It's actually been some time since I've actually written a fanfic (maybe a year ago or two, I guess?). So this might be a rough start for me. Also, I've also recently stepped in the WBB fandom...so if there's anyone OOC, please tell me, okay?
Now for some warnings/notes:
-as much as this story may have fluff, this ain't fluff fanfiction, buddy.
-if someone has been abandoned in the past or something like that, I don't want you to get hurt. You have the option to go back to the previous page. If you proceed, remember that you're taking the risk here as well.
-this story has been rated T for a reason. Now for those who are 12 years old or younger, don't be like my 9-yeard old self. Go scan other fanfics.
-this may be AU-ish, since I know that the real Grizz and Panda wouldn't ignore Ice Bear (then again, there was the episode "Nom Nom").
-English ain't my first language so please pardon me.
-I don't own We Bare Bears.
-the title was inspired by one of Poland's Marukaite Chikyuu (if you're an APH fan, you'd understand).
And that's all I have to say! Enjoy the story, alright?
-Ultimate-Bear-sama
Sometimes
I have been asking myself
Why Ice Bear never smiled
Never laughed nor gave a chuckle
He's always silent
Distant
Emotionless
Empty
Like there's something that made his heart nothing but a void of sadness
Not even my brother knew why
But one day
We got something that we didn't expect would get:
An answer
And that's when we realized
That sometimes
Finding out the truth
Can affect the strength of person who's been trying to stay strong for so long
So are you ready
To hear the tragic tale of our little brother?
It all happened too fast. Grizz felt so stupid. Sure, it was probably not his fault that the truck suddenly ran over his little brother (who was on the pedestrian lane when the pedestrian sign said "go". So it's definitely not his fault, right?). Yet, he repeated over and over in his head that he was the cause of this. That he was the reason why the bear was in Intensive Care Unit. That he was the reason why his brother was in a coma. That he's to blame for Panda's tears. Why didn't he protect his brothers like he should have? It was his job as the big brother after all. Why didn't he just push Ice Bear away when he had the chance to?
If it wasn't for that new toy he saw while doing window shopping with his brothers one stormy night, Ice Bear wouldn't be here right now. Oh how Grizz wished to be the one in a coma. He never wanted this to happen to them, especially to his baby brother. If he could just turn back time...if he had the power to...he could have pulled Ice Bear out the moment the truck went to his direction. Then, maybe they would still be at home, watching that new movie he bought a few hours together. Maybe they would be laughing at the scenes together like the brothers they are. Maybe...just maybe, they would still be together, safe and sound.
Grizz covered his face to hide the tears. Was he really an idiot?
To add salt to the pain, both Grizz and Panda lately ignored their brother for just simple things like hanging out with their new friends or shopping. It simply became their routine. They ate breakfast, took a shower, left Ice Bear to do the chores alone in the house, come back with dinner on their tables, eat, and then sleep, not even greeting "hello" or "goodnight" to the bear. When was the last time they had even exchanged words of comfort or held a conversation?
Grizz held onto the stress ball that he bought the other day, as if it is that only object can save him from near death. He might have squished it too tight, for when he dropped it, the ball was already deflated, lying there like a piece of paper. Nothing can calm him anymore. The only thing that mattered to him was for Ice Bear to stay alive and wake up.
And maybe...the old days would come back, just like he wished the moment he saw his brother lying on a pool of his own blood.
Grizz looked at the sleeping bear's face. His head has been wrapped in bandages (Grizz couldn't even tell if that's really his skin or bandages) while his arm was placed in a cast. His left leg has been supported by a bed rail found at the end of the bed. His right arm was attached to an IV and the rest of his body was either wrapped in bandages or hooked up to machines. Machines that made Grizz's blood pressure rise even more. Those machines are the only ones that could actually tell of how his brother's feeling. And while that may be reassuring, the thought of something happening to the machines or his brother pressured him.
He should have been in Ice Bear's position. It would be better if that were to happen right? I mean, he is the cause of Ice Bear's welfare after all.
That's right, he thought. Maybe it would've been better if I were gone. It's my fault, after all. I want to strangle myself. Make myself feel like I'm really the one to blame. Feel the pain Ice Bear's feeling right now. Let myself suffer-
"Grizz?"
Said bear snapped back into reality once he heard his name. Grizz turned to see his other little brother, Panda, at the door. Along with him was two paper bags and a lollipop on his mouth. As much as Panda tried to smile, Grizz could see that not even the carefree one couldn't keep one. He could read his body language. And he can conclude that Panda is also feeling the same things he's feeling right now: sadness, regret, vengeance, guilt.
Maybe Grizz is not the only one in pain.
"Oh. H-hey, bro,"he uttered. Grizz didn't feel like using his normal, loud voice. No. Not at this situation. He didn't even have the strength to smile.
It wasn't like before, wherein the atmosphere was warm and everyone was happy (yes, even Ice Bear. They can see it). Grizz felt like there was a distance between he and Panda whenever they try to talk or say a word to each other. And both knew very well why it is such.
Panda looked at his little brother with a sad smile. "He's not awake, huh?" Grizz bit his lip and nodded. When did he feel this nervous before? What was he nervous and afraid of anyways? There were only two plausible answers: Ice Bear not waking up or even worse-
Grizz gulped. That certain thought made chills run down through his spine. No, don't think of that. He will live, he looked at the slow breathing of Ice Bear and sighed a bit. He has to.
After minutes (or rather hours for Grizz), Panda held out the paper bag to his big brother. "I bought you dinner,"he said. Grizz took it, uttered a "thank you" and got his foam food container.
Inside were a variety of Grizz's favorite foods: bacon, pizza, egg, and sandwich. To top it all off, there were even some fries in the corner. Normally, this would make Grizz feel better, even for a bit. But the atmosphere the food held didn't feel the same. Ice Bear's food was made with love. Grizz knew that everything the polar bear did was for love (even if it's not shown on his face). But when it's something like this, he felt like something was missing. He felt as if it was nothing more than just food Panda ordered at a fast food chain near by.
He can't eat it.
Grizz closed the container and put it back at the paper bag. This, of course, caught Panda's attention.
"Grizz, you need to eat something."
The bear turned to Panda and gave a sad smile. "It's alright, bro. I ain't hungry yet-"
"Grizz, you haven't eaten in five hours. At least finish the sandwich-"
"Panda, for the last time, I'm not hungry." Grizz was getting impatient. Didn't he tell Panda that he refused to eat?
Panda stood up and frowned. "This is about Ice Bear, isn't it?"
Just mentioning his name already made Grizz break down into tears. He fell off the chair, and for the first time, cried without covering himself. "Yes it is Panda. It's the truth! I'm the one to blame for Ice Bear's situation! If I wasn't an idiot, I could have saved him! Then maybe I would feel like I have done my job perfectly! I...I just want to turn back time...just to save him,"Grizz stood and ran to kick and punch the door. "Isn't it hard to ask for it?!"
Panda gritted his teeth. He had enough of this. He didn't any more damage. The bear proceeded to grab his brother and slap him right across the face. "C-Can you just calm down and think for a bit-"
"I did think and that's final! I rather let myself die than let my own brother suffer this! Why can't you understand that-"
"I understand you perfectly, Grizz! I, too, also want to save his life as well! I, too, want to turn back time to take the bullet! But this is reality. Open you eyes, brother! What's done is done!"
Grizz feltvspeechless. Nor did he even move to push Panda out of the way. What do you mean...I couldn't turn back time? I-I can't? He closed his eyes. So this is the harsh reality, huh? Ice Bear in a coma and wounds all around him... He chuckled. This reality is so stupid. When that thought finally passed through his brain, he finally had the strength to push Panda down to the floor. Grizz huffed. What does he know, anyway?
"This is reality, huh? Then I don't want this reality. I want to go to another reality. And I'll wait for you and Ice Bear to come with me,"he said while going to the window that was next to the IV. Grizz opened it and gave a little smile. "See ya, bro-"
But as soon as Grizz was about to step out of the window, Panda held his paw tightly. Grizz turned around and saw something he didn't expect to see:
Panda was crying. Hard.
"Grizz, please stop. I'm losing a brother right now. And I'm not losing another one," he mumbled. As much as Grizz wanted to step down, a part of him wanted to do it. And so, he tried to proceed. But Panda's grip was tighter than expected. So he gave up.
Panda looked straight at him in the eye the moment Grizz turned to see him again. "Besides, Ice Bear wouldn't want this, right?" That thought, that single sentence made Grizz completely frozen. He couldn't retort, not after remembering everything Ice Bear had done for them...especially that time when Nom Nom nearly killed him and Panda.
Grizz really owed Ice Bear big time.
"All his life, Ice Bear did nothing but to protect us, right? He went to every length, every centimeter and everything he couldn't dare to do just for our safety. He only wanted what's best for us. If you jump out of that window right now, don't you think that all his work will go to waste?"
Grizz widened his eyes. That's right, he thought as he finally let himself go down from the window. What Panda didn't expect, though, was Grizz hugging him. Panda gave a sad smile and returned the hug.
It was only a matter of moments before both of them shared their own tears with each other.
/...\
Days passed, yet Ice Bear still hasn't woken up. Grizz and Panda once argued on who will watch the bear for the day. But in the end, they decided to leave their house for a while just to watch over him. They brought their sleeping bags (how Ice Bear managed to get the expensive ones was a mystery) and slept next to Ice Bear's bed every night. Chloe also came to check on Ice Bear, but it was only for a short while. Even so, both brothers appreciated the fact that Chloe would escape her classes to see how her friend's doing. The best part was that Chloe's parents didn't mind paying for Ice Bear's medicines and hospital fee. The thought made the tension lessen for both brothers.
All that's left to worry about was whether Ice Bear would wake up or not.
And yet, even in the ordinary days, things that would be unexpected would happen.
It was on a sunny day when it happened.
While Panda was updating his status, Grizz just sat on a chair, staring at the ceiling. His laptop was charging, so he had nothing to do but to just watch that ceiling and hope that any moment now, Ice Bear would wake up.
Come to think about it, he felt like they haven't been showing their appreciation to Ice Bear that much. Never did the bear even complain about doing the work alone nor did he get mad whenever the two brothers would leave. He was just...silent.
And yet, he's the reason why their fevers would come down. He's the reason why they still live in a clean house and have fresh food to eat. He's the reason why they got such appliances and gadgets. And he's probably the reason why money would come in (until now, he still doesn't know where all the money came from).
They had to thank him somehow.
"Hey, Grizz,"As he heard his name, Grizz's head turned to face Panda. "Hmm?"
"Do you think we should thank Ice Bear for all the things he's done?"
Looks like Grizz wasn't alone in this plan. He stood up from the chair and sat across his brother.
"Where do we begin?"
Panda looked at the bear, who was lying peacefully on the hospital bed. "Well, for starters, we shouldn't make the party very extravagant. Last time we tried to throw a birthday party for him worth a thousand dollars, Ice Bear freaked out."
Grizz laughed at the memory. The look on Ice Bear's face when he lectured them for wasting a lot of money on DJs, a party room so big, a stage, equipment, and lots of food was priceless. "I suppose that's true. Then, maybe we could just buy a cake for him, right?" Panda nodded. "But since we won't know when he'll ever wake up, I guess we can do it the day he'll come home."
"Yeah, that's true. We can try to make food for him in return for what he's cooked for us."
That thought made Panda pause. "You do realize we can't cook, right?"
Grizz rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, bro. We'll learn somehow, right?"
"...Last time we tried to cook for him, the kitchen exploded. And even we were following the recipe."
"That was three years ago, right?"
"Yeah. On the morning of his birthday."
"Man, why do our faults happen on Ice Bear's birthday?"
Panda shrugged. "Even I will never know."
"Hmm,"Grizz replied. "Then I guess we'll order food."
"Two years ago on his birthday, he said that the food we ordered tasted like shit."
"...Dammit,"Grizz said as he face-palmed. "Then maybe just the cake is enough, right?"
"I suppose so. And we can invite Chloe in."
"Yeah. Let's just hope that the release date falls on a weekend."
Panda nodded. Just then, a knock was heard. Grizz stood up and opened the door.
It was the cops.
"O-Oh. Hey, officers. What do you need?"Grizz asked. One of the officers pushed the truck driver in. He was handcuffed and his shirt was held tight by the officer who pushed him. "This driver wanted to apologize for the distress he had caused,"the officer said. Grizz kept his calm. Be cool. He crossed his arms. "So you're the one who ran over our brother, huh?"
The moment the words were out, Panda stood to join his brother. As much as he wanted to scream at him, the appearance told him not to. The driver looked as if he had not slept for weeks. He probably was been driving day and night just to probably earn for his family (his looks said that he wasin his forties). So just like Grizz, he calmed himself.
The driver lowered his head. "I'm so sorry it happened. You see, on that day, my boss gave me a few more hundred bucks. I was driving home rapidly to tell my wife the good news. I guess...my excitement caused all this."
Grizz looked at the man's face. He really is sincere.
"If I could just abandon my family just to live a new life, I would. I would let myself be run over, even for a hundred times, just to let myself feel the pain. I feel so terrible that I-"
Remembering what Panda once said, Grizz held the driver's shoulders and looked at him straight into the eye."Ice Bear wouldn't want that. He'd rather take the bullet for even the biggest asshole in this world than watch the ones he love suffer." The driver closed his eyes. "Really?" Panda smiled. "Yeah. Ice Bear protected us no matter what we were in. He's that kind of guy who shows his appreciation by doing those things,"Panda turned to see the bear on the bed. "It's rare for you to meet people who are this kind and generous nowadays. You only meet those people once in your life,. Sure, you'll think, 'This guy is trusting enough.'. But the truth is, that person will end up betraying you later on. But I know for a fact that Ice Bear is not like them. When he does it, he means it."
"H-how do you know that?"
"Well...I'm his brother. Siblings, even if they're adopted, share the same soul when they see each other at first sight. That's how I knew to came the real Ice Bear."
The driver smiled. "If he ever wakes up, tell him I said sorry. I never knew he was such a good big brother."
Grizz chuckled. "Actually, sir. He's our baby brother."
The driver returned the chuckle. "I see. Then when he wakes up, try to protect him as much as you two could. I don't want my brother to have the same fate he had."
Panda looked at him. "Same fate?"
The driver, remembering something that happened years ago, shook his head. "It's nothing. Anyway, I have to go now. I'll see you."
And as he left, all Panda could whisper was, "We'll keep that promise."
/...\
It was dark. That's the first thing that registered into Ice Bear's head. Where was he anyway? Where are his brothers? What happened, he thought.
Wait. If Ice Bear remembers clearly, he saw some fish nearby. Then the next thing Ice Bear saw was-
Everything came back at once. The pain of being run over ran over him. The sounds of his brothers' wails echoed into his mind. And the last thing he saw were the tear-soaked faces of his siblings.
Ice Bear looked down. So that's what happened, huh?
He decided to walk. Search for an escape, if he can. He really wants to see his brothers right now.
Yet after hours of walking, Ice Bear felt tired. It seemed like there was no escape in this darkness. All Ice Bear had to do know was to wait.
But first, he slept.
When he woke up, though, his surroundings changed.
Around him were a blanket of snow. Pine trees and wolves scattered around the area. And behind the scenery were mountains. Bears came to him, greeting the bear a "good morning".
That place...felt familiar.
Ice Bear widened his eyes. If Ice Bear's here...then...
"Big brother!"
And that's where his real nightmare began.
Thought it'd be cute to make Ice Bear the big bro for his fanmade backstory. This one will actually explain why he's so protective of his own big brothers (even if they're supposed to be protecting him).
Let me know what you think, okay? I'd appreciate some feedback!
See ya'll!
-Ultimate-Bear-sama
EDITED DUE TO GRAMMAR ERRORS (1/8/2016)
