Work Text:
“So,” Jaiden said. She rolled up her sleeves in the heat of the campfire, and glanced over at Cucurucho. “Do you like marshmallows?”
The bear looked up at her. “I don’t know,” Cucurucho’s robotic voice said in reply. “Why?”
“Well—” Jaiden pulled out a bag and held it up, showing it to them. “I have some here! Do you want any?”
Cucurucho took out a book. Jaiden watched patiently as they scribbled away for a few seconds. She looked down at the words on the page when they tossed it to her to read:
WHAT ARE THEY LIKE?
Jaiden plucked one of the marshmallows out of the bag, storing Cucurucho’s book in her backpack. “They’re really sweet and soft,” she said, poking it onto a stick, “and they’re even better when they’re toasted, like this.”
She held out the stick, the edges becoming singed a golden-brown. Jaiden nibbled on the marshmallow, noticing Cucurucho watching in intrigue.
“Want to try?” she asked.
Cucurucho considered it for a moment. “Yes. Yes.”
Jaiden smiled. She pulled another marshmallow out of the bag and placed it on a stick, handing it to the bear. Cucurucho eyed the campfire as they held the marshmallow, unsure about bringing it near the flames.
“You can move it a little closer, if you’d like,” Jaiden said.
Cucurucho hesitated for a moment, then brought the marshmallow closer to the fire. The shape of it shrank slightly, slowly beginning to change to a light brown color. The bear looked pleased with themselves—right up until the flames swallowed the marshmallow, reducing it to a burnt crisp.
“Oh.” Jaiden looked at them. “That’s—that’s okay! I always have more, if you want another one.”
Cucurucho stared down at their burnt marshmallow for a few moments, then got up and began to scurry away.
“No, Cucurucho! It’s okay!” Jaiden called, dashing after them with suppressed laughter. “You can try it again! It happens to everyone!”
She was eventually able to coax the bear back over to the campfire, giving them another marshmallow. Cucurucho tried to roast it again, ending up with only slightly singed results. Jaiden beamed at them.
“See? I knew you could do it,” she said brightly.
“Yes,” Cucurucho said, and Jaiden could swear she saw a tiny glint of delight in their eyes. “Ha ha ha.”