Note: This is a continuation of "The Three Survivors" and "Washing Away the Ash." Enjoy!

Begin Prompt in 3, 2, 1…

Hot Cocoa for Warmer Nights

Prompt: Helpy drowned his troubles in hot chocolate.

Lefty wasn't certain how he did, but he knew that the house was safe as they came up on it. It was as though he had been drawn to the home as a sanctuary and as though he somehow knew nobody would be inside. It was a good thing they found it too, because they had already lost Helpy.

And Helpy was certainly lost. He was out like a light, being carried by the Puppet as he dozed deeply. What goes up must come down, Lefty supposed, and Helpy stayed excitable and eager for an obscene amount of time. Without him, everything was much quieter.

Things between Lefty and the Puppet were still a little tense. It was better than it had been, but Helpy was still the glue that held them together. The striped one watched as the bear found an unlocked window and opened it. He climbed in first and found himself in a bedroom, where he checked to make sure the coast was clear.

He then beckoned for the Puppet to climb in as well. As he did, the bear looked around the room and finally decided to yank the bedding off the bed and dropped it on the floor. They couldn't stay on the bed; they would be too close to the windows. At least with this he could sit comfortably as he waited for Helpy to wake up.

Lefty then used a pillow and the blankets to make a small sort of nest to set Helpy in. He looked up at the Puppet and watched as he knelt on the other side of it and set the small bear inside. The white bear shifted slightly but didn't wake up. He was too tired to rouse from this.

The Puppet looked up and locked eyes with Lefty for only a second, then turned away. The black bear followed suit and turned to sit with his back against the wall. It was definitely still award. He looked out of the corner of his eye and could see the Puppet was doing the same, but with his legs to his chest.

Helpy was the only thing between them and the only thing keeping them together.

With a crunching sigh- as his voice was still damaged- Lefty closed his eye and tried to relax for a second.

Unfortunately, that second was actually a lot longer, because Lefty woke up to find everything different. There was an unexpected weight on his shoulder, and he glanced down and instantly froze up. The Puppet's head was resting on his shoulder. It had fallen asleep and slumped over onto him.

If he would've had a heart, then it would've been racing. This was the closest they had been in so long and the Puppet looked so fragile, so serene. It was almost too much; Lefty wouldn't dare move.

Or he wouldn't of if not for his eye drifting lower and noticing the empty nest in between them. Helpy was gone.

Lefty reached out and tapped the Puppet's arm. The Puppet roused, noticed their suspicion, and snapped back away from the bear with a surge of static, as though it expected that he had done something. As to defend himself, Lefty gave a flat look and pointed down at the empty space. The striped one looked down, noticed the missing bear, and soon was looking around.

A clattering noise caught both animatronics' attention and they looked slowly to the bedroom door, which was left ajar. Someone was moving around out in the house, which meant it was either Helpy or someone else.

Slowly, Lefty rose off the ground and held up a hand to signal for the Puppet to stay. Then he slowly inched to the door and opened it up, leaning out to see what was making the noise. Soon his yellow eye fell on the kitchen.

There, standing on the counter, was none other than Helpy. There was a porcelain mug on the counter in front of him that he was stirring with a spoon, splashing a little brown colored liquid out as he did. A box of instant hot chocolate packets lay on its side and the microwave, which was also on the counter, had been forcible turned in his direction so he could use it.

Helpy was humming to himself as he worked. He then lifted the spoon and poured the small amount of hot chocolate into his mouth. While he couldn't drink, it seemed like he could taste the chocolate as he gave a delighted sound. He was too distracted to notice the bear sneaking up behind him until it snatched him up. He gave a startled squeak and looked back.

"Oh, it's you, Lefty!... Hey, you shouldn't sneak up on people!" the small bear scolded. Lefty made a hushing noise and tapped his finger to his mouth, signaling him to be quiet and looking around the house in paranoia. He then started to turn away. "No, wait! My cocoa!" Helpy whispered in a panic.

With a sighing motion, Lefty grabbed the mug as well, frowning at the mess of the kitchen, and turned to return to the bedroom. He hoped that his suspicions were right, and this house was empty or else they would surely be noticed.

He then returned and plopped Helpy down into the nest again, handing him the mug of cocoa and hoping he wouldn't spill too much. The Puppet gave a sound of static and Lefty fought the urge to roll his eye, thinking it was because of him. Then he noticed that the frustrated, scolding look was at the other bear for him sneaking off. At least they were finally on the same page.

"Huh?" Helpy asked. The Puppet tapped the mug impatiently. "...Oh! You're upset that I didn't bring you any?" The Puppet shook its head. "...You're upset that I went off on my own," Helpy said more meekly. The Puppet nodded. "Oh, I see, I wasn't thinking. I'm really sorry, but I checked first! Nobody was out there!" The Puppet made a motion like rolling its eyes and shook its head.

Lefty let out a crackling rattle that was supposed to being laughing and sat back against the wall again. This time he intended to stay awake, turning his head towards the window and wondering what time it was.

The Puppet looked at him for a moment with its arms crossed across its chest. Then it slowly sat back against the wall once more. It was still rather tired and considered a risky remedy, since the dark bear looked like he was falling asleep anyway.

The soft sounds of Helpy splashing drops of cocoa into his mouth and clinking his spoon were comforting. Lefty wasn't sure why, but something about them sounded normal, even though he could've never heard them before. His creation couldn't have been that long ago, he supposed.

Then a weight returned to his shoulder. The black bear went still again and looked down out of the corner of his eye. To his shock, the Puppet had rested its head on him again, looking positively exhausted as it did so. Though he knew it was still awake. Which meant it was no accident, so it had willingly rested against him this time.

Between that, their new shelter, and their brief safety, things were finally starting to look up. From Helpy's delighted hums, Lefty was sure he agreed.