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It’s a crisp, cloudy fall day in Smiling valley, and The critters are helping Picky pick apples from her orchard so she can make a pie for each of them. She’d given them all one bucket each and told them to get to work while she had a rest day for once, usually having to pick all the apples herself.
It was going well for most of them.
Crafty had brought her own step ladder, Bobby was shaking the trees to make the apples fall, and Dogday and Catnap were working together, Catnap having climbed into the tree to pick apples and tossing them down to Dogday, who caught them in the Bucket he was holding.
But Hoppy had the most impressive technique of all. She would simply jump high enough to grab an apple, and twist it off the branch in a flash. Her bucket was already 1/4 full and she’d barely started.
Bubba, however, had stopped picking, both because he’d filled his bucket and because he’d noticed that Kickin wasn’t there.
‘He’s probably wandered off again…’ Bubba thinks, then goes to find him.
Eventually, he hears someone struggling, walking towards the noise.
It’s there he finds Kickin, standing next to an empty bucket and an apple tree that didn’t have a single apple picked from it.
Kickin was breathing heavily for a moment.
Then he jumped up, trying to reach an apple, and just barely missing it by only 3 inches.
“Stupid legs!” Kickin says, breathing heavily before jumping up again, still failing to reach the apples.
Bubba walks over. “Need some help?”
“No!” Kickin says before he jumps up again, again failing to reach the apples. “I can do it by myself!”
Bubba raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure?” He asks. “Because it looks like you’re struggling a little…”
“I am NOT struggling!” Kickin says, once again jumping and failing to reach the apples.
“I just gotta…” He says, jumping again. “Jump higher!”
Bubba shrugs. “Okay, if you say so…”
For the next 5 or so minutes, Bubba watches Kickin repeatedly try and fail to reach the apples, each time very nearly getting the apples but missing them by just 2 or 3 inches
Eventually, Kickin stops trying, sighing sadly and leaning his head against the tree.
“I give up.”
Bubba looked a bit worried, walking over. “You okay…?”
Kickin shakes his head. “No…”
He says somberly.
He glances over to his apple bucket, which was still empty as most of my art’s like and comment sections.
Kickin looked like he was about to cry.
“Hoppy has already probably over-filled hers by now… “
Bubba tilts his head. “Why would that matter…?” he asks. “We’re all gonna get pie later.”
Kickin sighs before looking him in the eye.
“Okay, so…” He says. “Before we all started picking, Hoppy and I made a bet over who could get the most apples in their bucket.”
He sighs again. “And the loser has to make up and sing a song about how much better the winner is than them, at sports, and music, and drawing, and so on.”
He gestures to his bucket. “And, as you can see, that’ll probably be me…”
Bubba looks to the bucket as well.
“I see.”
He then looks back to Kickin.
“Are you sure you don’t need any help?” he asks.
Kickin leans against the tree. “Well, I might, but… that’d be almost like cheating…”
He tears up. “Hoppy doesn’t need any help… she’s awesome at jumping… and sports… and running fast…”
He starts to softly cry, sitting down and leaning against the tree. “And I'm terrible at everything…”
He says, burying his face in his knees.
“At least writing the song won’t be too hard…”
Bubba looks at him sadly for a moment, then slowly sits down beside him.
“Hey…” He says, gently placing a front foot on Kickin’s shoulder.
“That’s not true.” He says.
He smiles softly. “You’re good at lots of other things that aren’t jumping to get apples.”
Kickin peeks at him from behind his knees.
“Like what…?”
Bubba smiles. “Well for one thing, you’re awesome at skateboarding.” He says.
“And surfing, you’re amazing at surfing. And playing your electric guitar.”
Kickin looks a little less sad.
“You… you really think so…?”
Bubba nods, rubbing his back gently. “I know so.” He says.
Kickin smiles a bit.
“Gee… thanks bubs.”
Bubba nods gently. “You’re welcome.”
He then stands up. “Now, what’s to say I help you pick some apples?” He says, offering his front foot.
Kickin smiles and nods, taking his front foot and letting him help him up.
“So… how are we gonna get the apples?
Kickin asks.
Bubba kneels down, making Kickin blush.
“Get on my shoulders.” He says. “I’ll give you a boost.”
Kickin looked a bit disappointed but nodded, climbing onto Bubba’s shoulders and holding tightly as he stood up.
“Alright, let’s get started!”
Now that Kickin was way taller, he could easily reach the apples.
Twisting them off the branch, each time he got one he tossed down into the bucket, which bubba was holding.
After about an hour, they had picked the whole tree clean, and the bucket was overflowing.
“Phew!” Kickin said, wiping his head. “Finally, we’re done!”
Bubba nods, setting the bucket down and kneeling down again so Kickin can get off.
“You did very well.”
Kickin smiles, getting off. “Aw, you really think so?”
Bubba stands up, nodding and smiling. “I mean look at your bucket.”
Kickin does, his eyes sparkling.
“YES!” He said, fist-pumping. “In your face, Hoppy!”
Bubba smirks. “Calm down there, tiger.” He says. “We don’t know for sure if you got more than her.”
Kickin turns to him with a smile. “Even so…” he says.
He walks over, giving Bubba a big hug.
“Thanks, man.” He says. “Couldn’t have done it without you.”
Bubba blushes, hugging back. “Y-you’re welcome.” he says. “I didn’t want you to be upset.”
Kickin nuzzles him a bit. “And… Bubba?”
Bubba blushes more. “Y-yea?”
Kickin smiles. “Can we agree not to tell anyone you helped me?” he says.
“I’ll owe you one.”
Bubba nods. “S-sure…”
Kickin pulls back with a giggle. “Okay, let’s go rejoin the others.”
He says.
Bubba smiles, still blushing a bit. “Yes, let’s.”
~apples falling transition~
Back at the barn, everyone had finished their apple picking and had come back with bucketful's of apples, which made Picky very happy.
“Great job, everyone!” She says happily. “These apples will be perfect!”
Everyone cheers happily.
Then Hoppy notices something.
“Hey wait a minute…” she says. “Where are Bubba and Kickin…?”
Everyone looks around.
“I don’t know…”
Dogday says.
Just then, the missing two walk back up, carrying their buckets.
“Sorry we’re late!” Kickin says, him and Bubba putting their buckets next to the others.
“Picking the apples took longer than I expected.”
Picky’s eyes sparkle.
“Why, with this many apples, I could make each of you TWO pies!”
She says, everyone cheering happily.
Hoppy then smirks. “Hey Kickin, where were you?”
She snickers. “Did you and your boyfriend get distracted making out?”
Bubba and Kickin both turned bright red as the others giggled.
“We were NOT!” Kickin says.
“And he is NOT my boyfriend!” He adds.
‘At least not yet…’
Bubba thinks to himself.
“We just got a little lost on the way back is all.”
Kickin says. “And we GOT the apples.”
Hoppy perks up. “Oh, right!” She says.
She turns to Picky.
“Picky, can you count up me and Kickin’s apples to see who picked more?”
Picky tilts her head. “Why?”
Hoppy stands next to Kickin, resting her elbow on his shoulder.
“Whoever got the least is the loser.”
Picky shrugs. “Okay.”
She gets two empty buckets, and begins counting the apples from Hoppy’s bucket.
“1, 2, 3…”
After she puts the last apple in the bucket, she counts, “45!”
She smiles. “Hoppy got 45 apples.”
Hoppy smirks smugly to Kickin.
Picky then starts to count up Kickin’s apples. “Okay, 1, 2, 3…”
And after she counts the last few, everyone waits in anticipation
“43, 44, and 45!”
She says, putting the last one in the bucket.
She stands up, smiling. “It’s a tie!”
She says. “You both have the same amount of apples.”
Everyone looked dumbfounded.
“Oh COME ON!”
Hoppy and Kickin both say.
“I was SO ready to bask in the glory of Kickin’s ‘I’m a loser’ song…”
Hoppy says, kicking her foot.
Picky snickers. “Tell you what.”
She says. “I’ll make you both an extra pie each with the apples you collected, how about that.”
Hoppy and Kickin look at each other, nodding.
“Yeah sure…”
Dogday smiles. “You’re both winners!”
He says.
Everyone claps for them both, making them smile.
Bubba then walks over to Kickin, whispering something in his ear.
“You’re the true winner to me.”
He whispers with a gentle smile, making Kickin blush.
~Later~
Bubba was relaxing under one of the apple trees, breathing in the cool all air, when he heard someone walking up beside him.
“Hey Bubba.”
Bubba turns his head to see Kickin walking up, carrying a freshly-baked tin of apple pie.
“Oh, hello Kickin.” He says softly. “Pies are done I see.”
Kickin smiles and nods, sitting next to Bubba. “Yeah…” He says.
“I figured I’d share one of mine with you, since you helped me collect the apples.”
Bubba smiles softly. “Aww, that’s sweet of you.”
Kickin 'giggles, pulling out two forks from nowhere. “Well I figured it’s only fair.” He says, using his to take a bite.
Bubba has a bite as well. “Well thank you.” He says.
Kickin takes another bite. “You’re welcome.” He says. “Man, Picky makes the BEST pies.”
Bubba nods, having another bite as well. “That she does.”
For the next 10 minutes or so, the two shared the pie and made chit chat until the tin was empty, both of them feeling full and satisfied.
“Well, that was some good pie.”
Kickin says as he sets the tin down.
Bubba nods. “Indeed.” He says.
Kickin then scoots a little closer, leaning his head on Bubba’s shoulder and causing him to blush.
“Hey, uh… thanks again for helping me gather the apples.”
Kickin says. “I know I wouldn’t have been able to do it on my own.”
Bubba gently puts an arm around Kickin’s shoulder. “It was no issue, Kickin.” He says. “If I have to hold you on my shoulders to help you feel better, so be it.”
Kickin giggles, nuzzling his cheek.
“You’re a great guy, Bubs.”
Bubba smiles softly. “So are you Kickin.”
He gives him a kiss on the head.
“You’re sweeter than 20 apple pies.”