Dog Toy: A Poppy Playtime Fanfic

Chapter 3: Woken Up

You don't feel like you've even slept when you wake up slowly to a strange sound. It's soft, yet high-pitched... whining? You open your still blurry eyes and focus on Dogday, now lying a bit further away from you.

He's shaking, and definitely the one making the noise that woke you up. Every so often, his whining peaks in volume, reminding you of when dogs are having bad dreams. Your tired brain puts two and two together.

A nightmare. He's having a nightmare. The poor thing.

You shuffle over to him quietly, looking over the sleeping toy and wondering what the best thing to do is. Do you wake him up? Do you let him see it through?

After pondering for a minute, you lay a hand slowly onto his head, stroking it tenderly. You repeat the action, shushing him gently and praying he can hear you through his inner torment. His whining gradually gets quieter, his shaking less violent, as you continue to comfort him.

A few minutes pass and he stirs, eyes opening as he groans like he's been hit by a bus. He turns his head up at you, squinting in confusion.

"Angel, what's going on?"

Your heart misses a beat as you get caught, despite your good intentions. "Oh! I- you were having a bad dream I think, so I was trying to help. Sorry." You pull your hand away, holding it with the other like you had burned yourself. You hope you didn't cross a line.

"I... I was. It's always the same horrible thing. You would think I would have gotten used to it by now." He laughs halfheartedly, sounding more awake now. "You don't have to stop. I was just surprised."

"Oh, ok." Your face heats up, feeling self-conscious as you replace your hand on his orange fur, resuming your petting. He closes his eyes, muttering a "thank you" as he breathes evenly. This is as soothing for you as it is for him, and you release the breath you didn't even know you were holding.

You watch his resting face for a few minutes as you stroke his head, feeling a question burning on your tongue. For some reason, you feel nervous to talk to him now, but you want to ask him anyway. "Dogday?" Your voice is so small you remind yourself of the children that used to be in Playcare.

He turns his face to you again. "Yes, Angel?" His worn-out voice is softer and the sound makes your heart flutter slightly.

You stop stroking his head so you can psych yourself up to say it. Dogday tilts his head, silently asking you. "Is it alright if you... you know, if we... hug, while sleeping? So, you know, you don't have any more nightmares?" You cringe inwardly. You can survive bloodthirsty toys, but you can't ask for things like a normal person.

He hums gently. "I'm glad you asked, Angel." He stretches out his arms and you scooch yourself closer so that he can hold you, your face pressed to his furry chest. "Although, I wished you had asked sooner." You can hear the humour in his voice and you can't help but giggle.

He's warm.

"It's been a long time since I've hugged anyone. It reminds me of when things weren't so bad..." He trails off, one hand stroking your hair, as if returning the favour. Now you feel like the pet being assured.

You sigh, feeling the residual edge leaving your body as you feel more relaxed in the toy's arms. "Thank you."

"I should be the one thanking you for looking out for me, Angel. Now sleep, you need all the energy you can get."

You follow this simple request, your heart filled with warmth instead of the constant ice of terror you had become accustomed to. It's not long until you're fast asleep, surrounded by fur and comfort.