Disclaimer: I don't own We Bare Bears!
Title: Tiny Tappers
Summary: Chloe tries to overwork herself. Ice Bear has none of it.
...
Chloe isn't sure if Ice Bear is moving in slow motion or if she's on hyperspeed, but she manages to grab the lid of her laptop before he can slam it down, fixing him a grumpy look. Her eyes are so blurry from continuous reading that he almost looks dirty, wearing his typical green apron, like he'd somehow fallen onto a patch of moss or something.
"No computers at Ice Bear's table," Ice Bear says.
"Grizz gets to watch videos while he eats breakfast," she retorted.
"No educational computers at Ice Bear's table."
"At least let me save, alright? I can't lose this paper."
The polar bear finally relents, going back to whatever it is he's cooking. Chloe studies her document for a long second, trying to decide if it's worth risking his ire by typing out another paragraph, but Ice Bear looks at her out of the corner of his eye, so she knows it's no use. She saves and logs out, chin hitting the table. "Uuuugh. If I fail this assignment, it's all on you, man."
"Chloes need rest," he replied, as if she were a species all her own. With how she's feeling, Chloe isn't sure that's not the truth. "Ice Bear will cook special breakfast for Chloe."
"That's not necessary-"
"Very necessary."
Chloe sighs, knowing there's no point in arguing him. She zoned out, thinking. She's always thinking. Chloe couldn't afford not to think. Or maybe it's a bit more accurate to say her parents couldn't afford it, seeing how they were paying for her. True, she got plenty of scholarships, but they worked hard for her, and that mattered more than one night of sleep, didn't it?
Suddenly, she felt herself being picked up and tucked under the polar bear's arm like a handbag. She let out a surprised squeak. "Dude, come'on, at least let me have the dignity of sitting at the table like a big girl."
"Chloes need rest," he repeated simply. Ice Bear turned into Grizz's room, picking his way over the trash with a grunt. He shifted Chloe to his other arm, then got to work stacking all the stuffed animals onto a pile near the head of the bed. He set her on top with a satisfied nod. "Special bed for Chloe."
"But-"
"Butt on stuffies. Sleep."
Chloe sighed, watching tiredly as the door shut. Grizz was still sleeping on the sofa, tuckered out from the game night they'd had. It was probably bad of her to have planned on working on the assignment all along, but it was easier to get away with stuff in the cave. Her parents always tried to press the importance of a bedtime. Logically speaking, she got it, but there was no way she'd pass if she went to bed at eight. It just didn't work mathematically.
She should've known Ice Bear would stick his nose in. He always did. She appreciated it, despite it being a hindrance. That he and the others cared enough to put her to bed. Grizz's smelly, unwashed bed, but she didn't think she had the right to be picky.
As she tucked her heads into her arms, slowly but surely drifting off, she wondered what Ice Bear would make for her special breakfast, feeling warm.
Author's Note: This is just a cute drabble idea I've had in mind for a while now, written around midnight. The title itself was actually a callback to an idea I ended up ditching- a oneshot about how Chloe picked up some bear behaviors, including keeping her 'claws' pointed, hence the tapping- but I think it works with her up all night typing into a keyboard as well.
-Mandaree1