Let me start by saying. I am sorry for the dry spell of no updates in anything to all the people that enjoy my works. Been going through a lot of inconveniences and shit, but I never stopped writing. In fact, a large amount of my time was dedicated to new works that I've put a whole lot of thought into. This is one of those works, as you can see, it's the longest oneshot I've written and I tried my best to make it as close to an actual episode of the series while still having the feel of my writing style. But enough about myself, what about the oneshot?
Ever since watching the episode Burrito and always crying at the ending of the episode each time I watch (and I always watch it if it's on) I'm among the few that wishes for Grizz to see the fireman again. However, I am part of a smaller few that SHIPS them together. So yeah, Grizz x Fireman should be a thing among the fandom. And I dub it Smokey Bear for obvious pun reasons. Anyways, enjoy because this isn't just fluff, I made sure of that.
Disclaimer: I don't own We Bare Bears, but I would vote for Ice Bear as President if Stan Pines was his Vice President.
A ray of light filtered into the room, bathing a brown bear in its bright warmth. The morning sunlight would be his alarm to get up in the morning, however Grizz remained unconscious, his body tossing and turning as his subconscious attempted to battle away the nightmare. A sharp gasp signaled the end of his slumbering torment, Grizz remained still in the bed trying to calm both his heart and his racing mind.
He had always been plagued by a reoccurring nightmare, one that he could get nothing but a few glimpses of. As much as he put on a wide smile for the world, it terrified him that he could not find the reason for his nightly terrors. Only to be left with the thought that sleep would bring an unknown fear upon him.
Grizzly stared up at the ceiling, still mentally stressed from whatever had him tossing and turning. Closing his eyes for a moment, the bear began to rest, keeping his mind awake to prevent slipping into the nightmare. A sigh escaped his throat as he felt the light against the fur on his face. The heat from the sun was rather gentle, always softly caressing his body and giving a soothing feeling.
The brown bear was always thankful whenever he woke up from bad dreams in the morning, the way the morning sun shone through his window always substituted having something to hold onto for comfort. A smile spread across his muzzle as he remembered Burrito, he always laughed at his past self for growing so attached to an inanimate object.
Finally having something to smile for, Grizzly slowly rose from his bed and pulled the covers off of his body, yawning loudly as he stretched his limbs. Whereas most would be ashamed for stupid things in the past, Grizz always just laughed at his younger self, he was never the kind of person for shame.
Wanting to brighten his mood a bit more before truly getting up for the day, Grizz reached for his personal laptop from under his bed, hoping that he would find some great viral videos to enjoy.
'Maybe Nom Nom uploaded another adorable video,' He slightly doubted the situation given the last encounter with the Koala, but there was always the possibility of the internet star bouncing back somehow, even without the help from the Bears. After clicking on a random video, Grizz was met with gameplay footage while having hilarious voice clips and text added with it. Within moments, the brown bear was giggling throughout it.
After more half-thought out clicks, Grizz found himself in a strange video. He arched an eyebrow as he watched a crowd of women cheer as a man dressed in a Firefighter uniform appeared on a stage. The bear sighed deeply as he shut the laptop, feeling his cheeks flush red. For some reason Grizz would always stumble upon these kinds of videos, yet he couldn't quite put his finger on the reason why. As usual, the bear shook his head and continued on with the day.
Stepping into the kitchen to the familiar scent of coffee and a delicious breakfast, Grizz felt his usual vigor return as he rushed to his seat at the table. While devouring his large breakfast, the brown bear gave a mouthful 'good morning' as he watched Panda stumble into the room. Eventually all three gathered at the table, each enjoying their food at their own paces.
"So bros, what should we do today?" The brown bear asked as he finished his cup of coffee. He watched as his two younger brothers shared a short look before Panda spoke out.
"Why don't we go to the Mall, I've been meaning to get a volume of Soul Eater Not." As usual Ice Bear did not object nor agree with the decision with a stoic stare. Grizz mulled over the idea in his head and decided to go with it, a nice crowded place would be a great way to keep his mind busy.
"Sure thing, Pan-Pan, that sound good, bro?" Directing the answer to the polar bear, the two waited for a proper response. Only to be met with a small nod as he scraped off some food stuck to his axe.
"Ice Bear needs to get twenty bags of coffee," Both elder brothers shared a questioning glance before hearing a short-winded explanation. "For science." Despite growing up together as a trio, Panda and Grizz could never truly wrap their heads around their youngest brother's antics. The polar bear was completely unpredictable, and it was hard to understand what went on in his head. But the youngest bear had never done anything bad, and only proved time and time again that he is a loving brother.
After arriving at the town mall, the bears in their usual walking stack stood by a large fountain by the entrance. Grizz stared up at the ceiling, trying to find a distraction in the many light fixtures. Too caught up in keeping his mind distracted, the brown bear nearly couldn't hear the others trying to get his attention.
"Grizz, are you alright?" Panda stared up at his older brother with a concerned face. Something had to be wrong if he was being this quiet, the eldest bear was never the one to space out.
"Huh…? Yeah, just a bit tire-Hey, where'd Ice go?" It had finally occurred to him that his view was lower than usual, shaking his head at his own negligence Grizz stepped off of Panda's back to allow the both of them to stand.
"He left to get some things," With his hands free, the panda bear began to pull out his phone and check a few of his messages. "He said that we should split up and meet back here."
It was a rare occasion that the bears would go their separate ways. Though the brown bear began to think that a little alone time was what he needed. Seeing as his constant trances were beginning to worry his brother, being alone would be less stressful on them and possibly himself.
"Sure, you go get that girly comic you wanted." Panda began to blush slightly in embarrassment and quickly defended himself.
"I-It is not girly, it is part of a dark series!" Grizz chuckled and began to pet his younger brother, apologizing for his teasing and began to walk away. After putting enough distance between him and the fountain, the brown bear sighed in relief that he managed to avoid further questions. Though it brought upon a new question; what was he going to do now? Grizz only agreed to come for the sake of his brothers, there wasn't anything that he needed to do. 'Guess I'll just walk around.'
Wanting to start on the second floor, the brown bear made his way to the nearest elevator. Moments later, the doors slid open and released a flood of shoppers. Taking the chance, Grizzly slid past a few civilians and entered the elevator, waiting for a moment in case someone else wanted to take the trip up with him. Seeing that no one else was interested in taking the elevator with him, the brown bear decided to lean against the wall of the small elevator after pushing the button for the top floor.
Another sigh escaped his lips as he felt a small shake in the elevator and felt no more pressure from an accession. Normally he would panic in a situation like this, but he didn't want to cause anymore drama than there should be. Sliding down the wall into a sitting position, Grizz waited patiently for someone to help. Maybe this could have been a sign that he needed to reflect on what could possibly be bothering him. All he had to keep him company at the moment were his own thoughts.
"But where do I even start…?" The brown bear groaned out loud, talking to himself would usually seem weird in public, but he was in a closed off space with nothing to do but wait. With no one around to hear him it wouldn't matter much if he spoke out loud or in his head. Soon enough, Grizz tucked his head into his crossed arms as he patiently waited.
After what seemed like an eternity passed, the brown bear began to notice a slight increase in temperature. It seemed incredibly unnatural given he hadn't moved around since getting stuck. Grizz shook his head and dismissed it as his imagination. Another groaned escaped his throat as he felt his stomach rumble uncontrollably. Of all the times for his hunger to kick in, it had to be at the most unconventional time. Putting reflection aside for the sake of desperately needing to get out and fill his empty stomach, the brown bear began to pound on the steel doors of the elevator and calling for help. Grizz knew he had the patience to wait for most things, but his hunger usually betrayed him in many instances.
"Heeeeelp! I'm starving in here!" The brown bear slumped face first against the doors hoping to catch whiff of the food court just outside. Grizz began to salivate as he began to smell a smoky scent, immediately thinking of barbecue. Finally reaching desperation for an escape, the brown bear began to pound of the doors, hoping in some way that the elevator would begin again and soon release him from this isolation. Grizz paused for a moment to catch his breath, soon coughing uncontrollably. The smoky scent began to get stronger, what he assumed to be barbecue soon carrying nothing but the strong scent of a fire.
Trying to keep himself from breathing in too much of the rising smoke, Grizz began to cover his muzzle as a makeshift filter. His eyes began to sting as he could begin to visibly see the smoke seep into the closed space. A large rocking in the Elevator struck fear into the brown bear, thoughts of the elevator falling with him inside began to plague his mind. Tears formed at the corner of his eyes as he began to flash through his life's hardships and events. He shut his eyes rather tight, both out of precaution to stop his eyes from stinging and to let the tears fall.
"Grab my hand!" Grizz snapped his eyes open as he tried to figure out who was calling out to him. Looking up at the ceiling, he found a lone arm sticking out of an opening in the ceiling. From his angle, he could see nothing more than the arm, seeing that it was gloved and wrapped with an orange sleeve. It was immediately obvious that his savior was part of the Fire Department. Without hesitation, the bear latched on to the arm, utterly shocked how easily he was lifted up out of his previous prison. After getting a stable footing on top of the elevator, the brown bear wiped his face before looking over at the fireman. "We're not safe yet, do you think you can follow me up this cable?"
Dressed in the usual attire of the local firefighters, the man that asked him in a strong yet calm voice stared at him with a determined gleam in his eyes. Although the lighting was not the best in the elevator shaft, Grizz could make out a mature and strong jaw line.
"Uh, yeah, I climb things all the time!" The Fireman gave back a smile as he began to scale the cable to higher ground, the bear waited patiently until the man was a far enough distance where he could be safe from any accidental kicks. Grizz kept up rather well, slightly surprised that the Fireman above kept a growing lead, as if he wanted to bear to pick up the pace.
"About time you got here!"Grizz flinched slightly as he heard a different voice echo through the shaft, focusing on what was happening above, the bear could see someone helping the Fireman onto the ledge of the closest floor. Picking up the pace, Grizz reached to the same elevation to get assisted in reaching safety. "You saved a bear?"
Gasping for fresh air, the brown bear couldn't focus on the situation currently. He could only hear certain details in the conversation. From what he could tell, the second fireman was chewing out the first for taking long as well as wasting said time to rescue only a bear. As much as Grizz wanted to argue the value of his life, as well as thank the other for rescuing him, he felt far too hungry and exhausted to do anything more. In fact, the brown bear fell over, startling the firemen slightly by the sudden collapse.
"-ake up, please, Grizz just wake up already!" Despite hearing his younger brother screaming for him in distress, the brown bear began to sniff the air, catching the faint scent of chicken among plenty of other vegetables. Finding himself on his back, the brown bear began to rise up with his nose trying to discern all the ingredients he was currently interested in, his eyes remained closed focusing all his senses on smell. "Grizz! I'm so glad you're awa-"
Before Panda could give his older brother a large hug, a large rumbling noise sounded from the brown bear. Grizz let out a light chuckle as he finally opened his eyes.
"Sorry about that Panda," Grizz responded as he leaned in to hug his younger brother. Looking around, the brown bear began to notice the unfamiliar setting. He found himself staring at what seemed like a simple guest room, the walls painted a bright orange with a lovely hardwood floor. The colors gave off a warm feeling, both in a physical and emotional way. Whoever had designed the room wanted to have things as cheerful as possible. "Where are we?"
It was then that the panda bear began to recount the events that unfolded after the trio split up. Grizz attempted to try to piece together the whole story, but occasionally Panda would get sidetracked with how things went on his end rather than what had happened. But from what he could tell, after Grizz's elevator got stuck, a small electrical fire took place at the bottom of the elevator shaft, one that went unnoticed until the fire grew larger. If the brown bear had not freaked out over his hunger, no one would have known he was stuck.
"After you collapsed, your stomach was barking at everyone," Panda began to giggle slightly as he remembered the relief that washed over everyone seeing that he passed out of hunger and nothing too serious. "One of the firemen offered to feed you as soon as you woke up."
The brown bear sighed in relief, thankful to whoever saved his life and to whoever offered to feed him. If the fire wasn't going to kill him, his insatiable hunger would have. Taking the time to survey the room he was in again, Grizz began to take notice of the absence of his youngest brother. Yet before he could inquire about it, Panda quickly explained that he was lending a hand in the cooking. A wide grin spread across his face as he knew he was going to enjoy a large meal.
Looking around, the brown bear noticed a dresser and mirror off to the side, wedged into the sides of the mirror were a few photographs. As much as Grizz wanted to inspect the pictures, he knew it was best to stay put and not go snooping around in a kind fireman's home. Though he could make out that most of the pictures consisted of a father and son, the latter of which always seen wearing a solid blue baseball hat. The brown bear squinted slightly, getting a faint feeling of familiarity.
"Grizz, are you trying to get X-ray vision again?" Memories of staring endlessly at random objects began to flash back in his mind. Another round of laughter returned to the two as they reminisced about such ridiculous times. With more laughter brightening up his day, the brown bear began to get up, finally realizing that he was placed on a large queen sized bed. After fixing up the blue sheets, the two began to leave the room to see how their younger brother was doing in his cooking as well as meet the kind fireman.
As the two closed the door on their way out, Grizz patiently waited for his younger brother to lead the way. After weaving through a few corridors, the brown bear began to pick up on a gruff voice sounding surprised.
"Can I get some of your recipes?" It took Grizz a moment to recognize the voice as the same fireman that pulled him out of the elevator as before. He could catch onto the maturity in his tone, along with that familiar sense of strength behind each word.
"Ice Bear does not teach." The familiar monotonous and short response gave a small smile on the bears' faces as they entered the kitchen. The blending scents of chicken, Alfredo sauce, parmesan, and butter filled their noses. Grizz's mouth began to water as he imagined the possibilities of the meal he would be fed. Upon entering the kitchen, the brown bear's eyes fell upon a large man seated near the oven, observing the polar bear that seemed to dance with kitchen utensils as he prepared a meal. Neither the man nor the polar bear noticed their arrival.
The brown bear took the time to observe the fireman's appearance. The standard orange jacket was missing from his attire, possibly hung in another room, revealing a very tight fitting navy blue t-shirt that put the man's muscles on display. Now that the brown bear could see how strong the man was, he could see how it was possible for the man to pull him up and stay ahead in climbing the cable. A set of red suspenders framed his shoulders and kept his uniform's bright orange pants from falling without the use of a belt.
After taking a few steps forward, the man turned his head in their direction to greet them. A small smile was etched onto his face, softening the mature features. A pair of dark eyes stared at the two, appearing to be pitch black yet holding a gleam that really complimented the dark color.
"Glad to see you're finally up," The man rose from his seat to approach the brown bear, a large hand stretching out for a handshake while the other rose up to comb through messy brown locks. As Grizz took his hand in his paw, he could feel calluses press against his paw pads followed by a strong grip. Given the close proximity, Grizz was able to see more of the fireman's facial features up close. The bright eyes were strangely bordered by a few wrinkles. The sideburns on his face continued a bit down his jaw line with thick stubble venturing downward to the man's chin. All the features indicated that the man was rather old, old yet still full of vigor. After letting go of the handshake, the man then patted Grizz on the shoulder and kept a wide smile, the pearly white teeth nearly blinding him. "Excuse me, seems I forgot my manners, my name is Clark."
Grizz couldn't help but smile back at the elder man, he was grateful for what he had done for him so far, and the jolly nature he kept was rather infectious. "Formality is not a problem with me, call me Grizz."
Choosing to leave the two to converse, Panda stood off to the side and began to tweet about the rescue. As much as he didn't want to lump himself with the majority that televises all their actions on Social Media, he did know when it was necessary to share details and what to keep to himself, as well as keep himself from posting anything at unreasonable times. He wanted to make sure his brother was going to be alright before sharing with his followers. Panda didn't want to share a tragedy, but rather an amazing experience.
Grizz began to gush out many words of gratitude all aimed at Clark, the older man scratched the back of his head in slight embarrassment. Never before had someone given him so much praise with such a loud voice. Although the brown bear's volume was rather high, the fireman didn't mind at all, it was rather nice to see someone that isn't afraid to shout. By the time the food was ready, the brown bear's hunger made itself apparent again. Grizz had completely forgotten he had yet to eat since engaging in conversation with the older man, though the brown bear didn't give it much thought at the time.
The fireman ventured over to a cabinet and began to pull out a few plates, seeing that he was setting the table, the brown bear began to search for the silverware to aid the man. "Let me help you with that."
Clark had insisted that he didn't need to help as the bears were just guests in his home. He wanted them to relax and unwind after all that's happened while he treated them to a nice meal. He hadn't expected for the polar bear to take the wheel in cooking, nor did he expect the panda bear to stay by the unconscious Grizzly. It warmed his heart to see such a close and kind family.
With the table set, Ice Bear began to serve everyone a cut of his finished Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken, making sure to give both Grizz and Clark a larger serving and that Panda received a fruit salad instead. Clark raised an eyebrow as he wondered why the middle bear received a different meal. Seeing the questionable look on his face, Panda briefly explained his choice of being a vegetarian.
"That's interesting, I actually thought about becoming one before," The brown-haired man explained after swallowing a large forkful of pasta. "But I learned that I would have to substitute a lot of protein in order to keep my muscles in top form."
"Why is that exactly?" Panda asked, curious as to why the man would want to stay built throughout his age. He felt that it was a bit narcissistic, but still hoped there was a proper reason for it.
"To be a Fireman, you need to be able to carry a lot of weight while having equipment weighing you down about 50 pounds, need to stay strong for my line of work." The panda bear was pleasantly surprised by the answered he had received, it showed that the older man wanted to be efficient in his cause. In a way, if the man was a vegetarian he probably wouldn't have been able to save his brother's life.
Even after finishing their meals, the bears and human remained seated to continue their chat. The four kept sharing stories about many different ridiculous events, some instances Clark could remember witnessing. The Fireman figured he'd be seeing a lot of the trio after the first incident with the thieving pigeons.
"You know, I never thought how much I would enjoy having your compa-" Before the Fireman could finish his sentence a ringtone began to go off. At first Grizz looked over at Panda, but the middle brother immediately showed that it was not his own phone. "Sorry, that's mine," The Fireman apologized as he began to fish in his pocket for his own phone, quickly answering it with an informal 'hey'.
Grizz felt awkward with the sudden call, he had expected Clark to walk off into another room to keep it private but the man remained seated and continued to speak to the caller. He didn't want to eavesdrop but he could make out that the caller wanted to know about the Fireman's wellbeing. "I actually just had lunch with them, nice people, you should stop by, maybe have dinner and dessert together,"
The brown bear's ears twitched as he heard the indirect compliment to him and his brothers, as well as loving the idea of more meals and time to socialize. "Oh… Alright, maybe another time. Stay safe, Jon."
A sigh escaped the man's lips and hung up and placed his phone on the table, and hand coming up to rub the temples on his head as the look of disappointment washed over his features. A sinking feeling began to stir in the pit of Grizz's stomach as he saw the drastic change in the man's mood. The bright smile the older man wore was replaced by a wrinkled frown.
"Is everything alright?" Grizz found himself concerned for the fireman. He was so full of life since the moment he met him, and yet a simple phone call managed to dampen that energy singlehandedly. The hand that rubbed his temples went further north and ran through his hair once again before the man gave a stoic expression as he answered.
"I'm fine, that was just my son," The Fireman's hand reached for the back of his head and scratched out of habit. His eyes darted away from his guests and at the ceiling of the room. "Ever since he's gone to college, I've been experiencing a bit of empty-nest syndrome…"
"I thought that mothers are the only ones that get it…" Panda added into the conversation, though he knew better not to generalize things based on gender, it was a genuine thought. Clark sighed again and began to stare at a pictures set along a wall behind the bears. After mulling it over for a moment, the man decided to direct the trio's attention to them, remaining silent as the bears began to inspect the photos.
Many of them were of a younger looking fireman with a stunning woman. One of which even revealed that at one point the two were wed. However, other photos consisted of the older man with a child. The photos depicted the boy's venture into a young adult.
"Ice Bear gives condolences." The polar bear bluntly replied, figuring it out sooner than his older brothers.
"Oh… I'm so sorry." Panda quickly apologized to the Fireman, feeling more regret for his comment earlier. Clark shrugged it off, saying that it was alright since he hadn't known. Grizz narrowed his eyes as he continued to stare at the photos, still stumped by what it was that the images implied. After studying the photos for a bit longer, a tear nearly dropped from his eye as he realized in horror. Of all the pictures, the son and mother were never together.
Instead of apologizing like his brothers, the brown bear decided to go with a more direct approach. Grizz made his way around the table and gave a large hug to the seated man.
"I-it's fine Grizz, I've had twenty years to mourn over my loss," The man sat awkwardly for a moment, not sure how to respond to the hug. The bear hung onto him tightly, his warm fur brushing against the fabric of his shirt. The grip that Grizz had only grew tighter with each passing second, which made the Fireman a bit uncomfortable physically and slightly mentally. "You can let go…"
"Not until you hug back." Grizz quickly replied and slightly chuckled. A minute had pass before Clark realized that reciprocating the hug was his only way out of the literal bear hug. The human shook his head despite having a wide smile cracking on his face while returning the hug. A comforting feeling washed over the brown bear's body, he felt as he was safer with the man in his arms.
The hug lasted longer than expected, the younger bears were a bit confused by the sudden long lasting hug. It conflicted with how the Fireman was hesitant to return the hug at first, now it seemed as if he didn't want to let go. Eventually the polar bear rose from his seat and began to search the cabinets. In a moment's notice, Ice Bear returned with a wine glass and fork in hand, lightly tapping the fork on the glass to create a rather loud clink to grab their attention.
Realizing how much time has passed, Grizz broke away from the hug and began to apologize profusely. The volume nearly deafening everyone in the room. Despite the hysterical reaction from the eldest bear, Clark only smiled at him.
"It's fine, just been ages since I last got a hug, almost didn't want to let go." The human explained as he watched the bear scurry back to his seat, embarrassment fully evident all over Grizz's face. Clark couldn't help but try to stifle his laughter, there was always something going on with the brown bear that the human just couldn't help but crack a smile. As bad as it was to say it, he was a bit glad that Grizz had gotten stuck in the elevator.
"Well… We should probably get going." The brown bear stated, trying to calm himself and keep his blush from brightening any further. The older man's smile faltered slightly as he figured that it was about time for the bears to leave.
"I understand, it was nice spending time with you three." Clark smiled softly as he rose from his seat, the bears soon following his actions and making their way to the door. Panda noticed how disappointed his older brother was, as well as the depressed expression returning to Clark's face. Thinking quickly, he began to pull out his phone.
"Why don't we exchange numbers? That way we can spend more time together." The others stared at the panda bear for a moment in intrigue. In a quick second, the bright smile washed over the Fireman's face as he began to pull out his own phone. All in for spending more time with the trio later on down the road. The human immediately saved the number to his contacts and opened the door for the bears, waving with a large smile on his face as he watched them leave.
Running his hand through his locks of brown hair again, the Fireman began to notice a faint scent of smoke clinging to his skin and hair. The man swore under his breath as he feared that the scent might have bothered the bears. Shaking his head, Clark began to make his way down the hallway into his own bedroom. Taking a quick turn to enter his own personal bathroom and shedding his clothes to take a quick shower.
As he turned the dials and tested the water's warmth, the older man began to ponder about the day's events. It was nice to be able to get into action in his job as well as make good friends. Though he would have felt a bit better about it all if his son had come to visit as well, but he knew that perfection was too far for him. He was thankful for at least having a small change in pace. Stepping under the fall of water, the human felt his muscles relax under the warm caress of the water. The feeling reminding him of the long hug he had received.
'Been alone for too damn long…' The human sighed deeply as he felt a slight blush spread on his cheeks. He blamed the years of being single plaguing him with such thoughts and decided to push them back. After quickly rinsing off all the grime and sweat he accumulated, the man turned the dials to stop the water. The man stood still for a moment as he let his body dry naturally before using a towel. As he left to dress himself he could hear the faint melody of his ringtone. Expecting it to be the bears, a small smile of surprise washed over his face as he saw his son's name on the screen.
Back at their Cave, the Bears decided to go through their usual routine of relaxing. Panda relaxed on the couch as he was finally given time to read his new manga while his older brother tried to beat his old high score.
"Gah! How am I supposed to block that!?" The brown bear cried out as he watched his character get knocked out very easily. He slumped over in his seat and pouted, starting to think that defeating this boss was impossible. Looking up from his manga, the panda bear shrugged as he had never gotten that far in the game to know how to avoid it. He knew, that given enough attempts, that his brother would pull through, eventually. If he knew anything, in the face of a challenge, Grizz would be a bit stubborn and never quit until he emerged victorious.
Feeling his phone vibrate next to his leg, Panda began to wonder who it was that was calling him. To him, it seemed a bit too soon to be the fireman.
"Oh, it's Chloe," Immediately swiping on his phone to answer the call, the panda bear relaxed in his seat as he greeted the prodigy, though his greeting was only returned with a few shouts of concern. "C-chloe… Yes, he's fine… Uh-" Placing a paw on the phone as he turned to face the brown bear, Panda began to whisper to his older brother. "Chloe says to turn on the news."
Considering what he had just heard, the young girl had seen the news about the rescue. Though he was concerned with what the news was reporting about him. Turning the channel away from his game, Grizz flipped through channels until he reached the local news. The header displayed immediately caught his attention.
The Smokey Bear of the City
A small smile spread across his muzzle as he liked the idea of being seen as some sort of local fire safety figure. Though, he began to notice that the footage used in the reel was that when he was unconscious. A small blush of embarrassment spread across his cheeks as he noticed that Clark had carried him out of the mall bridal style. He let out an unintelligible groan as he realized many people in the city, and possibly the internet, were seeing him being carried by a man in such a way.
Seeing how Grizz was reacting to news, Panda decided to tell Chloe he needed to do something at the moment. He felt it was best Grizz didn't hear her gush about how adorable she thought the brown bear looked. "If it makes you feel better, Clark said he originally wanted to carry you on his back… But you were a lot heavier than he expect-Grizz, I can see your blush through your fur…"
The panda bear was rather shocked to see the red painted all over Grizz's face. There were times where the brown bear would blush occasionally, but never at this intensity. And being on the news like this had never embarrassed him like this before. Being told how bright his face had gotten, the brown bear turned the TV off and began to cover his face with his paws.
"Ice Bear suggests five seconds in the fridge." The polar bear added as he quickly popped up with a large mug of coffee in his paw. It was rather comedic how large the coffee mug was, it could probably fit a small animal in it. Though the question arose as to how Ice Bear had acquired such a large mug, but the others shrugged it off as usual. It was best not to question the youngest bear's actions after all.
Taking the polar bear's suggestion quite literally, Grizz dashed across the living into the kitchen to stick his head into the fridge. The Bear groaned slightly as the cold clashed with his burning face, feeling as if it was slicing across his fur rather than extinguishing his blush. As he endured the cold, his brothers decided to check on how he was doing, standing just outside the fridge and hearing Grizz still groaning, whether it was still about the news or the cold was unknown.
"Grizz, are you sure you're alright, you've been acting strange all day…" Recalling all the strange events that had happened, the panda bear began to worry deeply about his older brother's wellbeing. In response, the brown bear gave a muffled 'I don't know'. As much as he wanted to tell them the truth, he truly did not know why he was acting this way.
He sighed deeply and pulled his head out of the fridge, trudging towards his own room. Grizz decided to sleep the rest of the day off. The bear slumped down on his bed, given that he cooled his face off, the heat of the room was beginning to burn his face. To him, the heat acted more of a searing burn rather than an internal heat from his blush.
Turning over to lay on his back, the brown bear sighed deeply as he tried to find a reason to be happy. Immediately, his thoughts ran to the meal with the fireman. The memory was still fresh in his mind as he remembered the delicious food, the fun stories, and even the long hug. Grizz chuckled again at his past self, even if he found it a bit embarrassing, it still was funny to him. Though, he couldn't help but miss the feeling of it. As opposed to his blush, the change in temperature, as well as the heat he felt from the fire, the warmth from hugging Clark was soothing to him. Almost as if he was resting in sunlight around the man. The brown bear's eyes widened as he shot up in his bed, his heart racing as realization hit him like a ton of bricks.
Clark smiled widely as he answered the door, as rare as it was for his son to visit him, he could never frown with his own flesh and blood around. It amused him as he still caught notice of the signature blue cap atop of Jon's head. No matter where the boy was, the hat would remain nestled on his head, letting only a few wavy locks of brown hair frame the boy's face.
"Hey Dad." The young man greeted as he stepped into the doorway and gave his father a hug. Jon was aware of how much his absence since moving out affected his father, he knew that he shouldn't push him away during visits.
"Good to see you, Son," Clark replied as he nearly popped the boy's back when he returned the hug. After releasing his son and stepping inside, the father began his usual follow up question. "How's college been?"
The young brunette took a moment to think about the past few weeks, college had been treating him well, though a few strange occurrences here a there, "It's been fine, a few crazy things happened though,"
The young man seated himself on the couch while his father leaned against it, an eyebrow arched up implying that he was curious about the latter details. Seeing the intrigued look on his dad's face, Jon began to think about where to begin explaining. "Well, recently, a little prodigy genius transferred into one of one my classes."
"How old is this prodigy?" The fireman asked, idly scratching the side of his cheek as he began to wonder how intelligent a child must be to be accepted into a college.
"She's around Ten to Twelve, I tried talking to her, but I guess she was too nervous to say anything to me… She seems like a great kid too," With the prodigy crossed of his list of interesting things, Jon began to move on to the next detail. "Then a few bears sneaked into the college and helped in the prodigy girl's presentation."
A large grin spread across the older man's face as he quickly connected it to Grizz and his brothers. Clark tried to suppress a chuckle, but unfortunately failed and gained a curious look from his son. "It's nothing, Jon, continue."
Shrugging it off quickly, the young man decided to pull the last and possibly most insane event from his list. "Probably won't believe me when I say this, but I saw the local Sasquatch with three boxes of pizza in the woods."
A full minute of awkward silence quickly followed after Jon finished his sentence, neither of the two moved from their spots. Eventually Clark began to wonder what kind of things his son was doing to even come up with a strange sentence like that.
"Jon, are you on drugs?" The young brunette sighed deeply as he scratched his scalp under his cap.
"Hundred percent clean, Dad, I know what I saw, I was with Larry too," The young man continued to explain in vivid detail what had went down in the woods. Even admitting how scared he had gotten when a snake had slithered onto his body.
"Then I kinda dropped my camera and ran…" A light blush of embarrassment spread across his face as he remembered his mistake. If it hadn't been for the snake, he'd have physical proof that he saw the Sasquatch. "Still don't believe me, do you?"
The fireman scratched his chin for a moment as he absorbed all the details before speaking out. "I'll admit, it's a bit absurd to hear all that," Jon prepared himself to be labeled as a liar but was soon met with a firm grip on his shoulder with vigorous shaking. "But you're my son, and if you say that is what you saw, then I'll take your word for it."
The young man smiled as he was thankful for having such an understanding father. Though now that he explained everything eventful that had happened to him since his last visit, it was time to hear the very same from his father.
"So how have things been going for you, Dad?" Before the young brunette could brace himself with an answer, the older man began to smile and profusely explained how he became friends with the Bears after rescuing Grizz from the mall fire. Jon's face lit up as he learned that his father had become their friends. The young man had seen the three countless times before, on campus, around the city, even once spending time at a party in their cave. Given how many times he had seen them around, the young man had always wondered what it would be like to become acquainted with them. He just never could find a way to properly approach them.
"Actually, I wanted you to come by today and meet them." A frown quickly replaced Jon's smile as he remembered the call earlier. He had cursed himself for not tagging along earlier.
"Uh, if it's not too much trouble, could we try hanging out with them tomorrow? I've got nothing planned then." Clark gave a large pat on his son's back as he responded with an 'of course', immediately sending the panda bear a text to schedule a time and place for it.
"Why don't you spend the night here, that way we can see them as soon as possible," The fireman proposed, his son gave no argument against it and agreed without a problem. It had been a while since he had slept in his old room, a short bit of nostalgia might help him sleep with gentle dreams.
"Thanks, Dad." Stepping away from the couch, the older man began to think about what to make for dinner as he felt tonight needed something special. Then again, he always felt the need to celebrate with Jon around. He couldn't break away from being a fun and caring father, even with his son already reaching adulthood. Habits tend to die hard, especially given his attachment to his only child.
Giving it a little thought, the fireman ended up grabbing his coat and keys with hunger nipping at his stomach. Another thought crossed his mind as he passed by the couch, deciding to go with it the older man decided to toss his keys at his son.
"Take us to any place you want to eat at, my treat." With the opportunity to get any meal he desired without the worry of spending too much. Jon smiled widely as he could feel his mouth water as he made his decision. Jumping off the couch to his feet while clutching the keys in his hand, the college student stated confidently.
"Let's go get some steaks!"
The following day, the brown bear felt that time was playing tricks on him. His intuition told him that he had woke up late in the day. However, staring at his clock he found that he woke up at 4 AM. When he tried to recover that lost sleep, he found himself tossing and turning for what seemed like hours only to find that only ten minutes had passed. From then on, the eldest bear kept feeling that the minutes would take hours to complete. Even with a few distractions of internet videos and games it did not seem to help pass the time. It could have been the fact that the bear could not wait to see the fireman again, as well as wanting to bring up some pressing news with him.
Sighing deeply as he laid himself on the couch, the brown bear began to run the details of the hangout in his head. At noon, Clark and his son would drop by the cave for another lunch prepared by the youngest bear. After filling up on a delicious meal, the group would then hike around the forest. What activity they decide to take up after that was up to whatever they felt like doing afterwards. As simple as it was, Grizz was still plagued with nervousness, mostly due to the fact that Grizz wanted to ask Clark about something rather important.
Although time seemed incredibly slow to him, staring at the ceiling seemed to accelerate his perception of time for some unknown reason. Giving it a bit of thought, it was possible that his nervousness was causing things to seem slow. Yet when he emptied his mind and looked up, things began to flow as they normally do. Focused on keeping his mind at ease and concentrating on the plain dirt color, Grizz didn't hear the sound of a car engine just outside the cave.
"Wow, for a cave, their house looks nice." Clark remarked as he pulled the keys out of the ignition, his gaze focused on the home made from an actual cave.
"The inside is actually nice, should be better without a dozen of my classmates dancing around." Jon quickly added as he unbuckled his seatbelt. As the young man reached to open the door, the fireman felt the need to clarify something with his son.
"No one brought beer, right?" Clark didn't doubt (or at least hoped) that the Bears wouldn't serve alcoholic beverages, he still wanted to make sure that his son wasn't getting involved with any underage drinkers. The last thing he wanted was for his only child to get involved in the wrong type of crowd. Jon just shook his head, remembering that the only thing he drank was a cup of juice.
Stepping out the car, the young man smiled deeply as he breathed in the fresh forest air. Losing himself for a moment in the beauty of nature, Jon failed to notice his father already knocking on the door. He couldn't help but be fascinated by nature, he had always loved being outdoors. Snapping out of his trance, the young man held his cap in place as he dashed to his father's side. The father and son waited patiently for the trio to answer the door, only to cringe as they felt a small tremor and assumed someone had tripped. Eventually, the two were met with the polar bear opening the door for them. Ice Bear remained his usual quiet self and motioned for the humans to enter.
"Great to see you too," The fireman greeted without a hint of irony in his voice. Upon stepping inside, the humans quickly took notice of the brown bear currently face down on the floor. The older man stared questioningly at the brown bear, given that they could feel his fall from outside, Grizz might be in a lot of pain. "You alright there, Grizzly?"
As Jon joined his side, the young man inwardly gasped as he stared upon the fallen brown bear. The only word falling out of the college student's mouth being ouch. After a short moment, a soft mumbling came from under the eldest bear. Deciding to intervene, the fireman crouched down and began to pull Grizz up from the ground. Seeing what his father was doing, Jon took the other side and assisted in pulling the bear back to his feet. The bear felt embarrassed for tripping, especially given that nothing was in his way.
"I'm fine, not so sure about my pride though," The brown bear finally answered as he regained his balance. Looking over, Grizz found himself staring at the fireman's son. The young man stared back rather awkwardly, not sure why the bear kept his gaze focused on him. "Can I wear your hat for a moment?"
Jon blinked for a moment as his brain tried to process the sudden question. He was rather attached to his hat to the point of nearly never taking it off, but the brown bear was giving a stare that he couldn't say no to. The young man reached for the bill of his hat and began to pull it off his head. Clark gasped slightly as he saw his son remove his cap, it had been ages since he last saw his boy's full head. Thinking quick, the elder man took out his phone to capture both his son without the hat, but also Grizz wearing said hat.
"Heh, looks nice on you, I'm Jon by the way." The young brunette smiled as he shook the brown bear's paw. Grizz tried to suppress a giggle as he looked at the young man's messy hair. Without his hat being a guide to wave his hair in more appropriate directions, the boy's hair seemed to travel in many directions, some even defying gravity altogether. Feeling bad for laughing, the eldest bear removed the hat and placed it back on Jon's head.
"Sorry, you just look better with it, call me Grizz." The young man blushed slightly as he adjusted his hat. He was glad things were going rather well for a first direct impression. With their shenanigans over, the two bears began to show the humans to their small table, Panda already seated and texting on his phone. The panda bear smiled as he watched the humans take a seat with him. The young man returned the smile and introduced himself a second time, thankful that this time he didn't have to lend his hat for a short while.
Given that they only had three chairs, Grizz decided to just stand beside his younger brother. This time, Clark and his son were their guests, it would be rude for him to take one of their seats. Though, the fireman quickly took notice of it and stood up, motioning for Grizz to take his seat. The kind act ended up creating a cycle of kindness that would not let up on either side. The panda bear and young man watched the two argue kindly of who deserved the seat more, a rather strange sight but somehow entertaining. Eventually, the polar bear stepped in and removed the chair from the table, placing it in front of the stove to give himself a seat while he cooked. A wave of laughter washed over the room as the stalemate was brought to an end.
With the shenanigans out of the way, the group decided to make more small talk to pass the time.
"I'm curious, how old are you two?" Panda asked, still chuckling on the inside how both his brother and the fireman stood at the table. Said fireman looked away for a moment before answering.
"I'm still in my late fifties, pushing for sixty soon..." The bears were rather shocked to hear the old age, they had assumed for Clark to be in his forties given his great vigor and glow. It seemed like the elder man was rather embarrassed about his high age, given he had never shown any shyness before.
"I just turned 20 two weeks ago." Jon added as he straightened out his posture. Though given that the two humans shared their age, they began to wonder just how old the bears were themselves.
Though with the small detail out of the way, the fireman couldn't help but notice that the brown was fidgeting rather nervously. When the youngest bear brought a meal of calzones, the human decided to leave it be until later. At the moment, all eyes were on the young human. The college student took notice of it quickly and stopped himself from taking his first bite.
"Something on my face…?" The young man tilted his hat to hide most of his features from their prying eyes. He wasn't a shy boy, just felt off having his father and a trio of bears stare at him as he ate.
"We just want to see your reaction when you eat it." Grizz explained as he bit into his own calzone. The others still kept a firm gaze on Jon. The young man shrugged as he took his first bite. At first the young man didn't get what was the point of focusing on him, but after a savoring the taste, Jon nearly swore in joy from the delicious taste.
Clark chuckled at the reaction and gave his son a pat on his back as his son continued to relish the calzone. As the fireman took his time eating, he couldn't shake the feeling that the brown bear was nervous. He even took notice that Grizz was eating rather slowly despite having the largest appetite he had ever seen.
One by one the group began to finish their meals. Although they were set to hike after their meals, Jon couldn't resist asking to have two calzones to go for later. Ice Bear had no problem with it and easily complied with the request, always glad to see someone enjoy his cooking. While the polar bear returned to his cooking and the panda bear checking a few messages, the fireman decided to finally confront Grizz about his strange behavior.
Looking around, Clark began to notice that the brown bear had stepped outside. Trailing after him, the older man walked out the door and surveyed the surrounding area for Grizz. Eventually, Clark's eyes fell on the brown bear's figure in a tree. Using a simple scaling system, the fireman guessed that Grizz was about 15 feet off of the ground. Making his way to the tree, Clark decided to try and climb it as well to sit beside the brown bear.
Scaling the tree was rather easy for the fireman, given that the tree had many footholds for him to get an easy grip. In no time at all, the older man was at the same level with Grizz.
"Something bothering you?" Clark's voice startled the brown bear at first, nearly falling over in surprise but quickly found his balance after calming down. Looking over, the fireman leaned against the trunk of the tree, although his lips curled into an amused grin the dark eyes still stared at him with concern.
"Oh uh… It's complicated, Clark," Grizz responded, telling the truth but hoping that the fireman wouldn't press any further. He was beginning to have second thoughts about his question. Thinking rather quickly, the brown bear decided to try and shift the conversation. "It's dangerous to be up here, you should get down."
The fireman scoffed as he saw through the poorly thought out subject change. "Grizz, I save people from burning buildings, I can handle being in a tree."
Still wanting to avoid the conversation, Grizz began to cycle through various responses he could use. Eventually, one had slipped out.
"But you're so old," Immediately realizing how hurtful it had actually sounded, Grizz began to apologize rather quickly. "I'M SO SORRY, I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT."
Clark ran his hand through his messy locks of brown hair and sighed rather deeply. He never liked having his age get in the way of his life. Many people, his son at some moments, always criticized his way of life. The brown bear looked at the older man for a moment, immediately breaking eye contact as he felt he would break down looking at such a disappointed expression on the man.
"To me, age is just a number, I may be old, but I keep myself very young in both body and spirit, I don't want to slow down just because I'm getting older."
Silence plagued the area as the two remained still in their positions. Eventually, the brown bear decided to throw all his cards on the table and finally asked his question.
"Clark… Has anyone in the Fire Department rescued a cub before?" Grizz finally turned his head to look at the fireman, tears pricking the side of his eyes and threatening to break the floodgates. The fireman's features softened as he saw how saddened the brown bear was. Processing the question in his mind, the older man felt a pang in his heart as the memory flooded back.
A smile spread across his face as he inched away from the trunk to give Grizz a hug.
"You've grown a lot since then," As cryptic as the response was coupled with the sudden act of affection, needless to say Grizz was very confused. The fireman stared over at the forest scenery as he held the brown bear, explaining to him what had happened decades ago. Back when he was first starting out in his career, and when Grizz was only a cub. As the brown bear listened to the story, he couldn't stop himself from silently crying. The tears just dripping down his face as his body refused to shake. "I don't know what happened to you after we turned you in to Animal Control's care. But I'm glad to see you made a great life for yourself."
Grizz finally returned the hug after stopping his tears, his arms wrapping around Clark tightly. It was a good sign to the human, but he knew that the brown bear was far from ok. It could be a while until Grizz truly felt better, but the fireman was willing to wait through it all. After a while, Clark was rather surprised to feel Grizz trying to snuggle into his chest. "Um… G-Grizz…?"
A small nervous blush spread across his cheeks as he felt more of the brown bear's body trying to get closer to his.
"Clark… I think I love you." Grizz didn't mean for the words to ever come out, but given how emotional he had been, it was difficult for him to keep things in at the moment. He had spoken what was on his mind, and as far as he could tell he did not regret it.
"G-Grizz, I'm sorry, you don't want to go down that road with me, I'm too old to get back in the saddle." Clark argued rather quickly, both flustered and flattered about the confession. Although it still slightly bothered him that a male was confessing to him, he wasn't entirely against the idea of being with the brown bear. There were just too many bad repercussions if the two were to form a relationship.
"I know you don't mean that, Clark." The brown bear bluntly stated as he looked up at the man. The fireman gulped audibly as his body slightly shook, he had never been backed into a corner like this in a long while, he had no idea how to get himself out of it. That is, if he even truly wanted to.
"What makes you say that, and what makes you think it isn't just because I've saved you?" Clark attempted to cover his face, the growing blush on his face being a dead giveaway that he didn't mind at all.
"You say you try to be youthful, but here you are saying you're too old! That's not the Clark I know, you like what you do, you keep fighting, and you face it all with a big smile," Grizz was nearly yelling at this point, however he did not care, all he wanted was to prove his point to the older man. "Clark, you're a great man, one of the best I've met, I don't care that you saved me twice, it at least gave me a chance to meet you, now just please let me have a chance with you."
The fireman finally removed his hand from his face and revealed a wide smile, reddening cheeks, and gleaming eyes.
"I was hoping you'd say something like that." The fireman simply responded as he hugged the brown bear tighter. The two said nothing more and continued to hold each other in the tree. Unbeknownst to them, the others had been watching their exchange from below.
"Ice Bear is happy for them." The polar bear stated, his voice already being quiet enough to not alert the new couple above them. Panda thinking quickly, decided to type out his reaction on his phone and show Jon and his brother his reaction.
'Awww, they're so cute together! :D'
Jon chuckled slightly as he looked up at the two. He had no objections about his father dating a bear, he seemed incredibly happy to be with Grizz and seeing his father happy was all that mattered. It was actually a great relief to see that his father did truly move on from losing his wife. He had never seen his dad show any interest in any other person before, so seeing the man finally with another was like a fresh breeze blowing through his world.
"We should leave them be." The young man whispered to the others as he began to make his way back to the cave. The two brothers nodded in agreement, letting the newly formed couple a chance to enjoy complete privacy.
And thus ends a long oneshot. I hope you all enjoyed the oneshot, I know I enjoyed writing it. I really hope that the pairing picks up, because it has so much potential. Anyways, I have to go and prepare for a Smash Oneshot, and then my next biggest project for Persona. Have a good day.