hello hello hello!

really hope u enjoy this chapter! just wanted to write about the riverclan squad goofing about hehe :p

review replies:

silentsxng: he does! and DUDE indeed. thank you!

mintflight0245: indeed. and tHANK U!

crystalshine of lightclan: he is!

somestormleaf: a cautionary tale. and yes bee is a sWEETheart. and aww thank u, i love these character as well :) and i USED IT!

dragonbreathjr: i love the nicknames lmao and i AM DOING ONE-SHOTS FOR THIS! send in ur suggestions. thanks for the review!

mosscloud: indeed, and so am i! tysm for ur review :)

wyldclaw: thank u for all your reviews! you're super sweet, and thanks for the fave. nah, duckspark isn't related to firestar, but that would be cool lol.

anyways! onwards with the chapter, feel free to review n pm me :)

Beebounce was having a very pleasant dream involving him, a large fish, and the sun. He was just about to dart his paw in the river, to catch the fish that had been evading him for so long, but he was rudely awakened by a paw shaking his shoulder.

He groaned in his sleep, and squeezed his eyes shut. Surely it was too early to take the apprentices out? Usually, when he woke up in the morning, it was hard to keep his eyes shut because of the brightness of the sun filtering in through the willows that made up the wall of the den. However, it was dark, and he felt like he could just drift off and slip back into sleep.

He would have, if it wasn't for that paw. Heavy, and shaking him gently. He sighed, and reluctantly opened his eyes.

Rushstorm was staring at him, an almost manic grin fixed on his face. Beebounce blinked, and tilted his head. "What's going on?" He asked, slowly getting up. Rushstorm was practically bouncing.

"We're going hunting!" He said in a sing-song voice. Beebounce just looked at him, nonplussed.

"And?" He asked.

"Midnight hunting." Rushstorm mewed joyfully. Beebounce's gaze flicked just past him, and out of the den. It was dark outside, the faintest light being provided by the half-moon. Beebounce allowed himself a small smile. They hadn't been midnight hunting in moons. Hopefully it would be fun, and they'd return with something to feed the clan. He could even try and catch a fish, like in his dream…

"Just us?" He murmured, brushing his pelt against Rushstorm. He wasn't quite used to being able to do that - just casual contact. It had only been a few days since that conversation in the woods, and every time they touched it set his heart aflame. The grey tom blinked, and shook his head, somewhat regretfully.

"Nah, sorry." He whispered, casting a quick glance over to the other cats, asleep in their nests. "Fishclaw and Frogtoe are coming." He said, flicking his ears to outside of the den. "I already woke them up, they're waiting outside."

Beebounce nodded, and leaned into Rushstorm's fur. He didn't want to get up just yet, and Rushstorm was warm. Warm, and smelling faintly of the forest. He smiled into Rushstorm's scruff, and pulled back. Rushstorm was purring, and blinking contentedly. Beebounce had no idea how he'd made himself think that this was wrong, that loving his best friend like this wasn't right. Because nothing had ever felt more perfect to him

He stood up, and picked his way through the sleeping warriors. Fishclaw and Frogtoe were nowhere to be seen. He glanced back at Rushstorm, who had just emerged from the den. "Where are they?" He questioned.

Rushstorm shrugged, before waving his tail in a greeting. "There." He mewed quietly, slipping forward to meet the other two. Beebounce hesitated, before padding forward.

Fishclaw seemed twitchy when he reached her. She was looking anywhere but Frogtoe, and her ear-tips were red. Frogtoe looked mildly puzzled, but her face lit up when she saw the pair. "Hello!" She purred, stepping forward to brush her cheek against Beebounce's in greeting. He smiled. His face fell into a frown when he saw the pinched expression on Fishclaw's face, and he hastily stepped back.

"Shall we go?" Asked Fishclaw abruptly, pushing past Frogtoe. Rushstorm glanced apologetically at Beebounce, before rushing after her. Beebounce fell into step alongside Frogtoe, who looked confused.

"What was that about?" He murmured, pushing past the brambles by the camp entrance.

Frogtoe looked thoughtful, and slightly hurt. "I-I don't know." She mewed, sounding lost. Beebounce bumped her shoulder.

"Hey, it's alright." He reassured her. "She's probably just grumpy. You know she hates getting woken up early."

Frogtoe brightened up, and nodded. "Y-yeah. It's probably just that."

"Told you so." Mewed Beebounce, with a flick of his ear. "Anyways, do you have any idea what prompted this?" He asked, gesturing to the path in front of him.

There was a baffled expression on Frogtoe's face. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she started to shake her head. "Nah. I think Rushstorm just wanted to bring back our apprentice days."

Beebounce purred with amusement. "Do you reckon he'll try to get us to play truth or dare again?" He said with a chuckle. He thought back to when Rushstorm tried to get them to play that Starclan-forsaken game almost every night. Every night, without fail, when the rest of the den would be trying to get to sleep (or in Beebounce's case, avoiding sleep.) he'd start pestering them to play truth or dare.

It wasn't even hard dares, which was the ridiculous thing. Just stuff like 'swap nests with Frogpaw for a night' and 'leave camp as early as you can in the morning'.

Frogtoe shuddered. "I hope not."

"What will it be this time: Frogtoe, do you have a crush on Fishclaw?" He teased, stopping abruptly when he saw Frogtoe's expression. She'd flinched, and looked at the ground.

"Can you not? Please?" She whispered.

Beebounce blinked. "What happened?" He asked, casting a glance to check on Rushstorm and Fishclaw. Fishclaw certainly seemed more downcast than usual, she lacked the usual spring in her step and her shoulders were hunched.

Frogtoe shrugged. "I don't know. She was fine a few days ago, but she got back from hunting with Rushstorm, and it was like she was a different cat… and then yesterday, she kept looking at you and Rushstorm, and then shaking her head." She explained.

Something had suddenly occurred to Beebounce. He didn't think that Rushstorm had actually told Fishclaw about the development in their relationship. (They still hadn't put a name to it. Beebounce was angling for 'platonic and romantic acquaintances' but Rushstorm had laughed at him, so he guessed that idea wasn't popular.) (He'd win him over.) Maybe she was upset because she thought it hadn't worked out?

"I think I might know why…" He mewed, before explaining it to Frogtoe. As she listened, she started smirking, especially when he recounted his dramatic confession. (With a removal of the blackmail. Luckily for him, it was believable that he'd do something like that.) (Somehow. He didn't think he was that rash.)

When he finished, Frogtoe reached forward and batted him in the shoulder. He winced, and stared at her. "What was that for?" He asked. Frogtoe rolled her eyes.

"For not telling me, you mouse-brain!" She exclaimed, causing Rushstorm to look back. Beebounce helplessly shrugged his shoulders, and Rushstorm chuckled. Beebounce felt slightly pathetic at the butterflies in his stomach that had decided to materialize at the sound of that laugh, before deciding that he didn't care. He loved Rushstorm, he could feel what he felt.

"It's a recent development!" He squeaked. "Besides, you don't tell me everything that goes on with you and Fishclaw."

Frogtoe's face fell into a frown. "That's because there's nothing to tell." She mewed with a sigh. "She's been ignoring me."

"Since when?" Beebounce asked.

"Since a few days ago, like I said." She said, before perking up. "Oh! I think we're here."

Beebounce looked up. She was right; Rushstorm and Fishclaw had come to a stop, right by the side of the river. This area seemed familiar to Beebounce - the trees, the shape of the river, even the patterns of the grass. Beebounce blushed. He knew why it was familiar - it was the patch of river where he'd taught Rushstorm how to swim. He came to a stop next to Rushstorm, and smiled sheepishly at him. Rushstorm's ear-tips turned pink, and he quickly looked away with a small smirk on his face.

The group sat down, and Beebounce tucked himself into Rushstorm's side. He guessed that his friends wouldn't see him that well in the dark, but that theory was disproved when he saw the confused look on Fishclaw's face, her eyes gleaming blue in the half-light.

"Right…" Mewed Rushstorm, placing his head on top of Beebounce's. Beebounce smiled up at him. "Before we hunt, we should-"

Beebounce pulled away from him. "No." He mewed abruptly. "We're not."

"You didn't even know what I was going to say!" Whined Beebounce.

"I could guess." Beebounce mewed with an affectionate eye-roll. He headbutted Rushstorm in the side (gently. He'd never want to hurt him.) and went on. "Alright. Tell us what we should do."

"We should play truth or dare!" Exclaimed Rushstorm.

"No." Said Frogtoe and Fishclaw, in sync. They blinked at each other, and both looked away. Beebounce sighed at the weird tension his two friends had created, and glanced back at Rushstorm.

"Hypothetically…" He said, and Rushstorm's ears perked up. "If we were to play truth or dare, could I start?"

Rushstorm's eyes gleamed in the dark, and he grinned. "I knew you'd come round to it." He leaned in, and quickly swiped his tongue across Beebounce's cheek. In a low whisper, he added "We can sort these two out."

Beebounce, who was still reeling from Rushstorm's touch, nodded. "Y-yes." He stuttered. Rushstorm gave him a fond smile, and he turned back to Fishclaw and Frogtoe.

"Beebounce is going first." He announced. Frogtoe huffed.

"For the record, I didn't agree to this." She grunted, before sitting down. Fishclaw slumped next to her, but Beebounce noticed that they were keeping at least a mouse-length between them.

"Alright." Mewed Beebounce, with a small yawn. "Fishclaw… truth or dare?"

Time skip woooo lets skip some time

"That is so not what happened!" Fishclaw exclaimed, blustering. "That rat-brained apprentice started it, and besides, Shadowclan are scum anyway. I wasn't lying."

"She asked him to climb a tree." Hissed Frogtoe in a low whisper to Beebounce.

"Alright, alright." Mewed Rushstorm with a chuckle. "Your turn, Fishclaw."

Fishclaw sighed, and looked straight at Beebounce. He held his breath, feeling certain she'd picked on him. "Beebounce." She said. "Truth or dare?"

Beebounce huffed. He'd done plenty of dares. (Rushstorm had apparently upped his creativity from when they were apprentices.) One of which had been crushing berries on his fur, which had made Rushstorm wide-eyed for some reason. All that had resulted in was his fur smelling sweet, and his paws being muddy. (Frogtoe had not upped her dare game. She'd asked him to walk in some mud.) "Truth." He decided on.

Fishclaw's eyes gleamed, and she smirked. It had been his first truth, and he had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had half an idea what she was going to ask, and he wasn't quite sure if he was ready to answer it yet.

"Have you ever liked anyone in this group?" She asked slyly. Beebounce stared helplessly at Rushstorm, who started, before stepping in.

"Are we kits, Fishclaw?" He asked.

"S'just a question." She mumbled. "Have you?" She added, meeting Beebounce's gaze. He locked eyes with Rushstorm, who gave him a slight nod. That was all he needed.

"Yeah." He said, his voice strong. "Yes, I have." He purred, and curled his tail around Rushstorm.

Fishclaw, for some reason, hadn't taken the hint, and was glancing fiercely from him to Frogtoe. "Who?" She questioned.

Rushstorm chuckled. "Fishclaw?"

"What?" She asked again, still glaring at Frogtoe.

"He's talking about me."

"Oh." She said, not quite getting it. She finally looked at the pair, and gasped. "Oh!"

"Yeah." Said Rushstorm, sounding quite smug. Beebounce shoved him, and Rushstorm squawked indignantly.

Beebounce smiled. "My turn!" He mewed, glad to get that over with. Fishclaw shook her head.

"Hang on." She mewed, fixing him with a glare. "When? What? How?"

Rushstorm smiled sheepishly. "A few days ago." He glanced over at Beebounce, who nodded his head. "We're… what did you want to call it again?"

"Romantic and platonic acquaintances." Beebounce prompted.

Rushstorm wrinkled his nose, but he went on. "He told me. It was highly dramatic: moonlit confession, yelling, flowers, the whole lot." Beebounce blinked, and rolled his eyes.

"Okay." Mewed Fishclaw. She looked different, Beebounce realised. Something had been lifted from her shoulders. Her eyes had lit up, and she was looking at Frogtoe with an interest he hadn't seen in a while. She bashfully looked down when she noticed that he was watching her. Beebounce smiled, and realised what his question should be. (Provided Frogtoe chose truth, that was. If he didn't, his plan might not work out.)

"What about you?" He asked, aiming his question at Frogtoe with a bop of his head.

Frogtoe blinked. "M-me?" She stuttered, freezing up.

Rushstorm looked at him curiously, before nodding in understanding. He tilted his head towards Fishclaw, and nodded again. Beebounce grinned, knowing his hunch was correct.

"Yeah, do you like anyone in this group? Past or present." He added, knowing he'd just given Frogtoe a way-out. (Even if she'd confided in him that she'd only ever been interested in she-cats. He'd never liked she-cats himself, so he could relate with that. Feeling slightly lost when everyone around him seemed to know what they were doing.)

Frogtoe shrugged, and opened-and-closed her mouth, casting a look at Fishclaw. Fishclaw blinked, seemingly realising what was about to happen before Frogtoe did.

"I-I- well, yes." Frogtoe mumbled. Fishclaw's ears perked up, and her face broke out into a grin.

"You only like she-cats!" She exclaimed.

Frogtoe looked up at her, her eyes wide. "How did you know that?" She mewed fearfully, clearly not taking notice of the joy evident in Fishclaw's mew.

"You got too close to some catmint a few moons ago, and you told me." Said Fishclaw, stepping closer to Frogtoe, flicking her in the side with her tail. Beebounce stared at Rushstorm, and decided it was probably time that they got out of there. Frogtoe was looking at Fishclaw with nothing but hope in her eyes, and Beebounce would rather not third-wheel on a love confession.

"We're going hunting! Bye!" He managed to get out, and sprinted away from there, Rushstorm running beside him. They collapsed on the grass a few fox-lengths away, and started panting, which quickly turned into laughter. Rushstorm turned to Beebounce, and pushed his muzzle into Beebounce's neck, smothering him with rapid licks. Beebounce shoved him off, giggling. "What was that for?"

"You're a menace." Mewed Rushstorm with a laugh. Beebounce smiled, and looked up at the night sky.

He guessed he was, but this time it had probably ended well.

beebounce and frogtoe are mlm and wlw solidarity

rlly hope u guys liked this!