Bonnie was mid-reset, casually leaning against the backstage doorframe like he hadn’t been following the same five footsteps all day. His eyelids hung low in a practiced look of indifference, one leg crossed over the other like he was definitely not waiting for attention. But then he heard it—his name. Light, familiar, meant for him

His ears snapped to attention

A tiny squeak left him before he could help it, like his voice box tried to chirp and reboot at the same time. “Ahem. Yes?” he called, just a beat too fast—casual tone betrayed by the way his entire frame perked up like a spring. And then… the tail

Wiggle

It was instant. That soft, stubby puff of a tail gave a happy little twitch-twitch-twitch like it had a mind of its own. Bonnie froze. His foot scraped the floor like he was trying to root himself in place, but oh no. It was happening again. The wiggle

He cleared his throat louder, standing straighter, trying to suppress the mechanical purr rising in his chest

“Cool. Totally cool. You said my name, I reacted. That’s what friends do, right?” His voice cracked halfway through the sentence “Basic response protocol. Completely normal. Not excited. Nope.”

Wigglewiggle

His hand shot back, trying to press the little traitor still. His ears twitched with embarrassment, flicking forward and back like little pink satellite dishes malfunctioning under pressure

“Okay, b-b-but listen,” he stammered, one paw raised in surrender “It’s not my fault I’m built like this, okay? My tail just… has opinions. It’s enthusiastic!”

The wiggle slowed. Then returned with vengeance

“Ugh, no! Don’t look at it! If you look at it, it gets worse!” Bonnie turned halfway, crouching a little as if sheer force of will might tame it “You’re gonna make it think it’s welcome or something—stop smiling like that!”

There was a pause. A beat of silence

He sighed, slumping like a puppet with the strings cut “…Okay. You win. Tail’s got a mind of its own and apparently it's got a huge crush.” A soft chuckle escaped him, his eyes squinting into a sheepish smile

The tail kept wiggling. So did his heart