A/N: Hullo! I wrote this fic cause I thought Kiki and Bob are so cute together! ^-^ They're really nice too. Yup. Enjoy.
*** means time change.
'Look, I'm thinking'"Look, I'm speaking"
Kiki stepped out in the pouring rain with an icy umbrella to keep her dry. Normally, cats don't like water, but she did. She liked the weather because it was nice and cool, as long as it wasn't too violent. It was also a great time to catch some tasty fish.
She wasn't the returning champion of the fishing tournaments, but she did pretty well. Her cooking wasn't too bad either. She thought of any new recipes that she hasn't tried yet while walking to the beach. When she reached the dock, she took out her fishing rod and started to fish.
The ocean always fascinated her. It looked so endless. It was kind of scary, but its mysterious ways thrilled her. Sometimes, she would just stare and think about the hows and whys of the ocean and forget that she's fishing. And it happened again.
She was too caught up to notice a fish tugging at her line. After one or two tugs, her attention returned to the line. She watched carefully, and reeled in at the right time.
A red snapper flew out of the water and flopped on the deck. She skillful caught the fish in a net and waited for it to stop struggling. 'Huh, a red snapper. My favorite.' She cheerfully thought. 'Well, time to make breakfast.' She picked up her things and started to walk home when a groaning purple spot on the sand caught her eye.
It was hard to recognize what the figure, if one, was. She slowly stepped closer to it, being cautious and curious as any cat would be. The purple thing moved and coughed. Kiki's ears twitched a little. 'Who is this…? It can't be Gulliver…' she lightly poked it with her umbrella and it groaned again. She blinked and realized that it was her friend, Bob! 'Oh my gosh!' her eyes widen as she looked at his condition. He must have been out here for a while because his clothes were soaking wet. He didn't look too healthy or warm. Kiki knew that she couldn't leave him behind, so she lifted his shivering body up with his arm around her shoulder and her arm around his waist.
***
Bob stirred slightly before starting to wake up. He timidly sniffed the air and found a pleasant aroma. He continued to sniff until his nose lead him up and caused him to open his eyes. Groggily, he sat up and rubbed his eyes. A light clangs of pots and spoons interested his ears. He focused his sleepy gaze to a black blob that was next to another black blob. His head hurt a little until he figured out that one blob was Kiki and another was a stove. Then he was fully alert.
"Kiki?" his groaning voice questioned out loud. The black cat looked at him with mild surprise.
"Oh, Bob, you're awake." she gently smiled at him.
"Where am I?"
"You're at my house. I was just cooking some lunch. Did I wake you?"
Bob rubbed his head. "Not really…" he mumbled. He looked around the small house. Country music played and her theme seemed to be ranch or country like. The purple cat looked out the window to see black and dark gray clouds in the sky, showering the town with water. He nimbly picked at the ranch bed sheets and noticed a change in his clothing. It felt nice to be dry. Then he remembered what happened at the beach and blushed a little.
"Ah…Kiki…" he began.
"Are you hungry?" she asked, placing a freshly cooked fish onto a large plate. His stomach grumbled in response and he blushed a deeper red.
"Y-yeah…"
"Oh, there's plenty to go around," she giggled, serving the food onto the wooden table. Bob hopped out of bed and pulled a chair to the table. They ate in silence, until Kiki spoke up.
"Bob, how'd you end up on the beach?"
"I er…kinda fell and hit my head," he admitted sheepishly. The bruise was hard to see in his purple fur, but it was there.
"Oh! I should've seen that." She came down from her seat and looked through her closets. She found a large band-aid and stuck it on Bob's bruise.
"There," she said. "A little better?"
The spotted cat touched the plastic exterior of the band-aid. "A little. Thanks." Kiki noticed that he looked adorable trying to look at the bump on his forehead. She smiled a little and continued the rest of the meal.
***
The sickly cat sneezed enough to get Kiki worried. She didn't believe him when he said that he'd be fine, so he was stuck in bed.
"Really," he sniffled. "I'll be fine."
The golden-eyed cat patted his head with a damp warm cloth. "But you can't go outside. It's horrible weather out there for the rest of the day. Forecast predicts lots of rain for this week." She left the cloth soak in the water and went to prepare some tea. Bob sighed. Kiki was always so nice and selfless. 'I wonder what she'd like…' Bob rubbed his bandage. 'Maybe…' he stopped his musing when a cup of hot tea was presented to him. He sat up and took the cup, thanking Kiki with a smile. She smiled back and sipped on her cup. Bob drank the warm beverage gratefully. The cold was getting worse. He blew at the tea gently before speaking.
"Uh, Kiki? Um, thanks fer like…uh…taking care of me and stuff," he said nervously. His lack of vocabulary created a light blush on his cheeks.
"You're welcome," she replied with a smile. Then, a long pause drifted between them. Kiki wasn't good at making topics, so she decided to go back on another one.
"Were you going to say something before lunch?" she asked, toying with her teacup.
"Hm? Oh. Uh. Kinda…you know when I said I fell down and hit my head at the beach right? Well…ah…I was tryin to catch a fish…"
He expected her to laugh, but she blinked at him instead. "Did you lose your fishing rod? Because you could borrow mines if you want to."
"Oh, that's ok. I don't really know how to use one. And uh…I learned that you can't catch a sea bass with your bare paws." He mumbled something slightly before going on. "Um...could you teach me how to fish sometime?"
"Sure. Of course, I'd love to." she always seemed to have a cheery smile on her face. It was fitting too. Bob looked at her with a hint of…something in his eyes. He softly smiled.
"Thanks…that'd be helpful." He drank the last of his tea and set it next to the bowl of warm water. He tried to balance the wet cloth on his forehead, but it kept on sliding off. Kiki had him lie down so that she could place it properly on his head. He grinned out of embarrassment.
"I-I'm not being annoying, am I?" he asked.
"Now why would you say that?"
"Uh, just wondering, you know. I mean, you don't have to answer that…" he trailed off then shut up to preventing him from saying anymore stupid things.
"Oh. Well, I like your company actually," she responded honestly. It was true. The first day that she occupied her house, she was alone. She didn't know anybody. Of course, she expected the harsh reality of rude neighbors, and she did. Then Bob was the one who introduced her to the independent world.
"That's good then," he said cheerfully. He broke into a yawn and rubbed his eyes. Kiki fluffed his pillow a little.
"You should sleep. The faster you get well, the better." she picked up the dishes and put them in the sink. Bob mumbled something again and drifted into slumber. The black fur colored cat started to wash the plates and cups. When she finished, she took a seat at the table and laid her head on her arms, quietly watching the spotted feline sleep. His light breathing and his occasional shifting appealed Kiki's senses. She was an observer and being shy was to blame. She would watch from her window or go outside to look at butterflies. She especially liked to watch the ocean. Now, though, she watched Bob's sleeping form. Something drew her attention to him. He was such a kind fellow, with interests in fashion and food. She did grow fond of him and there weren't too many nice people in the town she lived in. Maybe a little too fond…
She shook her head and yawned. She couldn't like Bob that way, they're just friends. Really good friends. She rubbed her eyes and rested on the table once more. She has been working for a while and the rhythm of the raindrops outside soothed her ears. Maybe a little catnap would recharge her. She closed her eyes and easily fell asleep.
***
It was 10 at night when Bob woke up. He felt much better and more energetic. He still had the sniffles, but he was confident that they'd be gone in the morning. He looked around the room and saw Kiki sleeping on the table. He felt ashamed for a while, sleeping in her bed while she rests so uncomfortably. He got out of bed and walked to her side. He decided to bring her to bed and gently lifted her up. Her head tilted on his shoulder, causing him to go red. But he smiled, for he thought she looked so innocent. She was light enough for him to carry her, so he brought her to bed and tucked her in. Then, he stood there, watching her breathe. He sighed and took her paw in his and rubbed it on his cheek, purring smoothly and quietly. He couldn't tell her that he had feeling for her. She'd probably become embarrassed and shy around him and never be the normal Kiki he likes now. Some secrets he must bring to the grave. He got up, placing her arm across her stomach and left the house.
***
The skies temporarily cleared for the sun to beat down onto the wet Earth. Kiki was an early riser and was already preparing breakfast. She thought about last night, and how Bob was kind enough to bring her to bed. His scent still lingered within the sheets. The knock at her door took her mind off of that. She placed the meal aside and went to go get the door. She was quite surprised that Bob was standing there, holding a small fishbowl.
"Um. Hello. Sorry if I woke ya up or something…" he rolled a pebble around with his foot and cleared his throat. "I got brought you something…" he held up the fishbowl and a little goldfish lurked in the waters. She took it slowly and watched the fish swim. Then she looked at Bob.
"H-happy birthday, Kiki," he said with a smile. Kiki placed the bowl onto her table and started to tremble. Bob walked forward into her house slowly.
"Kiki…?" Did she hate it? Should've he just got her some flowers? He looked worried and touched her arm. He heard her sniffle and he felt something crushing him from the inside.
"You don't like it, do you?" he asked sadly. He failed her. After what she had done to make sure he was healthy, he couldn't even give her a birthday present. She turned around to face him, her eyes flooded with tears. She whimpered and threw her arms around his neck, sobbing. Bob was stunned for while, but patted her back. He heard her speak through her tears.
"I love it, Bob. I love it so much…" She wiped her eyes. "Thank you…" she smiled for him and felt him hug her tight.
"You're welcome Kiki." he purred softly. She rested her head on his shoulder, holding his paw. He kissed her forehead carefully and it was Kiki's turn to blush.
"Bob…" she started. "I think I like you…" she blushed a deeper red and Bob chuckled.
"Yeah, I think I like you too." But they both knew it was a lie. They knew that they liked each other, and they knew that it was all they needed to know.