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"Fredbear", the little kid said as the blankets kept him safe, his eyes focusing in something else than the big silhouette in front of him. "Can you read a story to me?".
The tiny hands desperately held the golden plush against his chest, as the bear finally looked directly at him, blood shot eyes that seemed to match with the red painting in his muzzle. It was curious, to don't say less, that even if Oliver accepted all the nightmares as his family, something didn't feel right between him and Fredbear. He tried, he swore he did, but the yellow bear would always push him away. Always, but tonight.
The big nightmare hated the other bear for forcing him to spend the night with the kid. With the kid that he bit. It wasn't his intention, but what was the point in saying sorry? What was done was done.
"Alright", he said as he came closer to his bed and sat down at the end of it, his voice strong and rusty, properly made so Oliver won't find any comfort in his lovely plushies, now turned into nightmares. "What do you want me to read?".
Surprised with the approach, Oliver reached for the flashlight that was lying in the bedside table and was received with a disapproval groan. Unsure for a second, he picked it anyway, making it look like the plush was holding it.
"I won't hurt you, Oliver", Fredbear said, his eyebrows close to each other as he looked at the kid. Brave blue eyes made a contrast with the dark and sad room, but he still could see that he was fighting the urge to cry. Crybaby. "Nightmare would snap my neck if I did so. Besides, if I wanted to, I would have done it already", the monster laughed, the sound echoing in the small bedroom, and his big paw rested in the child’s arm. "So, which book?".
Pointing to the bookshelf, Fredbear snorted and walked till it. Surprisingly, the boy had a lot of books, all alphabetically organized, saved for a few, that were laying there with a rabbit toy over it. Funny enough, it looked like Bonnie. Gently placing the object away from the books, Fredbear picked the four lonely books and walked back to the bed.
"Well, now that I have then, let's pick one", he looked around to room, searching for a chair, till spotting it near the closet. Happily, he quickly picked it and placed near the bed.
Oliver blinked and looked down, his heart heavy and a migraine growing in his head. Why it had to be so hard to ask such a simple thing? Fredbear rolled his eyes as he watched the small figure curl and become more and more vulnerable. He could tell the boy was nervous about something that would always be stupid and childish in his point of view, just like him.
"What is it?".
"Nightmare", he started, as he brought the toy and the flashlight close to his chest. "She lets me lay on her chest when it's bedtime".
"Oh", he murmured, and looked at the small book between his hands. Fredbear noticed Nightmare had grown this into a habit, to make the child feel safe and loved, even if it should be his parents job. The bear knew she had a soft spot for lonely kids like Oliver, maybe because that was a feeling that came from her own heart or maybe it was just how Oliver thought they would be like. "Do you want me to lay with you?".
The sapphire eyes light up and a smile formed in his face. The boy pushed his blankets to the side and made a gesture for Fredbear. Sighing, he lied near him, Oliver resting his head on his chest. Surprised and feeling slightly anxious, the bear awkwardly played with the boy's hair, who hugged him, and giggled. Fredbear was surprisely warm and fluffy, a soft comfort he missed.
"Well", the golden bear started, picking the books and trying to push that weird warmth in his chest away. Oliver straightened out, his back against the fuzzy bear and he held the objects. "Which one we sh- oh! Frankenstein?! I didn't know you were a man of culture, Oliver, my boy", tiny hands were quick to throw it against the end of the bed, making the book fall off the bed.
"I want to sleep, and not to be scared", Oliver protested and Fredbear couldn't help but softly chuckle at the reaction.
"Then why you have that book, little kid?".
"It's not mine", he confessed, his attention in what looked like a sketchbook. "It's from my brother. He would switch between that book and Alice in wonderland when it was his turn to read", a melancholic wave hit the child and he nearly lost his balance if it wasn't for the bear, who held him tightly. A few tears ran down his face and he held the bear's arm. Fredbear took a mental note to don't mention anything around Michael again.
"What do you have there?", he asked, desperate to change the subject. Sniffing and cleaning his nose on his shirt, Oliver's hand reached for the sketchbook, to which he murmured something to himself that Fredbear didn't understand. The boy then opened it and cute little drawings of animals appeared through it. They were simple and, as Fredbear denominated them, childish, but they somehow made Oliver proud of himself, what weirdly made Fredbear happy, and he didn't want that feeling to go away.
"You surely love to draw, don't you?", he softly mentioned, a soft smile forming in his face. "Do you think you could explain them to me?", processing the question for a while, Oliver nodded and started to tell him stories and characters that Fredbear didn't know he had. The brown and white dog apparently was a long lost prince that was trying to save his kingdom from the fearful snakes and frogs.
Interested in the small drawings, he looked at them as Oliver explained each one, his small eyes starting to get heavy with sleep. A small and yellow figure catch Fredbear's attention though, and soon he concluded it was the small plush Oliver didn't let go.
"You and that toy have been friends for a while, huh?", he asked and played with Oliver's dark hair, what made him laugh.
"Me and Mr. Winnie have been friend since dad and uncle Henry started to work in that restaurant", he held it, so he could look at his old friend better. "We swore to protect each other!", he proudly said, his eyes lighting up.
"Mr. Winnie?", Fredbear echoed what he said, nearly offended, and Oliver looked at him curiously. "Really?".
"Yeah!", Oliver happily said, giving the plush to the nightmare. He held it carefully, scared of tearing it apart, and it didn't took him long to notice the big scar that ran in his belly. Fredbear remembered seeing him cry one night after Michael had torn it and the Freddles tried to comfort him, while Plushtrap promised she would eat his brother's fingers. The nightmare had an urge to ask if Plushie had in fact bite off his fingers, but decided against it. Maybe he could ask Freddy about it later.
"Oh, yeah? Well, shouldn't you be sleeping?", Oliver drifted his attention to the drawings and closed the book.
"Maybe", he simply said. Fredbear slowly left the boy's side: it wasn't like he could sleep with him like that. Oliver lied in his bed, the big bear bringing the sheets to protect the little kid from the cold and the monsters while he slept.
"You, a brave boy that talks with monsters, should get some sleep", and then he picked the small plush and put him under his sheets. "And he'll protect you, I'm sure", Oliver gave a big smile as a response and brought it close to his chest.
Before leaving the room, Fredbear heard a noise from behind and quickly turned. It was Oliver, concerned with something.
"Will I see you again tomorrow?", Fredbear sighed with the question.
"And the other nightmares", he smiled warmly, even if it felt weird for him. Oliver, happy with the answer, nodded and went back to sleep, murmuring a weak 'thank you' before falling asleep.
Maybe the kid wasn't so bad after all.