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A certain sleepy cat opened Bubba's door, rubbing his eyes before closing it with his tail. He walked up to Bubba, tapping the elephant's lap.
Bubba took his eyes off a book he was reading to look at the feline.
"Oh! Catnap! What brings you here at this hour?"
The elephant asked, adjusting his legs a little to provide room for the cat. Catnap jumped onto Bubba's lap, resting his head against the elephants chest as he stared at the book.
"...Can you tell me about this one?"
The feline requested, a quiet, yet audible purr coming from his body. The elephant raised an eyebrow. This was strange...even for Catnap.
"I mean, sure , but...why? Why now?"
Catnap blushed lightly, glad that he facing looking at the book rather than Bubba right now.
"Well..."
May as well tell the truth, right? Bubba was one of the last critters to judge anyways.
"I kind of had a nightmare, and Dogday's already asleep. I was hoping to find someone to sleep with so.."
Bubba's eyes widened, his elephant tail wagging a small bit as he listened to the cat's explanation. He hoped that Catnap didn't notice it, especially as it may weird him out.
"I thought to turn to you. Besides I like listening to you as you explain things. It makes me feel...nice."
Now it was the elephant's turn to blush as his face flushed red. He wasn't sure if it was clear to the cat, but it certainly was to him.
It seemed that the cat loved him, his rambling included. Normally, the thought of this would've sent the elephant into a panick.
...If it weren't for the fact that he felt the same. He thought that the cat may have been out of his league. Besides, it seemed more likely for them to get with Dogday, their best friend.
...But Bubba guessed that he was wrong on that. And he certainly was glad to be.
Still, being the way he was, he didn't appear to be super excited, like someone would expect from another critter like Dogday.
Still, that didn't mean that said excitement wasn't there. It was, the elephant just wasn't able to express it in the usual manner.
"Catnap...you..."
The cat's heart sank a little, worried that he had accidentally revealed a little too much to the elephant.
Agh! That's what he gets for approaching him while in a drowsy state! He wasn't thinking!
"Wait...wait Bubba– I'm sorry, I didn't mean to–"
The cat's brief panic was put to a stop by a small kiss on the forehead from the elephant. A risky move, yes, but he was sure that his own theory was correct by now. Besides...he had to put it to the test somehow, right?
Catnap's eyes widened, his heart fluttering from the tender kiss alone. His tail began to sway, almost as if in sync with the elephant's wagging tail.
Catnap looked up at Bubba to face him. He was blushing too, a small smile on his face.
"You..."
"You too?"
The cat asked, the elephant responding with a simple nod as he set his book aside, wrapping his arms around the feline.
"Of course I do. How could I not? You're one of the few who actually listens to me. Consistently, that is. That and...you always seemed to enjoy my rambles the most."
"I couldn't help but get a bit attached...not to mention how cute you are sometimes, too."
The cat purred, a big smile on his face as the two stared at each other.
The simple compliment had the value of a prized possession, simply because of the fact that it was from the elephant himself. To say that the cat was happy would be an understatement.
"Oh Bubba...you're a big sweetheart under that face. You know that?"
The feline asked, softly rubbing the elephants cheek with his paw, forcing a larger smile onto the elephants face. Bubba held onto Catnap's paw with his hoof, the two staring into each other's eyes.
"Could say the same to you...my little nightlight."
Catnap's eyes widened for a moment, a surprised look on his face. It quickly turned into a big grin as the cat let out a laugh.
"Nightlight? That's a new one, haha!"
Bubba grew a bit nervous, a sheepish smile on his face.
"Oh! Sorry is...that weird?"
"No, no!"
The cat shook his head, his laugh slowing to a stop before the cat relaxed a little.
"It's not! It's just a new one, is all. I like it. It's unique."
Bubba let out a quiet sigh of relief, the two just staring at each other until the elephant remembered something, glancing over at the book beside them.
"Wait! You wanted me to tell you about the book...right? Or...read it to you?"
The cat glanced over at the book, a small idea popping into his head. It was late, but...he wouldn't mind staying up a bit later than usual to spend some time with the elephant.
"Hm...how about both?"
"Sounds good to me!"
The elephant took an arm off the cat, making sure to keep the other wrapped around him as he grabbed the book, opening it up to the first page.
There was a small pause before the elephant began to read the page. He glanced back down at the feline, who was now staring at the page in question.
"...So uh...before we start, I just want to ask..."
"...are we a thing now?"
Catnap took advantage of his long tail, using it to gently rub the elephants cheek.
"Of course we are, my big sweetheart."
The elephant's face flushed once again, responding with a simple nod. He cleared his throat, focusing on the book once again as he began to read out the words on the first page.
The two stayed up all night. The other critters pondered the two's absence the next morning, and why the cat slept in with Bubba rather than his best friend, Dogday.
Although...one of the critters knew the two's little secret.
Dogday. The best friend that Catnap had confided in about his little [or big, rather] crush.