Chapter Text
It's recess time on the first day of 1st grade in Smiling Valley. Kids giggle and scream and frolic about, playing games or talking with each other. CatNap, however, a purple kitten with a long prehensile tail and a deep frown on his face, sits alone, tracing shapes in the dirt as he watches the other children play. No one wants to play with him. "He's too weird," or "He's too creepy," or "He's too boring." He was inclined to agree. The most exciting part about his life was when his dad yelled at him and called him mean names CatNap couldn't repeat due to the words being too vulgar. He didn't mean to be all those things, but he didn't know how to stop. That made him sad.
He felt lonely. He usually tried not to cry though. His dad would always get mad when he cried, so he wipes his eyes with his dirty sleeve to try and ignore the feeling.
He draws a little version of him in the dirt; A crude stick figure with a circle head and triangles on top, with a long, spindly line coming from behind. Something inside of him wants to wipe it away.
"Hi," A voice ahead of him says. It's not quiet, but not so loud that it hurts CatNap's ears. When he looks up, he sees an orange puppy smiling down at him.
Smiling... at him... What a strange combination.
"I saw you sitting over here all alone, and you looked sad. Are you okay, kitty...?"
CatNap had no idea what to say. He'd... never been asked before. Nor has he ever been called kitty before. The puppy takes his silence as a cue to continue speaking.
"Um... Do you want someone to sit with you? I can sit with you if you want me to."
CatNap thinks for a moment, staring wide-eyed at the puppy's question for a moment before nodding his head. He feels a strange warmth at the way the puppy's smile widens and tail wags. He's never felt warm before. He tilts his head a bit when the puppy sits down next to him.
"My name is DogDay. What's yours, kitty?"
CatNap feels strangely overwhelmed by the question. CatNap's not even used to being talked to like he exists yet, and now this puppy wants to know his name? Why is he pretending like he cares? CatNap doesn't trust it... He must outwardly display this fact, as DogDay immediately reels back his question.
"I-I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to..."
CatNap's tail flicks about, and they sit there in silence for a while before he finally, oh so quietly, whispers "CatNap..." His voice is as quiet as he can possibly make it. DogDay's smile simply grows even wider somehow, shining brightly like the sun. For some reason, CatNap wants to smile too when he looks at it.
"I like that name! So what are we doing, CatNap?"
"U-Um... W-Well... I was j-just..."
CatNap suddenly feels nervous as he looks away from DogDay. He's never had someone to talk to before, so he's not sure what he should say. He wasn't really doing anything in particular, just trying to bide his time and distract himself from his thoughts. He looks back to DogDay, raising an eyebrow when he sees DogDay drawing something in the dirt. His mouth hangs open a little in an o when he sees what it is: It's himself! DogDay is drawing himself in the dirt, right next to where CatNap drew his own caricature.
"Hehehe! Look! We're standing next to each other! But something's missing... Hmmm... Oh, I know!" He watches curiously as DogDay writes something above the two little stick figures.
"B... E... S... T... F... R... E... I... N... D... S! There! Now everyone who comes around here will know we're best friends!" DogDay looks at him, still smiling wide, tail wagging wildly and kicking up dirt behind him.
"R... Really...? W-We're best friends...?" CatNap asks cautiously, in case he heard wrong. He doesn't want to scare off this nice boy by being too happy. DogDay beams.
"Of course! Um... If you want to be...! I won't make you be my best friend or anything if you don't want to be..."
"Yes!" CatNap says loudly, making him cover his own mouth is surprise. He instantly lowers his tone and looks away. "I-I'm sorry... I mean... I want to be your best friend... Please..."
DogDay just looks at him for a while, mouth slightly agape, and CatNap feels like he's about to cry. He just got his first real friend, his first best friend, and he's already ruined it all-
"Hehehe! Then that's it! I'm your best friend forever now! We're gonna have a bunch of fun together, and have sleepovers, and drink a bunch of orange juice!"
CatNap giggles and DogDay looks like he might just burst with joy.
...
CatNap and DogDay have formed a little dirt city on the ground with their fingers by the time Miss Delight comes out to call all of the children inside.
"Okay, children! Outside time is over! Let's get back to class!" she yells, and children scramble to get back inside at her behest. CatNap looks at DogDay sadly as the puppy stands, wiping his dirt-covered hands on his white shirt.
"Thanks for letting me play with you today, CatNap! I had a lot of fun!"
He's smiling as he says it, but CatNap's deep frown makes it falter for a mere moment. CatNap is startled by DogDay's hand being offered to him.
"C'mon! Miss Delight is waiting for us!"
CatNap takes it cautiously, and DogDay helps him up, tail wagging away. They look at each other for a while before CatNap looks down at the dirt drawings on the ground and starts giggling, making DogDay's head tilt confusedly.
"W-What's so funny...?"
"Hehehe... You didn't spell friend right, silly..."
"Oh. Oh! Haha! You're right! Should I fix it?"
CatNap looks down at the misspelled word for a few seconds before shaking his head.
"No. I think it's perfect."
They stand there for a bit before DogDay grips his hand tightly, eyes suddenly bright and shiny, and gasps.
"You have to meet my friends! They're gonna love you! Come on come on come on!"
DogDay begins pulling CatNap along until they're both running hand in hand into the schoolhouse together, giggling at harmless little jokes, whispering about the silliest things, and solidifying their best friendship in just under an hour.
It should be a normal Wednesday morning at the Smiling Valley Middle School. Sunshine pours through the gaps in the blinds covering the windows. The children sit quietly at their desks, taking notes as Miss Delight teaches the lesson for the day. Soon, the bell rings out loudly in the hallways outside the classroom as the clock hits 11 A.M., signifying lunchtime. The group of 8th-grade critters (specifically a certain pig) scrambles to get to the cafeteria, pushing past each other and laughing as they travel to lunch together. At least, most of them do, all besides a single sleeping CatNap, whose head lies down on his desk cushioned by his arms. Miss Delight smiles as she quietly walks up beside the slumbering feline's desk, placing a hand on his arm and gently shaking him.
"Come now CatNap, it's time for lunch," She says, suppressing a chuckle as his ears flick and tail lazily swishes about. Her smile immediately falls when she hears a muffled sniffle, instead replaced with a concerned frown. "CatNap? Is everything okay?" She asks, kneeling down to his level. The cat raises his head, and Miss Delight can see tears staining the fur on his cheeks, his eyes puffy and red, signifying he's been crying for quite some time rather than sleeping. He wipes his eyes and face with the sleeve of his hoodie, looking down at his desk in sadness. His fur is slightly ragged and he looks even more tired than he usually does. It hurts her heart to gaze upon her student in such a disheveled state.
Miss Delight places a palm on his back and rubs it soothingly. "Oh, CatNap... What's wrong, sweetie...?" she asks in a soft tone, watching as the feline's lip quivers.
After a few hiccupping, sniffling breaths, he opens his mouth to speak. "I'm l-leaving today..." he says with a frown. "M-moving away to a new place far away..."
"Mm... And that's not something you want, I take it. Is it okay if I ask why you're moving away?" she asks.
"M-my dad said he had to get a new job. He got fired from his job here in the valley for... f-for coming in drunk. He says today is our last day here, and that we leave after I get out of school today... We're going to Smiling City..."
"Oh... I'm so sorry CatNap. Is there anything I can do to help you feel better? Would you like to stay in here by yourself?"
Suddenly, someone gasping is heard at the entrance to the classroom, and before Miss Delight can turn to see who it is, a flash of orange fur is on the other side of the desk in an instant. It's DogDay, the feline's self-declared 'best friend forever.' He worriedly looks over his purple-furred friend. The rest of their circle of friends- Bubba, Kickin', Bobby, Crafty, Hoppy, and Picky. -walk in hurriedly.
"Are you okay CatNap?! What happened?! Why are you crying?!" he asks quickly. Miss Delight clears her throat noisily, and DogDay immediately ceases his questions and examination. "S-sorry... But what's going on...?"
"Would you like to tell them, CatNap?" Miss Delight asks. CatNap nods slowly, and Miss Delight steps away to offer the group a bit of privacy, returning to her desk and shuffling some papers and adjusting some other effects on the surface. CatNap turns toward his canine friend, not even blinking at the way DogDay takes his hand in his own to comfort him. It does, a little, seconded only by the smell of DogDay's vanilla-scented soap radiating almost sickeningly from him. The others crowd around, worried looks on their faces. He sighs, before opening his mouth to allow those dreadful words to flow freely once more.
"I'm leaving the valley today... "
"Huh?" Bobby sounds. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to Smiling City..."
"Smiling City?! That sounds so cool!" Hoppy exclaims with a wide smile. "Cities are super exciting! You should bring some pictures of your trip for us to look at when you come back!"
CatNap looks down sadly, making Hoppy's smile disappear.
"I... I'm not coming back... Today is my last day here..."
"What?!" the group exclaims in varying levels of shock.
"But... But why...?" Crafty asks.
"My dad is making me move with him... Said I don't have a choice..."
CatNap feels DogDay squeeze his hand at that, and looks up to see a pained, slightly annoyed expression on the canine's face.
"Y-you could stay with one of us!" he says, trying his best to put on a hopeful smile, praying that CatNap reciprocates. "My mom would love it if you stayed, and my dad too!" His smile fades when the feline averts his gaze, ears flattened against his head. "I-I tried asking already..." CatNap says, tears welling in his eyes again. "I tried everything, and he wouldn't listen. It's final, no matter what I say about it..."
The group is quiet for a while, processing the information that was just dropped on top of them. Their friend was leaving them and there was nothing they could do about it to stop it, not even him. DogDay pulls his hand away, and before CatNap can ask why, the silence in the room is broken by a desk being pushed against the floor loudly until it's right next to CatNap's, to the left of him.
"Fine then. If we can't stop it, then I'm going to spend the rest of the day by your side, and there's nothing anyone can say or do to tell me otherwise, not even Miss Delight!" DogDay proclaims, though he chuckles nervously when he sees Miss Delight give him a raised eyebrow. "Yeah!" Hoppy says next, pushing her desk up against CatNap's right side. "We're gonna stay right here until you have to go! We're gonna make this the best day ever! And then your dad's gonna have to walk in here and pry us off of you if he wants to take you away! No one's taking our cat without a fight!" More desks move around, and soon, CatNap is suddenly surrounded by desks, all with his friends occupying them, gazing at him and smiling wide. CatNap feels tears fall down his face, but they're nowhere near as sad as they were before.
"T-thanks, guys... Thank you so much..." he says sniffling. The moment is interrupted a bit by the sound of a stomach growling, and all eyes turn to Picky, who sheepishly rubs the back of her neck.
"Hehe... Sorry, still hungry..." she says. The others giggle at her. Miss Delight walks up, placing construction paper on each critter's desk, as well as some art supplies and a few games of the board and card variety. She pats Picky on the head, the pig's tongue sticking out sillily. "Now don't you worry your cute little head, Picky. I'll go get you all some lunch. You critters just have fun, alright?"
"Thanks, Miss Delight!" They call out in unison, causing the teacher to chuckle as she walks out of the classroom.
"Alright!" Kickin' exclaims, grabbing a bag of non-descript, numbered, and colored cards. "Who's ready to lose?!"
Kickin' loses first practically instantly.
...
CatNap feels sick when the bell tolls for the end of school for the day. It wasn't fair, how fast the day had passed when he wanted nothing but for time to just stop when it was and allow him to stay here forever. The other critters look at him with sad, yet expectant expressions. It was as if they thought 'If he has enough fun, he'll stay,' and CatNap wishes it was that simple. If he had the choice, if there was any way to secure time in such a way, he'd stay right here, surrounded by desks filled with his friends, forever and ever.
But he doesn't, and he can't. So when he grabs his backpack and stands up from his desk with a sad sigh, the other's moods seemingly droop alongside his own. This is it, and they had to accept that.
They accompany him for the whole walk to the front of the school, where children- human, critter or otherwise. -Wait to be picked up, finally done with the day's activities, and ready to head back home to their parents and guardians alike. CatNap's heart sinks when he sees his father's car nearby. It might as well be a hearse waiting to pick up a casket in the shape of him, with how somber everything feels. He turns back to his friends, on the verge of crying again, the familiar burn of sadness in his nostrils as his tear ducts prepare their payloads.
"W-well..." CatNap begins, voice woefully weak and quavering. "Looks like this is goodbye..."
He looks at each of the critters, all of them with sad smiles on their face. Bobby is already wiping tears from her face, the rest just letting them fall freely. DogDay steps up to him, smiling wide, beaming like the bright ray of sunshine he was. "Before you go, we have something to give you still," he says, and CatNap watches curiously as the spaniel drops his backpack and begins digging around inside, looking for something. "Do you remember that fundraiser we had a while ago to fix up some of the stuff in the school?" he asks, and CatNap nods silently.
"Well, using some of the excess from that fundraiser, we scrounged up some extra money ourselves to get you something we felt you've deserved for a while. We were waiting for your birthday to give it to you, but..." DogDay trails off as he finds what he's looking for: A purple, unmarked box, wrapped with a small piece of twine tied into a nice little bow. Attached to the twine is a small tag that says 'From Your Friends!' He holds it out to CatNap, who takes it slowly.
"I think now is as good a time as any. Go ahead, open it!" he says, tail wagging. CatNap obliges, gently untying the twine and lifting the cover of the box. His maw hangs agape at what lies inside.
It's a pendant in the shape of a crescent moon. All of the Smiling Critters had their own pendant, signifying their solidification inside the group. All except CatNap, who always said that it wasn't necessary, or that they didn't need to waste their money, or worst of all, that he didn't deserve one. This one was simple in its imagery, but it spoke so much louder than any words ever could possibly hope to convey, especially with the way the midday sun made its golden sheen so visible. It mirrors DogDay's own.
"Miss Delight and I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get it just right, but I think it was all worth it for you."
CatNap covers his mouth with his hand as DogDay gently takes the box and removes the pendant from inside. He slips the medallion over CatNap's head, and the feline feels his own breath hitch with just how close the two are to each other.
"There. You, CatNap, are now officially a member of the Smiling Critters Club. Heh, even though you already were to all of us. Now you'll have something to always remember us by if... if we somehow never see each other again..."
CatNap can't hold back his sobs anymore as he falls forward into DogDay's arms, the spaniel immediately pulling him into what he thinks might be the tightest hug DogDay has ever given him. Their pendants clink together, the moon and the sun pressed tightly to one another as if trying to begin an eclipse. He feels other arms wrap around him, and he sobs louder as the rest of the group hugs him as tight as they can as well, being embraced by what he can only describe as his family. He can hear them sobbing too, and it only makes his heart hurt worse.
When they pull away, they're all a mess of tears and broiling teen emotions. DogDay is still smiling, despite the way tears stream copiously from his eyes. CatNap doesn't even register the fact that DogDay is still holding his hands tightly as if he never wants to let go. Why would he when he's subconsciously doing the same? CatNap wipes his eyes and smiles wide at the critters, who do the same.
"T-thank you so much for being my friends... I-I promise I won't ever forget you guys."
"And we won't forget you either, Moonlight. Thank you for letting us be your friends. Thank you for letting me be your best friend. I always will be, no matter how much time passes, no matter how far away we are. I-... We love you CatNap."
"And I'll always be yours, Sunshine. Nobody else will be my best friend, not like you. I love all of you guys too-"
"CATNAP! Come on, quit wasting time! WE NEED TO GO!" his father suddenly yells, a tall, dark purple cat with glasses, khakis, and a button-down on, making him jump. He swears he hears DogDay growl a little as he turns to him, and then back to the group, a frown on his face as he begins the most painful thing he might ever experience in his life: separating from the only family he's ever known. DogDay tries desperately to hold onto his hand for a few seconds more, and CatNap's own hand refuses to lessen its grasp until he's simply too far away to keep holding on. DogDay looks like he might just run after him if he gets any further away.
"G-goodbye guys... T-tell Miss Delight I'll miss her..."
CatNap walks over to the car his father stands beside and gets into the passenger seat. The back seat is crowded with suitcases, one of which is his own. He hides his pendant underneath his hoodie; He doesn't want his dad to take it and ruin it like he has with everything else that's made him happy.
"Those your friends?" his father asks, and CatNap just nods. His dad scoffs and turns the car on, taking a flask of whiskey out of the glove compartment and guzzling down a long swig. It's already halfway empty before he ever puts it up to his rancid maw, though. "How you ever fooled anyone into caring about you, I'll never understand. Surprised you never screwed that up, too."
CatNap's ears flatten against his head as they begin driving away, the only people he thinks have ever cared about him slowly fading into colored dots as they start the long, thankfully quiet drive toward the city.
CatNap sits on a stump, playing with his pendant and quietly observing a small band of pill bugs roving about on the ground below near a rock, all backdropped with chilly winter air blowing through his purple hoodie. It's recess right now, though CatNap doesn't really care about that, as he'd much rather be in a classroom sleeping away. He feels as if calling it recess is a bit childish, considering he's in 9th grade and is 15 years old now, but then again, watching these little insects travel about the ground instills some sort of childlike wonder in him that he believed lost at one point.
'Where are these little things going?' he wonders to himself. 'Would they like help getting there? Would they even understand the concept of help? If I did help them, what happens then?'
CatNap puts a finger near one of the roly polies and hums with intrigue as it rolls up into a tight ball, protected by a hard exoskeleton like a suit of armor. At least, it's hard for other insects. CatNap could still squish the little bug like it was nothing, and nothing in his life would change. He'd just walk away and no one would bat an eye at it if they even noticed it. It would take no more effort than if he did it by accident. But then, what would any of that accomplish, he wonders. What would CatNap have to gain from causing pain to something trying desperately to survive in a world that's already difficult? All he wants is to help, but still, the roly-poly sits in its defense curl, hiding from the world and the conflict surrounding it. Even the mere hint of danger is enough for it to close off from everything else.
CatNap smiles as he very gently taps the balled-up insect. He won't harm this little creature, not when he understands why it does what it does. Maybe he's so alone that he's chosen to overthink a pill bug being afraid of his finger, but he doesn't mind. It still made him feel like he'd learned something from observing the little insects crawling on the ground, and besides, he loved watching them waddle around on their little legs, going nowhere in particular to live another day. In his mind, they were as interesting as anyone else was to observe.
"Hiya!" a voice suddenly says beside him, making him almost jump right out of his fur. He looks at the source of the voice and sees an orange-furred feline staring at him with wide, almost jumped-up eyes. Her tail swishes about behind her, and CatNap swears it looks like a third arm waving at him. She holds a hand out to him, a wide smile on her face. "People call me Catfeine! What's your name buddy?"
CatNap raises a brow to her skeptically before taking her hand and shaking it. His arm almost pops out of its socket with how roughly she shakes back.
"I-I'm CatNap," he says, and he almost feels scared by the way her eyes light up.
"Hey, our names are pretty close! Yours sounds like mine! ... Or does mine sound like yours...? Interesting, interesting..."
She hums in thought, and CatNap turns his gaze away, hoping she'll get the point and go away. The way... Catfeine sits down on the stump with him shows him that that is certainly not going to be the case. "Anyhoozle, I saw you sittin' all alone over here and thought 'Hey, that guy's got no friends! Maybe he'll be my friend since I don't have any either!' And then I walked over here, spooked you, aaaand now I'm here talking to you, trying to see what you're doing looking at the ground like a weirdo!" she says, a big, almost knowing grin on her face.
"Sooo... Watcha doin' looking at the ground like a weirdo, weirdo?" She asks, kicking her legs as she bounces in place.
She's certainly filled with boundless energy... It reminds him of DogDay, in a way.
"Looking at nasty little bugs," he says, hoping that the phrasing grosses her out and makes her go away. He doesn't actually believe they're nasty, but thankfully they weren't worried about mean words.
"Woah, super cool! What kinda bug was it?! Is it still here?! Did you pick it up?! SHOW ME!"
CatNap sighs exasperatedly. This was going to be a long recess...
CatNap places his hands over his head, trying to protect himself from the blows of his father's belt. He's barely lucid right now, only moments ago sleeping before his dad barged into his room in their small apartment, lost in the throes of drunken rage and holding a report card with CatNap's name on it, along with a tough leather belt. It's all A's on the card. All A's except a single D in math, right smack-dab in the middle of all the grades, almost jokingly highlighted by the success surrounding it. CatNap didn't even get a moment to explain himself before his father began striking him over and over again with the aged belt.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU GOOD FOR?! HUH?! WHAT ARE YOU OTHER THAN A FUCKING WASTE OF SPACE?! NO WONDER YOUR MOTHER LEFT, YOU'VE BEEN A FUCKING DISAPPOINTMENT SINCE BIRTH!"
CatNap just sobs and cries as he's struck hard by the belt some more. It doesn't make sense to scream for help, no matter how thin the walls of their apartment. No one ever came to help.
"I SLAVE AWAY AT WORK ALL DAY, COME IN TO SEE THIS SHIT ON THE COUNTER, AND YOUR LAZY ASS IS BACK HERE SLEEPING?!? I SHOULD BEAT YOU UNTIL YOU FUCKING BLEED EVERY LAST DROP OF JOY YOU'VE SUCKED OUTTA ME, YOU STUPID LEECH!"
CatNap's flesh burns as the belt strikes him more and more, the sound of it echoing in the tiny bedroom. CatNap doesn't once raise his hands to fight back. His claws don't even unsheathe. He just cries as he's delivered a punishment for failure. It hurts worse when the belt is tossed aside for kicks and punches, his own father's fists landing blow after blow on him, taking out the day's frustrations in the only way he knew how: Through violence.
"I SHOULD HAVE JUST LEFT YOU IN THAT FUCKING VALLEY TO ROT WITH YOUR HICK FRIENDS, BECAUSE SO FAR, THE ONLY THING YOU CAN'T FUCK UP IS LYING DOWN AND CLOSING YOUR EYES! HOW ABOUT YOU GET A FUCKING JOB AND HELP ME KEEP UP WITH RENT, OR DO YOUR FUCKING HOMEWORK BECAUSE YOU CLEARLY HAVEN'T BEEN BOTHERED TO! EVERYTHING YOU TOUCH YOU RUIN! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A FUCKING CURSE AND I'M DONE WITH IT! I'M DONE WITH YOU! "
Suddenly the assault stops, and CatNap curls into a ball on the floor, sobbing softly as his father steps away from him to the door of the room.
"Good luck, you goddamned waste of air. I'm out of here. It'd be best for you to just lay down and die."
CatNap can hear footsteps moving to the front door of the apartment before it slams shut, and once more, he's alone. He lays there on the floor for a long time, tail wrapped around him in the only form of a hug he's received in a while, clutching close his pendant- His only reminder of a family he once had, now merely used as comfort in a home that's been broken for a long, long time. He crawls back into bed, but it's pointless. He's far too scared to sleep now.
The next day, his father does not walk through that front door to hit him again. Nor does he return the day after, caught in the grip of an answer he found at the bottom of a bottle. By the third day, with the apartment chillingly silent, reality had finally set in; The second person who should love him unconditionally in life now wants nothing to do with him. The second person he should have trusted with his safety and security had hurt him and left him to fend for himself. CatNap wasn't sure what exactly he had done to deserve this, but he knew one thing and one thing alone.
He would not lay down and die. He would live, just to spite his father. The man who tried to drain every last bit of happiness from him. The man who told him to lie down and waste away.
He shambled out the front door of the apartment, suitcase and backpack filled with clothes, school supplies, and as many trinkets as he could carry. He walked at least 5 miles, from noon to evening, battered and beaten, to Catfeine's house. A quaint little home, set in a nice suburb positioned deep in the middle of the city. He rang the doorbell and was soon greeted by Catfeine's mother's horrified face.
"Oh my goodness, CatNap! What happened?! Are you okay?!"
"Who's at the door Mom- CatNap!"
They immediately took him in and began treating his bruises and pains, Catfeine worriedly and quickly asking so many questions that CatNap could barely answer before she was onto another one. When it was over, they were all sitting on the couch, enjoying some beverages. CatNap had been graciously provided plenty of food when they saw just how starved he was from living in squalor with his father.
"It was your father again, wasn't it?" Catfeine's mother asked, to which CatNap nodded silently. Catfeine groaned with annoyance at the mere mention of CatNap's dad.
"Ugh, I hate that... guy," she says slowly, trying desperately not to call CatNap's dad what he is in front of her mom. "You're not going back to that apartment after what he did to you, are you? You can not go back and live with that loser anymore!"
CatNap looks down into his cup of tea, swirling it around a little before responding.
"Doesn't matter. He's gone anyway."
Catfeine looks shocked, but then it melts into a look that makes it seem like that was the most predictable thing she's ever heard.
"Where'd he go?" she asks.
"I don't know. He just left a few days ago after doing..." CatNap gestures to himself. "This. Haven't seen him since then. Since he was paying for the apartment, and I don't have a job, I don't have anywhere to stay when rent's due..."
"Pshh, please 'Nap, you don't even have to ask! Right, Mom?" Catfeine asks, smiling wide and innocent as if attempting to persuade her mother. The woman in question smiles right back.
"Of course you can stay here CatNap. You'll always have a home here with us. You can take your stuff up to the guest room, Catfeine will show you where," Catfeine jumps up off the couch excitedly. "YES! You're part of the family now Nappy! Haha, we're like brother and sister! Isn't that awesome?!" CatNap smiles softly, gingerly cradling his pendant as he watches Catfeine talk her mother's ear off excessively about all the stuff she can do now that she has a brother, most of it involving pestering CatNap ceaselessly. Even still, yes, it was quite exciting to be a part of a family again. Exciting to feel loved in his once loveless world, again.
By the end of the year, he graduated high school with straight A's. It felt effortless with the need to spite his father fueling him.
In his mind, though, after all was said and done, while he and Catfeine were picking possible colleges to attend together, all he could think about was the critters who he first became friends with. All he could think about was the boundless bundle of joy named DogDay who had supported him unceasingly since the day they met. He wondered what he was doing, how he was feeling. He wondered if his life was going well, and hoped that was the case.
He wondered if the spaniel was thinking of him too.
CatNap grunted awake as his phone's alarm rang out noisily in his room, a scowl on his face at his rude awakening. He lazily swiped at the phone screen until his finger finally hit the snooze button, silencing the room once more. His scowl was replaced with neutrality as he readjusted himself against his pillow with a sigh. He slowly slipped back into the quiet state of mind that came with pleasant sleep, and as the world and its sensations began to fade around him once more, he smiled softly-
His peace is immediately broken by the sound of his phone ringing once more, this time signifying an incoming call. CatNap groans in aggravation as he picks his phone up, not even reading the caller ID before answering it.
"Speak..." he says, trying to hide the annoyance in his voice as he rubs his eyes with his fingers. Soon, a feminine voice emits from the other end. It's Kissy, the receptionist for the Bedtime Co. building in which he works.
"Hello, CatNap! I was just calling because Poppy wanted me to see if you saw the e-mail she sent you yesterday," she says. CatNap stops rubbing his eyes, trying to remember what she's talking about through the fog of sleep that's still taking its time to pass over him. 'E-mail...' he repeats in his head, trying to jog something in his head about it. His eyelids shoot open wide as he realizes what she's referring to, looking at his clock and reading 9:30 P.M. on its face.
'Shit...!' CatNap thinks to himself. He was supposed to be in a meeting with Poppy an hour from now!
"CatNap? Hello?"
"Ahm...! Yes, the E-mail," he says as he sits up and throws his blanket off of him, scrambling to his closet with the phone pressed to his head. "I remember. I am getting dressed as we speak, please tell Poppy I'll be there in a few minutes."
"Will do! See you soon sir!"
The next moments are a whirlwind of movement as CatNap rushes to get dressed in the clothes he pulls out of the closet. Stepping into his bathroom, he made a quick checklist of things he should do. He took a bath this morning, and frankly, he's not thrilled at the idea of taking another in one day, so that wasn't an issue for him right now. He brushes his fur and his teeth, anxiously checking his watch every so often before the minutes have even changed on its face. Afterward, CatNap sighed deeply as he nervously stared into his mirror, eyes fixated on his apparel. He adjusted the sleeves of his black turtleneck shirt over and over, never truly satisfied with the length of them. He tucked his shirt into the waistband of his business casual joggers and then slipped on a black overcoat, pulling back the sleeve to see his watch. He drapes his prized pendant over his head, the lace of it just barely wide enough to slip on and wrap around his neck. Finally, he places on his eyes a pair of contacts he bought after learning of his need for glasses.
CatNap would wear the actual pair of glasses he already had lying around, but just thinking of them brought up bad memories...
He grabs his phone and walks into the living room of his condo, the space draped in darkness despite the large windows due to the sun having already gone down and all the lights inside being off. CatNap gazes out one of the windows at the skyline, a beautiful array of lights dotting the concrete jungle below. He remembers being a teenager, looking up at those lights from the street while walking to school and wondering where his place in the world would be. He remembers thinking about how pretty the city was at night, despite being a cesspit of pollution and broken dreams. He remembers lying in the squalor of an apartment alone while his father drank his life away, thinking that his role in existence was to live and die, forever surrounded by his lack of worth made manifest.
Now he sits in a very dark, very large, and very quiet condominium unit, looking down at the very lights he once looked up at. CatNap wasn't famous, nor was he of high regard to society. He was just a regular somnologist, researching and studying sleep patterns and behaviors, observing and peering into sleeping minds with intrigue and fascination. Among all of it, he provided methods, therapies, and remedies of his own creation to various patients. His most famous and successful method is providing restful sleep with the smoke he produces within the confines of the facility: The Poppy Gas. It's a recipe only he knows, so he gets paid generously by the company for him to keep making it so they can keep raking in cash from the sleep-deprived denizens of Smiling City. Still, despite the rather greedy reason for its production, he enjoys helping people get a moment of respite from the stress of city life. CatNap can relate to them, wanting nothing more than to just huff one of his homemade aerosol cans of Poppy gas and sleep the rest of the night away.
But he had a job to do, and he wasn't going to get fired just because he wanted to sleep a little longer. Walking towards the door to his condo, he turns and gives it one last once over before departing.
...
CatNap walks down the darkened sidewalk with his hands in the pockets of his coat. It was only the beginning of fall, but the city got pretty chilly around this time of year in comparison to the valley. He never minded the cold, but it did mean he needed to bundle up just a bit more to keep warm. His fur wouldn't do all the work, after all. His ears flick about as he rubs his face and yawns, still rather sleepy. He thought it would be gone by now with all his walking, but that clearly wasn't the case.
He knows what he'll do. He'll get a coffee at Catfeine's shop.
CatNap hated the stuff, admittedly, and had always been more of a tea type of critter, but the caffeinated beverage would be extremely helpful in eliminating the rest of the grog in his head, and it would also help a bit in ridding him of some of the night's chill. He was on a tight timeframe, but if there's one thing he knew about his step-sister, it's that she could whip up a mug of coffee really damn fast if need be. One of the perks of having a literal third hand in the form of a tail, he supposed.
Plus, it'd be nice to see her again. It's been a while since he last visited.
CatNap smiles as he nears "Catfeine's Caffeine," but it's rather quickly replaced with a grimace at the bitter smell of coffee wafting through the air around it. Just the smell alone makes his nose crinkle. His nose crinkles even more when he sees someone standing at the front counter speaking to Catfeine as he enters. It's a canine, slightly taller than him, wearing a white t-shirt, an orange flannel, and some tan cargo pants. Their fur is bright orange, and they have big floppy ears. There's a scent flowing from them that's strangely familiar, too.
Wait... Who the hell orders coffee this late at night?!
...Besides him, of course.
He internally groans. This just means he's gonna have to wait a little longer before he gets his coffee. Nothing to get worked up about...
Catfeine presses a few buttons on her cash register's monitor before turning back to the customer ahead with a smile.
"So let's see, a decaf with milk and a pinch of sugar, yeah?"
Seriously?! This dog came to a coffee shop to order decaffeinated coffee?! Who does that? The most insane part about it all to CatNap is the fact that Catfeine isn't trying her hardest to convince the canine to change his mind.
"Right-o! Thanks for serving me so late, by the way. I've never seen a coffee shop open at night before!"
CatNap rolls his eyes at the far-too-chipper tone in the dog's voice.
"Not a problem sir! Coffee is practically my middle name, heh! Just can't turn down the chance at makin' a good cuppa joe!"
Her eyes land on CatNap and she beams.
"Hey, CatNap! Long time no see, man!" she says, seemingly not noticing the way her customer's body tenses up. "Hold on just a sec while I make this decaf for uhhh... Ah, sorry! Forgot to get your name for the order! What was it?"
"U-uh..." the canine drones as he turns around slowly, looking CatNap straight in the eyes. CatNap's jaw drops as his eyes dart between the critter's face and the gittering pendant hanging around his neck in the shape of a sun. The dog looks just as surprised to see him as a stunned smile spreads across his face, tail wagging insanely fast behind him.
"DogDay. M-My name's DogDay."
CatNap feels intense warmth in his chest as he smiles back with pure excitement.