Inspired by a particular au someone [noirzvault] made among other things!
Alsooo, small note. If this story is liked enough, I may consider making it it's own story, as an au of course!
So if you'd like, feel free to let me know if you'd be interested in that!
A loud yawn escaped a certain purple feline's mouth, as his eyes closed and opened halfway. He stared exhausted at the teacher, barely focusing on them anyways.
He just wanted to close his eyes and rest his head on Dogday. He could do the work later, anyways. Even though Dogday always tells him that he should get his rest during the night rather than the day.
Dogday noticed the cat's eyes beginning to close, a small but amused smile creeping its way onto his face. He scooted a slight bit closer, gently nudging Catnap with his elbow.
"Catnap, come onnn."
The dog whispered quietly to his partner, helping wake him up a bit, though not completely. He didn't want Catnap to get yet another lecture for sleeping in class for...what? The 10th time by now?
With a small, quiet groan, Catnap willed himself to stay awake, doing his best to focus and jot down what he could. Still, he struggled, occasionally feeling as if he were about to fall asleep himself from time to time.
To the cat's relief, the bell soon rang, which would normally only make things a small bit dreadful.
However, this bell in particular was special. It was lunch time! The main time during the day in which Catnap could rest for a while!
It lasted about an hour, so that was plenty of time for the cat to rest up for his final class for the day.
Dogday smiled as he held out his hand, waiting for Catnap to grab it. The cat slowly got up, rubbing his eyes as he placed his own paw in Dogday's. The dog's tail wagged a bit once the two's paws made contact.
Kickin and Bobby also happened to be in this class along with them, the chicken in particular smirking a little.
"Awww! Look at the two lovebirds!"
Kickin said half playfully, and also genuinely. He thought that the two complimented each other quite well!
Especially since Dogday doesn't quite know when to relax sometimes. Catnap helps him get a bit closer to really striking that balance.
The same goes for the other way around. Although Catnap is clearly capable and has potentially, he'll sometimes let himself sort of slip away.
Dogday however often encourages him or convinces him to actually try whenever that happens.
Dogday blushed, letting out a small chuckle, of course not having much of a rebuttle himself. Catnap, however, smirked instead.
He turned towards Kickin.
"Says the chicken who's in love with an elephant."
Catnap stated calmly, as Kickin's face flushed red. He quickly looked around the room in a small panic, as if Bubba would be in there with them.
Luckily, to his relief, Bubba of course wasn't there with them.
"Catnap come on! You can't say that, what if Bubba heard you or something?"
The chicken nearly yelled, although a hint of nervousness was in his voice.
"Yeah Catnap. I mean, to be fair things could have ended badly for Kickin if Bubba walked by and overheard us."
Catnap's tail swayed, as chatter could be heard building up from within the hallways, in addition to the sound of others walking through them, each step adding to the noise.
"Don't worry, I made sure he wasn't nearby. Still, I have to admit I do think they'd go well together."
Kickin's face grew red as a tomato from Catnap's comment. Dogday couldn't help but jump into the conversation himself.
"Yeah, I'd have to agree on that! I mean...the two of you DO study together a lot! I wouldn't be surprised if he felt the same, haha! But take your time, Kickin. There's no rush."
Kickin smiled a little, making a small nod as his blush began to fade.
"Yeah...you're right. I'm just a bit nervous about it, you know? Maybe I'm too much for him, or something."
Dogday shook his head, letting out a soft chuckle. His tail swayed slightly, Catnap's smile growing slightly when heard the chuckle escape Dogday's mouth.
"Pfft, I doubt it! You're the coolest chicken around! If anything, I bet he feels lucky to have a friend like you already!"
Dogday chimed in happily, a big, joyful smile on his face. He wanted to add more onto what he said, but decided against it.
"Yeah, could say the same here."
Catnap agreed sleepily, letting a small yawn as he nuzzled his head against Dogday a little, which earned a small giggle out of the dog due to the tickling sensation.
"Exactly! Like the others said, I'm sure there's a good chance that Bubba would accept your feelings! Especially since the two of you have grown a bit close. Just make sure not to rush it, okay? There's no time limit or anything."
Kickin's smile grew as he twiddled his feathered fingers a little. He thought back to some of his and Bubba's study sessions.
He remembered that he kept thinking he saw Bubba glance at him from time to time when he wasn't looking. However, whenever he checked, Bubba would always seem weirdly focused on his book, almost too focused.
He thought that Bubba may have just been staring at his outfit, or thought he looked weird. It didn't seem like him to judge, however.
Maybe it was something else...
"Awww, thanks guys! I have to admit...if Bubba does think of me that way, our feelings would be mutual there, heh heh..."
"I...have to admit, I find his memory and knowledge to be quite admirable..."
Kickin said sheepishly, thinking of some cool facts the elephant has shared with him when the two hung out.
Dogday looked as if he wanted to move for some reason, his tail wagging a bit, and his foot tapping the ground. Eventually though, he just couldn't hold it in any longer!
"AAAHHHHH!!! I CAN'T HOLD IT IN ANY LONGER!!"
The other three turned towards Dogday in confusion, their eyes widened [especially Kickin's]. Catnap even woke up a bit as Dogday suddenly yelled out.
Dogday realized how loud he was and quieted his voice down a bit, just in case. His tail continued to wag, showing that his excitement remained.
"Bubba told me that he has a crush on someoneee!! He didn't say who! I'm sorry it's just too exciting not to say!"
Dogday said happily, the excitement practically shining through his voice. Kickin's heart skipped a beat at the thought.
"I...I may actually have a chance..! I could tell Bubba that I LOVE-"
"Love what?"
Bubba asked, standing behind Kickin. Kickin's eyes shot wide open as he stopped himself mid sentence.
Right, he was supposed to meet them here for lunch.
Luckily, Bubba hadn't heard much at all. Only Kickin's most recent sentence, actually. He took a while due to how crowded the hallways were.
"-THAAAAT I LOVE SKATE BOARDING YEAHHH RIGHT GUYS?! SKATEBOARDING SO IS SO MUCH FUN EHEHE!!"
Kickin practically yelled nervously, and quickly at that. Bubba just stared at him confused, raising an eyebrow for a moment, almost as if suspecting something.
Catnap couldn't help but let out a small amused chuckle. Despite Kickin's rather flawed attempt at covering up what he was about to say, Bubba decided against further questioning.
Dogday's eyes widened as his stomach grumbled, drawing everyone's attention to him. Dogday sheepishly smiled as he held his stomach.
"Oh right! It's lunch, we should probably head over to our spot to eat, huh?"
Dogday looked over at Catnap, bringing a finger under his chin, gently scratching it a little. The soft touch made the cat purr, his tail swaying as well. He clearly loved it.
"And for this guy to get some sleep. Which he should have done last night."
Dogday playfully scolded, which earned a small groan out of Catnap.
"Come onnn! At least I remembered to do my homework this time! Even if it did come at the cost of uh...sleep, eh heh.."
The five began to walk, making their way towards that spot of theirs. Bubba shook his head disapprovingly.
"Catnap. Dogday is right, you know."
'Oh goodness, not another lecture...I just sat through a whole class...'
Catnap thought to himself. Still, it's not like he could argue against it. Bubba and Dogday were right, after all.
That, and he was too tired to bother. He decided to just rest his head on Dogday's shoulder, leaning on him as he unwillingly listened to the elephant's small lecutre.
"Sleep IS important for the brain, after all. While your homework is, well, obviously important, you need to make sure you're getting enough rest as well, Catnap. Or else you're just gonna crash, and everything's gonna fall apart, homework included!"
Catnap just gave the elephant a subtle nod, clearly too tired to really take half of his words in.
Kickin, on the other hand was the one listening, rather than Catnap. He couldn't help but smile as he heard the elephant sharing his knowledge with Catnap.
Admittedly, he did get how exhausted Catnap was. Maybe he could use it as an excuse to start a conversation with the elephant this time.
"Say, Bubba. Aren't you studying electricity or something in that one class of yours?"
Bubba's ears twitched, the elephant glancing towards Kickin. He smiled a little as he gave him a smal nod.
"Oh, yes! May I ask why, Kickin?"
Kickin's small tail wagged slightly, as he felt his confidence begin to fade, and fast.
Bobby, who was ahead of the two looked towards Kickin, giving him a small wink before turning her head back.
It reassured him a little, encouraging the chicken to take a small, deep breath before he continued.
"Well...I was just curious on how all of that stuff worked, y'know? I mean, maybe I'm not exactly going to use that kind of knowledge immediately, but it'd be nice to know...wouldn't it?"
Bubba's face flushed slightly, just enough for the chicken not to notice. He was admittedly a little surprised that someone actually wanted to hear him explain something to them.
It felt...nice.
Very nice, actually. Especially coming from Kickin of all people. The elephant happily complied, a genuine smile forcing it's way onto his face as he began.
"Well you see, electricity is used in many parts of our day to day lives! Like the devices we use, and...."
While Kickin listened, Dogday and the others tuned out Bubba and Kickin's conversations, continuing their walk until they eventually made their way to their spot.
A small, outdoor area within the school, with benches, trees, and most importantly, a nice, peaceful environment.
Most of the other students never really went there, so Dogday and his friends could relax, chat, and eat all they wanted in peace.
Dogday could feel Catnap practically falling over on him at this point, so he sat him down beside him on a bench, taking out his lunch and Catnap's.
He took out one of Catnap's snacks; a chocolate chip cookie!
Dogday smiled happily, his tail beginning to swing back and forth as it wagged. He brought the cookie to Catnap's mouth, the cat in question opening his eyes a little, although they still weren't quite fully open.
"Come on kitty, you gotta eat before you sleep! You don't wanna miss out on lunch, do ya?"
Catnap blushed as he took the cookie, admittedly a little embarrassed.
"Come on Dogday, I'm not THAT much of a mess, am I?"
The cat questioned, taking a small bit out of the cookie. Dogday placed his hand gently onto Catnap's.
"Sorry, I can't help it! You're just too cute! That, and I love you so, so much!"
Kickin glanced over at the two, sitting beside Bubba on the other side of the bench.
'Lucky...I wish Bubba and I had something like that...though it'd be different! Of course, I uh...have a image to keep.'
Bubba noticed Kickin glancing over, pondering if the chicken may have been a little jealous of the two. He thought for a moment, until he had an idea.
He took out something from his own lunch bag, a chocolate bar! Not just any, in fact. Kickin's favorite!
He wanted to give it to Kickin as a gift, but he wasn't quite sure how. If anything, he thought that the chicken may consider it lame or something, but he decided to take the chance.
"Hey Kickin."
The elephant's voice almost instantly caught the chicken's attention. Kickin turned towards the elephant, glancing towards his hand.
Bubba held out a chocolate bar, Kickin's favorite brand, too! Did he...know? How?
"I uh...heard that you liked these so...I thought to give you one, if you'd...like it."
Bubba avoided eye contact with Kickin for a moment, feeling his face flush as he spoke nervously. He hoped that Kickin liked the gift, or that he didn't notice how nervous he was, or that he was blushing.
Thoughts rushed through the elephant's head as Kickin stared at the chocolate.
'How thoughtful of him...'
Kickin thought to himself as he grabbed the chocolate bar, staring at it for a moment before looking back up at Bubba.
'Maybe there's a chance that he really does...'
Not hearing a response from Kickin, Bubba quickly grew more and more nervous. His heart began to race, his voice getting a bit shakey as well.
"Do...Do you like it, Kickin?"
Kickin definitely must've noticed how nervous he was by now...right?
Gosh, how did Dogday do this?! Or Catnap for that matter?! He felt like he was going to explode!
Kickin smiled, feeling a warmth inside his chest.
'Bubba...you big doofus. Of course I like it!"
Kickin decided to respond by pulling Bubba in, and wrapping him in a big hug. His own tail began to wag as well. He didn't care if Bubba noticed or not at this point, he wanted him to know how much he really appreciated it!
He rarely recieved gifts after all, so to get one from his favorite person in the whole world was beyond exciting!
The elephant's face only turned more red, clearly caught off guard by the hug as his own tail began to move on it's own.
Bubba relaxed easing up a bit as he wrapped his own arms around Kickin, returning the hug himself. He had to admit, the chicken's feathers felt nice...and soft.
On another bench nearby, Bobby met up with the others; Hoppy, Crafty, and Picky.
While talking to Hoppy, Bobby glanced over to the bench the other four were out, looking at Bubba and Kickin in particular.
She caught sight of Bubba giving Kickin the gift, and her heart fluttered with joy, especially seeing how happy the two were!
'Oh my gosh he actually did it!!'
Bobby cheered for the two in her head, happy that Bubba decided to actually go through with her idea!
Hopefully this helps encourage the two to grow closer and maybeeee even confess their feelings! She couldn't wait to see how things would go. She loved seeing her friends happy!
She turned back towards Hoppy, chatting with her and the other four.
Meanwhile, on Dogday and Catnap's side of things, Catnap finished eating his lunch, and was more than ready for a nap.
The cat closed his eyes, letting his head rest on the dog's shoulder, his entire body leaning onto him too.
Dogday let out a soft chuckle, wrapping his arm around Catnap. He leaned in to the cat as well.
"Nap time, huh buddy?"
Catnap let out a small purr as a response, too tired to talk. His eyes were even closed already, too.
'Awww! Someone's a tired kitty!'
The dog thought to himself. He gently rubbed the cat's back, his tail wagging a bit.
"Go ahead, kitty. Get your rest. I'll wake you up when it's time for class."
Catnap gave a rather subtle nod, quickly drifting off into sleep, before he finally did.
He let out the small, occasional purr, each one making Dogday's heart flutter with joy!
'Gosh, he's so adorable like this!!'
Dogday gushed in his head as he relaxed a bit himself, enjoying the outdoors while his partner got some much needed rest.
The other critters continued to socialize, enjoying their break to the fullest, until their next class would inevitably begin.