I have not yet determined a name for this

~Chapter Four~ NIGHT TWO pt. 1

It took me a little while to process everything that happened that first night. It was almost like some weird emotional rollercoaster that I'd been pressured into riding, but that had turned out to not only be nowhere near as terrifying as initially expected, but actually decently enjoyable.

Sundrop and I weren't enemies anymore, to say the least—if we ever truly had been. It was clear he hadn't held a grudge against me from the start, and I'd simply assumed we were natural nemeses the minute conflict arose between us. He'd tossed that all aside the second the daycare was empty and we were left to our own devices, and he'd even gone beyond that to present a gentle kindness I hadn't expected to see from him anytime soon, especially not directed towards me.

He was sweet. He'd pressed a flimsy Freddy Fazbear band-aid against the bridge of my nose with the utmost care, as though I might shatter beneath his touch. He'd descended into panic over my well-being, did everything he possibly could to ensure my comfort despite his clear lack of education on caring for human beings. He'd allowed me to rest against his shoulder up until I awoke hours later, disoriented and drowsy, and he'd told me that it was 5 AM and he'd been forced into standby mode from the lack of movement. When the daycare opened for the day, I slipped out and opened my phone to about a thousand missed calls and worried texts from my brother, who was probably awfully close to reporting me missing to the police if I hadn't returned when I did.

Even as I'd left, Sundrop said he wanted to do it again. He couldn't wait for the next sleepover. And, much to my surprise and mild embarrassment, neither could I.

This shift was the same length as the previous one, only allowing me a couple hours of genuine rest and reminiscence before I was forced to return to the mall. This time, however, I arrived with a backpack strapped to my shoulders, containing necessities such as a blanket and change of clothing. It was incredibly silly when I thought about it, but if anyone asked, I was just making nice with one of my superiors to the best of my ability. Who knew how long this would go on, anyways? Maybe he'd be tired of me after a second night.

Nobody questioned me when I clocked in, thankfully; if anyone had witnessed last night's security footage, they didn't seem to care. Maybe this was expected behavior of Sundrop.

The shift itself practically flew by. Now that we were officially on friendly terms, I stopped antagonizing him and instead did my very best to avoid triggering his pet peeves, allowing him to handle the children and the specific messes that he enjoyed tending to most. When approached, I calmly redirected kids to him, and if something was dropped that needed to be returned, I brought it directly to him myself; he seemed to enjoy that. I could tell from his excitement that he loved being recognized and appreciated as the daycare's primary authority figure.

When night began to fall and the daycare emptied out once more, I presented my backpack to him with all of the goodies inside. "I came prepared this time," I stated with a grin, and this seemed to please him greatly.

"We're going to have so much FUN!" he shouted at the top of his robotic lungs, immediately picking me up without warning and lightly tossing me into the air like a small child. I couldn't help but both laugh and scream at this; despite the complete absence of personal space he allowed me, I'd quickly grown fond of his unusual behaviors.

Things went similarly to the previous night, now with less hesitance and concern on both ends. We chased each other around the play structures again, made up our own ridiculous little games, and I showed Sundrop how to throw plastic balls with a little less force, but more than he was accustomed to when engaging with children. He requested putting on a puppet show for me, and I accepted, sitting on the floor and leaning back against the heels of my hands as I watched the unique display. I had no idea if he recited the same puppet shows over and over, or if he was forced to improvise with each new play, but I was impressed with his theatrics and amused by the various voices he assigned to the characters. He was so interesting to watch and engage with, it almost seemed a shame that he was stuck dealing with kids all day.