Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Sun hummed, smiling as he moved about the kitchen. He carefully prepared a bottle of formula, putting it in the simmering pot of water on the stove to warm up as he didn’t quite trust his magic for it just yet.

“Morning Sun!” Moon said, entering the kitchen and going over to the fridge.

“Morning Moony!’ Sun replied, keeping an eye on the formula he was making.

‘I see you’re making breakfast for our family’s newest addition…” Moon said, pulling out a bottle of creamer and setting it on the counter. Sun nodded and looked around, noticing the lack of a certain someone.

“Where’s Sunstone?” he asked, curious about where he future brother-in-law was.

“I’m letting him sleep in today…. Orion woke up late last night and Sunstone spent a good amount of time trying to get him to go back to sleep…..” Moon explained, closing the fridge door and preparing the coffee machine. Sun chuckled, checking the formula and removing it from the boiling water once it was warm enough. He carefully made his way to Solar and KC’s room, gently knocking on the door.

“Solar? KC? I’m coming in….” Sun said, slowly entering the room. KC lifted his head, relaxing as Sun approached. He smiled and gently nuzzled Solar, who stirred and smiled when he saw Sun as his eyes opened.

“H-Hey Sunny…..” Solar said, yawning.

“Morning Solar…. I brought breakfast for little Cordelia….” Sun said gently, gesturing to the bottle in his hand. Solar smiled and slowly uncurled, stretching a bit as he revealed the small sleeping infant snuggled up to him. Feeling him move caused the infant to stir and whine.

“I can feed her….” Solar said as Sun sat on the edge of the bed and gently scooped up Cordelia, who immediately began squeaking and squirming in protest at being pried away from her mother. She quickly quieted down as Sun began feeding her.

“I got her Solar…. You shouldn’t be straining yourself….” Sun said, smiling down at his niece, She was a beautiful mix of butterscotch orange and slate grey-blue, and had surprised everyone as she was born a Moon model, taking after KC and Jack.

“Sun is right supernova…. Your body is still recovering…. Besides, you always work yourself too hard….” KC said, nuzzling his boyfriend. Solar chuckled, nodding as he watched Sun feed their daughter.

“Hey Sun, I’ve been thinking….. have you ever thought of dating? You’re basically the only one in the family who’s still single…. And Dazzle’s been asking…” Solar suggested as Sun gently burped Cordelia.

“Hmm…. I’ve thought about it, but…. I doubt anyone would be interested in me….” Sun said, carefully placing Cordelia back next to Solar.

“Nonsense Sun….. I’m certain there must be someone out there who would love to date you….” KC said, smiling as Solar curled back around their daughter.

“Hmm…. Maybe….” Sun said thoughtfully.

“STOP HIM!!” a voice yelled, barely being heard over the blaring alarms. A loud growl was the response, a large figure scrambling through the halls of the facility. It made a sharp turn and burst into one of the rooms, knocking over the ‘PORTAL ROOM’ sign and startling the two inhabitants as it did.

“TELLURIS! DRACO! DON’T LET HIM THROUGH THE PORTAL!” another voice called, it’s owner rushing into the room with his brother. The larger figure they had been chasing hissed and shoved the gator who lunged at him aside, rushing through the open portal. Draco flew into the control panel, shattering it and causing the portal to close as soon as the escaping figure was through.

‘DAMMIT!” the owner of the first voice snarled, slamming his fist on the wall by the door. He looked over as his brother placed a hand on his shoulder.

“We’ll get him back brother…. We’ll get him back….”

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“Orion, please hold still……” Sunstone said, chuckling as he cleaned Orion’s face. Orion squirmed, giggling in response. Sunstone smiled, looking over as Sun came back into the kitchen.

“Oh! Morning Sunstone! Morning Orion!” Sun said, spotting the two as he washed the bottle, drying it and putting it away as Orion babbled and waved to him.

‘Good morning Sun…” Sunstone answered, feeding Orion more of his oatmeal. Orion giggled again, then squealed happily as Moon came in from the basement, no doubt returning from giving Cosmos his morning coffee.

“Hey kiddo, morning aurora….” Moon said, playfully ruffling Orion’s hat and quickly kissing his fiancé after getting Sunstone his own cup of coffee.

“Good morning starlight…” Sunstone said, taking a sip of his coffee. Sun chuckled as he began gathering things to start cooking breakfast.

“Any plans for the d-” he began asking, jumping as an alarm suddenly started blaring. Orion jumped as well, starting to cry due to being startled by the loud sound.

‘What’s that noise? What’s going on Dad?” Dazzle asked, entering the kitchen with Jack, Molten, and Cosmos.

“That would be the portal alarm…. That means a portal opened somewhere nearby….” Moon said as Sunstone quickly began trying to calm Orion down.

“I’ll go help Papa protect Dad and sis!” Jack announced, immediately rushing to Solar and KC’s room.

“I’m calling Monty…. We need to find where the portal opened and see if anything came through…. Sunstone, take Orion and join Solar and them in Solar’s room….” Moon said, dialing Monty’s number as Sunstone nodded and headed for Solar and KC’s room, gently bouncing Orion as he continued trying to calm the wailing infant.

About an hour later Monty arrived and headed out with Moon, Molten, Cosmos, and Sun. They began searching through the nearby forest, trying to find any sign of a portal opening.

“Anything yet you guys? I don’t see anything where I’m at….” Monty asked, huffing slightly.

“Nothing on my end….’ Cosmos said, frowning as he scanned the area from above.

“I have not detected anything here…..” Molten stated, looking around his section.

“Not yet… I got nothing over here….” Moon answered, shaking his head. “You find anything yet Sun?” He got no response. “Sun?” he asked again, frowning as he once again got no answer. He listened as the others tried getting in touch with Sun, and just as he was about to try again himself they finally got a response.

“M-Moon….. y-you need to come over here…. I-I think I know what came through the portal….”

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I-It’s massive….. Sun thought, looking at the figure in front of him. When he had heard something could’ve come through the portal, he was expecting something about the size of him or Moon, or even KC….. the creature in front of him was about the size of a T-Rex!

“I….. w-what are you…..?” Sun asked himself, hesitantly moving closer. He had barely taken a step when the creature’s four eyes flew open and locked onto him, a loud warning hiss escaping it as the ray-like frill around it’s head flared, a second frill around it’s neck opening in an attempt to intimidate him while the spines along it’s back bristled.

“O-OH! E-Easy…. I-It’s okay…. I-I’m not going to hurt you…..” Sun said, raising his hands defensively. The creature hissed again, snarling when Moon and them arrived and trying to get to it’s feet.

“Sun, what did you- HOLY SHIT!” Monty yelled, freezing when they saw the creature. The creature hissed once more, struggling when Molten immediately began wrapping his wires around it.

“Permission to remove the threat?” Molten asked, managing to restrain the creature, who gave up struggling and whined as he was forced back to the ground.

“WAIT!” Moon said, cautiously approaching the creature. It let out a weak growl as he did, Moon walking around it and examining it. He had never seen anything like it before, it’s long whip-like tail thrashing slightly as Molten tightened his wires around it’s six arms and raptor-like digitigrade legs.

“It…. Kinda reminds me of a volcano…..” Cosmos said, taking in the creature’s deep red, almost black skin and the magma-like cracks across it. The creature perked up slightly at seeing him, cooing softly. Sun carefully approached and knelt beside it, frowning as he noticed faint scars near the creature’s neck and torso.

“I….. think he’s hurt…. Moon, we gotta help him….” Sun said, cautiously touching one of the scars. The creature immediately flinched away and began struggling, as if trying to get away from him.

“I don’t know Sun…. We don’t know if it’s dangerous or not…..” Monty said, casting a wary look at the creature.

“Monty, he’s acting just like us…. Look at these scars, and his reaction when I touched him…. I…… I-I think he’s been abused…..” Sun responded, gently petting the creature. It growled at him at first, but after a few minutes it slowly calmed down, breathing heavily. Moon looked over the creature carefully, deep in thought.

‘…… We’ll take him back to the house, but what we do with him will be a discussion for the whole family, not just the five of us…..” Moon said, crossing his arms. Sun nodded, giving the creature a soft, kind smile.

“Y-You’ll be okay, big guy…. We won’t hurt you…. Molten, please be gentle with him….” Sun said, standing. Molten nodded, the five of them slowly making their way back to the house with the creature in tow. Sun kept quietly reassuring the weak and most likely frightened creature, hoping he and his family could help it.

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“Okay, there…. The garage should be the best place for him at the moment….. We’re keeping Molten with him, just to be safe….. Now then, let’s start this meeting….” Moon said, walking into the living room where the others were waiting.

“Do the kids really need to be here for this, Stardust?” Cici asked, looking at Dazzle, Jack, and Orion.

“This affects them just as much as us adults, so yes, they do….” Moon answered, nodding. ‘As everyone has been made aware, we found what had come through the portal and need to figure out what our next steps will be concerning him….” he explained, beginning to pace.

“Is he a danger to us?” asked Sunstone, trying to distract Orion with one of the infant’s toys.

“We don’t know…. He acted aggressively when we approached, but when we managed to get a closer look at him he was covered in scars….. so what we took as aggression was more than likely defensiveness….” Moon said.

“He was hurt?” asked Dazzle, frowning. Sun nodded as he knelt down to her level.

“Yes sweetie…. He was hurt, most likely by some very bad people….” Sun explained softly.

“Then he should stay and not go back to where the bad people are!” Dazzle said, crossing her arms with a huff.

“I agree….. If he was abused, then it would be safer to keep him here….” Terra said, concern on her face.

“I agree, but he’s very…. Animalistic in how he acts, for lack of a better term….. I don’t want you or anyone else gettin’ hurt…..” Monty said, taking her hand and gently squeezing it.

“I’m sure he’s just scared! He just, needs to learn to trust us….” Sun urged, standing up. Moon hummed in thought, looking over as Sunstone gently placed a hand on his arm. Sunstone nodded, his expression telling Moon all he needed to know about the former attendant’s decision.

“….. KC, what about you and Solar? What are Eclipse and Ruin’s thoughts?” asked Moon, turning to the former code.

“Solar is….. wary, as we do not know the creature’s thoughts….. Eclipse was as well when I spoke to him, he and Ruin were concerned about how it will react to the children…. However, they and Solar agreed with me that if the creature truly was abused, then sending him back would not be an option…. It would be heartless to do so…” KC explained, growling at the thought.

“Then it’s decided….. he’ll stay here, in the garage as that’s the only place in the house where he can fit that’s not occupied by a person or furniture….. One of us will have to gain his trust and show him we’re not a threat…” Moon announced, sighing.

“I’ll do it!” Sun quickly volunteered, getting everyone’s attention.

“Are you sure Sun?” asked Moon, looking unsure about the idea.

“I’m sure…. I’ll be careful, I promise….” Sun said, giving his a brother a reassuring smile. Moon hesitated, then slowly nodded.

“Alright Sunny….. I trust you…. From this moment forward, you’ll be his primary caretaker….”

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“Okay, here goes nothing…..” Sun told himself, carefully and cautiously entering the garage. The creature’s head snapped up, a low growl escaping it as it watched him from the far corner where it had curled up. Sun paused, giving it a reassuring smile as he slowly sat on the floor a bit aways from it.

“It’s alright…. I’m not going to hurt you….. I promise….” he assured it, keeping his tone gentle and soft. He wasn’t sure how it would react, but he figured the best approach would be to do the same method he used on his cats: let the other come to you instead of going towards it.

The creature watched him warily, seemingly internally debating with itself about whether to stay away out of fear or give in to it’s growing curiosity. The curiosity eventually won as the creature hesitantly approached Sun in a manner similar to a cat, towering over him as it began carefully sniffing him. Sun sat as still as possible as it did, not wanting to scare the creature. As it sniffed him it could smell the familiar scent of of silicone and metal, however it also picked up a sweet warm scent it found it liked, as well as the scent of…. A pup?

“O-Oh!” Sun said, giggling as the creature perked up and circled him, sniffing him more earnestly. The creature picked up several other faint scents, recognizing a couple of them as the others who had brought him to this place, quickly coming to the conclusion they were the pack mates of the sunny one in front of it. It sat down in front of Sun, tilting it’s head as it took in his appearance.

“It’s okay….” Sun said gently, slowly standing back up and frowning as he looked down at the floor. “That floor is so hard and cold….. OH! Wait here! I’ll be right back!” Sun said, rushing out of the garage. The creature watched him go in confusion, wondering why the smaller one had run off. It let out a soft coo, slightly sad that it was alone again when Sun burst back into the garage, dragging a bunch of blankets, pillows, and cushions with him.

“Alright, let’s see here…..” Sun muttered to himself, dragging everything to the corner the creature had previously been in. He took the cushions and laid them on the floor, then began covering them with the blankets and arranging the pillows on top. The creature watched curiously as Sun did so, tilting it’s head when Sun stepped back to reveal a large nest of sorts.

“There we go!” Sun exclaimed, grinning. The creature slowly approached the makeshift nest, sniffing and prodding it before hesitantly climbing into it. It perked up at how soft the nest was and let out a chirp, circling a couple of times before laying down and snuggling into the nest. Sun smiled and knelt beside the nest, gently and carefully petting the creature.

“Aw, I’m glad you like it! Couldn’t have you sleeping on that cold floor, now could we?” Sun cooed, trying not to squeal as the creature began softly purring at the affection it was receiving. “You must be hungry, huh? I’ll go get you some food, okay? I’ll be back, I promise….” he added, getting up and leaving back into the house. The creature watched him go, whining quietly as the disappearance of the affection it had been receiving. It momentarily forgot about that when it sniffed the air, smelling something cooking.

“Alright, here we are!” Sun announced, returning with something in his hands. The creature watched curiously as Sun sat on the edge of the nest with a large plate of bacon and eggs. Sun carefully held a piece of bacon out to the creature, who sniffed it before hesitantly taking it from Sun’s hand and eating it. Immediately it’s tail began wagging as it eagerly began eating more.

“OH!” Sun said, giggling. “Hmm… do you have a name? We can’t just keep calling you ‘the creature’….” Sun thought out loud, gently petting it again as he looked it over. “You know, that frill around your head kinda reminds me of how the rays of the sun looks during a solar eclipse…. How they resemble a halo…..” Sun said, his rays spinning in thought. “Hey, how does that sound? Do you like the name Halo?” he asked, chucking as the creature nudged his hand, begging for more pets as it finished eating.

“Alright, Halo it is then….”

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Over the next few days Halo was slowly introduced to the rest of the family, starting with Terra, Monty, Sunstone, Dazzle and Orion. Halo quickly took to Orion and Dazzle, being very gentle with them while it warmed up to the other three due to Terra and Sunstone’s kindness matching Sun’s. They were more cautious when it was Moon and Cosmos’ turn, though they were quickly won over when Cosmos showed off his powers, also being won over by Cici when she brought food with her when she visited.

The next group to meet Halo was Eclipse and Ruin’s family, which started off tense due to Halo mistaking Eclipse for another of their species and getting defensive. Thankfully things were cleared up when Ruin intervened, Halo quickly becoming distracted with Equinox and the other kids as it begrudgingly learned to tolerate Eclipse’s presence. It reacted slightly the same way to KC at first, but they warmed up to him faster than they did Eclipse.

On this particular day, however, Halo found themselves laying in their nest bored. Sun had left with Moon, Cosmos, Sunstone, and KC to a place called ‘work’ while Dazzle and Orion had been dropped off at Terra and Monty’s house for the day. They looked around for a way to entertain themselves, perking up when it saw the door that led into the rest of the house. They quickly got up and headed over, deciding to see what the rest of the house looked like.

After a few minutes of struggling it finally managed to get the door open, peeking through the doorway before going through. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but Halo was thin and managed to get through into the kitchen. They began exploring, looking closely at everything as it opened cabinets and the fridge, perking up as they discovered the fridge was where the food was. They weren’t hungry however, so they closed the door and continued exploring when they found the coffee pot. They took a quick sniff, recognizing the smell of the leftover ground as the same scent as the strange drink Sun often had with him when they ate breakfast together.

“Uncle Cosmos, why are you making so much- Oh….” said a voice, the sound of someone pausing in the doorway meeting Halo’s ears. Halo turned, tilting their head as they spotted Jack in the doorway to the living room. Halo was aware that KC had a mate who lived in the house, as well as pups aside from Eclipse, but this was their first time actually meeting who they could only assume was one of the former code’s elusive younger pups.

“Uhhhh…. I’m going back to Dad now…….” Jack said, turning and heading back to his dad and KC’s room. Halo perked up and quickly followed, Jack looking up at them. “Oh, you haven’t met us yet, have you?” Jack questioned, watching as Halo tilted their head before slowly opening the door and entering, Solar looked up, laying in his nest with Cordelia gently cradled in his arms. He smiled softly seeing Jack coming over to him, though instantly tensed as Halo appeared in the doorway.

‘Can we help you?” Solar demanded, glaring at Halo. Halo chittered in response, sniffing the air before cautiously entering the room. The air had several scents flowing through it: The small lunar bot Halo had followed smelled of pumpkin and a strange clean scent, while the older bot in the nest smelled of oil and that strange drink they had found in the kitchen, as well as heavily smelling of KC and….. Halo perked up and slowly moved closer, sniffing the air more.

“What are you doing?!” Solar growled, bristling as his second set of rays pokes out from their casings.

“Dad?” asked Jack, concerned.

“Stay by me Jack…..” Solar said, his claws flexing slightly as Halo got closer. He immediately got distracted by Cordelia squeaking and beginning to cry, gently shushing and rocking her. Halo paused, then laid down on the floor, making itself look as small and flat as possible. They knew from experience how protective nurturers are over their pups, and from the scent Solar had Halo quickly figured the small pup in Solar’s arms was a very recent birth as well.

“Dad, I don’t think he’s going to hurt us…..” Jack suggested, watching as Halo cautiously dragged themselves closer until they were close enough to rest its head on the nest. Solar turned back to Halo, watching them tensely, though after a bit he slowly relaxed when it became clear Halo wasn’t a threat.

It was at this point that Solar’s eyes dimmed and he laid his head on the nest. Jack quickly noticed and quickly but gently moved several of the pillows so they were packed closer around the mechanic and draped a blanket over him.

“Get some rest Dad…” Jack said, smiling.

“Mm… thanks p-pumpkin….” Solar said, giving a soft smile as he slowly fell asleep. That was how Sun found them when he and the others returned home, Sun quickly but quietly ushering Halo from the room and back to the garage, reminding himself to teach Halo things like boundaries and personal space. KC chuckled before carefully joining his mate, Jack, and Cordelia in the nest and curled around them, making a mental note to thank Halo later for watching over them while he was gone.

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“Alright Halo, this is Cleo and Muffin! They’re what we call ‘cats’…. Can you say ‘cat’?’ Sun asked, holding up Cleo while Muffin curiously sniffed Halo’s tail. Halo tilted their head as they looked at the small furry creatures Sun had brought into the garage with him, lightly sniffing Cleo.

“C….. Ca….t?” Halo slowly mimicked, its voice deep and growl-like. Sun smiled, nodding enthusiastically. Ever since the incident with Halo meeting Solar and Jack,, Sun had been taking time each day to teach Halo things, starting with how to talk.

“Very good Halo!” Sun exclaimed as Cleo squirmed out of his grasp.

“S…..un…..” Halo said, leaning down and gently nuzzling Sun’s head. Sun’s face glowed slightly as his rays spun slightly, giggling as Halo pulled away.

“Y-You’re too kind Halo-” Sun started, the two looking over as the door into the house opened. Cleo and Muffin perked up and ran back inside, nearly knocking over Cosmos.

“GAH, OKAY-! Geez…. Uh, hey Sun? KC wants to know where the bottles are at….” Cosmos asked, turning his attention back to Sun.

“OH! The bottles are in the cabinet next to the mugs! Hang on...” Sun answered, getting up and heading back inside with Cosmos. Halo tilted their head again and got up, following them.

“Thank you Sun… we appreciate your help…..” KC said as Halo entered, accepting the empty bottle from the smaller animatronic. Halo watched as he prepared the bottle, then carefully made their way into the living room where Solar and Sunstone were watching the kids, Solar sitting on the blanket they had placed on the floor and leaning against the couch with Cordelia curled up in a mini nest beside him.

“Hi Halo!” Jack said, smiling and waving when he spots Halo.

“He….llo…. Ja….ck…” Halo said slowly, carefully laying down so he was at their level, resting his head by Cordelia’s mini nest. Cordelia squeaked and whined, squirming as Solar gently stroked her back soothingly. Halo still couldn’t believe how small she was, especially when her father was such a massive apex predator like KC.

“You’re getting better at talking Halo….” Solar said, smiling when KC entered and handed him the now prepared bottle. He thanked him and very gently picked up Cordelia, chuckling as she began eagerly eating. Halo watched, intrigued as they chittered softly. It used their tail to grab a pillow from the couch and gently place it behind Solar for him to lean back on.

“Oh! Thank you Halo….” Solar said, smiling at them gratefully as he leaned against the pillow while feeding his daughter. He may finally be up and about, but he was still recovering from Cordelia’s birth and he was grateful his family was doing their best to make his life easier during his recovery. Halo cooed, their tail wagging a bit. Despite its short time with the family, they had already formed close bonds with them, especially Solar and the kids.

“Done! Here Halo! I made this for you!” Dazzle said, getting up from her spot on the floor and walking over to Halo. They looked over as she approached, watching curiously as she placed a dark red and orange beaded bracelet around one of his wrists.

“It’s a friendship bracelet! Dazzle and I made them for everyone in the family to have one!” Jack said, holding up his arm to show off his own brown, orange, green, and pale purple bracelet. Halo looked over the bracelet, then purred softly.

“Th…..ank…. You…..” they said softly, nuzzling Dazzle and making her giggle. Sun watched the interaction from the kitchen doorway with a smile, his hand gently brushing against his own bracelet on his other wrist. Solar’s question from the day they found Halo made it’s way back to the forefront of his mind, Sun slowly mulling it over.

Hmm…… Maybe…. Sun thought, a very soft glow coming to his face. Maybe…..

Chapter Text

“Halo, please be careful with the kids!” Solar called from the blanket he was sitting on, gently rocking Cordelia and shaking his head as he watched Halo run around with the kids. Halo chirped and playfully growled as they played with the kids, being mindful to be gentle while doing so.

“Relax Supernova…. They’re fine…” KC said softly, nuzzling his boyfriend as Moon chuckled. Solar sighed, then instantly became alert when a portal suddenly opened in front of them. Halo took notice and immediately their frill folded back, quickly herding the kids to KC and Solar before whining and rushing inside the house.

“Halo?!” asked Solar as Moon approached the portal. He got about halfway when two figures stepped through, moon blinking in shock as he realized the figures were ANOTHER Sun and Moon!

“Finally! Took ages to fix that damn portal….” the Moon said, pushing his goggles up onto his hat. He looked similar to Moon himself, but was dressed in an aqua dress shirt and grayish-blue slacks under a lab coat. The Sun was dressed similarly, wearing a lab coat over a khaki shirt and tan pants along with gold glasses.

“Who might you two be?” Moon asked, placing his hands on his hips.

‘Hmm? Ah, my apologies…. I’m Moonrock, and this is my brother Sunray…. Forgive us for our sudden intrusion, but someone under our care slipped through our portal device as we were working on it and we’ve been looking everywhere for him….” Moonrock explained, smiling.

“Really now?” asked Moon, raising an eyebrow. Normally he would be skeptical and untrusting of those from other dimensions, but if these two were scientists judging on their looks….

“Yes… the one under our care was a large arachnid-like reptile…. We’re very worried about him….” Sunray spoke up, adjusting his glasses. Moon’s eyebrows shot up. Well, that answered that question. Moon opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off by Sun.

“I’m sorry, we haven’t seen anything or anyone like that…. We DID get a portal alert a few days ago, so while they’re not here they might still be in this dimension…. They might even be in the nearby forest somewhere….” Sun said, wiping his hands on his apron.

“Ah, that’s alright…. We’ll search around then…. He’s very cat-like, so he couldn’t have gone far… thank you for your help….” Moonrock said, nodding to Sunray before they headed off to search.

“Sun, what the hell?! They could’ve helped us with Halo!” Moon asked when Moonrock and Sunray were out of earshot.

“Moon, Halo came in while I was making lunch and went straight to his nest in a panic…. He was TERRIFIED…. And when I come out there’s strange other dimensional versions of us looking for someone who suspiciously matches Halo’s description? I do NOT trust them Moon… we don’t know what their intentions are, and if Halo’s reaction is anything to go by then I do NOT want those two near the house or any of you….” Sun explained, leaving no room for argument as he turned on his heel and headed back into the house.

I won’t let Halo get hurt…. Not ever again… those two come back, they will deal with ME….

Chapter Text

“Alright…. Almost….. There!” said Sun, sitting up and stretching. He looked around proudly at his now spotless kitchen, nodding before getting to his feet. He cast a quick glance out the windows of the back kitchen doors, scanning the backyard before relaxing and sighing at seeing it empty. He was so worried that Moonrock and Sunray would return…

“SUN! SUN!” came a muffled and familiar growl-like voice behind him, accompanied by some telltale skittering. Sun smiled as he turned around, giggling as he found a familiar figure sitting behind him.

“Hey Halo….” Sun said, chuckling. Halo grinned, their tail wagging as it knelt down and Sun accepted the bright yellow crystal in their mouth. “Is this for me?” Sun asked, looking it over.

“Yes! Yes! Match Sun!” Halo said, nodding eagerly and gently headbutting him with a purr.

“Aww, that’s so sweet of you Halo, thank you…. I’ll go put it in my room… Why don’t you go outside with the others? The kids are playing tag….” Sun suggested, chuckling as Halo chirped and rushed outside. He shook his head, then headed up to his room and gently placed the crystal on his dresser.

This is the fifth gift he’s given me since the day Moonrock and Sunray arrived….. Sun thought, his gaze moving from the crystal to the other four gifts: a small heart-shaped rock from one of their walks together, a silver necklace Halo had somehow found down by the lake, a piece of Halo’s own scale-like skin, and finally a small crudely made bouquet of cloven toadflax, red daisies, and lavender rose buds.

“Dammit…. I-I need to think about this…. A-Am I ready for something like this?” he asked himself, a soft yellow glow on his face as his body heated up slightly. He took a deep breath to calm himself, adjusting his shirt and vest before heading back downstairs. He couldn’t stop the smile on his face as he went outside and saw Halo running around with the kids, joining the other adults on the sideline.

“You good there Sun? You seem distracted….” asked Moon, noticing he seemed to be in a daze.

“Y-Yeah…. Yeah, just…. J-just thinking….” Sun answered, watching as Halo played and interacted with the kids, paying special attention to how it interacted with Dazzle.

Maybe…… maybe….

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“Why have we been waiting? We know he’s there…..” Sunray asked, turning to face his brother. Moonrock continued staring at the house, leaning against the tree beside him while the two of them kept themselves hidden in the woods nearby.

“We need to wait until their guard is down…. Their Sun has been very vigilant in keeping an eye out for us, not to mention the creature has heightened senses that could easily alert them to us if we’re not careful….” Moonrock answered, watching as Halo exited the house to play with the children that were running around the yard.

“So, we’re just going to sit here and wait until they’re distracted?” asked Sunray, sighing and crossing his arms. He just wanted to get Halo and get back to their home dimension.

“Yes, we are….. we can’t take any risks…. Plus have you not noticed how the creature has been acting recently? How he interacts with their Sun? What he has been doing?” Moonrock asked, finally looking at his brother. Sunray’s rays spun slowly as he thought it over, realization slowly dawning on him.

“Wait… are you suggesting….. he’s courting their Sun?” Sunray asked, turning back to watch the family.

“Exactly…. Sunray, we have not witnessed how Tehpra Lahars court and mate….. we know nothing about their mating cycles or how they raise their young….. this could be our only chance to get such valuable data!” Moonrock said, smiling as he could see the gears turning in his brother’s head.

“Hmm….. that data could be valuable, especially after what happened to the other one….. we may never get another chance…..” Sunray said thoughtfully, adjusting his glasses.

“Yes…. And once we’ve gather enough data on the courting and mating rituals, we can see if it’s possible to…. Get a more controlled observation of any potential offspring…..” Moonrock said, sharing a knowing smile with his brother as the two of them slowly retreated into the shadows to plan their next steps.