Work Text:
The complaint box has been getting pretty full lately and by that Earth means that Mars has been chirping her ear off for a week straight.
At first she could laugh off the complaints and the mild annoyances in tone from the parents. The daycare theme song that played on loop was rather charming to her and almost always made her feel lighter on her feet so maybe she assumed that it had the same affect on everyone else. It only made sense!
Her mini spiral into descent of wanting to wrangle the necks of her friends may have made her … Hyper aware that not everyone help the same opinion. It was the little, inconsequential things that she had been noticing lately.
When asking Mars for his opinion, he looked a bit strained. "Well, if it was up to me I might add a few new tracks. For variety sake, of course. Maybe something like Little Beethoven?"
Andromeda just laughed and nodded, halo slowly spinning in amusement. "We've had this song since the beginning so I suppose I'm just used to it at this point. I like it but I understand if the parents don't."
"If I had it my way, man, I'd take whatever is playing the music and summon a bunch of scary demon witch things to crucify it. Make it real spooky to send a message to the big wigs up top." Needless to say, Lunar didn't like the music.
There is a very clear path to take but it doesn't make Earth very happy. The theme of the entire year seemed to be 'Let Earth handle it!' and honestly? She was getting a a teensy bit sick of it!
Still, she brought up the issue so she may as well be the one to try and find a solution. Now where should she start…
There's not a chance she could simply plug in normal people music since it would likely not Faz approved and besides, it could never be that easy. She didn't know the first thing about making music so that ruled that out which left a whole lot of nothing.
She sighed, slumping onto the security desk with her face buried within the clouds of her hair. Just one day of an easy problem with an easy solution, is that too much for her to ask?
"Uuh… You sure now is a good time to bother her, Andromeda? She looks pretty tuckered out."
"She's asked for our opinion so I can only assume she still needs helps. Plus you're the only one who knows an thing about music, DJ! I bet she would love your input."
Oh, Andromeda and DJ. Of the list of things that could bring her to the brink again they were pretty low. That's good. This can be good!
She only looked up just enough to expose her eyes to them, firmly buried within the faux wood of her arms and flurry of white hair. Blink, blink.
Four eyes blinked back at her.
Andromeda snickered, covering her mouth to muffle a laugh while DJ's grin widened. Earth can't help but smile behind her arms.
"Good morning Earth, the DJ and galaxy says hello!" DJ cackled, hands resting on the edge of the desk on her side. Ever peppy in that cool girl sort of way which Earth sorely needed to wash away negativity.
"Funny, you picked up Lunar's reference to that one movie." Earth hummed, slowly lifting herself up from her barricade.
"It's sort of cute, isn't it?" DJ drummed her fingers at the surface of the desk. "Sequels or retellings are always kind of lame but I like that line a lot. Kind of like remixes or when songs sample older songs."
Earth pursed her lips together before shrugging, smiling. "Music is beyond me unfortunately. I like it a lot but I'm a lot better at just putting the song on, not really fixing up the chords or whatever. I do like analyzing them, though! Some lyrics have really interesting ideas behind them and it's so fun to get a little nosy and figure out what each thing is referencing."
All too quickly the energy was sapped from her and she sighed heavily, slumping into the rolly chair with her arms hanging off the arm rests. "Maybe if I was programmed with a music program I could fix the daycare music but noooo it has to be sooo complicated."
Andromeda seemed to perk up and smile, shoulder bumping DJ gently. "Speaking of-! I thought since you were asking us about the theme song that DJ and I might be able to help!"
Earth looked to them and tilted her head. "I hope I don't sound rude asking this but what do you know about music, Andromeda?"
"Um! Well!" Her hands wring together, shifting from foot to foot. "Since I do more desk work and things on the back end I figured I would be able to parse through more child appropriate music. More analytical and something suitable for DJ to work with."
"Aaand since I'm Fazbear property, anything I whip up is automatically approved!" DJ jazz hands ecstatically. "This is my area of expertise, baby! Haha, I've been itching for a chance to make something unique instead of the same ol' songs I play with the band."
The two of them were practically buzzing with excitement but Earth could pick up on the underlying anxiety. Was that because of her? For what she might say or think? A part of her is a little pleased that they were worried but another part of her scolded herself for even feeling that. They were all friends!
. . . She hopes they're friends.
A cursory search for the direct definition of ‘friend’ came back with far more clear tone of the word. They have a mutual bond, yes! Other definitions and explanations express an emphasis of being someone you like a lot outside of your family or being someone to rely on.
Can she rely on them?
Andromeda helped get Evelyn out of danger when Day tried to kidnap her. She may have helped Night escape once but she has more than made up for it; Forgiven but not forgotten.
DJ has made an effort to better herself physically to hold up her own in fights. She isn't close in strength to herself but she's been very willing to help out where she can and her entire purpose is to help with tracking down Day and Night.
And then they had hung out together for a girls night. And it was fun. Really, really fun.
Aside from Lunar and Mars then maybe she could rely on them for important tasks. Serious things so she doesn't feels like she's being pulled in every direction until she popped a wire or two. It was a lot more than Bonnie and Roxas were trying to do, at least.
A barely visible twitch of a frown. Since when was she settling for basic decency? Oh boy.
"Earth..? Heyo, Disco Lady, DJ to Earth?"
"Huh-? Oh, hey. Hello!" A brief pause until she tilts her head. "'Disco lady'?"
"Mmhm! You always gave me a sort of retro disco vibe. The bandana really made me think of it plus you have this sort of jazzercise look to you."
Andromeda giggled. "I always thought she looked more like a ballerina."
"Ballerina? Oh no, I would definitely trip over myself if I tried to go en pointe." Earth wiggled her toes around with a matching giggle.
"It mostly has to do with how your shoes look a bit like ballerina shoes with the white stripes looking like the ribbons that tie up your the calf. You can be very elegant in your own special way, Earth!"
DJ nodded enthusiastically, reaching out her hands to Earth over the desk, interlacing their fingers. "Our disco dancing ballerina! Maybe that should be our next girls night? We can hit up the club when they're having a disco night then bust out some fancy ballet moves."
Earth didn't fight the touch but it did take a second to adjust. She squeezed gently, rising onto her feet. "That does sound like fun! But! But. You were saying about helping with the music..?"
"I could put together some sick beats! That's like, kind of my whole thing! I would love to help!"
DJ spun Earth around as a giggle fit took them both over, only stopping when Earth was babbling about how dizzy she was getting, cheeks flushed from laughter. Their hands stayed together but one was extended out to Andromeda from DJ. Earth's gaze flickered between them, pondering quietly.
Andromeda fidgeted for just a moment. "You seemed really stressed about this… I wish I had gotten ahead of the issue to begin with but then again, we didn't have DJ to help."
"I wouldn't have been able to solve it easily on my own to begin with." Earth thought aloud, a silent realization creeping up on her. "Even if I tried to, it would have taken even longer."
"Yepperoni! You tend to put a lot of problems on your shoulders so we wanted to fix up this one for you." DJ bobbed her head idly and hummed an upbeat, joyful tune. "I've got a couple of beats in mind but I really wanted to workshop it with you first before deciding anything."
Working together isn't a foreign concept to Earth. That's what she's been trying to do all this time with some success but not nearly as much as she would have liked. It was the same with the little ones but somehow with these adult bots, things were so much more difficult to have everyone on the same page.
No one wanted to sacrifice like she has. Not sacrifice their peace, not their comfort, not their ignorance, not anything at all. The only one who understood her plight is a different version of herself who laid out the solution oh so perfectly. It was tempting every day to exert a little more control over them since they were already forcing her to be the defacto leader.
Earth didn't realize she was trembling until a soft yellow hand held hers. Her eyes snapped down to meet star blessed ones, softening ever so slightly at her friend.
Andromeda carefully pulled Earth into her orbit where DJ closed the circle by holding her other hand.
"I'm sure you could have figured it out on your own," Andromeda mumbled. "You could have spoken with Fazbear directly and request a song or get some copyright free music. But I- We wanted to pick up some of the slack! Yeah!
After going through some of the other dimensions and getting their thoughts on our situation, it seems like the general consensus is that we should really stick together. Work through everything ourselves because no one else is going to save us. The company doesn't care about us or our petty issues so… We should all help each other where we can..!"
Earth's brain to mouth filter briefly doesn't work to stop her from saying, "You needed to travel across dimensions to figure that out?"
Andromeda's halo spins quickly and she stutters over herself, laughing sheepishly before gently nudging DJ to help step in.
"A second or third or tenth opinion helps!" DJ chirps, squeezing Earth's hand. "What matters is that now we have a clear path to work towards and soon you won't have anymore Karen's in your pretty hair. Won't that be nice?"
Earth hummed quietly as her gaze fell down to land at their intertwined hands. Pink, yellow, and brown. The faux leather of DJ's pink gloves paired with the softness of Andromeda's that helps to stabilize her ever unstable psyche. It was all so much sometimes. She didn't want to be on edge to fight someone every hour or to worry about dumb parents and their petty issues. All she wanted to do was put a smile on kids faces… Was that too much to ask for?
Before she could register it, Earth was suddenly pulled into a hug by the two of them. Her eyes were wide as she stood still in their embrace, fingers twitching, unsure of what to do. It was a relief to be held, that's for sure, but she didn't understand what spurred it on.
"You make us and the rest of the kids so happy! Never ever doubt that, okay?" Andromeda's voice came muffled, her hand rubbing slow circles to the small of Earth's back.
DJ eagerly nodded. "Even if you think you're asking too much of us, we probably deserve it. Maybe the easy going atmosphere has gotten the original crew too complacent so they need some fire under their butt to get them going."
"I will admit that I'm a bit guilty on that end… I know better now, though. I'll do my best to make sure you never feel like you're alone. Oh, Earth… Don't cry."
Hands come up to wipe away what must be the tears she had been shedding. A steady waterfall flowing down her bi-colored cheeks with a watery laugh, reaching up herself to wipe away what remains, smiling at them.
"Hah… I guess I'm mixing up my inside thoughts with my outside words," She jokes weakly, sniffling. "Thank you both, though. Gosh, look at me getting so emotional over someone pulling their weight! And it's over a silly problem that I took on!"
DJ tilted her head, giving a soft little pat pat to Earth's cheek. "Hey man, it happens to the best of us. No one wants to deal with homicidal maniacs but y'know, that's just the world we're living in now. All that matters is what we do next. I dunno about you but I'd like to protect this fucked up family we've got going on, thank you very much."
"Y-Yeah! If you ever think that Lunar or Mars isn't offering you support then you know that we're always here to back you up. From one daycare attendant can kick ass like you can then I should be able to. Just, maybe with a little more time to pick up the same skills."
Earth liked her friends a lot. There was still the nagging thought in her head that she should reign in her emotions to wrangle the pair in front of her, to point them in the right direction. They didn't need to be part of her pity party but to actually go out there and get Day. Then all of her problems would really be solved and she wouldn't have to be stuck here crying.
She sighed heavily instead, letting her body go limp in their hold to hug them back. DJ was able to be hugged comfortably but for Andromeda… Well, she ended up being picked up to make up for the height difference. A fit of giggle rang out between the trio.
"I really appreciate it," Earth mumbles, squeezing them both. "Let's get started on that music in just a second. I want some more hug time."
With the doors closing for the day meant that the daycare was finally closed. Earth leaned against the edge of the desk as she stretched her back out, grunting and groaning and oh stars above she could have sworn she heard something pop.
"Ahem. Would some good news help you feel better, Earth?"
Mars fixed his glasses further up his nose when he looked over to his sister. Earth took in a careful breath in and slowly let it out, putting on a smile and shrugging.
"Sure! Lay it on me, Mars."
"Well, the complaints about the music have significantly lessened. The wider variety in music that you selected have done wonders to boost popularity. Good job."
Earth isn't entirely sure what to do with this. On a fundamental level she was happy but there were so many other tiny, tiny, minuscule emotions running rampant through her that she couldn't make heads or tails of. She didn't feel entirely like she deserved the praise since she isn't the sole reason for this situation sorting itself out but she had kickstarted it into gear. Whatever! She won't dilly dally too much on it or else her processors will explode!
"Great! That's wonderful to hear! One less thing for me to worry about." Earth sings happily, gaze averting from Mars briefly to send a thank you message to both DJ and Andromeda. It was the least she could do and honestly? Maybe she'll treat them to drinks again minus the heavy hangover like they had last time.
Messages were sent back and forth quickly that had her giggling to herself, suddenly all too fond over them. There would always be guilt over not focusing her attention to more important things but it could wait a second to exchange some silly gossip and babbling over whatever silly hijinks that Lady was getting into. Girl talk! Ugh, she needed more of this.
Power. Would using her strength to lead the way still leave behind nice moments like this? Could she still have cute girls nights or group hugs with her friends if she's to really lean into being a leader?
She can only hope so but if push comes to shove and this is something that she has to cut off to make sure that they can progress in the right direction then she can live with that.
Earth hummed quietly and said her goodbye's to Mars before turning on her heel and starting to clean up what remains of the daycare. One small problem checked off, everything else is left. Goodie.