Work Text:
Another rainy day in Brisbane, and nothing at all to do.
Judo sighed in boredom as she stared out the window with a glazed expression on her face, resting her head against her arm on the windowsill. Her fluffy beige tail drooped behind her, wishing the sun would return. She had never been much of a fan of the rain. A quiet rumble of thunder could be heard in the far distance though her windowpane, as though the world itself were warning her to stay indoors. Locked inside, where she was safe. Dry. Alone.
Not to say she was truly alone - the young Chow Chow loved her mum, of course, who was reading yet another one of her romance novels just down the stairs on the living room couch. But as any 7-year-old girl would, she understandably preferred to have friends her own age. However, because of her sometimes brash and abrasive personality, making friends was easier said than done for Judo. She often wished she wasn’t like this - she was well-aware that she was naturally very opinionated and outspoken, and sometimes that would lead to her saying some things to other kids that only made her come across as being bossy, bratty, and even… a bully.
That was a word she hated the most. She knew that most other kids didn’t like her take-charge behaviour, and she was admittedly impatient at times with those who couldn’t keep up with her or play in just the way she wanted to. But she didn’t ever intend to hurt anyone’s feelings, and she always saw herself as a good girl. So she wondered… was that really all it took to make others see her as a bully? Even from her teacher, there was one comment often said about her time and time again during parent-teacher conferences with her mum:
‘Does not work well with others.’
So even on the sunniest of days, Judo usually kept to herself in her mum’s house, away from other kids; it wasn’t like they’d ever want to be friends with a ‘bully’ like her, anyway. But despite Judo’s flaws, she did manage to keep one friend, at least. In fact, they’d been friends ever since they were babies - a particular blue heeler girl named Bluey, Judo’s next-door neighbour.
Judo could already feel her heart thudding a bit faster in her chest as the thought of Bluey suddenly crossed her mind, now letting out a sigh of longing rather than boredom. She couldn’t help but smile a little as she recalled the sound of Bluey’s laugh whenever Judo said something funny, or the sound of her playful screaming when they would chase each other around their yards. For whatever reason, Bluey was the only girl who had stuck with her even at her worst moments. At times, Judo wasn’t even sure what she did to deserve her as a friend. Bluey was one of the only kids who’d always reacted to seeing her with joy, rather than fear or avoidance. The only girl who ever liked Judo for exactly who she was.
The young Chow Chow blushed and idly twirled her finger against the dusty sill as she recalled the comforting feeling of Bluey’s arms wrapped around her whenever they’d get to play together. Bluey was a strong hugger, and whenever Judo felt her warm embrace, she never wanted Bluey to let her go.
The rain was starting to get progressively harder now, each drop loudly smacking against the clear window before her. It certainly wasn’t an appealing thought for Judo, to be outside where she’d get soaked. It was far more than just getting her lovely coat of fur wet, though; being in the rain was cold, and dreary, and worst of all, uncomfortable. The constant taps of little water-droplets on her skin were like a nagging feeling that just wouldn’t go away. A truth that she didn’t want to face about herself.
Judo’s tail perked up when she saw something small, blue, and familiar exiting her neighbour’s porch. She watched as Bluey excitedly rushed down the front steps, giggling with delight as she spun around in the rain alone and stomped her feet with a splash in all the small puddles forming in her yard. Judo’s tail began wagging the more she watched her best - and only - friend, wishing she could join her. Bluey looked like she was having so much fun… and Judo began to wonder if she could try to have fun in the rain like Bluey, too. She finally left the window, heading off to her wardrobe to search for her umbrella.
After getting permission from her mum, Judo stepped out onto her front porch and opened her small Cat Squad umbrella. She walked carefully down the wet steps, making sure to keep the umbrella centered directly over her with both hands and adjusting for the shifting wind as needed. She crossed her yard over into the Heelers’ and approached her friend, who was still spinning around so fast in the rain that she didn’t even notice her.
Judo began to softly giggle the more she wanted the little blue heeler spinning around like a helicopter, her cheeks flushing red as she admired how adorable Bluey looked when she thought no one was watching. Eventually, Judo’s giggling became so loud that it finally attracted Bluey’s attention, who stopped spinning immediately. The blue heeler held her arms out for balance as her disoriented vision confused her, her legs wobbling forwards towards Judo like a baby just learning how to walk. Just when it looked like she was about to fall over completely, the Chow Chow quickly stepped forward to catch her, using one hand to hold her umbrella up over the two while wrapping her other arm around Bluey to keep her from collapsing from dizziness.
Bluey held onto Judo under the safety of the umbrella, and they began to laugh together as the rain fell all around them. Once Bluey could stand on her own again, she grabbed Judo’s free hand and smiled before slowly skipping around her in the wet grass like a maypole.
Judo simply stood in place, shifting her feet in time with Bluey to keep up with her. As she watched Bluey get drenched in falling water, she couldn’t help but adore her friend’s free-spiritedness and constant willingness to turn anything into an opportunity to have fun. Unlike her, Bluey willingly exposed herself to the harsh rain without a single care in the world. Like she had nothing to hide about herself. Judo couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. And yet, this was exactly what she loved about Bluey.
Loved … about Bluey.
It was at this moment that Judo began to understand what it was that she’d kept so hidden, she didn’t even know it herself until now. This feeling she felt whenever she was around her one and only friend. The truth she didn’t want to face.
Judo loved Bluey.
Another low rumble of thunder echoed through the sky as Judo looked up at her protective umbrella, the loud sound of the rain rapping down onto its surface filling her ears as it kept her dry. One hand clung to Bluey’s, but the other still to the handle. Under it, she was safe. Dry.
Alone.
With a deep breath in, Judo cast aside her umbrella, letting the rain hit her fur head-on. Bluey let out a brief gasp of surprise, knowing just how much Judo hated getting rained on. But without a word, Judo used her free hand to hold onto Bluey’s other hand, and soon the two were spinning around each other in the rain as they laughed together. Judo felt more free than ever as she stomped her feet into the grassy puddles just as Bluey did, bravely facing these uncomfortable feelings within her. The more the raindrops soaked down into her fluffy fur and stuck to her in a damp and matted layer of wetness, the more used to it she became. This discomfort didn’t matter to her anymore, as long as Bluey was here with her through it all. And within moments, the rain had washed all of those fears away.
Soon, Judo was actually grateful that it was raining so hard. Because if it wasn’t, then Bluey would’ve been able to see the tears of joy that were pouring from her eyes.
The two of them continued spinning, and spinning, and spinning, until they couldn’t hold on anymore, their wet hands eventually slipping apart and eventually sending them flat on their backs in the puddles.
There was that laugh that Judo loved so much.
When they stood up again, Judo brushed her wet hair out of her eyes before approaching Bluey again. She rested one hand on Bluey’s waist and the other reaching for her hand, interlocking her fingers as she began to lead them around the yard in a waltz. Although Bluey wasn’t as familiar with it as Judo was, the Chow Chow did each step slowly enough for her crush to keep up before reaching their arms up together and putting Bluey in a spin-turn before repeating the steps. The two girls never looked away from one another as they kept dancing together to the rhythm of the rain, never knowing that each of their parents were secretly watching the both of them affectionately from their respective houses.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning lit up the sky from miles away, followed by a sharp boom of thunder. Bluey let out a fearful yelp, clenching her eyes shut as she hugged onto Judo tightly for safety. The Chow Chow found it a bit ironic that while Bluey had no fear of rain, she was still deathly afraid of thunder; Judo, on the other hand, had disliked the rain but wasn’t afraid of thunder or lightning at all. Perhaps it was because thunder was much like her own personality, she thought - loud, bold, and brazen. But regardless, their tails wagged in perfect synchronization as Judo held onto Bluey to make her feel as safe as possible.
For as long as possible.
It was some time before they finally broke their embrace, and they noticed that the rain had finally begun to ease into a light sprinkle. The sky was still quite dark, but at least the storm was finally moving on its way, it seemed. Judo swished the damp hair out of her face and looked into Bluey’s eyes again, their hands still remaining together. She smiled wordlessly at Bluey, and Bluey smiled back, their tails still wagging as one.
Then, in one swift motion, Judo suddenly leaned closer and tilted her head to the left, planting a quick but soft kiss on the side of Bluey’s wet muzzle. She felt a pleasant chill up her spine as her lips pressed against Bluey’s slick fur, but retreated immediately once she realized what she’d done. Without even giving Bluey a chance to respond, Judo let go of her hands and rushed back to her house, leaving her umbrella behind.
Judo was about to reach her front porch when she felt something unexpectedly grab at her wrist. She turned back to see Bluey, her best friend, stopping her in place. Before she could say anything, her heart was suddenly elevated to unimaginable heights as she felt the blue heeler’s lips press against her own in a true smoochy-kiss. It lasted only a mere second or two, but Judo could have sworn that time itself had frozen just for her as a swarm of butterflies tickled her stomach from the inside.
The sun peeked through the clouds as the two young girls held each other’s hands, their friendship having metamorphosed into something brand-new. And as they held each other close, Judo knew in her heart that she wouldn’t be needing her umbrella anymore.
Thanks to Bluey, she would never again hide herself from the rain.