Father Figure

gregory needs some warmth

It had been a very long day. The small child had rushed in through the doors and hid away from security just to have a warm place to sleep this night. The rain didn't bother him, but the soggy makeshift cardboard bed did. He was just a child, so small, fragile, meek and... scared. He was scared. So very very scared.

He had no one.

That was until he snuck into the hatch of a very warm animatronic bear. He remembers the times when he was way younger, his mother used to tell him that teddy bears are for cuddles, teddy bears are there to keep you safe and warm. And he stuck with it. Gregory had made himself a little sleeping space within the giant slumbering teddy bear. He was comfortable, far more comfortable than the cardboard box that was awaiting him in the morning, but he didn't want to take the sudden warmth for granted. He would savour it and forget about it tomorrow morning.

So he lay, curled up into a little ball. Napping in the animatronic. That was until the giant bear began to move around. The clinking and clanking of the bears metallic legs woke him up with a fright. He jolted and hit his little head against the metallic ribs of the animatronic.

"Ah, it seems that there's something in my birthday cake hatch... I shall find the security guard right away."

With that Gregory suddenly got scared. If he was found he'd be kicked out. There would be no more warmth, only the painful pounding of the rain against his bare skin.

He opened the hatch and jumped out of the bear, causing the bear to jump a little in surprise.

"Are you the little pebble that was stuck within my cogs?" The bear had asked gently, to which Gregory only silently amd hesitantly nodded.

The bear knelt down to get to Gregory's height and scanned him.

"It seems you're uninjured, but your body temperature is far too low for a child. I shall get security to take you back hom-" The bear had said until Gregory interrupted him.

"No! No security.. I don't have a home.. no home, no where to go"

The bear looked at him with surprised eyes.

"Everyone has a home superstar. Are you perhaps lost?"

"No.. I don't have parents.. or a home.." Gregory insisted. The bear had given up, he could sense the kid was distressed and knew that he didn't mean any harm.

"How about we get you a blanket so that you could cuddle up back into the hatch? I never knew that anything other than a birthday cake would fit. It was quite a surprise to see you leap out of there superstar."

"I was cold... I didn't mean to just jump in and cause you harm.." Gregory was now picking at the skin around his nails. The fear for him was real, he knew he was in trouble, he knew he'd get told of and he knew he shouldn't have been there but he just wanted a warm bed for a night.

"There was no harm caused" The bear walked towards his sofa and grabbed a blanket, draping it over the child.

The warmth suddenly enveloped Gregory again. Even though it was just a blanket, he felt comfortable once more.
The bear held out a hand and opened his hatch up for the child once more.

"Hop in, let's have a nap and get you feeling better again. Okay superstar?"

Gregory nodded with a smiled and carefully got back into the hatch, cuddling up to his new Freddy blanket. The bear gently closed the hatch and stood still as to not to disturb or wake the child who wanted to nap within him.

"Goodnight little one"

Gregory hummed in response and closed his little eyes, slurring sleepily when deciding to respond to the bear.

"G'night big Teddy bear"