as they did so, nervously looking around.

“ Uhm… there’ssssssss a bit moooore that weee had to aaaaaaadd… ” Bloodmoon appeared nervous as they said this, sharp teeth worrying at their lip. They looked like they could bite a good chunk out of you with ease. 

“Oh? What is it? You can go over any of the details if you would like.” You said patiently. Bloodmoon was obviously nervous, and you weren’t going to rush them. 

“Our house is large… too biiiiiiiiig for uuuussssssss … The second floor is unused and we were… we weeeeere going to reeeeeent out the spaaaaace … to whoever takes the job.” They spoke slowly, their voices switching up every now and then. You found that to be quite an interesting thing. One voice was a bit deeper, with a bit of a growl to it, while the other was higher and dragged out like a hiss. 

“Oh… well, I have been looking for a more stable living situation, so that’s convenient…” You hum. But, would living with one of the love interests in a game bode well for you? You might want to wait on that one.

But… All of this is real. It’s not like you’re really playing a game. It’s not like you’re not really living. 

Bloodmoon seems real sweet thus far, but then again, they seem more shy than anything. It might be better to wait a bit. 

“Wouldn’t need rent… the cleaniiiiiiing joooob is enouuughhhhh …” They fret, and you can feel their leg bouncing, making the table move ever so slightly. “We don’t go upstairs. Will get locks installed. Wouldn’t bother you…” 

You chew the inside of your cheek. You don’t want to stay in a hotel forever, and it will be easier to exist with a stable living situation. Plus, rent would just be cleaning the house, so you’d be able to get extra cash easier… But you would be moving into a house with an automaton you don’t know all that well. And you would be giving up one of your off days…

“I’ll think about it… It’s a very good offer, but I think I want to know you a little better before I consider like… y’know, moving in with you. Maybe we could keep meeting here in the mornings before work?” You offer, tilting your head. “I work Tuesdays to Saturdays, if that works.”

“ That’ssssss fiiiiiine… ” They say, offering a small, awkward smile. You gave a smile in return. God, they really were quite cute.

The flower box outside holds begonias, this time. You think they’re quite nice to have as scenery.

Unfortunately, you probably need to get going. “Uh, do you have your phone on you? I can give you my number and we can stay in contact, if that’s okay?”

“Oh, uh… sure.” Bloodmoon said. They took out a phone from their pocket. It’s a bit of an older model, you note, with a cracked screen. You tell them your number, and they nod, quickly texting you a ‘hello’ to ensure that you got it.

With that, you tell them goodbye and head out, watching as David pulls up to the shop. You hop into the car, and soon enough, you are on the way to Doli’s.

===

You didn’t expect it when you saw Pareidolia waiting outside. You hopped out of the car, walking up to the taller automaton with your head tilted.

“Hi, honeybee! We’ve got errands to run today!” Doli chirped at you, smiling brightly. She looked nice today, in pink heels high enough to make you wince, and a matching pink pantsuit. On her head was a pair of pink sunglasses, too. 

As per usual, it’s a lot of pink. She practically lives in the color.

“Oh? What kind?” You asked, letting her take your arm and lead you to the building’s parking lot. 

“Uhg, legal things, super boring. We’ve gotta see my lawyer about some, like, copyright stuff.” She groaned dramatically, taking out some bedazzled car keys and unlocking a car - a pink cadillac convertible. She goes to hop in, and you do the same, getting in on the passenger side. The car is bigger than a normal one, likely customized for Doli’s height and everything. “I just wanted to bring you along with me!”

Doli turned on the car and was quick to exit the parking lot, starting up some music. It wasn’t hers, you could tell that pretty quickly. It wasn’t her style. While Pareidolia mostly did metal or rock music, this song sounded a lot more like indie or pop. Not that you were well versed in genres, but you were doing your best.

Ooh, it doesn't matter what you think of us

Ooh, we aren't beholden to the idiots of Oz, ow!

The song was a little funky, but you liked it. You swore it sounded ever so slightly familiar, but you couldn’t place it. Not yet at least.

Post-boredom couldn't get me higher than I am

Look, here comes the mistress of the destructive one-liner

Couldn't give a damn about the idiots of Oz!

Doli didn’t talk as she drove, tapping her fingers on the wheel in beat with the song. You could swear she may have been humming it ever so softly. You, meanwhile, were still trying to figure out why you recognized the sound… Was it the voice?

What do they think?

Ooh, It doesn't matter what you think of us

Oh, but you still think of us, uh

Ooh, we aren't beholden to the idiots of Oz, ow

Looking out of the window, you seemed to be sticking to the nice parts of town. Or, better said, the exceptionally wealthy parts of town. It seemed like something straight out of a hollywood movie, just going by the visuals. Luxury stores, sparkling buildings, and sidewalks that weren’t cracked and uneven.

Oh, make your name, steal a thought

Don't thank anybody else

Sticks and stones in the trunk

Keep your feelings to yourself

Or ego trip through the streets

Only break for the applause

And for the idiots of Oz

You wondered what it would have been like to live this way. To be able to live freely and carelessly and spend all of your money on clothes, cars, jewelry, or whatever else brings you whimsy. Perhaps you should be angry that people are this rich, but in a way, you’d be hypocritical, wouldn’t you? You’re being pampered by a filthy rich celebrity on the daily, and you don’t dislike her at all. Doli’s just a sweetheart to you, and she seems like a genuinely good person.

Ah, well, icky billionaires can still go fuck themselves. Even the filthy rich celebrities can agree with that, at least some of them can.

Stand up (ow), sell-out

It doesn't matter what you think about, hey

Stand up (ooh), sell-out

It doesn't matter what you think (ooh, idiots of Oz)

“Do you like the song?” Doli asked over the music, keeping her eyes on the road. You nodded, it was a pretty good song. “That’s nice! I’m sure Vi will love to hear it!”

Stand up (ow), sell-out (ooh), it doesn't matter what you think about

Stand up (ow), sell-out (ooh), it doesn't matter what you think about

“This is Vi’s song?” You said, a little surprised. 

Stand up, sell-out (ooh), it doesn't matter what you think of us (It doesn't matter what you think of us)

That’s why you recognized it - now that you’re hearing it, it really does sound like Vigintillion.

Stand up, doesn't matter what you think of us (ooh)

“Yeah! They’re talented, huh?” Doli smiled, giggling to herself. “They’ve got a lovely voice. Sometimes we do songs together under the name Fescennine. It’s so fun to play around with our styles, we end up doing a little bit of everything together, y’know?”

Sell-out (It doesn't matter what you think of us)

“They do have a very nice voice.” You hum, grinning. You wonder if they've ever tried to serenade someone.

It doesn't matter what you think of us (ooh)

“They really would love to hear you say that, honeybee. I think they’d melt.” Doli giggled, amused at the idea of it happening.

It doesn't matter what you think of us (It doesn't matter what you think of us)

It doesn't matter what you think of us, ow

Ooh, it doesn't matter what you think of us

The song ended, and more continued to play as Doli drove. 

===

Walking up to the law firm was a little intimidating. It looked fancy, and Doli went and headed up to the top floor with you at her side. You were basically her arm candy, except you felt she was much, much prettier than you. That and you weren’t uncomfortable with being in such a situation. You had already accepted your place as her lapdog, she treated you nicely, and you had little issue with being an accessory to her.

You were paid well, and treated even better. No complaints.

Entering into the top floor, Doli walked into a conference room. It was a nice little space, with the chairs set up specifically - two larger ones to accommodate for an animatronic’s size - neither at the head of the table, but sitting across from each other. Doli quietly sat in one of them, and you were quick to seat yourself beside her.

You guessed you were waiting for her lawyer to show up.

Waiting wasn’t long either, and soon enough, someone else stepped into the room. You completely blanked when he did, and for a moment, you forgot about everything, everyone.

There stood Eclipse, dressed in a snazzy little suit, like he had just come out of a meeting. He’s gorgeous as ever, his expression friendly and charismatic with that signature catlike look to him. His suit fits him perfectly - it looks expensive, too. You watch as Doli stands up and greets him with a smile, the two hugging briefly. It’s more like the kind of hugs you’d give to an acquaintance you haven’t seen in a while, not a close friend. It’s very different from how she acts with Vi. Friendly, but not close.

“Lovely to see you, Eclipse!” Pareidolia said, and you stood up to greet him as well, hoping that your face wasn’t nearly as red as it felt.

“You as well, Ms. Pareidolia.” He said politely, cordially. His voice was angelic, you felt, you wished to hear that voice whispering sweet nothings to you, you wished to hear that voice compliment you, wished to hear that voice say anything to you-

“Ah, this is your new assistant? Pleased to meet you. Eclipse Reiina, at your service.” He said, eyes widening ever so slightly as he looked at you and reached out a hand for you to shake. You took it, of course, relishing in the warmth of it. There was a certain intensity in his gaze as he shook your hand, lingering a little longer than necessary before he went to the other side of the table and sat down, pulling out a laptop as well as various papers.

You will admit that you completely zoned out for the rest of the meeting. You didn’t understand a lick of what they were talking about, plus you were much too busy looking at Eclipse. He was so, so unfairly attractive.

It was hopeless, you felt. He’s so gorgeous, like a god coming down to earth, and now that you’re able to see him in front of you instead of as a little 2d sprite in a game, it is a lot harder to imagine you actually being able to romance him.

He is everything, everything good and indulgent and selfish. He is hedonism and you want him. But he is out of reach.

Things are real, now. It is not a little video game where you pick and choose what characters you wish to go after. This is your life. And while you refuse to let yourself live as you did before, you refuse to do anything but make yourself happy, the idea of romancing Eclipse just seems impossible.

Especially now. He’s apparently some hot-shot lawyer for people like Pareidolia, and while being close with Pareidolia was one hell of a stroke of luck, you have no idea how you’d manage to get close to him this time.

The little glances you see him give you throughout the meeting send your mind into a tizzy.

A hopeless little tizzy.

Not only that, but you’re conflicted. You like Pareidolia. You like Vigintillion. You like Bloodmoon - even if you’ve only recently.

You don’t want to just… give up on them. Maybe it’s a disgusting little craving for romantic attention that’s festering in you, maybe it’s a vile desperation for affection, maybe it’s a sickening sort of self-centeredness that has overtaken you.

But you don’t want to go for just one anymore. 

Eclipse had been your goal, at one point. Now, though, you’ve been introduced to more, and you can’t help but salivate for it, like a sick dog looking at a carcass.
You’re sickened by it. 

Desperation.

You feel like you’re betraying him by craving not only his attention, but the attention of others. Are you, though? He doesn’t remember you. The only thing you had with him was a sad little projected romance on a game sprite, not an actual person. Could you even count that?

He’s real now. He wasn’t before.

You push away the thoughts. You will be happy and you will be loved no matter what. Maybe you can dip into polyamory if you get a little greedy. 

So you just continue to watch Eclipse and Doli - both of them now. Your tunnel vision has faded for the most part, or at least widened enough for you to focus on the both of them. The way Doli holds herself, her expressions, her mannerisms in a serious situation, it’s all elegant and undeniably pretty. She’s very pretty. And Eclipse, catlike in the way he smiles and his eyes hold an effortless confidence, the powerful air he has about him and everything. He’s stunning, truly so.

And you are a sad little lapdog.

But a sad little lapdog that is also Doli’s favorite .

Perhaps it is fine to be the sad little lapdog.

The meeting started to conclude, you noticed, and you tuned back in. Eclipse was speaking, that lovely voice of his dripping like honey. “Well, that’s all settled, then. As per usual, message me whenever you need anything. You have my cell.”

“Of course. We’ll get going, I’ve gotta bring my honeybee home, after all!” Doli responded. Has it been that long? The meeting didn’t seem like it took up the entire length of your shift. It couldn’t have, that would be absurd!

Eclipse then turned to you with a smile. Oh, if only he’d look at you that way forever, you’d probably be able to die happy. “Well then, you have a lovely night, dearest. Keep our doll out of trouble, will you?”

You snickered at the last bit, nodding and giving him a little mock salute. “I promise I’ll keep Doli out of trouble. No promises for keeping myself out of trouble, though!”

“Mh, that’s probably my job, keeping you in check,” Doli snorted, putting her arm around you.

“Well, you two have a nice day. I’ll see you another time.” Eclipse said, packing up his things to leave. Doli did the same, and soon enough you two were heading back out to her car and hopping in.
“Were you planning on me leaving early..?” You asked, a little hesitant. Doli shook her head, smiling. “No, honey, I just thought we’d go eat or something, have a day out on the town, and then I’d drive you home. You’re okay with me driving you?”

Ah, well that would be nice. Knowing Doli’s taste, she’d probably be bringing you somewhere fancy. A treat for you behaving so well at the meeting.

“I’m fine with you driving me. I’ll tell you where to go when it’s time for me to leave.” You nodded.

===

The day went fabulously. Doli treated you to what must have been the best food you’ve ever had, hell, you got to have caviar . Quite a bit of it, too! You may understand the hype for it, it’s pretty delicious. You don’t think you’ll ever eat that well in your life, unless Doli decides to treat you again.

And then, after a day of hanging out with her out and about, you got in the car and drove home.

“You… you’re in a hotel?” Doli asked as she pulled up, raising a brow. She almost looked a little concerned. You nodded when she asked. “Yeah, not the best living situation. But it’s what I’ve got. I’ll be able to get a place soon, though!”

She just nodded, before letting you leave. You went up to your room and threw yourself on the bed, before squealing into the pillow.

It’s been a really good day. Bloodmoon was such a cutie, Doli’s a sweetheart, and Eclipse is sexy as ever. Plus, you got to eat really good food!

You didn’t even check anyone’s stats or anything, temporarily forgetting that was a thing at all. Your life was as amazing and whimsical as it could probably ever be at the moment, and you get to surround yourself with romanceable robots, and you’re living your dream!!

You finished your night by taking a shower, putting on your pajamas, and ordering room service. With a movie, of course. Thank god this hotel didn’t charge for movies…

===

He had to hide in his office for a bit, stupid little smile on his face, fans clicking on to cool him down.

There you were, lovely as ever, and being treated like royalty if he had to guess. Was he jealous of Pareidolia? Yes. Terribly so.

Was he happy for you? Absolutely. 

He knows how Doli treats those she loves. She pampers them, spoils them to death. And he knows that you of all people need to be pampered and spoiled.

He’ll… he’ll figure out finding his way into your arms as well.