Rose - A Poppy Playtime Story

Chapter 77 - Sweetened

(Almost there...)

"Catnap?" Dogday chirps, looking over his shoulder as he stood on the soft grass. Catnap purrs, his tail flicking behind him as he approaches the canine.

"Why are you up so late?" They asked, tilting their head as they came to stand next to him. Dogday clears his throat, puffing out his cheeks.

"I...uh, well, I couldn't, um, you know..." Dogday mumbles, barely understandable with how low he's whispering. Dogday looks up at his friend, his face a little hotter than he remembered it being, Catnap just gives him a patient smile. "I couldn't sleep..." He finally explains, earning a little chuckle from the feline.

"You could've come to me." They say, crossing his arms over his chest. "I would've helped with that. One way or another." He said, with a quick puff of red smoke out his nose and a smile smirk.

"I...didn't want to bother you."

"You're not bothering me by asking for help, idiot. That's my job, you know. To help people get a goodnights rest. It's literally what I exist to do."

"But that doesn't mean you do it all the time! Just because an old cranky guy—" Catnap blinks at him, his brow quirked slightly, "—said that it's your purpose, does not mean that it's the only thing you're good for!" Dogday huffs, as if he just ran a marathon, his face slowly turning to its normal color with each intake of breath.

"Well, okay...I guess. Thanks, Dogday." They whisper back, eyeing him curiously. "That means...a lot."

Dogday quickly feels the heat grow in his face again when Catnap stares at him, those midnight-eyes analyzing him like some sort of fascinating experiment. Then, Catnap snorts. A little twisted and barely contained smile forcing its way onto his moonlight's face, before Catnap slaps a paw over his mouth. Dogday watched as he turned his back towards him, soft snickering feeling the canine's ears.

"What?" Dogday asked, his voice a little squeaker than he would like to admit. The laughing only increases, the cat sounding more like a seagull than a human. Then, another snort comes out, the feline covering their nose. Dogday finds himself stuck just staring at him, completely lost in the joyful sound.

"I-" A quick breath. "I'm sorry! I'm not- oh my goodness!" Catbap cackles, his body doubling over slightly. Catnap takes a few more breaths as he turns to face Dogday, still fighting back snickers. "I'm not...okay. Sorry, I kinda just lost it there."

"It's alright. What's so funny...?" Dogday replies softly, gently.

Now, it's Catnap's turn to stare in bewilderment. "Well...you just...tomato." Catnap couldn't help the small falter of breath as he fought back a laugh. Dogday raised a brow at him.

"Really?"

That only proved to set Catnap off again, this time the feline actually falling to the floor, before being hoisted back onto his feet by the offended canine. Once this giggle fit had passed, Catnap shook his head, a polite smile on his lips. "I'm sorry, but it's a little hard when you look at me like that."

Like what, specifically? Dogday thought.

"Seriously, though. I'm getting you to bed now. We both have to wake up in the morning, you know!" The feline suddenly grasps his wrist, pulling the orange critter towards the purple house visible over the hills. Dogday doesn't complain when the feline takes him inside, pushing Dpgday to sit on the soft couch and handing the dog a cup of warm milk as he turns on the radio...

Dogday shoots up, gasping for breath. His eyes immediately search the room, only to find Catnap not standing there. Not letting his purple ears bounce to the heat of the music. Not giving Dogday a warm smile as he hands him a soft blanket. Instead, a human leans against the wall of the storage closet, snoring softly as drool runs down their cheek. Bobby is curled up next to Dogday, muttering incoherently as her face contorts into a puzzled expression.

Dogday's signs, his chest rising and falling as lays back down, a small thump sounding as his back makes contact with the concrete below him. He feels a chill up his spine, and he really start to miss the warm embrace of the space-themed blanket. His arms fan out like he's about to take flight, one of his ears flopping onto his face. He groans, bringing a paw up to swipe the thing off of his nose.

He lays there for a while, so still that he could he considered dead to the world. It's strange, thinking about it, of how he was always the first one up when PlayCare was still running. Always so eager to start the day with his friends, a blinding smile on his face as he greeted the day. Now, he just wants to lie down for a minute, the conversation with the others from only a day before filling his ears like ghosts.

The only thing keeping him from staying there for all eternity, was the thought of Catnap smiling at him that again. The memory of the purple feline giggling when Dogday said something even remotely funny. Damn it, Hoppy may have been right about one thing; He was smitten.

He ignored the thought, choosing to focus on nothing at all, letting his mind wander wherever it pleased. It didn't take long for the others to stir, with Angel getting up first, with a yawn and a soft, "Good morning." Bobby's wake up consisted of the bear accidentally hitting her head on broom, a soft whimper coming from her throat as she rubbed her temple.

"You okay there, Bobby?" Dogday asks, getting up from the floor. The bear only nods, taking the dog's paw when he offered it to her.

"Other than a little ache, I'm good."

"Are we good to head out then..?"

"Sure, Dogday let's get your boyfriend, shall we?" Bobby giggled, watching at Dogday sputtered as she walked towards Angel. The human gave the two a look.

"Wait, so were Dogday and Catnap actually..?"

"No, but they should've been," Bobby gave the human a small smirk, "and soon enough we're going to fix that small error."

(I love writing little moments like that Dogday wake up scene. It's just so mundane and peaceful. I loved it so much so that it took up the whole chapter basically. Writers block is coming for me...)

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