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Gregory wasn’t sure why he was awake so early in the morning, but he knew that he wasn’t supposed to be up yet. Glancing at the big clock on his bedside table, the numbers 4:39 stared back at him in big, bright red.
He hadn’t had a nightmare, so why was he awake?
Pushing the blankets off, he grabbed ahold of Teddy by the arm. He didn’t really like navigating the house in the dark, but Bon-Bon had plugged nightlights in where he could find places for them, so it wasn’t so bad. Carefully, he padded across his room to the door, pushing it open and peeking out into the hall.
Quiet.
Bon-Bon was probably still asleep then.
Sometimes Bonnie was awake this early, but it was hit or miss. Occasionally, he would come into his room and Gregory would wake up to find him reading, or just laying there with his eyes closed. He didn’t mind, not really. It had been a long time after Mommy died before he wasn’t too scared to fall asleep by himself, and even now he had trouble when the feelings got too big for him to handle.
But Bon-Bon was there every time, just like he promised.
Carefully guiding himself with the wall, Gregory slowly trekked up the stairs to find him now. If he was awake, maybe he could help Gregory fall back asleep. If he wasn’t, well…
He would figure that out in a minute.
Bonnie’s door was cracked open like it usually was, and the room looked dark. Reaching out, Gregory nudged the door open, peeking inside. Bonnie didn’t move, so Gregory was pretty sure he was asleep. Tiptoeing across the room, Gregory put Teddy on the bed before hauling himself up on the bed beside him. Bonnie rolled towards him, and he froze, afraid he’d woken him up.
That would probably be bad. Moony and Sunny were always scolding Bonnie for not sleeping enough. Bonnie usually ignored them, but still .
Luckily, he hadn’t woken him up. Gregory lifted the comforter to squirm under with him. He knew Bonnie didn’t care if he crawled into bed with him, and he’d probably prefer it to Gregory not doing anything about being awake. Besides, being with his dad made him feel-
Woah.
What?
Dad?
With wide eyes, Gregory glanced at Bonnie’s sleeping face, confusion and other feelings he didn’t quite understand filling his chest. Frowning, he searched for the answer in Bonnie’s features, chewing on his lip.
Am I allowed to call him that?
I dunno if that’s okay or not.
Should I ask?
No no.
That’s scary.
Bon Bon’s breathing was quiet, his arm tucked under his pillow as he slept. Gregory didn’t want to wake him up, but he didn’t like how his body felt. His eyes welled up, and he reached out to shake Bonnie’s shoulder, lip quivering.
It took a few seconds, but Bonnie started to wake up, nose wrinkling as his eyes fluttered open.
“Hey…” Bonnie sat up, accidentally knocking his hand from his shoulder. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Bonnie’s hand reached out to touch his face, and Gregory sniffled, confused as to why he was crying but not knowing how to stop it. “Did you have a bad dream?”
“No,” Gregory mumbled, reaching for him. Bonnie quickly scooped him up, wrapping both arms around him in a big hug and cuddling him close. Gregory burrowed close, some of the fear beginning to go away now that he was being held.
He liked Bonnie’s hugs; they were warm, and safe, and they always made him feel better when the feelings got too confusing.
“I’m right here, little love,” Bonnie murmured, beginning to run his fingers through his hair. “I’ve got you.” Gregory felt gentle kisses being pressed to his forehead, and he melted into Bonnie’s touch, closing his eyes. He hiccuped loudly, knotting his fingers into the material of Bon Bon’s shirt. He didn’t like feeling confused like this. Foxy usually told him to try to describe the feelings with a color, or with a small word, but Gregory couldn’t think of any to use to explain it.
He wasn’t sure if that made it worse or not.
“‘M scared.” That would work.
“Why, baby?” Bonnie asked softly, wrapping a blanket around them both. Gregory vaguely recognized the colorful tie dye print, and he was pretty sure it used to belong to his mom. That made him feel a little less scared, even though he missed her a lot, and that could be frustrating too.
“I dunno.”
“Okay…” Bonnie hummed, “Do you want me to try to help you figure it out?” Gregory shook his head frantically; he didn’t like that idea. He’d have to wait till he saw Foxy again. Foxy was equally safe to talk to, and he let Gregory color and play with blocks when words got to be too hard. Sometimes they talked about his drawings or the towers he built, and that was nice. He didn’t have the energy to color right now, though; crying was making him sleepy. “Do you just want to cuddle?”
That sounded okay. Nodding, Gregory sniffled again, pressing his nose against Bonnie’s chest. Bonnie began to hum softly under his breath, and the sound of it filled Gregory with almost instant relief. He liked when Bon Bon sang to him especially, but he only did that sometimes.
“Can you sing the dreams song?” Gregory asked, not intending to but doing it anyway.
“Of course,” Bonnie murmured. He shifted to lay back against the pillows, keeping Gregory where he was. It was a safe spot to sleep, so Gregory was more than happy to snuggle into him, eyelids already growing heavy as Bonnie began to sing to him. “I close my eyes, and I can see a world that’s waiting up for me…”
Gregory was still confused about some of his feelings, but he felt okay to go to sleep now. Dealing with them had worn him out again, but he knew Bon Bon would keep him safe until he could figure it out. The more he thought about it, the more he liked thinking of Bonnie as his dad, even if he wasn’t sure he wanted to use the word with him just yet. Reaching blindly towards where he’d originally been laying, he tried to feel around for Teddy. That was the missing piece for him being able to go back to sleep. Without missing a beat, Bonnie tucked his bear into his arms.
“Love you, Bon Bon,” Gregory mumbled tiredly. Bonnie paused in singing to lean down to kiss the top of his head, and Gregory could feel his smile.
“I love you, too, superstar.” Gregory felt the familiar flutter at the nickname. It always made him feel nice whenever Bonnie used it, or any of the terms he called him. Even when he called him a little gremlin, because he knew that he was just playing.
He’d have to ask Sunny to help him make a picture to give him when Bon Bon was working. Gregory was better at showing his feelings that way anyways. For now, though, he snuggled as close as he could, the big feelings beginning to go away again, replaced by happier ones. With a little yawn, he felt sleep sneaking up on him when Bonnie started singing the song again.
Bon Bon was his hero, saving the day just like he always did. He knew he’d be able to sleep for sure now, as he shoved his face into the crook of Bonnie’s neck. As Bonnie’s hand gently began to rub his back, Gregory sighed quietly, giving in to sleep as he gripped Bonnie’s shirt, just to be safe.
Gregory was pretty sure his dad would look cool with a superhero cape.
He’d have to try to remember that.
Gregory fell asleep before his lullaby was over, curled close into Bon Bon’s embrace.