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The house had been battered by rain for the past two hours. Thunder shook the building occasionally and lightning lit up the sky in a series of flashes. Bonnie used to have a phobia of storms– horrible phobia, actually. When he was living, he would simply hide under his blankets and turn his headphones all the way up. The music was enough to block out the sound of thunder and rain, but he would still be able to feel the quaking of rolling thunder.
He didn’t have to worry about that– not anymore. He was snuggled up in the curve of his husband’s stomach, enjoying the secure arm tucked around his waist and holding him close. If Bonnie shivered with uncertainty, Freddy would squeeze him close. He held him tight until the fear passed. He never got nearly as afraid as he used to. Sure, it wasn’t pleasant, but Freddy’s support made him feel a little less like the world was ending.
Freddy was asleep. Bonnie assumed so, considering they usually spoke to one another until one of them dozed off. Freddy had stopped replying a while ago and his breathing had slowed significantly. His assumptions were confirmed when the bear started snoring quietly– not loud enough to be a bother, but still prominent. Bonnie just giggled softly and sighed. It was already loud outside. This wasn’t too upsetting.
Other than the storm and the snoring, there wasn’t another noise present in the house. Bonnie’s eyelids fluttered shut, preparing to try and drown out the disturbances– but then something new happened. A new noise was presented.
Faint footsteps traveled through the house, approaching their bedroom door. They paused, as if the perpetrator had halted at the door. The footsteps went back where they came from– but not all the way. Bonnie could tell the person moving was heading to the living room.
He knew it was Gregory. Who else would it be? Bonnie also recognized the sound of his footsteps and was able to match them to the cub. He wondered why Gregory had wandered to their door before going to the living room. Was something wrong?
Bonnie was comfortable lying there with Freddy, but Gregory was his responsibility and he didn’t mind going to comfort the kid. He wiggled out of Freddy’s grasp, leaning down to press a kiss to the bear’s forehead. Freddy stirred unhappily, but ultimately didn’t wake up. He continued sleeping peacefully.
Bonnie trudged out of his bedroom, stumbling through the dark and trying not to be disturbed by the raging storm outside. It was hard to navigate, but Bonnie had lived here for a while. He could generally get around without struggle.
Sure enough, Gregory had curled up on the living room sofa. He had a plushie tucked under his arm, hugged close to his chest and Bonnie could just barely make out the soft sounds of crying.
“Gregory? Is everything alright?” Bonnie stated into the darkness, taking a seat on the couch. Gregory sat up, quickly wiping the tears from his eyes. He quickly tried to regain his composure.
“Yeah– Yeah, I’m okay,” Gregory mumbled tearfully. He rolled off the couch, as if anticipating to walk back to his room. Bonnie frowned.
“Sit down, Greg. I can tell that you’re crying, kiddo,” Bonnie responded, patting the empty space on the couch beside him. Gregory was trembling as he obliged, hugging his middle nervously. He seemed scared out of his mind. “What’s wrong? You can talk to me. I promise I’m not gonna hurt you.”
Gregory anxiously moved over on the couch, pressing up against Bonnie’s side. Bonnie wrapped an arm around him and rubbed his forearm soothingly.
“I– I just had a bad dream,” he sniffled, becoming a little more confident with each passing moment. Bonnie’s heart sank with sympathy. Gregory had been living with Bonnie and Freddy for a little over a year now, but it was hard for the boy to forget the homes he had come from. They had acknowledged that upon his initial adoption, preparing to deal with the effects of abuse and trauma– but that didn’t make it easier. It still made Bonnie when these things occurred.
“Do you wanna tell me what happened in it?” Bonnie questioned, holding Gregory close. He had forgotten about the storm completely.
“..Not really,” the cub murmured. He rested all of his weight against Bonnie, inhaling sharply. The rabbit kneaded his fingers into Gregory’s forearm comfortingly.
“That’s alright. Is the storm scaring you?” the bunny tilted his head as he asked. Gregory hesitantly nodded, as if he was afraid of the reaction he would get from his answer. That was another hard thing for Bonnie to witness. “You know, I’m pretty scared of storms too.”
Gregory blinked at him with surprise. His gaze asked Bonnie to elaborate.
“Before I moved in with your papa, I had to put on headphones and hide until the storm ended. I was that afraid,” Bonnie explained, pulling Gregory into his lap. He’d grown a lot over the past year. He was fairly young, only seven years old, and he’d always been scrawny due to circumstances from his childhood. However, thanks to proper housing and care, he’d grown significantly in Bonnie and Freddy’s home.
“I didn’t know grown-ups could be scared,” Gregory muttered, nestling his head against Bonnie’s collarbone. “Why aren’t you scared now? Is it ‘cause of Papa?”
“I’d say so. It helps to have someone you love close by when something scares you. It always makes me feel safe,” Bonnie massaged circles into the shaking cub’s back, attempting to do anything to calm him further. “Do you wanna come lay in me and Papa’s bed? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”
Gregory considered for a few moments before he finally nodded. He was still shivering like crazy, but he seemed pleased. He was less afraid of Bonnie and more afraid of the nightmare and the storm at this point. Bonnie swept Gregory up off of the couch, cradling the bear cub in his arms and making cautious movements to make sure he wasn’t going to drop him. Bonnie wasn’t the strongest individual and Gregory wasn’t a toddler, but he was going to carry this kid nonetheless.
“Wait, Dad,” Gregory abruptly said, his voice full of unease. Bonnie looked down at him curiously. “..I left my plushie on the couch. Can– can you go get it for me?”
“Yeah, kiddo. I’ll set you down with Papa and then I’ll go grab it,” the rabbit purred in response. He opened the door with his hip since he couldn’t use his hands, walking over to the bed and depositing Gregory gently. “Freddy, honey,” Bonnie called out. Freddy didn’t move. Bonnie groaned with frustration, walking to Freddy’s side of the bed and shaking the bear until he woke up.
Freddy stirred awake, looking around with confusion before settling his sleep-dazed gaze on Bonnie. He blinked slowly, obviously still a bit puzzled. Bonnie cupped the bear’s face, carefully kissing him on the nose.
“Sorry for waking you, dear. Gregory had a bad dream and he’s gonna sleep in here with us. I’ve gotta go grab his stuffie off of the couch, so you just stay here with him,” Bonnie explained, carding his fingers through the thick fluff on his husband’s cheek. Freddy nodded, fixating his gaze onto the bear cub seated on the end of the bed.
Bonnie wandered out of the bedroom, quickly gathering up Gregory’s plushie from the couch. He swept it up, investigating it curiously. He noticed that a small rip was forming right between its left arm and its torso. Freddy would have to patch that up– he had sewing skills and Bonnie did not. He returned to see Gregory snuggled up in Freddy’s arms, the older bear softly humming to lull him to sleep. He felt a smile creep onto his face, the warmth of affection filling his body. Gregory had begun crying again, which was displeasing, but Bonnie knew it was just from the stress of the night. He was too young to be dealing with all of this.
He climbed back into bed for a final time, handing the plushie to Gregory. The cub quickly grabbed it up, huddling it close to his body. He nodded to Bonnie gratefully. Bonnie rested up against Freddy, settling his head on the bear’s shoulder so he could look down at Gregory.
He’d completely forgotten about the howling storm outsider, even though it was still beating down at the same level of ferocity as it had been. Gregory would cry out with each thunderous roar, but Freddy seemed to be good at calming him down. He was gifted at caring for those scared of storms, clearly.
“Is Dad really scared of storms?” Gregory questioned Freddy, blinking a few stray tears out of his eyes. The bear laughed quietly, nodding his head as he did so. He was obviously still affected by sleep, judging by his sluggish movements and exhaustion filled laughing.
“He sure is. He always has been. The first time it stormed after we moved in together, I found him crying underneath the covers on our bed. He was too embarrassed to come talk to me about it. But ever since then, we’ve cuddled up whenever it storms and he hasn’t cried at all during a storm,” Freddy recounted the first storm. Bonnie remembered that night vividly. He remembered feeling so humiliated and ashamed that he feared something as childish as a thunderstorm. But Freddy wouldn’t let that be something embarrassing– he just held Bonnie close and reassured him that there was nothing to be afraid of. He validated and comforted Bonnie. That night had been at the forefront of Bonnie’s mind when he was speaking with Gregory earlier, even if he didn’t personally retell it. “It’s okay to be scared. And it’s okay to ask for help when you’re scared, too. Dad and I will always be there to help you if you feel afraid.”
Gregory smiled shakily, even through his tears. He seemed pleased with this response.
Bonnie kissed the underside of Freddy’s jaw, thinking about when they’d first moved in together. Those were some of his favorite memories. Unpacking furniture together, decorating their own house– finally having a sense of freedom was the best part. Free from the prying eyes of less than supportive family members. He was genuinely at peace for the first time in his life. And now they had a son, and things were perfect. Chaotic sometimes, but Bonnie wouldn’t change any part of his life.
Freddy continued to lull Gregory to sleep after his story, and eventually, the bear cub had dozed off in his arms. Bonnie lavished in the sight of his husband cradling their son– something about it was sickeningly sweet. His tail wagged as he nudged his head underneath Freddy’s jaw, pressing up against him lovingly.
“You’re good at this,” Bonnie purred, feeling his own drowsiness sink in. He hadn’t slept at all yet.
“You are too, hon. You brought him in here,” Freddy praised Bonnie in return, pushing into the touch he was receiving. “I would’ve slept through it. I’m glad you were awake.”
“Do you think he’ll ever… not have nightmares? This has been happening for a while and– I don’t mind taking care of him when it happens, it just makes me sad,” Bonnie exhaled sadly, moving a hand to brush through Gregory’s fluff. Freddy shrugged.
“I don’t know, Bon. Maybe as he gets older. For now, we’ll just have to worry about him,” Freddy sighed. He carefully readjusted so that he could lay down, Gregory still cuddled up in his arms. Bonnie occupied the empty space behind the boy, successfully sandwiching him between his parents.
“Goodnight again, Bon-Bon. I love you,” Freddy whispered into the darkness, reaching a hand across Gregory to rest it upon Bonnie’s waist. Bonnie positioned his hand on top of Freddy’s, tracing his thumb over the back of it delicately for a few moments before returning it for his own comfort.
“I love you too, dear. Goodnight,” Bonnie swiftly answered, his voice full of love and warmth.
They both dozed off, despite the excitement and the storm. Gregory was not terrorized by the past for the rest of the night, safe and warm between his parents.
It was perfect. Despite everything, Bonnie could safely say that everything was perfect.