Purgatory
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When Eddie was young, he had a roomful of stuffed animals. He adored them, each one had a name and a birthday. One day Ramon decided Eddie was becoming “too soft” and was too old for teddies and Eddie came back from school to find all of his teddies gone. Cleared out. And when he cried Ramon told him to man up.
However Ramon missed one. A small brown bear that was forgotten under Eddie’s bed. Señor Oso. Eddie treasured that bear. Slept with him every night, kept him hidden from his father. After Afghanistan, Eddie would clutch the bear to stave off nightmares. Even after he moved to LA, Señor Oso was kept on the top shelf of Eddie’s wardrobe, taken out when Eddie needed comfort. But Eddie made sure never to breathe a word about his bear to anyone, a residing fear that one day he would wake up and Señor Oso would be gone.
That is until Buck found him.
“Oh my god, Eddie this guy is adorable!”
They were doing laundry, Eddie folding and Buck putting away. When Eddie turned, he saw Buck beaming, holding the small bear. There was no malice or mocking on Buck’s face but Eddie still froze.
You’re too soft
Buck must’ve seen the fear on Eddie’s face because he says “I’ve got one as well! I’ll bring him over next time, maybe they can be friends!” He simply tucks the bear back where he got him and true to his word the next time Buck comes over, he pulls out a white bear with sunglasses and a red T-shirt with Peru and a surfboard on it. “This is Surfer! He can be your bear’s friend!”
“Señor Oso” Eddie offers, his throat dry, voice shaking. Delighted, Buck bounds off to Eddie’s room. When Eddie enters, he sees both bears sitting on his pillow and something inside him breaks.
He’d never told anyone about Señor Oso, fearing ridicule but Buck found out and instead of mocking Eddie, he put so much care into making sure Eddie knew he wouldn’t judge. So Eddie does the only thing he can. He grabs Buck in the fiercest hug he can muster, pouring all his love and gratitude into it.
(Buck pretends not to notice Eddie’s sobs. Eddie is glad, there’s only so much emotion he can deal with.)
(Surfer and Señor Oso become what Buck deems BBFs - best bear friends - and once Buck moves in, they spend the rest of their days sitting happily on the bed Buck and Eddie share.)
I bet Christopher contributes his own Pooh bear Shannon got him, he’s pale yellow and one of his eyes bead fell off years ago bur all three bears live in plain sight, beloved and treasured as they should
*sobs in the corner*
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My mother told me this after she divorced my dad for the 2nd time. I wholeheartedly agreed with her
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