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The show’s long done by now. They perform various times a day, but after 5 pm they begin to pack up and leave, save for Henry. Henry usually stays longer to help Rufus clean up, and help the bosses with paperwork. Teddi helps him with the financing parts. Most of the bears grab their bags and make their way home. Zeb leaves first, with an almost always cranky Oscar in tow. The others follow.
Trixie is a little late to leave today. She took her time getting out of her costume. Since she doesn’t have a car, she usually relies on the other bears to get her home, or just walking. She likes being outside. She pushes the curtains open slightly and glances at the cars still outside, debating on whether to walk or drive. Henry and Liver Lips’ cars are still out there, as well as Teddi’s bike. She looks at the other side of the parking lot to see Tennessee’s truck still parked.
He’s usually quick to leave, but he also has an issue with saying no. She wouldn’t be surprised if he was out back helping Rufus. She makes her way to Gomer’s dressing room, knocking on the door. “Hey, it’s Trix.”
She can hear three gentle taps on the table, giving her the go ahead to let herself in.
“Hey, honey bun.” At Gomer’s slow, sleepy blinks she smiles apologetically. “Sorry, did I wake ya? I just wanted to ask if you’d seen Tenn anywhere.”
Gomer shakes his head. He grabs a sheet of lined paper from the table and scribbles something onto it. ‘He’s not with Rufus.’
Trixie nods. “Thanks. Goodnight, Gomer.” She slips back out of the doorway, watching Gomer settle back down with his head on the desk.
It isn’t like him to stay without having some task to stay for. He’s usually quick to find Trixie and offer her a ride home. She makes her way to the Five Bear Rugs’ dressing room. As she gets closer, she can hear light sniffles. Her first thought is Zeb-- he has notoriously bad allergies. But his car is long gone. She knocks on the door, and the room goes silent. “Tenn? You in there?”
“Come on in.” His voice is gruff as always, but she can hear a hesitant softness behind it too. Her first thought is that he caught something.
When she opens the door, she knows that’s not it. He’s looking down, not meeting her eyes or letting her see anything below his head. A box of tissues sits beside him. She pauses. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” His voice breaks. He audibly swallows, still not meeting her gaze.
“Oh, honey…” Trixie hesitates. She’s never seen him cry. Ever. Tennessee is rare to ever show his negative emotions to anyone around him unless they’re close to him, and even then, he’s hesitant. He’s never been this vulnerable in front of her. “Can I hug you?”
Tennessee hesitates, then nods meekly. “I trust you.” He whispers.
Trixie sits beside him and wraps her arms around him, letting his head rest on her chest. “You wanna talk about it?”
“There’s nothin’ ta talk about.” He’s tense against her, arms crossed defensively. He’s curled up to look as small as possible. He sniffles. “Just bein’ dumb.”
She wipes a tear from his cheek, glancing down at him fondly. “Your emotions aren’t dumb.”
He shakes his head, raising it to look at her. His face is red and his eyes are puffy. “‘T’s pretty dumb.”
She copies the motion. “You can’t control feeling sad. Emotions are normal. Everyone has ‘em.”
“What’re ya, a therapist?” He mutters.
“You don’t have to tell me what’s wrong.” She continues, gently. “But if I know, I can help a little better.”
“It-- just…” He frowns. “Today was a bad day, is all."
“Did anything specific happen?” She prods. She keeps a soft tone of voice, careful not to poke him too much. She isn’t sure if he’d shut down completely if he was asked one too many questions.
He shakes his head. “Woke up on the wrong side’a bed.”
She holds him a little tighter. “I understand.”
He hesitates. “”N then everythin’ just went wrong after that.”
“Like what?”
“Had to take ‘m T shot, ‘n I didn’t put it in right at first,” His breath catches in his throat, “and it really hurt. Still hurts. ‘N it was avoidable, I’m just dumb.”
She puts her paws on his cheeks, catching the tears now falling down his face freely. “You’re not dumb, honey.”
“I am.” He croaks, hiccuping and struggling to stop his tears. “I can’t do nothin’ right. Hen yelled at me earlier ‘cause the instruments weren’t tuned.”
"Is it your job to tune them?" She asks.
"...No." He admits. "But I usually tune the other bears' for them when I get here 'n--"
"Then it's not on you. They always get jumbled up after shows, right?" A nod. "And you don't always tune them, right?"
"Not always. Just when I get here early. Like today." He answers quietly.
"Then it's not your fault." She kisses him again, this time on the cheek. It's slow, and full of love. He melts into it. "You're doin' just fine, sweetie."
"I feel like a failure." He sniffles.
"Every bear here has worked hard to get where they are, you included. You're not a failure in anyone's eyes, and certainly not mine. You're the light of my life."
"That's a lie." He murmurs.
She tilts his head up to meet his gaze. "I'd never lie to you. You make my life complete. Being with you is the happiest I can be."
His eyes fill up with tears again, but a smile threatens to grow onto his face. She grabs his paws and kisses both. Tennessee's voice is as low as a whisper, face heating up in embarrassment. "I think I'm happiest with you, too."
"Whenever ya get sad, come to me. No matter the time, I'd stop anything for you." She promises.
He sniffles, leaning closer to her.