Baby Bear

Teddy Bear

Inkling wandered into the nursery, and smiled at what he saw. Barnacles and his sister were cuddled up together in the large, white, cozy rocking chair. Barnacles was curled up into a little ball against her, drinking from his bottle. Bianca was holding the bottle for him, singing a gentle lullaby. Inkling swayed with the motion of the lullaby, smiling to himself. Bianca certainly knew how to handle her 'baby' brother.

Bianca took no notice of him, focused on feeding her cub. So, Inkling allowed himself to go about his business: putting away clean laundry. He placed Little clothes in the drawers, and put the captain's blanket on his bed. It was a soft, baby blue blanket with snowflakes on it. The octopus chuckled to himself, remembering Barnacles snuggling with it every night.

Bianca glanced up at him for a moment, placing her brother against her shoulder, and patting his back, causing a small burp to escape his mouth. The little bear cuddled up to her, and Inkling could see just how strong their bond was. He glided over, and pulled one last thing out of the laundry basket; Fudge, the captain's beloved teddy bear.

Upon seeing it, Bianca giggled a little, her eyes glazed over with memory. Fudge's brown fur was still soft and fluffy, despite slightly worn from many hugs. His blue eyes and matching tie brought back so many memories. Barnacles eagerly reached for his toy, making little grabby paws.

Inkling chuckled at the little giggles that emitted from Barnacles' chest when he held Fudge close. Bianca smiled at that. "When we were cubs, he used to drag that poor bear around everywhere." She gave Fudge a friendly pat. "Fudge always made him feel so much better."

"Better from what?" Despite seeing the poor polar bear's recent mental trauma, he couldn't imagine him being like that as an innocent cub. Not even close.

"Everything." Bianca sighed. "It was hard, being a little cub in a huge world. I'm so glad Orson and Ursa aren't like that."

"From what I hear, you were a lively one, Bianca."

"Yes," the female bear stroked her brother's fur. "We got into a lot of trouble at a young age. Fudge was a gift from our mother, and he was always by Barnacles' side. He used to feel so small all the time, so afraid of everything and everyone."

"What in the world for?" Inkling was aghast; it felt impossible to imagine their fearless, calm leader like that.

"Well, not all cubs are nice. Our cousins picked on him sometimes. Even when we were little, he wanted to be a captain of some sort. I can't tell you how proud I am of him." Bianca started to carefully rock back and forth, overcome by bad memories. "He used to be so brave...then he fell in that hole...it practically traumatized him. He wouldn't leave the house without Fudge tucked in his bag for months!"

Inkling wrung his tentacles. It really hurt to think of Barnacles being treated so badly for something he couldn't help. Being stuck in a narrow hole way below the ground must have been terrifying...the feeling that you would be stuck down there forever...

Bianca continued. "He's had this condition his whole life...some sort of self-doubt...he' learned a lot, but it's still there, like its waiting to strike and tear him apart...I don't know what he'd do without it." She stroked Fudge again, her eyes far away and glassy. Inkling reached out, and patted her shoulder, jarring her from the memories. It must've felt awful to see the one she loved most stuck in a downward spiral his whole life.

Bianca stayed silent, so Inkling decided to give them some time. But as he moved to leave, he heard Bianca giggle. "It's honestly kind of funny, when I think about it. I used to call him Teddy Bear because he'd wander into my room at night, and sleep with me. It was so nice. I was honestly rather sad if I found myself waking up alone. For a little while, we had to share a room. I guess neither of us was quite ready to give up the company. That's when Mum got us our teddies." She patted Fudge again. "She used to tell stories about them." 

Inkling smiled, standing by the doorway. He could practically feel the love from both of them wafting off in waves, strong and stable. They clearly loved each other very much.

He thought about the way the captain would cuddle up to his toy, even out of little space, when he felt overwhelmed. It was clear Fudge was the main boundary between him and his mental illness. It felt somewhat sad, to think that he felt he couldn't talk to them about it.

"I hope he knows we love him." Inkling sighed, glancing away when he felt a slight pang behind his eyes. Bianca looked up, and far away smile on her face. "He does. That's the problem. He's worried he's not worthy of that love." She sighed. "He's always worried about something. He won't admit it, but sometimes, he just...NEEDS you." Inkling nodded. That one word said more than either of them could force themselves to say.

Barnacles mumbled, cuddling up to his sister's chest, looking more than ever like a little cub. Inkling chuckled. "I remember a couple weeks ago, when he tried to climb the stairs in little space. He could barely stand up, so he started crawling up them, like they were too big for him. It was adorable. Dashi took a million pictures."

Bianca laughed a little. "We were such a pair when we were little. One time, Mum found us trying to sneak cookies. We were pulling the cookie sheet off the counter at the same time, so carefully, as if it were to explode if we were any faster with it. And another time," she was laughing again, "Mum took us to the pumpkin patch and we got lost. She wouldn't have found us if it weren't for Barnacles hat wandering through the rows of pumpkins." They shared a laugh. Barnacles, too deep in little space to understand, just giggled.

Bianca continued rocking her brother, smiling at him. "I just wish he knew how much he was loved. But that's probably what hurts him." Inking nodded, still smiling a little. He wandered over, and smiled at the little one's sleepy-looking face. His eyes were full of innocence, and wonder, and he looked years younger. But Inkling could still see fear.

They sang Barnacles his lullaby together, watching him fall asleep. From the way he clung to Bianca, you'd have thought she was his last line of defense. He was scared. Inkling felt like he could shrivel up at any moment. It hurt to know how much the captain was hurting, and that he would never truly tell them.

Inkling gently placed a tentacle on the little one's cheek, smiling when Barnacles wrapped a paw around it. He could be such a little teddy bear.