Hi. This is my first time writing a Winx Club fanfiction, even though I watched it when I was little. Anyway, I just got the idea from both my personal life and an episode from SpongeBob SquarePants, of all things. Well, I hope you enjoy!


Riiiiing…

Riiiiiing… Riiiiiing…

Ring! Ring! Riiiing!

Sky shot up from the bed, the sudden loud noise startling him from his nap. Groggy and a little bit irritated from his abrupt awakening, he blindly reached for his cell phone on the nightstand before he managed to grab it.

All of his grumpiness left him, however, when he realized who was calling him.

"Hi Sky!" He could hear Bloom's sweet voice from his phone, his bad mood leaving him almost instantly.

"Hey Bloom. What's up?" he asked. Damn, even Sky could hear the grogginess in his own voice. Bloom, of course, took notice.

"Sky, you sound tired. Did I wake you up?" Bloom said, her tone of voice a mixture of concern and guilt.

"Don't worry about that," He looked to his alarm clock, which read 2:46 p.m. "I needed to get up anyway. So, what's on your mind?" he told her. He could hear Bloom clear her voice, as though she were preparing to give a long-winded speech.

"Oh Sky," her voice sounding overly sweet and tad seductive, "My brave, strong, handsome prince who I love very much-"

"You know Bloom, if you need me to do something, you can just ask." Sky said with a chuckle, cutting her off in the middle of her attempt to butter him up. Even though she wasn't physically there, he could practically see his girlfriend's face become as red as her hair, embarrassed that her attempt at coercion failed so miserably.

"I did lay it on pretty thick there, didn't I?"

"Oh yeah. Not that I mind you calling me brave, strong, and handsome, though." He told her, a flirty lilt in his tone of voice. This made Bloom giggle on the other end of the phone.

Gods, he loved the sound of her laughter.

"So, what is it you need me to do?" he asked, bringing the conversation back on track.

"Well, you know how I'm gonna be going back to Earth for the next three days to visit my great-aunt with my parents, right?" Of course, Sky knew, seeing as she had told him over a week ago. She had even asked him if he wanted to go to Earth with her, seeing as he had never been to the planet before and hadn't yet been introduced to the rest of Bloom's extended family. He had to respectfully declined, though, as now was not the best time for him to leave Magix.

Not only that, but it had taken a while for her adoptive parents to warm up to him, especially after what happened at the Millennium Party. It took Bloom explaining several times that Sky had been under Diaspro's spell and was therefore not in control of his words and actions to get Mike to stop saying that he would throttle the prince if he ever got the chance. Even though they had managed to mostly patch things up and had even given Sky their blessing to date their daughter, things were still a bit tense between him and his girlfriend's adoptive parents.

"Yeah, what about it?" he replied.

"Well, the thing is, I was kind of wondering if you and the guys could… maybe… take care of Kiko while I'm gone?" Bloom asked nervously.

Sky sat on his bed for a moment, letting Bloom's request sink in. He had seen Bloom's quirky, constantly hungry pet rabbit many times before. He also knew just how much his girlfriend absolutely adored the little furball. He remembered her telling him the story of her getting Kiko, about how he had been the runt of his litter and grew weaker every day, so much so that by the time Bloom laid eyes on him at the pet shop, he had been half way to death's door. Bloom, however, loved the tiny bunny the moment she saw him and refused to leave him to die. She took him home and, against all odds, managed to nurse him back to health. After that, the two had become inseparable.

To put it mildly, Kiko wasn't just Bloom's pet. He was her child.

"Kiko? Didn't you say that Layla was supposed to look after him?" Sky asked.

"Well yeah, but an hour ago she got a call from her parents, some kind of emergency I think, so she had to go to Andros right away and won't be back for at least a week."

"What about any of the other girls, like Flora maybe?" Sky asked. Flora was by far the kindest, most soft-hearted person he had ever met, which is probably why she and Helia were so good for each other.

"No good. Either Kiko's gonna eat her plants, or her plants are gonna eat Kiko." Bloom replied glumly.

"Musa?"

"Kiko's ears are really sensitive, and do you have any idea how loud Musa likes to blast her music?"

"Stella?"

"Sky, Stella's an awesome person and one of my best friends in the entire universe, but if I'm being honest here, I wouldn't trust her to take care of a goldfish, let alone Kiko. Besides, I'm pretty sure she'll want to give him a makeover. He'll be pink by the time I get back, Sky. Pink."

"Tecna?"

"Tecna's even worse with animals than Stella!"

Right. Sky remembered that Tecna almost had a heart attack when Lady jumped on her in greeting.

He could hear Bloom sigh over the phone.

"Sky, I know it's a lot to ask of you on such short notice, so it's okay if you can't do it. I'll think of something…" she said, trying her best not to sound utterly defeated. It wasn't working.

"No wait, don't worry, Bloom! I'll definitely take care of him, no problem!" Sky replied quickly, hating to hear the love of his life sound so upset. To his delight, her voice perked up immediately.

"Really? Oh Sky, thank you so, so, so much! I love you so much, you're the best boyfriend ever!" she cried, joy positively radiating from her voice. Sky couldn't help but smile.

"I love you too, Bloom. It's no trouble, really." He said.

"Okay, I'll be there in about two hours with all of Kiko's things, and then I'll tell you everything you need to know about rabbit care." Bloom told him, already making noise in the background by packing up both her and Kiko's belongings.

"Alright, I'll see you soon then." Said Sky, at the very least happy that he would see his girlfriend in person before she left for three days.

"Again, Sky, thank you so much for doing this! You're the best! Bye for now!" Bloom beamed before hanging up, making Sky blush a bit at the praise.

Resting his phone back down on the nightstand, Sky realized that in his haste, he had just agreed to take an animal into his dorm room without consulting Brandon or Timmy first. Now feeling like kind of a jerk, he began to think of the best way to break it to his friends that they were going to be having a new roommate for the next few days.


Brandon and Timmy, to Sky's relief, were fine with taking in Bloom's rabbit for three days, with Brandon admitting that if Stella had asked that of him, he would have probably done the same thing. Still, Sky swore not to make such a big decision without talking to them about it ever again.

All three Specialists went to greet Bloom at the gates of Red Fountain, who had with her a small, woven pet bed, two large bags filled to the brim with cabbage and hay, a water dish, a plastic container full of toys, and Kiko himself, snoozing peacefully in her arms.

"Hi Sky! Hey guys!" Bloom greeted them, walking up to Sky and giving him a big hug, or as much of a hug as she could give him with a sleeping rabbit between them. Sky returned the hug, resting his chin on top of her head, knowing that this would be the last time he would hear from her in three days.

Pulling away from their embrace, Bloom look down at her sleeping rabbit.

"Kiko's all tuckered out from the packing we did, so he should probably sleep for a few more hours." Brandon got up closer and gave a little wave to Bloom's rabbit.

"Hey there, little dude. We're gonna be roomies for a while." He said. Kiko gave no response, just continuing to snooze.

"He really must be tired. I don't think he heard us at all." Exclaimed Sky, looking down at his girlfriend's beloved pet in curiosity.

"Yeah. Sometimes I think that all he does is eat and sleep." Bloom joked, taking her eyes off Kiko to look up at Sky. He smiled down at her.

"Well, let's get him settled and you can tell me how to take care of him." He said. Bloom nodded, casting a spell on Kiko's things to make them levitate before they all walked through the gates into Red Fountain's campus. Behind Bloom and Sky, Timmy looked at the huge bags of food and whispered to Brandon.

"Hey, is this really a good idea? That's a lot of stuff for one rabbit." Brandon just shrugged.

"Don't worry about it, man. We took care of Lady during sophomore year, remember? Plus, this'll only be for the next three days. We'll be fine." Timmy took his friend's word for it, seeing the logic in his argument.

If they took care of a large dog relatively well, how much harder could one tiny rabbit be?


Thankfully, it did not take long to move all of Kiko's things into the boy's dorm room. As Timmy and Brandon moved the container full of toys and bags of food in, Bloom was filling Sky (who currently looked so overwhelmed that he might rip his hair out) in about everything he would need to do in order to take care of her rabbit.

"… Make sure he only drinks from his water dish. Don't give him a water bottle, he's not used to drinking like that and he won't get enough. Remember to clean the dish everyday and replace it with fresh, clean water as often as you can. Now for food, Kiko'll eat pretty much anything, but veggies and hay are the best for him nutrition wise. You should have more than enough to last for the next few days, but remember to keep the veggies refrigerated so that they stay fresh. Kiko usually gets at least four hours of playtime every day, if not more. He's got a lot of toys, so that will keep him occupied for a bit, but you should still play with him, since he needs attention and interaction. The next-"

"Bloom, please! Too much information, too fast...!" Sky pleaded, his mind going into complete information overload. Veggies, hay, toys, what had she said about poop? Oh gods, he felt like his head was about to explode!

Bloom noticed her boyfriend's frazzled state and took his hands into her own.

"Sorry Sky, I got a little carried away. Look, all you really need to do is feed him, make sure he's got water, and make keep him company." Her hands left his and she reached into her bag and pulled out a ruled notebook. It was blue, with the words "Bloom's Guide to Kiko Care," written on the cover.

"I wrote down everything else in here. Plus, if you have any questions, you can always just call me." She said, her smile putting Sky's jumbled mind at ease. He took the notebook from her hands, took them into his own and kissed them.

"Thanks, Bloom. You've got nothing to worry about; Kiko's in good hands." He said, looking directly into the eyes he loved so much. Bloom gave him a flirty little smile back and before he knew it, she wrapped her arms around his shoulder and pressed her lips onto his own. Knowing it will be at least three days until he would be able to do this again, he kissed her back, leaning into it and wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her body closer to his.

After a few moments, they both broke out of their reverie by Brandon coughing loudly, reminding them that there were two other people in the room. Embarrassed, they took their eyes off of each other and looked to the brown-haired squire who was pointing his thumb towards the pet bed where Kiko had been sleeping, only to find the little rabbit yawning and stretching his arms. Bloom left her boyfriend's embrace and made her way over to her rabbit, lifting him up into her arms as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Aw, did you have a nice nap, Kiko?" she cooed to him. He gave her a wide, buck-toothed grin before he looked at his surroundings in confusion.

"Yeah, we're not at Alfea right now. We're at Red Fountain." She lifted him up to face her. She looked at her beloved rabbit with a somewhat sad expression on her face.

"Listen, Bunny Boy, I've got to go back to Earth for a few days to visit Great-Aunt Dianne. You know, the grouchy old lady with the huge wart that's allergic to rabbits?" Kiko's face scrunched up in disgust. "Yeah, that's her. Bad news is, that means you can't come back home with me. But don't worry, Sky and the other Specialists are gonna take good care of you until I come back!" Bloom said, turning around so that Kiko could face Sky, Brandon, and Timmy. Before Kiko could squeak out his thoughts, the alarm on Bloom's phone went off.

"Woah! How did it get so late? I need to go now if I'm gonna make it to Earth on time!" Quickly gathering up her things, she ran towards the door before stopping to say goodbye.

"Bye Brandon, bye Timmy! Say hi to Riven and Helia for me!" She called to them. Both Specialists smiled and waved their goodbyes to the red-haired fairy. Turning to her boyfriend, she gave him another kiss before wrapping the arm not holding Kiko around him.

"Thank you so much for doing this, Sky. I owe you big time." She murmured, thankfully loud enough for Sky to hear.

"You know I'd do anything for you, Bloom. If Kiko's important to you, then he's important to me too." Sky smiled. After smiling back at him, she turned her attention to the bunny in her arms.

"Okay, Bunny Boy. It's time for me to go now. It's alright, you'll be just fine. Sky's here to take care of you…" she said, blue eyes tearing up a bit. Kiko, finally seeming to understand the situation, let out a tearful wail and jumped up towards Bloom, attaching himself to her shoulder and clinging to it for as if for dear life. Bloom, startled by her rabbit's outburst, used her hands to pry him off of her.

"C'mon Kiko, don't do this okay? You've got to let go! I'll be back soon, I promise!" her words fell on deaf, floppy ears as Kiko continued to cry and cling to his beloved owner. Deciding to help her out, Sky grabbed hold of Kiko and, after a few heaves, managed to successfully detach Kiko from Bloom's shoulder, leaving the distraught bunny flailing and reaching for her in Sky's hands. Bloom, with tears in her eyes, leaned down to kiss Kiko's forehead. This made him stop squirming and just stare at her with his huge, sad eyes.

"Kiko, I'm so sorry about this. I promise when I get back, you'll have all the carrots and lettuce you want. I-I love you, Bunny Boy…" Kiko could only continue to look at her with sadness as she gave him a pat on the head and turned her attention to Sky.

"Thank you, Sky…" she said tearfully. Tucking Kiko into his left arm, Sky used his right to pull Bloom closer to him and kiss the top of her head.

"It'll be okay Bloom. I love you."

"I love you too…" Opening the door, she looked back at Brandon and Timmy, then Sky, and finally at Kiko.

"Bye guys…" was all she said before closing the door behind her. It was silent for a few seconds, none of them excepting Bloom's departure to end on such a somber note.

"Well that was… uh… depressing." Brandon said, trying to break the deafening silence. The other two Specialists both looked at him in wordless agreement. Before anyone could say another word, Timmy look at Kiko, still in Sky's hands and said,

"Um, guys? I think he'd gonna start crying again…" Looking down at the rabbit in Sky's grip, they were pretty sure Timmy was right. His big blue eyes were larger than ever and brimming with tears, while his bottom lip was quivering. Forget crying, he looked like he was on the verge of having another meltdown.

"Wait! Don't cry little buddy! Do you want some, uh…" Brandon frantically looked around the room in search of something, anything to appease the tiny, miserable bunny. His eyes landed on the bags of food before he grabbed a huge handful and presented to Kiko as though it were some kind of sacred offering.

"Food! Yummy lettuce, all for you, just don't cry, okay?" The squire pleaded. This did little to calm Kiko down, however, as he continued to look like he could burst into tears at any moment. Dropping the rabbit food in panic, Brandon's eyes landed on the container of toys, which he stuck his hand into and fished out a tiny hamster plush that squeaked when you squeezed it. Rushing back to Kiko, he held it out in front of him and made the toy squeak over and over, treating it more as a stress ball than a toy. Still, Kiko was not moved.

"Come on, man! What do you want? What do I have to do to make you not cry?" Brandon pleaded, becoming desperate. Sky could only stand there and hold Kiko in his hands while his best friend desperately tried to stop his girlfriend's rabbit from bursting into tears again.

"Guys, I think it's pretty obvious that what he wants is Bloom." Timmy piped up. Sky and Brandon's hearts sank at the mention of her, glaring at Timmy with a look that said, 'you've doomed us all!'

Honestly, for a boy hailed as a genius, Timmy could be pretty stupid sometimes…

Just the sound of his beloved owner's name was the straw that broke the camel's back, sending Kiko into an emotional meltdown the likes of which the Specialists had never seen. Furiously flailing in an attempt to be let out of Sky's grip, he suddenly turned to his left hand and bit down hard onto his thumb, his large buck teeth digging deep into his hand. With a cry of pain, Sky instinctively let go of the tiny rabbit and cradled his injured hand, allowing Kiko to land on the ground and begin to pound and frantically scratch at the door, screaming and sobbing.

"Sky! What's wrong?" Brandon cried, running over to his best friend and prince to help.

"He bit me! Man, those teeth hurt!" Sky hissed in pain. Grabbing hold of Sky's injured hand to assess the damage, Brandon was relieved to see that Kiko hadn't managed to break the skin at least, though it would leave a nasty bruise.

"What do we do now? He's gonna scratch a hole through the door at this rate!" Timmy exclaimed, pointing to Kiko as he furiously clawed at the wooden door.

"Bloom said… that he needs to burn off all his energy. He'll stop sooner or later…" Sky said, his hand still throbbing in pain.

"How long will that take?" Brandon questioned.

"I have no idea…" Sky said hopelessly.


An Hour and a Half Later


By some miracle, Kiko finally, finally stopped wailing and banging on the door, merely sitting directly in front of it miserably. Sky, having bandaged his hand sometime during Kiko's meltdown, signaled to Brandon and Timmy.

"Guys, I think he's stopped!" He whispered, relief flooding his words.

"Are you sure? I think I can still hear it…" Brandon raggedly replied, his face exhausted and eyes bloodshot.

"No, I think he's done." Timmy answered definitively, though he looked no better than Brandon.

Cautiously, the three Specialists all inched closer and closer to the now docile rabbit, terrified that he would start crying again. Instead, Kiko turned his head to face them, looking miserable and drained. Seeing the usually happy rabbit in such a state brought a wave of pity over the three. Sky couldn't even bring himself to be mad at the little guy for biting him.

Without Bloom, he looked so… lost.

The Prince of Eraklyon made his way over to Kiko and, with the bravery that could only be cultivated at Red Fountain, gingerly picked him up. Surprisingly, Kiko did not even put up a fight, and allowed himself to be cradled in Sky's arms.

"Hey, Kiko. Look, I know you miss her, I do too, but she'll be back before you know it, I promise. C'mon, you look like you could use some shut-eye." He said as he walked over to Kiko's tiny bed, gently settling him down. Kiko's eyes began to droop almost instantly and not long after, he was out like a light.

With the furry menace sleeping in relative peace, Sky, Brandon, and Timmy all collapsed onto their own beds.

"He's… only been here… for two hours… and I'm already exhausted…!" Brandon managed to wheeze.

"It'll only be three days, he said. We'll be fine, he said!" Timmy muttered to himself.

Sky managed to pull himself up a bit to address his friend.

"Guys… I'm so sorry about this. I'm the one who agreed to look after Kiko, you guys don't have to put up with it if you don't want to. Maybe you could room with Riven and Helia until Bloom comes back…" Brandon sat up straight, a fire in his eyes.

"No way, man! We're not leaving you on your own, no matter what!" He exclaimed. Sky smiled at his friend's declaration.

"Besides, he just got here. It's always the hardest at first, but I'm sure he'll get used us eventually." Timmy said.

"Thanks guys. You know what? You're right. We can totally do this! We're trained to wrangle dragons, for gods' sake! We can handle Bloom's rabbit!" Sky told his friends, feeling a renewed sense of vigor.

But even then, Sky knew full well that this was going to be the longest three days of his life…