Bearing Witness

Rated: G
Category: Culmets. Literal Fluff. Early Relationship. Family. I Regret Nothing.
Season: Pre-Series/Open, but early. Pretty much AU/speculation.
Spoilers: None.
Summary: Paul and Hugh have been dating long enough for family favors to be called in, but not so long that they can't surprise each other.
Note: Written for a random word prompt of "attic." And yes, the new character here is named after another. I couldn't help myself. This one's for you, Rickie. You were (and are) everything.

Paul moved one box out of his way – just to reveal another behind it. He sighed. It seemed like the boxes went on forever, and this was getting really old, really fast. But as he saw the name clearly marked on the side of this particular box, his head tilted to one side and he gave it a puzzled look.

"Hugh?" he called.

Hugh's disembodied voice answered him from behind another stack of boxes.

"Yeah?"

"What's this?"

"What's what?" asked Hugh, as his head appeared above the boxes.

"This," said Paul, gesturing to the box he'd found. The one that said "Hugh" in thick, black ink.

Hugh's eyebrows rose. "I have no idea," he answered, making his way over to Paul.

"Wanna find out?" asked Paul, looking rather excited by the prospect.

"That's why we're here, right?"

"Well, I thought we were cleaning out the attic as a favor to your mother, but yeah, sure."

"Seeing what's up here is part of cleaning, Paul," said Hugh, grinning.

"Fair enough," agreed Paul, pulling the box out so that it sat between him and Hugh.

"Shall I do the honors?" asked Hugh, holding up a box knife.

"You're the surgeon," said Paul, gesturing toward the box again.

Hugh chuckled and cut the tape holding the box shut, then carefully opened it.

As soon as the flaps of the old-fashioned box were folded back, Hugh squealed. Paul wasn't sure he'd ever heard Hugh's voice go so high.

"Ricky!" he yelled.

Paul stared as Hugh lifted something tan and furry out of the box.

"What is that?" he asked.

Hugh held the thing to his chest and actually rocked back and forth a little as he grinned at Paul.

"It's Ricky!" Hugh proclaimed, as if this explained everything.

Paul couldn't help the amazed expression that spread over his face. Hugh's joy was contagious, and Paul was immediately infected. But he still didn't have a clue was Hugh was going on about.

"Ricky?" he asked, looking for clarification.

Hugh laughed, then turned the object in his arms around and showed it to Paul. He held it like a puppy he was showing off to a friend, and once Paul saw what he had, he realized the analogy wasn't too far off.

"Yeah, Ricky," said Hugh, smiling broadly.

Ricky, as it turned out, was a teddy bear.

A light tan teddy bear who had clearly seen better days, but who had managed to remain fully clothed.

And what clothes they were. The bear was wearing purple trousers and a shirt with more colors and shapes on it than Paul could count, and the ensemble was topped off by a bright red tuxedo jacket.

Paul's eyebrows rose as he took in the stuffed creature.

Then he extended one hand and shook Ricky's tiny, stuffed paw.

"Nice to meet you, Ricky," he said formally.

Hugh beamed at Paul, enjoying the silly side of his boyfriend that so few got to see.

"Ricky was my favorite stuffed animal as a kid," explained Hugh. "I took him everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Until the Academy. I had to leave him. And then mom remodeled and my room – well, you've seen it now – and I never knew where he ended up."

Hugh looked thoughtful, and a bit sad, as he looked down and started tracing circles on the bear's chest.

Next thing he knew, Paul was gently reaching over and taking Ricky from him.

"Well, we know where he is now," said Paul, tucking Ricky under one arm, then chastely kissing Hugh on the cheek, "and where he's going to be from now on."

Hugh blinked at his boyfriend.

"Paul?"

Paul stared back for a moment, then answered.

"He's coming with us."

Hugh blinked several more times. "To where?"

"Everywhere," said Paul, as if this was obvious.

Then he stood up, with Ricky still tucked safely under his arm.

"First stop, lunch," he announced.

Then he marched off toward the stairs, leaving Hugh to follow in his wake.

A short time later, Paul and Hugh were munching on sandwiches and finger foods while Ricky sat wedged between the kitchen table and an unused chair between them.

When Paul pretended to share a bite of his food with Ricky, Hugh laughed.

"Paul, what are you doing?" he asked, chuckling.

Paul gave Hugh a look.

"He's been in a box for years, Hugh. He deserves a decent meal."

Hugh was silent for a moment, processing what Paul had said, then he held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Sorry," he said. "I guess I'm just surprised."

"At what?"

Hugh gestured vaguely at Ricky and the bits of food Paul was now arranging in front of the bear.

"This? You? Playing with a teddy bear?"

Paul scoffed.

"Not just a teddy bear."

Hugh gave Paul a puzzled look, and Paul elaborated.

"He's your teddy bear, Hugh. Ricky was important to you, so he's important to me." Hugh's expression softened at the words, but Paul continued before Hugh could respond. "And besides," said Paul, with a mischievous spark coming into his eyes, "I can be playful."

Then Paul took a sip of juice from his glass in the most suggestive way imaginable, causing Hugh to give him a look of mock outrage.

"Paul!" he admonished. "Not in front of Ricky!"

He reached across the table and gently smacked Paul's arm as he spoke, and Paul nearly snorted the juice out his nose. When he recovered enough to speak, he wiped tears from his eyes and looked over at Hugh.

"Good point," he said. "Poor guy's been through enough."

"Yeah, we shouldn't traumatize him like that."

"And your mom might come home any time."

"That too."

"Indeed," said Paul, pulling Ricky out from the chair and examining him again. "So, why don't you tell me about these clothes, then?"

"What about them?" asked Hugh.

Paul raised his eyebrows at Hugh, but when Hugh didn't offer any more information, Paul went fishing.

"They're… unique, to say the least. Don't think I've ever seen a bear dressed quite like this."

"It's a long story," said Hugh, shaking his head a little.

Paul angled his head to meet Hugh's eyes. "I've got time."

Hugh chuckled. "It's silly. You really want to know?"

Paul nodded, sincerely interested and looking the part.

"I really do."

So Hugh told him. He told him how Ricky hadn't worn clothes for most of his bear life and how most of his fur had worn off, so one year Hugh's grandmother had made Ricky some clothes. He told him how she'd made them just like Hugh's favorite outfit because she thought it'd be cute and how he'd loved it at the time, even though he was probably "too old" for such things.

And when Paul didn't bat an eye at the fact that Hugh apparently went through a very bizarre, very colorful period in regards to his personal fashion sense and was also still very attached to his teddy bear in his teens, Hugh fell just that much more in love with him.

He'd tell him so in the privacy of the attic later that night, after the last box was downstairs and sorted. He'd tell him again after dinner with his mother, and again on the way to the spaceport.

Then he'd keep telling him, for years and years.

And because Paul was true to his word, Ricky would bear witness to it all.

Or as much as a bear could see from the top shelf of the bookcase in the living room, at any rate.

Because as much as Paul had meant it when he'd said Ricky would go everywhere with them, Hugh hadn't been kidding about avoiding trauma, either.