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"You ready, pollo?"
"I dunno wha dat means, but yeah!"
Bobby smiled warmly at the two littles in front of her, with their snow forts they had spent half an hour making. "Alright kiddoes, get in position... get ready... go!"
Chaos.
Dozens of snowballs began being thrown back and forth, Hoppy's with a little more force, and Kickin's with a little more finesse. Bobby watched proudly, her right leg crossing her other. Bubba noticed this and chuckled. "Let me guess, you hope Hoppy wins?" He asked, taking a tentative sip from his steaming mug of hot chocolate. "Of course not! I just hope the two have fun." She answered, though deep down, she knew she was rooting for her little girl.
Suddenly, Hoppy decided she was going on the offensive. She leapt up from her barricade and launched a snowball directly at Kickin, who somehow managed to dodge just in time. Hoppy giggled as she landed, her feet sinking into the powder as Kickin stood up, a confident smirk on his face. However, the smile quickly turned to panic as Hoppy sent another rocket towards him, which barely grazed a stray feather. Kickin, realizing his position, took off running in the other direction, with Hoppy bounding after him, constantly throwing as many snowballs as she could.
Bobby gasped, now unable to contain her excitement. "Yeah, baby! Go show that chicken what for!" She yelled, giggling and blushing like a schoolgirl. Bubba rolled his eyes, smiling. "Just hoping they have fun, huh?" He asked, making her blush even more.
Unfortunately, as Kickin ran, he hadn't noticed he had run straight up a hill. His eyes went wide as he miscalculated where the ground underneath him would be, and he tripped, tumbling down the slope. Hoppy tried to stop herself, but she'd already jumped after him, and there was no changing direction once she was in the air. The two rolled down together, getting wrapped up in snow as they fell.
Bobby screamed as she saw this, fearing for their safety. "BABY!" She shouted as she ran to them, pulling Bubba along with her. They reached the two littles as they reached the bottom, now so covered in snow that they themselves had become snowballs. Frantically they began digging their respective littles out of the snow, their hearts racing and heads pounding. Kickin was the first to be saved, coughing and whining as Bubba picked him up. Eventually Hoppy was freed as well, bursting out into a wail as Bobby hugged her. Bobby and Bubba looked at each other, both concerned. "Should we head back?" Bobby asked, holding Hoppy tightly and rubbing her back. Bubba nodded, gently caressing the back of Kickin's head. "I think these two have had enough outside time for today."
They trudged back through the snow, their hearts breaking as they listened to their little ones cough and cry, trying their best to keep them calm and warm. "I knew this was a bad idea!" Bobby said, clearly worried sick about Hoppy. "I knew it was a bad idea, I knew they would get sick, and I said 'no Bobby, they'll be fine, you're just overreacting'. God, I'm a terrible mommy..." She whined, tearing up a little. Bubba looked at her, concern and confusion in his eyes. "What? Bobby, what are you talking about?" He asked, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You couldn't have known this would happen. You wanted them to have fun, and they did, even if they ended up sick like this. You're not a bad mommy for letting your little girl have a good time. I myself was skeptical about it too, but I still let it happen. It's not your fault."
Bobby smiled gratefully, blushing, as they entered the house. The warm air was a relief to everyone, especially Kickin and Hoppy, who were now both crying softly into their caregivers. Bubba and Bobby set their littles down next to each other, wrapping them up in blankets and pillows. Bobby rushed to get a thermometer while Bubba stayed with the two, making sure they were both alright. This was going to be one long day inside.
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"Yeesh, 103..." Bobby stated as she held up the thermometer. Bubba sighed, looking at Kickin, who stared back sadly. Hoppy had an equally pitiful look on her face as Bobby cuddled up next to her. The green bunny whined sadly. "I don wanna be sick, mama!" She cried, hugging her caregiver. Kickin hugged Bubba tightly. "Yeah, wha Hoppy said!"
"Aw, little ones..." Bobby said, sighing. "I know you were really hoping to have fun outside, but we can still have fun inside, I promise!" They seemed wholly unconvinced by this, but didn't argue. "Hey, who wants a nice, warm bath, huh?" Bubba suggested, to which both the littles smiled. "Yay! Baff time!" Hoppy cheered, Kickin flapping his wings excitedly. The elephant smiled and picked up the two sniffling littles, walking to the bathroom with them in his arms as Bobby followed close behind. Kickin and Hoppy held onto each other, wrapped in a warm embrace that almost made Bubba shed a tear. Even when little, the two were absolutely inseparable. He set them both down on the bathroom floor, and Hoppy immediately ran to her mommy to be undressed.
Kickin blushed slightly, holding one wing with the other. Bubba kneeled down to him. "Hey, bud, you don't need to take a bath with Hoppy if it makes you uncomfortable." He said, but Kickin shook his head. "N-no! It's not dat, it's-" He stopped himself, looking at the ground solemnly. "She potty twained and I'm not..."
Bubba's eyes widened as he realized. Of course. He looked over at Hoppy, who was currently being praised for her dry pull-ups, then back at Kickin. "Oh, little buddy..." He said, pulling the chicken into a hug. "Don't worry. She won't bully you for it. She loves you."
The chicken looked up at him skeptically, but decided to believe his daddy. He took off his pants, revealing a very wet diaper. Bubba smiled before taking the diaper off and wiping Kickin's wet bottom, his lemongrass scent calming the little. Meanwhile, a naked Hoppy was bouncing on the balls of her feet at the edge of the tub as Bobby turned on the faucet. "Baff! Baff! Baff!" She chanted quietly, earning a smile from the bear. "Yes, darling. You and Kickin are gonna have a nice bath together, and then we'll all snuggle up and watch a movie together."
Kickin, now clean and naked, toddled over to the tub as well. Hoppy giggled as she saw him. "You waddle!" She exclaimed, to a very blushy Kickin. The two were giggling as if it were the funniest thing in the world.
Bobby picked up Hoppy and lowered her into the lukewarm water, letting the little one feel the relief as her body sunk in. Kickin climbed over the edge, landing in the water with a bit of a splash. Bubba smiled and took a brush from the countertop, holding Kickin as he began to brush the chicken's tail. Bobby dropped a few bath toys in for the two, which Hoppy immediately took to, her little tail wiggling.
Bubba smiled to himself, knowing that this would be a perfect night.
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"Come on guys, I'm about to start the movie!"
Kickin and Hoppy rushed over to the couch, flopping down in the laps of their respective caregivers. Bobby smiled, pressing play on the remote. She handed Bubba a box labelled 'Achoo! Sneezing Tissues', while keeping Hoppy's box right next to her.
Hoppy snuggled further into her mommy. "Mommy?" She asked tentatively, in the cutest voice she could muster. "Yes, baby?" Bobby replied.
Suddenly, Hoppy and Kickin both jumped on her, attacking her with snuggles and love. "Dis was da best snow day evah!" Hoppy exclaimed as Kickin nodded. "Yeah!" He stated. "We had wotsa fun!"
Bobby began to tear up, smiling at the two, before pulling them into a warm embrace. "Of course, little ones."
Bubba smiled. The two had said it exactly like he'd told them to. He turned his attention back to the movie, coming in closer for the cuddle pile. Hoppy, in a moment of pure childlike innocence, grabbed a pawful of popcorn, shoving it into her mouth. Bobby chuckled at this, as Kickin started to shovel the snack into his beak. Bubba chuckled a little. "Kickin, stop! You might choke, silly boy!"
Bobby looked around at her friends, her little ones, and smiled brightly.
This had, in fact, been the best snow day ever.