now and forever

14

Freddy ambled over to the closest charging pad, feeling exhausted but fulfilled after a day of playing with children on the playground. He could tell that the others felt much the same. Even Sun's usual energy was slightly subdued from low power.

"Oh man am I beat. I'm going to eat, shower, and then head for bed." You informed them.

"Goon night, Superstar." Freddy said, the others saying their own nighttime wishes right after him. You left, and thing fell into silence.

Normally, they would chat with one another while charging, but now that they were no longer distracted by kids, a certain event loomed over their heads. Freddy felt his grief aching in his chest cavity as he watched the clock on his processor get closer and closer to the worst day of the year for them. He pushed that ache down with all of his might, just like he did every year since... no! He would NOT think about it! Thinking about it would only make things worse.

Before they knew it, they had all reached a full charge. Freddy stepped off his charging pad along with most of the others. Monty stayed on his. He usually spent the anniversary alone, and it looked like he chose to stay in the garage today.

They approached the door, but didn't go through. Chica always had her worst cravings when she was upset, and she'd be really upset today. In order to get to the rest of the house, they'd have to go through the kitchen. Chica would be nine kinds of tempted as they made their way through. She nodded at all of them.

"Do what you have to do, but please... DON'T let me eat." she begged. They didn't need to be told twice.

Sun picked her up in a massive hug, pinning her arms to her side. Though he may be built skinny, Sun was easily the strongest out of all of them. Roxy stood in front of Chica, facing her, and Freddy opted to stand at the side. They waited for her to get mentally prepared.

"Okay." she finally agreed.

"Keep your eyes on me. We are just walking to the living room where the TV, couch and PS4 reside-" Roxy started talking to keep Chica's mind occupied as she led the way while walking backwards. Sun kept a firm grip, and Freddy used his body to shield her vision from the pantry and fridge. Before they knew it, they were at their destination, and Sun set Chica onto the couch.

"How are you holding up?" Roxy asked after Chica settled onto the cushion.

"As well as I can considering..." she trailed off. She didn't need to finish for them to know what she was referencing. Without a word, Roxy left to find the nearest mirror, most likely in the downstairs bathroom, for her usual ritual of talking to herself.

"Hey, I know! Let's watch a show! How about that one about the painter with an afro? He looked pretty interesting!" Sun started up the PS4 to find that very show he was talking about.

It looked like Sun was dedicating himself to babysitting Chica. Freddy couldn't blame him since they both had the coping mechanism of burying their sadness to care for others. Usually, Sun would man the daycare with extra enthusiasm, and he would really pay attention to his Superstars. But they weren't at the PizzaPlex, and he felt his grief try to make a reappearance. He knew the others would be in even more pain if he broke down. He needed a distraction...

His mind went to the only other person in this house: you. His feet carried him to the stairs, as if on auto-pilot, and he slowly climbed the stairs. Before he knew it, he was at your door. You were asleep on the other side. He didn't want to disturb you, but he knew that without SOMETHING to hold his attention he would fall to pieces. Before he could heavily debate on it, you opened the door.

"I thought I heard you coming up the stairs." You said, stifling a yawn.

"Sorry if I woke you." he said, the underlying grief making his guilt feel way worse.