Work Text:
After another day of activities and hanging around the camp, Bobbie and Cici finally made it back to their cabin. Today, they had a scavenger hunt made by Weslie… Everyone got their paws and hooves awfully dirty searching for the clues she dug up. It was tough work! And with the sun setting and the moon rising, they decided it was time to wind down.
Tired and worn, Bobbie just wanted to kick back and relax, gathering her console and games as she made herself cozy. She plugged in the charger, put on her headphones, and placed her current obsession inside the game slot. To her, it was the perfect way to spend the afternoon, always finding a way to calm her down.
While the cat was tucked snugly beneath her blankets, her buddy Cici could be found staring at the destruction that they called their room. Clothing and books were strewn about all over the mahogany floor. Most of the mess could be found on Bobbie's side, given how much stuff she brought...not to mention how she barely ever cleans up after herself! The most mess Cici had was her unmade bed, but that was about it...
Cici groaned, bending over to pick up Bobbie’s dark brown backpack from the middle of the floor. It appeared to be quite heavy, as well as nicely made. But what Cici didn’t realize, however, was that this bag was upside down and completely unzipped… Once the bag was held up in her paws, a couple of books plopped out of the pouch and onto the floor, creating even more chaos. The dog moaned in anguish. “Ugh! Why didn’t you zip this up? Now there’s an even bigger mess than there was before!”
Bobbie tilted her head upwards, ignoring Cici’s gaze. “Why didn’t you check if it was zipped?”
“Psh. That’s not my responsibility. It’s your shit, not mine.”
“Then why are you cleaning it up for me?”
“Because I– because it’s a damn mess in here! If you’re not gonna clean it, I will!”
With an irritated huff and sigh, Cici lowered herself and decided to pick up one of the novels that fell from the hefty bag.
In her cream colored paws lay a thin, white book with a pink border lining the cover and spine. “Claws & Roses…?” she whispered to herself. There were two cats on the cover– two girls, she presumed? Based on the artwork and title, the two seemed to be close friends, as Cici would put it. The way they were gazing into each other's eyes, the blush, the roses scattered among the top... It made her feel odd. Kind of fuzzy, although she would never admit it. Above everything else, however, she was curious. Why would Bobbie want to read something like this? She thought she was only into monsters and video game junk, not stupid comics!
Muttering aloud, Cici questioned, “What is this crap even about?” She turned to Bobbie, making sure she was distracted with her game. Once she knew she was too occupied to care, Cici decided to skim through the pages, flipping through to find whatever seemed interesting.
Even after moments and moments of scanning panels and dialogue, there wasn’t anything she could find of interest. Absolutely nothing! That is, until she stumbled upon a certain page in the middle.
She suddenly found herself captivated by one of the books illustrations. Not in a good way, no, not at all. It was…jarring. It didn’t feel right.
The two cats on the cover, they were…acting inappropriately– not as two girls should behave. They were kissing! And worst of all: they were naked! She couldn’t believe what she was seeing! And Bobbie owned this?!
“Bobbie!” Cici yelled, successfully garnering her roommates attention. “What is this?” She held the book in her direction, making sure Bobbie could see the cover fully.
It took Bobbie a moment to realize what Cici was going on about, but once she saw what she was holding, dread set in. It was one of her many romance mangas. One she’d allow nobody but herself to read. “Cici– please, please put that back–!”
“No fucking way! Why don’t you explain what this perverted shit is doing in your bag instead?!”
“It’s– I’m– It’s not,” Bobbie’s voice quivered, “it’s not perverted!”
This was her worst nightmare come true. Somebody found out. And it was the worst person she knows. She scolded herself for not cleaning her mess sooner. If she never dropped everything all over the place– if she never left her bag opened– this wouldn’t have happened. Not at all. Now Cici knows everything.
“You seriously like this shit?! This is horrible! Some shit a perv-”
“I know! I already know,” Bobbie cried back. “I’m a pervert. I’m a sick freak. And now you know, too.” She began to tear up, pushing her glasses up to her forehead as her paws rubbed at her wet eyes. She tried her best to speak up once more, but it was no use. She choked on her words, and then the floodgates had opened.
Cici felt…awkward. Out of place. The cat was sitting on her bed, hiccuping through broken sobs, and Cici had no clue what to do. She thought Bobbie was just going to brush this off like every other comment, not…break down.
“Hey, you’re… You’re not a bad person. I was just– uhm... I don’t…” God, this was hard. She never apologized to anyone. “I didn’t mean to talk like that. It just shocked me, I guess.”
Bobbie sniffled, “Of course you’d think it’s shocking. It’s gross. I’m gross. Just like you said.”
Cici stayed silent. Her heart hung heavy, regretting what she said before. She didn’t mean to…it just slipped out from her shock. But she knew that didn’t make it okay.
The dog skittishly walked over to her roommate's bed and sat down beside her. She averted her gaze from Bobbie and turned it to the book in her paws. Her brows furrowed as she stared at the cover. “Bobbie, why did you bring this with you?”
Bobbie’s gray paw wiped at her black nose. It was a stupid question. “It’s obvious, isn’t it?”
“I don’t…I’m not sure. Sorry,” Cici sheepishly lied. She had her suspicions, but she didn’t want to accuse her. Not when she was so deeply upset.
Bobbie took a deep breath. She didn’t know if she could muster up the courage to say it… What would Cici do if she knew the truth– the whole truth?
“...How do I know you won’t go around gossiping if I tell you why?”
The words tightened Cici’s chest. She knew she was mean, she knew she could be cruel, but she’d never ruin someone like that. Yet, she understood where the fear came from. She knew that if anyone learned her own secret, she’d be in the exact same position Bobbie’s in right now.
The dog fidgeted with her nails, whispering her vow. “I… I’m not going to tell anyone. I promise.”
Still skeptical, Bobbie pondered on her words. She never usually promises things… She assumes, and hopes, that she must be telling the truth. And so, she exhaled and began to confess.
“I like–” she paused for a second, catching her sentence before she could finish. “I like that kind of stuff. Seeing that between two…people.” Cici stared at her, and Bobbie knew she could see right through her. It wasn’t just two people those panels contained. It was–
“Two girls, Bobbie,” Cici corrected her. “It was between two girls.”
Her roommates frown worsened from her statement. “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry.”
After moments of hesitation, Cici finally begged the question: “Bobbie, do…do you like girls?”
The dog looked to her right, watching Bobbie place her head in her hands once more, choking back yet another sob. “I’m sorry,” her words faltered. “I understand if you don’t want to room with me anymore. You can go tell Al you want to switch cabins tomorrow–”
“I’m not switching who I room with just because you’re into girls, Bobbie. I don’t care.”
“You,” she sniffled between her words, “you said it was horrible. Perverted.”
She did say those things, she was fully aware of it. And there was no use in saving herself. She had no excuse, no reason, for saying those things. So why did she?
Cici huffed. “Well. Like I also said, you’re not a bad person for it, Bobbie. I–” She wanted so desperately to confess, to tell her she understands. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. So all she could do was apologize. “I’m… I'm sorry, Bobbie. It just slipped out and I wasn’t thinking at all. I have trouble with this kind of stuff because, well, my family back home…they don’t really like that stuff.”
“Just because they’re mean doesn’t mean you have to be too,” Bobbie uttered.
Then Cici went quiet. Her eyes fell on the floorboard beneath the two as she thought about her next words. “How can I make it up to you, Bobbie?”
A single sniffle was all the girl could muster.
“I’ll clean up the cabin?”
Another moment of silence.
“And go to the mess hall and get you a snack?”
And then, finally, Bobbie spoke up. “...Can you get me a soda, too?”
“Sure thing…and look, I shouldn’t have blown my lid. I was being a jerk and I shouldn’t judge you for that kind of stuff…”
“Yeah…”
“Do you forgive me?”
“...We’ll see.”
Cici nodded. “I understand…”
The chihuahua rose from the bed with the book still in her hands. Before she could put it down, Bobbie piped up once more. “You know, you can keep it…if you want. Just in case you’re curious about this stuff. I thought their relationship was pretty healthy compared to other stories I’ve seen.”
A rare, yet small smile formed upon Cici’s face. She placed the book on her own bed and made her way towards the cabin door. As she turned the knob, she replied with a simple exchange.
“Sure, nerd.”