Chapter Text
Bonnie next, then.
They probably still need help with dinner.
But it is still pretty early; maybe they need something else first.
But if they help with whatever else and dinner, they might not have time to help Isabeau.
But Bonnie's never needed them before, so it'll be fine as long as they don't ask for that.
It'll be fine!
Siffrin finds them in their usual spot, draped over the fence posts by the Blind One's vegetable garden. He comes up to them, and they barely spare a glance his way.
“Heyfrin,” they mumble.
"Can I help you with anything?" he smiles.
"Help me?" They raise their head just a bit, then look away with a huff. “But I don't want your help," they pout, then turn to him, staring at his cloak collar. "I don't want you to help me with anything!!!"
Right, they hate him now. Ever since Loop showed up. They did something, and now things keep changing right under his nose.
Their smile wavers. "Really?"
"I don't!" Bonnie kicks at a rock and digs their nails into the fence. "You're stupid, and you don't know me, so I don't want you to help me!" they yell.
He tries not to flinch. "I don't know you?" He knows them more than he knows himself, at this point.
Or maybe they’re right, and he doesn’t know anyone at all.
"You really don't!" They kick another rock. "Not even a little bit!" Kick. "You don't even know my three favorite foods, stupid!!!" Kick. Kick. Kick.
Siffrin perks up. They do know this! Bonnie told them last loop! He knows them! They know them all!
"I do." He pushes down his excitement.
"You do?" They look up for a second, not quite meeting his eye, then flatten themself against the fence, hat squishing against the post.
He does!
"You like..."
…
He knows this! It was just last loop!
Their favorite foods are...are...
Their mouth hangs open, waiting for the words to come.
Bonnie pouts. "You were just saying that, weren’t you?" They turn away from him and groan.
"No, no, I wasn’t! I know them! I just...give me a second."
A flash of what might be guilt crosses Bonnie’s face, and they bite their lip.
It's the light, messy stuff that people put all sorts of food in! Bonnie puts apple slices in it! It's so simple!
Bonnie drops their head and kicks at the bare, now rock-free ground. "I don't want your help anymore."
"Wait!" he coughs and flaps his arms.
They look around wildly. It's...it's...
"Rice!"
Bonnie shifts in place and narrows their eyes at him, keeping them trained on his pins. "Y-yeah, that's true, but..."
Siffrin exhales stiffly, making Bonnie scrunch their nose at him. "And…rice.”
Shit.
"You just said rice, Frin,” they frown. “Were you just guessing?"
"No, I—"
It was a fruit, the slippery one—no, that wasn't it. It was something similar. Made him die.
Bonnie looks back at the Clocktower.
"Apples?"
“No??? You–you are just guessing!!!” They stand up fully, growling. “Stop it, stop acting like you know me!” They stomp off, hat bobbing with their movements. “Leave me alone, Stupidfrin!”
Wait. No! Why can’t you do anything right?
<<<
They JUST SAID IT LAST LOOP! Just like they did with rice!
The second snack break!
Ugh, if he has to go through another entire loop just to remember something so simple...
"The spicy one. PINEapples?”
"Y-yeah, I—the what?"
"The what?"
Bonnie squints at them. “Frin, what kinda pineapples are you eating?”
Um… “Normal ones???”
Bonnie tilts their head and scrunches their nose.
He coughs before they have a chance to say anything. "Th-the last one is..."
Oh! Oh! This one's easy; they also have this every loop now! At the Clocktower!
Used to smell delicious. Taste delicious. Fried stuff in breading.
"Samosas!"
Bonnie’s nose twitches, and they slowly toe the dirt. “Y-yeah, that’s it.”
Success!
They squint at him. "But...but which samosas?" They stand up and square up to him, eyes boring into his shoulder. "Yeah, I bet you don't even know that!!! Which samosas are my favorite, stupid!!!!"
Ah-
Okay, they...they hate something he likes and likes something he hates. And! They slip some of them in his food sometimes! Or used to...
"With potatoes, no cheese?”
"Y-Yeah..." Bonnie gasps and stands upright. Their eyes flick to his for the briefest moment. "That's all my favorite foods..."
Phew. He holds back a sigh. He can feel his pulse hammering in his throat.
Bonnie’s silent for a moment. "If you remembered them all, you... You... Do... Pay attention to me...?"
Of course he does. They pay attention to everyone.
…
…
…
He bites the inside of his cheek.
Bonnie shrinks in on themself and scratches their arm. "No, that's stupid, of course you do. Or else you wouldn't have..." They stare off into the distance, beyond the farm. "There's something you can help me with. Can you come with me? If you have time."
"Y-yeah. I have time now," he breathes.
"Okay, then come on." They trot off, waving him on.
Bonnie leads Siffrin down the path away from the Clocktower. The trail opens up into a long stretch of grass with some weak Sadnesses in the distance.
“I...I need you to teach me how to fight!”
Fight? Like, actually fight and risk their life? No way. He’s managed to keep them safe throughout the loops despite failing everyone else; he’s not going to risk getting them killed, too.
"I know Dile's gonna say I can help you all in battle tomorrow..." They cross their arms and poke at a bug with their boot. They scuttle off into the grass with a tiny buzz. "But it'll be from far away, right?"
But...they want to learn...and the Sadnesses ahead are weak, so maybe...
"I want to help! To actually help!!! And for that, I...I need to learn how to fight." They clench their fists in front of them in an approximation of a fighting stance.
But they already help. They're swift as a fox in fights, running around, dishing out tonics, dashing in when the Sadnesses are distracted, cooking, keeping team morale up. They’re invaluable.
Letting them onto the front lines is a whole different thing.
"So you're gonna help me!!!” They throw their fists up in the air. “Let's go!!!"
Bonnie runs off...
Towards a Sadness!
No. No! NO!
Siffrin's world blurs, his legs are slow to move, he's stumbling, running, dashing after them. They've reached the Sadness, and it's coming right at them. Almost there.
The Sadness strikes! Bonnie cries out, stumbling back, hands on their face.
No. No! He can’t!
<<<
Bonnie’s standing in front of him again, determined.
Okay. It’s fine. Everything’s fine. It didn’t happen. He didn't just let them get killed!
"So you're gonna help me!!! Let's go!!!"
Wha—NO!
Bonnie runs again. Siffrin gives chase. Still too slow. Please no.
It strikes!
He strikes back, slicing through it just as its attack connects with Bonnie. It lets out a warbled scream and vanishes into smoke while Bonnie stumbles back with a yelp.
"BE MORE CAREFUL, BONNIE!!!" The words spill out as he spins around to face them, nearly falling over. His chest heaves, heart flutters, hands tremble.
Bonnie stands there, shaking, wide-eyed, fists still clenched in front of them. They're not...they're not bleeding. They hiccup and blink back tears as Siffrin checks them over for wounds.
Not hurt. They're fine.
They're fine!
Just shaken, almost as much as he is. Together, they breathe in and out.
It's fine.
He’s just being paranoid. Bonnie’s not that fragile.
They wipe their face and stomp their boot at him. “You weren't there…” they hiccup. “You weren't there to help me and tell me what to do!!!”
Siffrin clenches his jaw. They’re right. It is his fault, after all. He should have been faster. They should head back, but…
Bonnie still wants to learn how to fight.
No. No, they can't. They can't! If there's one thing they have to make sure of every loop.
But they did! Didn't they! He did let them be hurt! Twice!
But it wasn't bad! They might not even bruise from that! And maybe the one he looped from wasn’t bad either! He didn’t see any blood, and their screams weren’t nearly as pained as when they watch their allies get brutalized by the King!
But it could have been very bad! They could have been killed!
He yells, they exchange words. He can't hear himself think.
Bonnie runs off again—
<<<
He yells, they exchange words. He can barely hear himself think.
Bonnie runs off again—
<<<
They're not going to listen, are they?
Does he have to do this?
He can just drag them back to town.
Not a good look, but better than having to carry their body back.
Ha, like that'll ever happen! He won’t let it.
But! He's not going to chance that.
He's seen his party crushed, torn, bloodied, bruised, wheezing, dying, falling to pieces too many times that he's numb to the sight, yet the sounds of breaking bones and ripping flesh will never leave him. They can't let that happen with Bonnie.
"Frin!?" Bonnie's cries barely pierce through the static.
They can't. He can't, even if it's a weak scissors type.
"FRIN!!!" They're up in his face, and he flinches back with a yelp.
Wh—why are they looking at him like that?
<<<
"Sure! I'll teach you how to fight!" His smile widens.
It's fine! He can just let Bonnie get a hit in and finish it off with one or two hits. The Sadness is weak, after all.
Weak enough that it’s probably fine to just let them try.
But…
Deep breath. "Just don't go ahead on your own."
"O-Okay," they mumble, not looking at him. "I'm sorry. I'll listen. Tell me how to fight. I wanna learn."
“Just…stay behind me and watch.”
“But I can hit it too, right?”
“Yeah!”
The two of them approach another Sadness sliding around by some rocks.
Weak scissors type.
Easy. Two hits and it'll die.
Siffrin waves to attract its attention and motions to Bonnie to strike. They clench their fists and punch the air in front of them, sending a small shockwave into the Sadness. It squeals as tears and slime splatter from the impact point before turning its attention to them.
“Nice hit!” Siffrin gathers Craft into his knife and strikes. The air crackles with released energy, and he grins widely as the Sadness dissolves with a whimper.
“Good job, Bonnie! You got it!” he strains.
Why don’t they look happy?
He sheathes his knife. “You defeated the Sadness!”
“Wh—” they gasp. “You killed it in one hit, Frin! That’s not teaching!” They stomp. “A-and you’re smiling all creepy now!”
“No I’m not!” His cheek twitches.
“Yes, you a—” their words catch mid-sentence, and they narrow their eyes at him. “You weren’t going to teach me anything, were you? You think I’m some stupid, useless baby, don’t you!? I’m not! I can help, Stupidfrin! Arrgh!”
…
Failed again.
<<<
He's gonna have to let them fight it, isn't he?
But it's fine! It's still scissors, after all.
Bonnie really wants to learn. And if he's there...
"I can teach you," he breathes, "but don't go ahead on your own."
Again, they approach the Sadness. Breathe in. Breathe out.
He shows them the correct stance, how to channel Craft through them at the target, then motions to Bonnie to attack.
Pow!
Their attack hits the Sadness much harder than before. It flails and strikes back, hitting Bonnie in the shoulder and making them wince and stumble, but not fall. They rub their arm as Siffrin launches a weak attack to pull its attention back on him.
Again. Siffrin fights every fiber in his being not to finish the Sadness off every time Bonnie gets hit.
It’s fine. They’re weak attacks. He can heal them up after, no problem. Bonnie is still standing with no more than a few scrapes on their arms.
Throwing all their power into their little fists, Bonnie’s final attack punches straight through the Sadness’s throat, and it dissipates with a whimpering gurgle.
They did it?
They did it!
Ha! Okay, everything's okay.
Siffrin breathes in and out, in and out.
In.
And out.
That’s enough danger for the day!
"Hey, Frin, why aren't we allowed to touch you?" Bonnie's voice pulls Siffrin from their trance. They tilt their head and shake the excitement from their arms.
Huh!?
They go on to explain how their party had told them not to touch him…because he jumps?
Is that why nobody ever...
Except when…
The memory of Mirabelle’s fingers ghost across his cheeks, and he runs his fingers along his chin.
Is he that fragile?
...
His jaw trembles. "I don't mind being touched or hugged." They grab their arm and squeeze. "I'm just not used to it."
Bonnie raises an eyebrow...or at least tries to, managing to awkwardly waggle both brows instead.
"You're not used to it? Oh!" They gasp, making Siffrin flinch. "Maybe it's because you're not ready for it when it happens. That's how it is with Nille."
Nille?
Right...Bonnie's sister. They've mentioned her before. Apparently, she's like him about touch, except she once suplexed a guy for scaring her. Nice.
Bonnie's smile falls as their words trail off. They stare at the grass.
"I don't wanna talk about my sister anymore…"
"You don't often talk about her."
At least he doesn't think they do. It seems they try to avoid talking about her since she's not there. And it makes them sad...
Before Siffrin has a chance to think of a way to cheer them up, Bonnie perks back up and looks right at them.
"Why aren't you used to being touched?" They frown. "Did your family not hug you when you were a kid?"
...
"Can't remember." He hides.
Bonnie frowns, eyes downcast. And now they're offering to help fix him. By—
Ow!
They poke him hard in the stomach.
At least they did warn him, like they said.
Bonnie grins wide, proud of themself. "You saw me, and I told you so it's fine!!!"
He scrunches his nose. "I guess so..."
They giggle, letting their arms sway gently beside them. “Hey, can we fight this one last Sadness?”
...
It's fine. It'll be fine. They're all weak, and this ended up okay, after all.
If it's to make them happy.
With a small nod, they creep up on the next one. Rock type.
He would have preferred another scissors type, but...
Bonnie’s still handling it just fine. The Sadness turns its weeping, goopy eyes on Siffrin and readies an attack. He takes a step back and—
Whoops!
He’s on the ground, rocks and plants digging into his back, the only thing he can see is the bright sky and the tops of trees. Bonnie is screaming, crying, and—
They're now by his side, tugging at his arm as the Sadness fades away in the background.
He’s fine; he barely felt it. Bonnie shouldn’t be this upset, shouldn’t be shaking and crying this much.
He tries to reassure them, but instead they start crying about another Sadness, the one that hurt him. Which one?
...The one that...got his eye. Did they see it happen? That must have been upsetting, seeing so much blood.
Ohh, it was the one they got hurt protecting Bonnie from.
Right…he did that.
...Didn't he?
...No?
No, it was Odile.
It was Odile!
There was...a canyon. She was hurt, bleeding. The others were too far. It was her! He remembers! He ran and...and...
"Frin?"
They stumble back. "O-Odile! No!"
<<<
Loop did something. Somehow.
What did they do? Why?
Or maybe he's just getting everything mixed up! Maybe he helped Odile, and was fine and just mixed it up with Bonnie because well losing an eye's bound to make him more forgetful than usual and they just mixed the two things up and now his scrambled brain is making him freak out over this for nothing.
That must be it!
Bonnie's still upset. Still yelling.
"It's not that big of a deal, though."
"But it is!!! It really is!!! You got hurt because of me, and—" They furiously wipe their face with their arm. "And I don't like it!!! I don't want it to have happened!!! You should have stood there and let me be hurt!"
A wave of cold washes through him, and he swallows a lump in his throat. "But you would have died."
"It doesn't matter!!!” they stomp. “If I died, it would have been fine...!!!"
No, it would NOT?!?
"It would never have been fine!!!" he snaps, hackles raising.
Never. Never. Never!
Bonnie jumps.
"I could never have let that Sadness hit you!"
He can't stop yelling. "I know you don't like it when we say you're a child, but you are!" None of them would let that happen. What were they gonna do? Find Petronille and tell her they let her sibling die because they didn't matter? Because he didn’t want to run too fast and wind himself?
Of course Bonnie matters! Even if the loops...even if the loops make them feel like a character in a play, an actor. They're still real, and he already risked their life just now teaching them how to fight.
But that's what they wanted. If he doesn't fumble this again, it'll make them happy.
"I'm stronger now, Bonbon."
He takes a breath.
"I can protect you, and make sure I don't get hurt, either."
They sniff. "You promise? You promise you won't get hurt again?"
No. But they can afford to loop back if they get hurt enough to upset Bonnie like that again. It's only him, after all.
"I promise." He smiles softly.
"You super promise?" They step closer.
"I super promise."
"You super duper promise?" They clench their fists and stand on their tiptoes, face almost in his.
He snorts. "I super duper promise."
And Bonnie promises they'll protect him, too. Cute. And—oh!
They're hugging.
Hug!
!!!
Wow! That's a lot!
He really—they all really haven't touched him at all besides that one loop...
Bonnie hugs them tighter.
It's almost too much.
He forces himself to relax. He’s still protected by layers of clothes, aside from the bit of Bonnie's forehead pressing against their neck. They sniffle and bury their face in his cloak.
His arms come around them and hug them back, tightly, tightly, tightly.
He holds them until their hiccups quiet and their body stops trembling.
"...See, you do know how to hug," they mumble against him and look up at him with sparkling eyes.
"Looks like I do, yeah." They give them another squeeze.
Bonnie lets out a sniffly giggle, and they hold each other for a bit longer. Bonnie finally pulls back and scratches their nose, staring at his chest with a grimace.
He looks down to see a big wet spot in the middle of his cloak.
Ew.