By all standards, or by Toad's standards at least, it was a good day.

The sun shone gaily in the sky, cheerfully accompanied by pristine, white and fluffy clouds. The temperature was delightfully comfortable, nothing like that wretched heat that would soon come with the late summer months, and a jaunty breeze kept the air flowing nicely. It had just rained only a day prior, not a downpour that flooded the stream and, often, Frog's home with it, but rather a pleasant drizzle that had made the ground just the right amount of damp. The lovely weather was, naturally, only heightened by the company Toad had decided to keep.

Frog hummed absently as he fussed over his various flowers and plants, and Toad had long since given up on his book in favour of watching his beloved friend. Frog was decidedly good company, everyone said so. He was friendly and helpful and overall chipper without coming off as overbearing. He was also the only animal whose company Toad actively sought out. Something about Frog brought out the best in him, Toad had decided. Cranky and irritable as he often was, Frog made him feel less so. Truly, there was no one Toad would rather spend his time with.

Toad absently reached over to the plate of cookies he had brought over to share and was disappointed to find it empty. Surely, he hadn't eaten the entire dozen all on his own. But alas, Frog hadn't touched the baked goods, and Toad was the only other one there. How rude of me Toad thought, I haven't even let Frog get a bite .

"Frog, my dear compatriot, I seem to have eaten all the cookies without you. I sincerely apologize!" he said as he stood up from his chair. This was not the first time Toad had eaten all the cookies, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. As such, he knew the response he would get before Frog even opened his mouth.

"Well then, Toad, we'll have to make more, won't we?" Frog was, of course, entirely unperturbed by Toad's sweet tooth, "Off to the kitchen, then!"

Toad followed his friend inside and to the kitchen. As if Frog had known this would happen, he probably had, all the ingredients needed for cookies were already set out on the counter. The two made idle chit-chat as they baked, and Toad navigated Frog's kitchen as if it were his own. Sometimes, he considered asking Frog to move in with him, or perhaps vice versa. It wasn't like they went anywhere without each other anyways, one of their homes would be empty at any given time as they would both find themselves at the other's house. Yes, Toad thought, to move in with Frog would be a lovely thing .

And so, as Toad moved to take the cookie out of the oven, he brought the notion up with his longtime friend. "Say, Frog?"

"Yes, Toad?" Frog smiled as if he already knew what Toad was thinking, as he often did.

"What do you think about- Ow!'' In his distraction, Toad had forgotten to put on oven mitts before he grabbed the hot metal pan. His webbed hand throbbed.

Immediately, Frog grabbed his small medical kit from the cupboard and rushed to Toad's side. "My goodness, Toad! You really must be more careful, you'll get yourself seriously injured someday, you know."

Toad only huffed, embarrassed by Frog's concern. His amphibious friend clutched his hand so delicately, and dabbed on the burn cream with such tenderness, it brought a warmth to Toad's chest. Suddenly, Toad was struck with the realization that, if it were entirely up to him, he would never be parted from Frog, not for one second. It was a strange realization to come to, and yet, it made perfect sense.

As Frog finished up patching Toad's hand, he looked up from his semi-stooped position, "I'm sorry, what was it that you wanted to ask me, Toad?"

Toad found himself at a loss for words, not for the first time in his life, "I was, that is if you think it's a good idea, I'd like to-" He cleared his throat and tried again, "Would you like to move in together, Frog? We spend so much time together already, it wouldn't be difficult to find a nice burrow somewhere that could fit the two of us." Toad could not bear to look at Frog as he asked the question, so instead, he stared at where Frog still clutched his hand.

Frog tilted Toad's chin up to meet his eyes, which shone with a soft sort of delight, "I think I would like that very much, Toad. After all, someone has to keep you from burning yourself whilst you bake cookies."

It was indeed, by every standard Toad had, a good day.