Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Bolt is curled up on the couch, not asleep, but just resting eyes, while Rhino is sitting next to him in his ball, watching tv. He has the remote under his ball, so if he wants to adjust the volume, all he can do is roll onto the volume button to press it.

As usual, Rhino is watching an episode of Bolt. Back when his best friend and Penny were the stars and not these new actors.

"Aww, man. Bolt, don't you miss the days?" Rhino asks Bolt while still keeping his eyes in the tv.

"Hmm?" Bolt asks, still in his resting postion with his eyes still closed.

"The acting days. You know." Rhino says, still not looking away from the screen.

Bolt opens his eyes and lifts his head up. "Nah..." he says, then yawns and looks over at Rhino with his eyes still slightly closed. "I like things just the way they are right now." He adds.

"Yeah, but..." Rhino pauses, then looks away from the tv and looks at Bolt.

Bolt finally opens his eyes all the way. "'But' what?" He asks.

"You ever like... Wanted to be a real superhero? Like with "real" superpowers." Rhino says.

Bolt looks down a little and thinks of a response. "Um..." He looks back at Rhino. "I mean, it would be cool. But no." Bolt says.

"Why not?" Rhino asks with a confused look on his face.

"I like my life here. With you, Mittens and Penny." Bolt says.

"Ok then. Either way, you're still my hero." Rhino says.

Bolt chuckles and then sighs."Thanks, bud." He says and then looks around the room and then back at Rhino. "So where's Mittens?" He asks.

Rhino has his eyes back on the tv. "I dunno... Doing cat stuff... Probably." Rhino says.

"Hmph." Bolt says and then looks and then stares at the tv for a couple of seconds. "Don't you get tired of watching these? You watch them like... Almost every day." He says and then looks back at Rhino.

Rhino looks at Bolt. "Well, I'm your number 1 fan. And I want to keep that title." He says, and then looks back at the tv.

"You know you don't have to do that in order to continue being my number 1 fan." Bolt tells Rhino.

Rhino does a couple of nods. "I know..." He says.

"...So, are you going to stop?" Bolt asks, to which Rhino responds by shaking his head.

"No..." He says. He doesn't seem to be paying too much attention to Bolt now. He's too engrossed in his show. So he's not going to be in a talking mood right now.

Bolt looks back at the tv for a couple of seconds while thinking of what to do. He is feeling a little hungry. Maybe he should go to his food bowl in the kitchen.

"I'll see ya later, Rhino." Bolt says, then gets up and jumps off the couch and starts heading to the kitchen.

"...Yeah... See ya." Rhino says and gives half a wave in the direction that Bolt is heading.

Bolt walks out of the living room and heads to the kitchen. In there, he sees Mittens standing by her food bowl that's next to his, eating her cat her kibble. Not really paying attention to her surroundings.

Bolt smiles a little and decides to play a little prank on Mittens. He gets into stalking position and starts sneaking up behind her. She continues to eat, unaware of Bolt's presence.

Once he's right behind her, his tail wags slowly, getting ready to "attack."

*Bark*

Mittens jumps in place and instantly turns around, completely caught off guard. Her breathing is heavy, and her eyes are wide open from shock.

Bolt starts laughing, and he falls on his side and continues to laugh.

Once she sees its Bolt, she gets an annoyed look on her face, and she goes from scared to annoyed instantly.

"THAT'S NOT FUNNY, BOLT!" Mittens yells, clearly annoyed. This isn't the first time he's done this. Or the second. Or the third. He's done this multiple times, and he got her every single time.

"Aww." Bolt says and then stands back up. "Sorry, scaredy cat." He says in a baby voice before continuing to laugh again.

Mittens scoffs and looks to the side a little with that same annoyed look on her face. "I'm not a scaredy cat." She mumbles.

He suddenly stops laughing and tilts his head to the side a little. "Aww, did I hurt your feewings?" He asks in the same baby voice.

Mittens looks at him and shakes her head. "No..." She says, not sounding quite convincing.

Bolt starts feeling a little guilty now. Maybe he's being a little too mean.

"...Sorry Mittens. I didn't think that you'd get upset over something like this." He apologizes, sounding sincere.

Mittens turns back to her food bowl and doesn't look at him. "No, Bolt... Just stop it. I don't wanna hear it..." She says, sounding really upset.

Bolt gets a confused look on his face. Why is Mittens so offended? He has to find out.

"Mittens, I-" "Hahaha, I got you." Mittens suddenly turns around and says with a chuckle.

Bolt still has the same confused look on his face. "...Wait, what?" He asks in a confused tone.

"Haha. Oh man, you should see the look on your face." She says.

Bolt goes from confused to looking slightly annoyed. "Guessing you've been planning this for a long time now." He says.

Mittens stops laughing and then nods. "You know me too well." She says.

The annoyed look on Bolt's face goes away and is replaced with a smile. "Well played, Mittens." He says and then goes over to his food bowl next to hers and then starts eating.

Mittens turns back to her food bowl and looks down at it. "So what's the plan for today?" She asks and then starts eating as well.

"Nothing much..." Bolt says after swallowing his food. "Waiting for Penny to get back from school, as usual." He adds and then goes for another bite.

Mittens finishes eating and then brings her head back up and looks at Bolt. She already had enough food for now. "

"Bolt, don't you think that like... You're a bit too clingy." Mittens says.

"Hmm?" Bolt asks in between bites.

"You need a life. Is kinda what I'm saying." Mittens tells him in a way that doesn't sound offensive.

Bolt lifts his head up, looks at Mittens, and then swallows his food. "What do you mean?" He asks, confused.

"You can't be thinking about Penny all the time." She tells him.

"Ok, I think you're over exaggerating a little. I don't think about Penny all the time." Bolt says.

"Oh yeah? How'd your dog food taste?" Mittens asks. "Good, I like it." Bolt says.

"What else do you like?"
"Penny... Oh..."

Bolt is starting to understand what Mittens is saying.

"See. You could have said anything else. But what did you pick? Penny." Mittens says.

"Ok, fine. I see what you mean. But she's my person. How can I not be clingy?" He asks.

"Aren't there other people that you like?" Mittens asks. Bolt looks down and thinks for a second, then he looks back at Mittens.

"You and Rhino." Bolt says. "...Maybe you like one more than the other." She says like it was a question, sounding a bit nervous. Like she didn't want to say it but said it anyway.

"Well, you and Rhino are my best friends. I don't think I can choose between the two of you." Bolt says.

Mittens is a little upset by his statement. But she doesn't show it.

"Why are you asking these questions anyway? Bolt asks.

Mittens shakes her head and then turns around. "No reason. Just wanted to know, that's all." She says, but doesn't look at him.

"...You seem upset." Bolt says and then turns his body to face her completely. Mittens is clearly upset, but she quickly plays it off. She looks at Bolt.

"Upset?" She says and then scoffs. "Why would I be upset about that?" She asks.

Bolt is quiet for a second. "I don't know, but it looks like you're a little upset." Bolt says, sounding a bit worried.

"Whatever you say, Bolty. Whatever you say." Mittens says and then starts walking out of the kitchen.

Bolt watches her walk out. Should he follow her or let her just leave? He chooses the second option.

He can figure out what's wrong with her later. He turns back to his food bowl and looks down at it. He glances over at Mittens food bowl for a second and then back at his one.

"Ok then..." He says to himself and then continues eating his dog food.

After a couple of minutes, he leaves the kitchen and goes back into the living room. Mittens isn't here. Maybe she's in another room, upstairs or outside.

He goes back to the couch and jumps on it, and lies down. He looks at Rhino next to him, who's also lying on his back in his ball, staring up into space.

He's probably thinking about some deep stuff because the tv is off.

"...You ok?" Bolt asks to which Rhino replies by doing a long, loud sigh. "Yeah... Just thinking about life and stuff." Rhino says.

"Again?" Bolt asks. "Yeah... There's not much in life that I can do, you know... I'm a hamster. Have you ever heard of any famous hamsters?" Rhino asks.

"Uhh... No." Bolt says as he shakes his head.

"I'm 1 year and 9 months old... I probably got like... 2 years left... Maybe I could reach 4 if I'm lucky enough..." Rhino says in a very depressing way.

Bolt is silent for a little while. Waiting to see if Rhino has anything else to say, but he doesn't.

"But Rhino, you know that if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been able to go into that building to save Penny." Bolt tells Rhino.

"Oh yeah, I did, didn't I." Rhino quickly sits up and says with a smile. His whole depressing mood quickly vanishes.

He then lies back down and chuckles a little. "Ok, I guess there's nothing to be depressed about anymore." He says in his usual cheerful tone.

Bolt smiles a little. "Good, let's keep it that way." Bolt says and then just stares into space for a couple of seconds.

After his little moment of staring into space, he looks back at Rhino.

"Rhino." He calls. Rhino quickly sits up. "Yeah?" Rhino says.

"Did you see where Mittens went?" Bolt asks. "She went outside." Rhino tells him.

Bolt nods a little and then looks at the main door.

"Hey, Bolt. It's called a doggy door. But cats can also go through them. So why don't they also call them catty doors?" Rhino asks.

Bolt quickly looks back at Rhino. He's caught off guard with this question. He doesn't even know how to answer it.

"Wh- I... What?" Bolt asks in a confused tone.

"Nah, never mind. Some questions are best left unanswered..." Rhino says.

"How do you go from having a midlife crisis to this?" Bolt asks, wanting to know how Rhino's brain works.

"I dunno. It's how I am, I guess." Rhino says.

"...Anyways... What's up with Mittens?" Bolt asks.

"What do you mean?"

"She's been acting... Strange, lately."

"Strange?"

"When we're together, everything seems normal."

"She seems fine when she's with me, though."

"I mean with me..." Bolt says and then pauses. "It's been like this for over a month now." He adds.

"A month?" Rhino asks, to which Bolt responds by nodding.

"Wow, that's like... A lot of days..." Rhino says. "What's so strange about how's she's acting?" He then asks.

"Well, she's been acting more, uh... She's talking to me more often, and she's been getting a lot closer to me." Bolt says and then realizes he wasn't specific about that last part.

"As in. She's been standing and sitting closer to me. Sometimes, it's a little too close." Bolt adds.

"Oh yeah, I've noticed that." Rhino says and then sits up. "I've been watching some... New genres of shows and movies, and those are starting to give me ideas on what could be the problem." Rhino says.

"Really? What?" Bolt asks, eagar to know.

"I, uh-... I think it's best for you to figure it out by yourself." Rhino says.

"What? Why can't you just tell me right now?" Bolt asks.

"Because you should find out yourself." Rhino tells him.

Mittens is in the front yard, sitting near the roadside, facing the house, and looking down.

"What's wrong with me...? He's a dog. I shouldn't feel like this towards a dog." Mittens tells herself.

"He doesn't even notice all the signs I give him... Is he that blind?" She asks herself.

New years is coming soon, and Mittens wants to try and confess before that because back when she was still a stray. She remembered seeing a lot of couples on New years Eve getting ready for midnight, and she thinks it's just best to do it before that so she can end of the year with something special.

"So you aren't gonna tell me?" Bolt asks.
Rhino shakes his head. "Nuh, uh... That's for you to figure out." He says with a finger point.
"...Yeah, but... I don't really know much about stuff. You know, since I was just an actor dog." Bolt says.
"And a brilliant actor dog you were. Some even say you deserved an Oscar." Rhino tells him.
Bolt tilts his head slightly.
"Really? Who?" He asks, sounding curious.
"Me." Rhino says and then chuckles to himself.

Bolt rolls his eyes and shakes his head slowly with a little smile.
"Only you, Rhino." He says.
Rhino looks at the TV and then back at Bolt.
"Ok, well, anyways, I'm gonna go back to-"
"Yeah, yeah."
"You know how it is."
"Yeah, I understand. See ya." Bolt says and then hops off the couch.
Rhino faces the TV again and goes back to watching.

Bolt stops after a couple of steps and stares at the doggy door, contemplating whether he should go to Mittens now or just stay inside. Maybe he should just give her some time alone. That's probably what she wants.
He turns and starts heading towards the kitchen again.

Mittens continued sitting where she was and staring at the front door.
"If Bolt comes out right now, I'll just say it... I'll tell him my feelings..." She mutters to herself as she waits in anticipation for Bolt to leave the house through the doggydoor.
She stands there for about 2 minutes, just sitting there in silence, the wind and the leaves flying around and brushing against each other, and the ground being the only thing she can hear.

When she realizes he's probably not coming out, she slowly looks down at the ground and sighs.
"Hey, Mittens." She hears the voice of her female feline friend from behind.
She turns around and sees "Nicki." A pure black cat with blue eyes.
Mittens turns her head to look, quickly replacing her sad face with a happy one.
"Oh, h-hey Nicki..." Mittens says in a slightly panicked toned.
Nicki slowly approaches Mittens and sits in front of her.

"Sheesh, what's wrong with you? You looked sad about something." Nicki says, but Mittens shakes her head slowly, playing it off perfectly.
"Nah, Bolt just ate one of my treats. Got a little upset." Mittens says.
Nicki looks at the house and then back at Mittens.
"He did?" She asks.
"Yip..."
Nicki smiles. "Aww, I don't blame him. Those treats are pretty tasty." She says with a giggle.
Mittens rolls her eyes and looks away.
"Right..." She says, sounding a little annoyed.

Nicki notices Mittens' change in behavior.
"What's wrong now?" She asks.
Mittens looks back at her.
"Nothing, nothing, I-... Do you have a partner yet?" Mittens suddenly asks.
"Hmm? Partner? Like a boyfriend?" Nicki asks with a slight head tilt.
Nicki shakes her head. "Mm mm. I mean my guy friends are nice but... I don't know. Sometimes they're kind of... Wild." Nicki says.

"...You mean like almost every stray cat in existence?" She asks sarcastically with her eyes half lidded.
Nicki nods her head. "Uh huh." She says.

Mittens looks back at the house before looking back at her.
"What do you think of Bolt?" Mittens asks.
Nicki's tail starts slowly swaying across the ground.
"Bolt? Aww, I love Bolt. He's so nice to me, he calls me cute and a good kitty. He treats me like how he treats you."
Nicki says, happily.
"No, I mean like. As a partner." Mittens asks.
Nicki's tail stops swaying.
"As a partner?" She looks down, thinking, before looking back at Mittens.
"But he's a dog." She says, sounding slightly confused.

"I know, but I'm just asking."
"Hmm... Well... That's a weird question but... I don't how I can... See him that way."
"So you're saying it's not normal for a cat to see a dog that way?"
"Well... I mean..." Nicki can't find the words.
"...Go on..."
"I don't know, it's- it's such a random question, I don't think I've ever gotten it before."
"Hmm, I'll give you an answer when I can."
"What?"
"I don't know, I'm being put under a lot of pressure."
"I asked you one simple question."
"Yeah, but-..."
Mittens sighs. "It's ok. You can give me an answer when you can."

Nicki smiles. "Ok." She says.
They're silent for a few seconds before Mittens speaks up again.
"So... You're here to hangout?" She asks.
Nicki nods. "Yeah. Is Penny home?" Nicki asks.
"No, she's at a friend's house... She's staying over till new years..." Mittens tells her.
"Penny's mum?" Nicki asks.
"Gone shopping."
"Ohh..."
"You wanna come in?"
Nicki smiles and nods. "Yes please."

Chapter Text

Mittens and Nicki walk through the doggy door and look at Rhino on the couch.
"Hi, Rhino." Nicki says with a smile, getting his attention.
"Oh. Hey, Nicki." He says with a little wave before looking back at the TV.
"Wanna watch with me?" He asks.
"Um... Maybe later." She tells him as she looks at the TV and then back at him.

Mittens looks at Nicki.
"Come on, I know you're hungry." She tells Nicki before she starts heading toward the kitchen.
Nicki gasps, looks down at herself and then back at Mittens.
"What are you tryna say?" Nicki asks, sounding a little scared.
"Relax, Nicki. Don't overthink it." Mittens tells her as she walks toward the kitchen.
Nicki lets out a "Hmph" before following from behind.

When they enter the kitchen, they see Bolt sitting at his bowl and eating slowly and peacefully.
Mittens sighs before looking at Nicki with wide eyes as she runs up to Bolt.
"Hi, Bolt." Nicki says happily right after stopping next to him.

Bolt flinches a little in shock, but when he looks to his right, he relaxes and lets out a smile.
"Oh, hey Nicki." He says as he turns to face her and sits down again.

Nicki sits down as well and looks up at him with a slight headtilt.
"How you doin?" She asks him.
"I'm ok. And you?"
"Hmm... I guess things are going fine..."
"That's nice to hear."

Mittens just stands there silently, watching Bolt and Nicki's little conversation... She feels left out... Maybe even a little jealous.

She walks up to the 2 and sits next to them.
"Hey, Bolt." She says casually, trying not to be awkward after what happened before.
The two look at Mittens.
"Hey, Mittens... You ok?" Bolt asks, sounding a little worried about her.
Mittens nods.
"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" She asks.
"Well... I don't know. You've been acting different." He tells her.
"Oh, here we go again. Didn't we already have this talk." Mittens says, acting fake tired.

Bolt just stares at her silently with a slightly worried look on his face.

Nicki, who was looking at Mittens, looks at Bolt's face and sees the look on his face.
"Are you ok?" She asks Bolt, who looks at her, snapping out of it.
"Uh, yeah. Why'd you ask?" Bolt asks her.

Nicki frowns a little and then moves closer to him.
"You looked sad, that's all." She says before sitting right in front of him, nuzzling her head against Bolt's chest to make him feel better.
Bolt chuckles and looks down at her.
"I'm fine, don't worry." He says.

Mittens is just sitting there with her eyes wide in shock. She exchanges multiple looks between the two, the jealousy inside her building up more and more.

"Hey, Nicki. Aren't you hungry?" Mittens says.
Nicki opens her eyes mid nuzzle and looks at Mittens with a "Hm?" before pulling her head away from Bolt's fur.
Mittens tilts her head.
"For my delicious cat food, remember." Mittens says through gritted teeth, trying hard not to act suspicious in front of Bolt.

"Um... Yeah, I- OH. Hey, what did you mean before by Bol-"
"COME NICKI, LET'S EAT!" Mittens says loudly in a panic, cutting between the two and going around to her bowl.
Bolt and Nicki look at Mittens in slight confusion.
"Um..." Nicki pauses, looking up at Bolt, then back at Mittens before smiling.
"Ok." She adds and then goes to stand next to Mittens and eats with her.

Bolt watches them awkwardly before looking down at the floor.
"I'm... I'm gonna let you two eat." He says before looking back at the with a smile. He then stands up and starts walking out of the kitchen.

"Alright, Bolty." Mittens says between chews, watching Bolt leave. Once he's out of the kitchen and out of sight, Mittens swallows and then slowly turns her head to look at Nicki.

Nicki has her eyes closed as she slowly eats. It's not every day that she gets to enjoy stuff like this.
Nicki opens her eyes and then looks at Mittens, who's just blankly staring at her.
She swallows and then brings her head up, looking at Mittens in slight confusion.

"...What's wr- AHH!" Nicki shouts when Mittens pounces on her. They roll like a wheel for about 3 feet before Nicki lands on her back with Mittens on top of her.
"Mittens, wh- Mm mmm mmm-"
Mittens places her paws over Nicki's mouth, silencing her.
"Shh. Quiet." Mittens says softly before looking out the doorway and then back down at Nicki, who's staring up at her wide-eyed in confusion.

"I'm gonna remove my paw, ok?" Mittens tells Nicki, who nods slowly and lets out a "Mhm..."
Mittens slowly removes her paw and-
"MIT-MMM"
Mittens silences Nicki again.
"Nicki!" Mittens whispers loudly in frustration.

"Mm Mm hmm Mm mmm hmmm." Nicki tries to talk again, but it comes out muffled.
"Nicki, please... Just be quiet, ok?" Mittens asks Nicki before slowly removing her paw again.

Nicki stares up at her in silence for a few seconds before speaking softly.
"Why did you do that?" She asks, sounding genuinely concerned about Mitten's sudden behavior.
"I-..." Mittens sighs as she looks away.
"...What?" Nicki asks before Mittens looks back down at her.
"I just got a little... Upset." She says.
"...About what?" Nicki asks.

"About how you were acting just now." Mittens tells her.
"...W-What did I do?"
"You know what you did..." Mittens says in a serious tone, making Nicki feel a little uncomfortable.
She shakes her head slowly.
"No, I don't..." Nicki says, sounding genuine.

Mittens face slowly relaxes and she gets off Nicki, letting her stand up.
"Wh-"
"Forget it, it's fine..." Mittens tells Nicki as she walks to the doorway.
Nicki watches Mittens in confusion before looking back at the cat food.
She quickly runs over to it and eats some more before following Mittens while chewing.

Mittens and Nicki exit the kitchen and go back into the living room, now seeing the movie Titanic playing.
They both walk over to the couch Rhino is on and hop onto it, laying down and watching with him.

They look at the TV screen and then at Rhino, who's sniffling and wiping the little tears from his eyes. This is probably like the 7th time he's watched this movie.

"You ok, Rhino?" Mittens asks, sounding more confused than concerned.
Rhino sniffles and nods, not taking his eyes off the TV.
"Mhm..."
Nicki looks around the room and the back at Rhino.
"Where's Bolt?" She asks.
"Oh, he went upstairs..." Rhino responds and the sniffles again.
Mittens and Nicki look at each other and then back at the TV.

On the screen shows Jack and Rose standing at the bow of the ship with Jack standing behind her, holding her hands and stretching them outward.
They watch the scene for a few more seconds before Rose speaks up.
"I'm flying, Jack." She says with a smile.

"SHE'S FLYING!" Rhino screams, startling the two cats who look at him wide-eyed.
Rhino wipes his little nose and eyes before pointing at the TV.
"Oh, look. Look. It's gonna happen." He says excitedly through his emotional state.

The two cats look back at the TV and see Rose looking over her shoulder at Jack, whose face is right next to hers.
She and Jack look at each other before slowly going in for a kiss.
The music playing in the background makes the scene more sweet.

"Aww... That's so cute." Nicki says as she watches the scene.
Mittens is just silently staring at the screen with a focused look on her face.
She's watched this movie a few months ago and the scene didn't really feel special to her... But this time, it just... It makes her feel a little... Sad.

Nicki looks over at Mittens and notices the look on her face.
She exchanges multiple looks between Mittens and the TV before stopping on Mittens.
"Are you ok?" Nicki asks softly.
Mittens does a double take before looking at her.
"...I don't know, Nicki." Mittens says softly before getting up and hopping off the couch and walking to the main door.
Nicki and Rhino watch her walk away before looking at each other.
Rhino shrugs with a "ion know" and then they both look back at Mittens, who goes through the doggy door.

"Mittens?" Nicki calls out before hopping off the couch and heads towards the door.
Nicki sticks half her body out of the doggy door and then looks right and left.
On her left, she sees Mittens just sitting next to the door and taking in their surroundings.

The wind picked a little and is now audible.
Some clouds covered up the sun, making the area look all gloomy and dull.
"Mittens?" Nicki calls out softly before fully walking through the doggy door and stands next to Mittens.

Mittens looks at Nicki.
"Yeah?" She asks.
"You're acting weird."
"...I know."
"So what's the problem?"
"...It's Bolt."
"Bolt's the problem?"
"Ye- no. No, Bolt's not the problem."
"So what is the problem?"
"Bolt. I mean-"
"So Bolt is the problem?"
Mittens shakes her head. "No."
"Then?"
"The problem has something to do with Bolt..."
"...Ohh-"
"Yes..."
"Because Bolt. Is the p-"
"NO, NICKI!"
"THEN WHAT, I'M CONFUSED!"
"I-...! I like Bolt..." Mittens looks down sadly.
"O-Oh...?"
Mittens stays silent.

"I like Bolt too." Nicki says with a smile.
Mittens suddenly looks up at Nicki with a shocked expression.
"What?" Mittens asks, sounding a little hostile.
Nicki's eyes widen and her smile fades.
"W-what? He's so sweet and nice. Can't I like him too?" She asks in confusion.
"What do you mean by that?" Mittens asks, still sounding a little hostile.
Nicki's ears drop, feeling a little scared now.
"Can't he also be my friend?" Nicki asks shyly, avoiding eye contact.

Mittens face relaxes when she realizes what Nicki meant. Now she just feels like trash for how she reacted.
"Nicki, I'm sorry... I-I shouldn't have reacted that way." She apologizes.
Nicki looks back at her, her ears standing upright again.
"But why did you react that way?"
"...Because I like Bolt..." Mittens says sadly.

Nicki blinks a few times, processing.
"...But I-"
"Nicki... I'm in love... With Bolt." Mittens finally tells her.
Nicki's eyes widen a little in realization. It's starting to make sense now.
"O-Oh... So that's why you-"
"That's why I asked you that question before, yeah..." Mittens says softly, her head looking in the other direction.

"...Are you being serious?" Nicki asks.
Mittens slowly looks back at her.
"Yeah..." She whispers while nodding slowly.
Nicki looks to her right and just looks out at their surroundings.
Mittens does the same, enjoying the cool breeze.
"...So why not just tell him?" Nicki suddenly asks without turning her head.
Mittens glances at her for a second and then back.
"...I'm gonna tell him." Mittens says.
"When?" Nicki asks.
"I don't know." Mittens says, shaking her head slowly.

Nicki turns her head a little in Mitten's direction.
"How come?"
"...I'm scared."
"Of Bolt?"
"No... Of rejection."
"Rejection?" Nicki asks, turning her head all the way to look at Mittens.
"...Yeah..." Mittens says with a nod, still looking ahead.
"Why?"

Mittens raises her front right paw and looks down at it. It's declawed. Just like the others.
"...Before I joined... This family... I was a stray... And before I was a stray... I was with another family." Mittens says.
Nicki just listens silently, looking at Mittens raised paw.

"I loved them... More than they loved me... When they got me declawed, sure I was upset, but... That didn't affect how I felt about them..." Mittens drops her paw and looks at the floor.
"I don't know what I did... But as the days went by. They started to show less interest in me... They even started pushing me away when I got close... But I still didn't let that change how I felt towards them... But then one day... They abandoned me... After all the love. And affection I gave them..."
Nicki opens her mouth a little to speak but then closes it.

"After that. I decided that the only family that I needed. Was myself. Because that's the only person who can't abandon me..."
Mittens looks up and sees a car drive past, which also catches Nicki's attention.
"...Then Bolt showed up in my life. Then Rhino... Then Penny and her mum... They showed me love... And that's when I realized." Mittens pauses and then looks at Nicki, who's looking at her.
"I could love again..." Mittens adds.

"...Oh." Nicki says softly.
"So that's why I'm scared to tell Bolt... Not only because I'm a cat and he's a dog... But if he rejects me... Just like my old family rejected me..." Mittens looks away. "If I was even considered family to them." She adds bitterly.

"...I'm sorry about that, Mittens." Nicki tells her.
Mittens shakes her head.
"Don't be..." She says before looking back at her.
"It's in the past..." Mittens says.
Nicki looks ahead and then stands up, walking down the steps and stops right in front of the first step, looking down at the ground.

"Well, if it's all in the past..." Nicki says and then looks up at Mittens on the porch.
"Why are you letting it affect you now?" She asks.
Mittens tries to think of a response, but nothing comes out. She just sits there thinking.
"Bye, Mittens." Nicki says with a smile before walking off.
Mittens watches her walk off before looking back at the doggy door.

Mittens squints a little when the wind picks up even more, blowing directly into her eyes.
She stands up and walks over to the doggy door before going through it.

Chapter Text

Bolt was upstairs in Penny's room, laying on the bed with his carrot toy in front of him.
The room is very dim and gray. The only little source of light coming from the window.
Bolt looks out the closed window, waiting for the sun to come back and light up the room.

He looks down at his carrot and nudges it with his paw.
"I don't understand..." He mutters and then looks at the face drawn on the carrot.
"...What did I do wrong?" He asks the carrot, but in actuality, he's asking himself the question.
He eventually lets out a long sigh and blinks slowly. He's tired and just wants to rest now.
He lays his head down and tucks his tail in. His eyes slowly flutter closed and then he begins to fall asleep.

Mittens sits in front of Bolt, looking down at him. Watching him sleep and listening to his quiet breaths.
She feels terrible... All he wanted to know was what was wrong... But she had to keep pushing him away.
She wants to tell him, she really does, but...
It's not that easy. To her, at least...
What if-... The first time was bad enough, but rejection from someone who actually cares about her would just be a knife to the wound.

She shakes her head, barely moving it. Her throat starts to burn and her eyes are starting to water a little.
"I-..." She says under her shakey breath.
"I'm in love with you, Bolt..." She adds, now starting to softly whimper.
"Please love me back." Her words come out unclear this time as the tears start to slowly fall.
She sniffles softly and wipes her eyes with her right paw before looking at it and realizing that she's crying.
The last she's cried was after she was abandoned.
She looks at the little teardrop stains on her paw while still whimpering softly.

"...Look at that." She says, forcing a smile. "Tears..." She adds, trying to pull herself together, but she can't.
She places her paw down and looks at Bolt's carrot toy. It looks so happy with its smiley face.
"...At least you're happy." She mutters to herself through sniffles.

":)" The carrot doesn't say anything, but only smiles.

She looks back down at Bolt, still in a peaceful sleep.
"...Bye." She mouths before slowly walking to the edge of the bed and hops down to the floor.
She walks and stops by the doorway, looking back at Bolt for a few seconds.
After that, she looks ahead and walks out of the room.

In the living room, the TV is now off and Rhino is out of his ball and on the couch seat next to it, playing Blackjack with a deck of cards.
The cards are slightly bigger than him, but nothing is too big for him, because he's Rhino... The hamster.

Mittens enters the living room again, looking at the black TV screen and then up at Rhino on the couch.
Before entering the room, she made sure to compile herself and wipe away all her tears.

She jumps onto the couch and sits in front of his card game.
She looks down at the cards and then at Rhino.
There's 4 cards in front of him and a lot of peanuts.
In front of his cards are 4 more cards, most likely being his "opponents."

The 2 he started with. 5 of Diamonds and a 2 of Spades. The other 2 are a 3 of Spades and a 7 of Hearts.
That's 17 altogether.
Next to all the cards are a pile of peanuts, most likely being Rhino's bet.
The "opponent's" cards are a queen of Hearts, 5 of Clubs, 4 of Clubs and an Ace of Spades(1). That's 20 altogether.
He's staring down at the cards, deep in thought.

"...You ok, bud?" Mittens asks him.
"...This is the last round. Winner takes all..." He tells her while still staring at the cards.

Mittens looks at both rows, seeing why he seems so hesitant.
She looks back at him.
"Well, either way, if you play or stay, you're still gonna lose." She tells him.

He speaks in a low, serious voice.
"I put my whole life savings into this game, Mittens... The wife left me... The kids don't talk to me anymore... My dog abandoned me for my neighbor."
"What?" Mittens asks in confusion.

"I can either quit now and lose everything, meaning that everything I did was for nothing. Or... I can take the risk. It's either I can still lose everything, or. I'll win it all. But the only way to get the one outcome that I want is to make the move..." He adds in the same voice.
Mittens blinks a few times, taking in what he just said.
"...So are you gonna make the move?"
Mittens asks before Rhino slowly looks up at her.
"Would you?" He asks her, catching her off guard a little.

"I-I-..." Mittens stutters, looking down at the 17 and at the deck.
"...It's your game, I can't make that choice for you." She says.
"Well, then pretend that it's your game. It's your game and you have to make the decision."
"...My game?"
"Yeah." He says with a nod.
Mittens looks at him and then back down at the 17, shaking her head slowly with her mouth hanging open.
"I don't-... I need time to think about it." She tells him, sounding nervous.

Rhino looks back at his row of 17 and nods slowly in understanding.
"Then I guess I'll just take time to think about it." He tells her. He picks up a little "do not touch" sign and stands it up in the middle of his game before turning around, walking into his ball and lying down.
Mittens looks down at the now unattended game and then looks at Rhino, who's trying to sleep.

"Wait, aren't you gonna finish?" She asks.
Rhino yawns and turns onto his onto his side. His eyes still closed as he talks.
"It's not an easy decision to make. So I'm just gonna think about..." He tells her.
"...But what if you still lose?" She asks.
"Well..." He pauses before stretching. "Mmm... At least I'll lose knowing I tried." He adds before quickly falling off to sleep.
Mittens looks at his sleeping body in the ball and then down at the deck.
She reaches a paw out slowly toward the top card before stopping herself.
She places her paw back down before turning around and hopping down to the floor and walking away.

The next day

In Penny's room, the 3 are laid on the bed.
It's around 8AM now and the sun is out, the rays shining into the room and onto the bed around them.
Mittens slowly opens her eyes and lifts her head up.
She looks around the room before looking at Rhino asleep in his ball.
She blinks slowly and then looks over at Bolt on her left.

He's curled up with his tail tucked in.
They didn't talk since yesterday.
Mittens stares down at him for a few seconds before leaning closer to the side of his face.
She stops herself before her face touches his, deciding whether she should do it or not.
She checks his eyes for a second to make sure they're still closed.
She exhales silently and goes in for the k-

"GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY!" Rhino yells, startling Mittens.
She looks back at him sitting up in his ball and stretching before looking at her and waving.
"Morning, Mittens." He then looks at Bolt.
"Morning, Bolt." He adds.
Mittens' eyes widen in confusion and she looks back at Bolt, seeing he's awake with his face right in front of hers, their noses touching.
"Morning, Mittens." Bolt says with a smile.

Mittens freezes for a second, trying not to lose her cool due to their closeness.
"H-Hey... Morning Bolty." She says.
"Sleep well?" He asks.
"...Yeah. You?"
"Yeah."
"I'm-... I'm gonna go eat." Mittens says before moving her face away from his, gets up, rushes to the edge of the bed before hopping to the floor and leaves the room.

Bolt and Rhino watch her exit the room and then look at each other silently.
"Guess she's really hungry." Rhino says with a shrug.
Bolt looks back at the doorway for a few seconds before getting up.

In the living room. Mittens is brushing herself against Penny's mum's leg when she stops by the front door.
She looks down at Mittens as she opens the door.
"See you later." She tells Mittens before leaving the house and closing the door.
Mittens stands there, staring at the door for a few seconds before turning her head to look back at Bolt and Rhino making their way through the room. Rhino is rolling in his ball to the couch.
On the side of the couch is a plank leaning against the armrest. Rhino rolls onto it and up to the couch.
He rolls past his untouched card game and towards the remote that's laying on the seat, facing the TV.

"Time for some "My wife and kids." He says as he gets out of his ball, presses the power button and then goes back in.
The TV turns on, already on the channel he was going to watch.

Mittens watches Rhino go through his daily morning routine before looking in the direction that Bolt went.

In the kitchen, Bolt stops in front of his bowl and notices that his and Mitten's bowls are right next to each other. Normally, there's some space between them. It's nothing big, but it's just something that he acknowledged.

He brings his head down and starts eating with his eyes closed, enjoying his breakfast.
As he's eating, he feels something brush against him and opens his eyes to look to his left.
He sees Mittens right next to him, calmly eating her breakfast with her eyes closed as well. Her tail swaying slowly in the air. It most likely brushed against him when she arrived.

He brings his head back to eat, his eyes looking at her as he does.
She's close again. Back then, when their bowls were right next to each other's, she used to push hers back to its place.
Now she's just ignoring it.

She opens her eyes and looks over at Bolt, seeing him looking at her.
"You're not getting any of my food, Bolty." She says jokingly.
Bolt shakes his head.
"I wasn't gonna ask for your food." He replies.
"Then what were you gonna ask for?" She asks, sounding curious.
He shakes his head. "N-Nothing. I guess I just zoned out." He tells her before going back to eating.
Mittens watches him before looking back down at her food.
"Must have been thinking of Penny. As usual." She says teasingly before continuing to eat.
Bolt doesn't reply.

After they finish eating, Bolt goes through the doggy door and stands next to it, waiting for Mittens.
After a few seconds, she walks out of it and takes in the bright blue sky and sunny weather. There's a lot of white fluffy clouds scattered across the sky. There's no sign of upcoming rain or a storm at all.
The wind is still, too.

Mittens takes a deep breath.
"It's a nice day today, huh, Bolt?" Mittens asks before walking forward.
Bolt speaks as he looks ahead.
"Yeah, it-" He pauses when Mittens tail brushes under his chin as she walks past before staying low again.
"Is..." He adds.

On the front lawn, they both stick together, walking about and looking around.
They both go to the big tree that's on the right side of their house.

Once they're under the leaves, they're immediately covered with shade.
They walk toward the tree itself and sit near it.
Bolt lays down and Mittens just sits.
There's a small area of colored flowers around the wood, always having different bugs crawling and walking all over them.

But they're not looking at the flowers now. They're just relaxing.
Bolt is looking at the ground. Normally, Bolt would know what to say to start a conversation... But now he can't think of anything to ask or tell her.
Suddenly, a green butterfly lands on his nose, causing his eyes to widen a little in surprise.
Mittens sees it and she gasps softly.
Finding the butterfly so pretty and captivating.

She crouches lays low in front of Bolt but not too close, not wanting to scare the butterfly away.
Its wings flutter slowly as it rests on Bolt's nose.
Bolt doesn't speak because he knows any big movements would scare it off.
Mittens slowly creeps closer toward Bolt, wanting an up close look at it.
She stops right in front of Bolt's face, her nose almost touching his.

She looks at the black outline around its wings. She wishes she could see the actual color of it, since she's a little colorblind. Just like all cats.
Her eyes shift to Bolt's, seeing that they're still locked on the butterfly.
They then shift back down to his nose, seeing that its really close.
A thought comes to her mind.

She hesitates at first but then slowly touches her nose with his, getting a quick look from him before it goes back to the butterfly.
She finds his fascination with the butterfly adorable.

It's not new, but it's always cute to see. He really- The butterfly suddenly flies onto Mittens nose. She sits up quickly in slight shock, looking at it on the tip of her nose.
Bolt chuckles softly before he sits up closer to her, looking at it on her nose now.

"It's pretty." He says softly. Her eyes shoot up at him and then back down at the butterfly before she relaxes again.
"It reminds me of your eyes." He adds.
Mittens' heart rate speeds up when he says that. He's obviously just comparing the colors... But she's still blushing on the inside.
He brings his head down closer to it before it flies off Mitten's nose and away.
They both turn their heads, watching it fly off.
Mittens looks at Bolt, seeing his tail wagging as he watches it fly away.

She smirks.
"So, are you saying that my eyes are pretty?" She asks, getting Bolt's attention, his tail stops wagging.
She tilts her head a little, waiting for an answer.
"...Well?" She asks innocently.
"Oh, I meant that it was green like your eyes." He tells, sounding genuine.
Her smile fades for a second before returning.
"So my eyes aren't pretty?" She asks, acting fake hurt.

Bolt feels bad and goes down to her face level.
"N-No, they are. They're really pretty. They fit you." He tells her with a smile, sounding sincere about it.
Mittens gets butterflies in her stomach. Those words really took her out on the inside, but she keeps her cool.
"That's sw-..." She pauses when she realizes something.
"Wait, aren't dogs a little colorblind? I thought you couldn't see colors like green properly." She says in confusion, remembering that she isn't the only one that's colorblind.

Bolt is quiet for a few seconds and then speaks up.
"I don't think it really matters if I can properly see the color. I mean." He looks down at the grass and she looks down too. "Look at the grass. I love rolling around in it. Sure, maybe we can't truly see what green looks like, but. We can still feel it. Smell it." He says, and then they look back at each other.
"Like. I may not get to truly see the real color of grass. But I still love it just as much as anyone else in the world would." He adds.

Mittens is quiet for a couple of seconds.
"...So you just said that to be nice, huh?" She asks as she looks away, trying to hide her disappointment.
Bolt shakes his head.
"That's not true. I said it because that's what I think." He tells her.

"...I love you." Mittens says suddenly.
Bolt's tail wags and he smiles. "Love you too, Mittens. You really are the best cat in the world." He tells her.
She smiles at his words, but on the I side, her heart aches. Her words meant something else. His were platonic.
She wants him to know what she really meant.

"Awww." The two hear 3 voices at once before Mittens could speak again.
They look around in confusion and then at the left side of the tree, seeing 3 familiar animals appear from behind it.

Chapter Text

A Border Collie(male), a gray cat(female) and a white cat(female) walk around the tree and toward them. They're all strays from town. Just like Nicki.

Bolt and Mittens watch them come up to them.
"Hey guys." Bayley, the Border Collie says happily.
Amelia, the gray cat giggles along with the other cat, Cream.
"Aww, that was so cute." The two cats say at the same time.

Bolt smiles down at the two cats who sit in front of him and look up at him. Bayley goes up to Mittens and looks down at her, seeing her staring into space.
She didn't expect anyone to hear anything that they were talking about. Now she just feels awkward.

"Mittens?" Bayley says softly in confusion with a slight head tilt.
Mittens blinks a few times and then looks up at his face on her left.
"Uh- h-hi... Bayley." She says, trying to act casual.
Bayley smiles and his tail starts to wag.
"Hi." He says before they both have their own conversation.

Bolt has his head down at the cats level.
"So, Bolt. What exactly did we just walk into to?" Amelia asks mischievously.
"Ok, maybe it wasn't that. I mean. A dog and a cat?" Cream says, trying to sound polite.

Bolt exchanges looks between them, a little confused.
"What do you mean, Cream?" He asks innocently.
They look at him, each other and then back up at him.
"You know..." Amelia hints at Bolt, but he doesn't get it.
He shakes his head slowly as he speaks.
"No?"
"...You don't?" Amelia asks in confusion.
"She mean't like... You... Mittens..." Cream also tries to give Bolt the hint, but also fails.
"Um... No, I don't." He tells them.
Both cats' ears drop as they sit there in utter shock. Does Bolt actually not understand?

Bayley is lying down next to Mittens and talking to her.
"Oh... We thought-"
"Yeah, well, you thought wrong." Mittens cuts him off.
Bayley looks at Bolt and the two cats that's a few feet away from them, talking softly amongst each other and then looks back at Mittens.
"...Would you though?" Bayley asks, catching her off guard.
"H-huh?" She asks.
"You know... With Bolt? A cat and a dog." He says.
Mittens looks at Bolt, seeing him still having his little discussion with the two.
She slowly shakes her head.
"I-..." She pauses and stops shaking her head before looking back at Bayley.
"What do you think of a dog and cat relationship?" She asks him, wanting to hear his thoughts about it.
Bayley looks down and thinks about it before looking back at her.
"Hmm... I mean. I've never seen one before." He tells her.
Mittens nods slowly.
"Neither have I..." She mutters.

Amelia and Cream stare at each other.
"...I can't believe he doesn't know." Amelia says softly in shock.
"Well... He was a TV dog for most of his life... He probably never got to learn about all that stuff." Cream says.
"Learn about what stuff?" Bolt asks.
"Yeah, but... Should we tell him?"
"Um... Nah." Cream says and then they both look back up at him.
"I think it's something that he should discover on his own." She adds with a smile.

"Where's Nicki?" Mittens asks Bayley.
"She didn't come." He tells her.
Mittens smiles and rolls her eyes playfully.
"Yeah, I can see that, Bayley. I mean, why didn't she?" She asks.
"I asked her myself. But she told me that she didn't want to be seen today by these other guy cats. She said that they're trying to make moves on her or something." Bayley explains.
Mittens is silent for a few seconds and then chuckles softly.
"Guy problems?" She asks and Bayley nods.
"Something like that..." He says, laying his head down and glancing off to the side. He suddenly lifts his head up in excitement, his tail wagging fast.
"Hey, guys. Let's play a game." He says happily, exchanging looks between the 4.

The other 3 look at him.
"What game?" Cream asks.
Bayley stands up and walks toward them.
"How about Catch?" Bayley suggests.
Amelia and Cream hum softly as they think about it.
"Sure. Catch sounds fun." Amelia says.
"Who's the catcher?" Cream asks.
Bayley looks at Bolt, who looks back at him.
"Bolt can." He says.
"Oh, ok... Yeah, sure." Bolt says with a little smile.

Mittens watches them from where she's sitting. She doesn't really feel like runn-
Her eyes widen when she sees Amelia giggling as they're all talking and then nuzzles the side of her face against his fur playfully. Bolt smiling down at her as she does.
Mittens eyes slowly soften after that. Maybe she will play after all.

She gets up and slowly makes her way to them. "Hey guys, room for one more?"

12 minutes into the game

Bolt is the catcher again. He managed to catch Amelia, so now she's a catcher, too.
The other 3 are trying their best to keep their distance. Bolt is fast, so him having help now just makes things harder.
Mittens and Bayley stay together and keep their distance from the catchers.
They watch Cream come to a sudden stop mid-chase, trying to surrender.

She backs up slowly, talking while out of breath.
"Guys, wait... I... I give up, o-. Ok?" She tells them, exchanging quick looks between them as their approach her.
"NO, GUYS, PLEASE!" She shouts before Bolt pounces on her playfully. She falls onto her back, looking up at him.
"Got ya." Bolt says with a smile, his tail wagging.

Mittens and Bayley watch Cream get taken down.
"I guess Cream is on their side now." Bayley says and then looks down at Mittens next to him, who is just blankly staring at the scene in front of them.

Amelia is now standing next to Bolt and laughing. Cream is laughing too, still being under Bolt.
He isn't laughing, but he's smiling as he watches the two of them laugh.

Bayley looks at the three and then back at Mittens.
"You ok?" He asks her. After a few seconds, she looks up at him and nods.
"Yeah, I- AHH!" Mittens yells when Amelia and Cream pounce on her and take her to the ground.
Bayley watches them take her down and then looks at Bolt, who walks over to them.
"Looks like you won, Bayley." Bolt tells him.
Bayley's tail wags. He wins... As always.
"Yes, I love winning." He says as he brings his front legs up in the air in celebration before they reach the ground again.
The two dogs then look down at the cats. Amelia and Cream are laughing as they continue to hold Mittens down as she tries to get up.

"Keep her down, Cream."
"Haha, I'm trying."
"Guys, get off me. The game is over."

Bolt chuckles to himself and then approaches the cats.
"Ok girls. I think Mittens had enough." He tells them.
The two look at him and then get off Mittens, watching her slowly get back up.
"Oh, man. How much do you 2 weigh?" Mittens asks them when she gets back on her feet and stretches.
"Hey!" They say in slight offense, their eyes narrowing.

Mittens smirks and lets out a hum chuckle as she looks away.
"That's what you get for jumping me." She says.
Bayley looks at the two cats in curiosity.
"You 2 are fat?" He asks bluntly.
The two instantly look up at him in shock.
"NO!" They yell.
Bolt and Mittens burst out laughing at the scene.

Bayley stares at the two cats blankly.
"...But Mittens said-"
"She was joking..." Amelia says. "Obviously." She adds with emphasis.
Bolt and Mittens' laughter starts to die down.
"Don't listen to her, Bayley. I wasn't lying." She says between laughs.

"Mittens, stop that." Amelia scolds.
"Yeah, quit it." Cream adds.

Bolt sighs, letting out the last laugh.
"Are you guys gonna stay longer?" He asks the three who look at him.
"...Um. I'm up for another game." Bayley says.
Amelia sighs and sits down.
"Bayley, I'm tired." She says.
"And hungry." Cream adds.

"Just a little longer?" Bayley begs.
Amelia shakes her head slowly.
"Nah, come on, Bayley. That guy at the butchery might give us some meat today." She tells him and gasps softly.
"Oh yeahhh." He says in realization as his tail starts wagging.
"Alright. Come on guys, let's go." He tells Amelia and Cream before running to the tree and stopping to turn and face them.
"Bye, Bolt. Bye Mittens." He tells the two before he runs around the tree and back to where they came from.

Amelia gets up again.
"WAIT!" She shouts.
"BAYLEY, WAIT FOR US!" Cream also shouts.
"Bye guys." They quickly tell Bolt and Mittens before rushing after Bayley.

Bolt and Mittens watch them hurry off and then look at each other. It's just the two of them again.
"...It's just us again." Bolt tells her.
Mittens nods slowly. "Yeah..." She looks down, continuing the slow nodding. "Yeah..."
Bolt tilts his head a little to the side.
"Do you... Wanna play another game?" He asks her.
She looks up at him, going silent for a few seconds.
"I mean. We were doing a lot of running... I'm kinda tired, you know?" She says as she starts slowly making her way toward the house, Bolt's head following her.

"It's only been like a little over 10 minutes." He tells her before turning to follow behind.
"That's a lot of minutes, Bolty..." She says as they go onto the porch.

Mittens goes through the doggy door first, Bolt coming in a few seconds after.
Once they enter the house, they hear the sound of "My wife and kids" playing on the TV. Rhino is sitting on the couch in his ball, smiling and watching.

Bolt walks to the middle of the living room and sits down to check out some of the episode.
Mittens watches silently as Bolt left her side to go look at the TV.
She stares at him, seeing a little smile on his face as he and Rhino watch a funny scene playing out, getting a chuckle out of the two.

Mittens blinks twice before looking at the stairs and back Bolt.
She opens her mouth to speak but closes it soon after.
Her eyes narrow and dart to the side before she starts making her way to the stairs.

"Heheh... This show is actually pretty funny. What's it called?" Bolt asks Rhino, his eyes still glued to the screen.
"My wife and kids. A masterclass in comedy if you ask me. Pretty underrated, too if you ask me." Rhino tells him.

"'My wife and kids,' huh? What's... What's a wife?" Bolt asks, looking back at Rhino.
Rhino looks down at Bolt.
"Uh... A wife, Bolt. You know? Like when two humans. A male and a female. When they get married. They become husband and wife?" Rhino explains.

Bolt turns his whole body to face Rhino, his head tilted in confusion.
"...Romance, Bolt."
"Romance?"
"...Yeah, romance. When a guy and a girl who aren't related really like each other a lot..." Rhino pauses, tapping his paws together, looking away awkwardly. How does he explain this to someone who's never had any experience in the real world for most of his life.

He looks back at Bolt, who's still waiting for an answer.
"Come up here for a minute." Rhino tells Bolt, who goes over to the couch and hops onto it, trying not to accidentally mess up the card game from yesterday. He lays low with his head next to Rhino's ball.
"When they like each other a lot. They become boyfriend and girlfriend... Then, eventually, if things continue to go well. They get married. Then they become husband... And 'wife.'" Rhino tells him.

Bolt blinks twice and looks down at the seat.
"...I've never heard of this before." Bolt says.
"Well... Your show was only about action and drama. Romance wasn't ever in the picture." Rhino says with a shrug. "Believe me, I remember every episode." He adds, cutting Bolt off before he could speak.

"...So what does a husband and wife do?" Bolt asks.
"Um... Love each other. Hug. Kiss. Have- uh... Kids." Rhino tells him.
"H-How do they have kids?" Bolt asks, sounding like a curious child.
"Uhh..." Rhino's eyes shoot to the side as he again awkwardly taps his paws together.
"I never thought I'd be having this talk... You see... When a man and a woman love each other very much... They both..." Rhino covers his mouth as he averts eye contact.
"Ok, I'm not explaining that." He says quickly, realizing that he doesn't want to go into details.
"But anyway. That's how Penny was born." Rhino adds, looking up with a smile.

Bolt's eyes narrow in slight confusion.
"From a husband and a wife?" Bolt asks and Rhino nods.
"So that's how you and I were born?" Bolt asks as he starts to understand... Kinda.

"Yip. Well, with animals, they usually call their romantic partner their mate." Rhino tells him.
"Mate?"
"Mhm. 'Mate.'"
"...Rhino, how do you know all this."
"Oh, you know. A lot of movies... Documentaries and all that."
"Hmm... So, like. How does someone know who their. 'Romantic partner' is?
"Well... Firstly. Both of them have to feel the same feelings toward another."
"Romantic feelings?"
"That's it, you got it. You're a genius... Greatest dog of all time."
"...And then what?"
"Uh, well. They act upon those feelings, I guess. Tell each other how they feel."

"Oh. Have you ever had a romantic partner before?"
Rhino places a hand on his chest.
"Me? Heheheheh... ahhh- No. But I'm fine being single." Rhino says proudly.
"...I have still have so many questions about a lot of things."
"And I would be more than happy to educate you about whatever you need to know. Do you have one more?"
"Well... How do you get these feelings. And how do you know that they're romantic?"
Rhino smiles, comes out of his ball and stands in front of Bolt, looking up at Bolt as he looks down.
"That's for you." Rhino points, poking his nose. "To find out."
Bolt watches Rhino go back into his ball, continuing to watch the show.

He exchanges a few glances between the TV and Rhino before hopping off the couch and taking a few steps away.
He looks back at the place that Mittens was standing and sees she's not there.
His eyes immediately go to the stairs and up the steps... She really must have been tired.

He walks over to the steps, up them and stops when he reaches the second floor.
Instead of going into Penny's room, he turns his head to the Penny's mum's room.
He pushes through the small gap between the door and doorframe before seeing Mittens curled up on the floor in front of the queen sized bed.

The curtains in the room are drawn closed and the room is dim. The bright sunlight can be seen through the curtain material, but it doesn't penetrate it. The windows are closed but the sound of the wind can be heard whistling outside.
The room has a very old person feel to it.
A lot of wooden cupboards with those flower patterns carved on the doors and all that.
A work desk with a monitor and a tower on the right side of the room, the only thing modern, filled in this vintage looking bedroom.

Bolt slowly and quietly walks closer to Mittens, stopping about a foot away from her before sitting down.
"...Mittens?" He says softly.
Her right ear twice before she lifts up her head to look up at him, her eyes almost closed.
"Bolt?" She asks softly before rubbing her right eye with her paw.

"...You're really that tired from the game?" Bolt asks.
Mittens sits up, rubbing her left eye now.
"It wasn't just the game..." She tells him but in a casual tone.
"Heheh. Heat made you sleepy?" He asks playfully.
She lowers her paw and looks up at him with a blank expression before nodding slowly. She keeps her casual tone.
"Yeah... The heat. How'd you know?" She asks.
"Hm. Lucky guess." He says with a smile.
"...Sure it wasn't one of your powers?" She asks teasingly, but this time she's being genuine.

Bolt gets a little closer and sits down right in front of her.
"Heheh, mind reading wasn't one of my powers." He tells her as he places his paw on her head, ruffling up her ears.
Mittens' head moves around like a bobblehead as he does this and she eventually shakes his paw off.
"Alright. Knock it off, sheesh." She says in annoyance, but she doesn't really feel that way.

"Did I wake you up, sleepy head?" He asks playfully.
Mittens stares up at him for a couple of seconds before letting out a warm smile.
She then looks at his fur in front of her. She hesitates at first but eventually nuzzles the side of her face against his soft chest fur.

Just like Amelia did...

Bolt looks down at her with a blank expression. He's not smiling like he was when Amelia did it.
She continues for a few more seconds before pulling back slowly and looking up at Bolt.
He's just staring down at her with a curious look on his face. As if whatever she just did meant nothing to him.

"...What was that?" He asks gently even despite being genuinely confused.
Mittens looks up and down at his face and chest a few times before her eyes widen in realization.
She was too in the moment.
She looks up again, trying to play off her flusteredness.

"I- Uh... I was just... Showing you how much I care about you." She tells him, her heart racing.
Bolt raises an eyebrow.
"That's not really how you normally do that." He says in slight confusion.
"...Huh?"
"This isn't how you usually act to show that you care."
Mittens' eyes narrow a little in offense.
"...So what are you trying to say, Bolt?" She asks, sounding a bit hostile.
Bolt's eyes widen a little when he hears the change in tone.
"I-I wasn't trying to-"
"But when Amelia did it, you were smiling." She tells him.
"Yeah, but-... That's Amelia." He tells her and her heart just breaks.

She backs up a little, still sitting down as she looks at the floor.
"...Are you saying that you can't see me that way?" She asks, trying not to tear up.
Bolt tilts his head a little.
"W-What?" He asks.
She shoots an offended look up at him.
"Are you just always gonna see me as the cat who just- who just doesn't ever show any physical affection? What? Am I just always supposed to be "Mittens the heartless?'" She asks angrily.
Bolt blinks a few times before shaking his head.
"But you're not heartless." He tells her softly.
"Then how come when I show you any physical affection. It's- it's- it's so shocking to you?" She asks, her mouth hanging open a little.

"Mittens, I-... I didn't mean anything bad by what I said."
"I know..." She says through a shakey breath.
"T-Then why are you-"
She shakes her head slowly.
"You don't understand... And I don't think you ever will." She tells him before standing up and walking past him and to the door.

Bolt turns to follow her, but she stops in place. "Bolt...!" She says sternly, freezing him in place.
She shakes her head slowly, the little anger still there in her eyes.
"I want to be alone... Can you understand that?" She asks him harshly.

He sits back down and looks down sadly with a slow nod.
"...Yeah... Yeah, I understand." He says, sounding hurt.

Mittens stares at Bolt for a few seconds before turning back to the door, exiting through the small gap and taking a few steps away from the room.
She stops in her tracks and looks back at the door, seeing that he's not following her. She waits a little longer, but the result is still the same... He's still not following her.

She looks ahead again and then walks toward Penny's room. When she goes inside, she hides behind the door and listens by the doorframe.
She hears Penny's mum's door slowly creak open, followed by a soft sad sigh from Bolt.

As he walks toward the stairs, she hears him whisper to himself, not knowing she's listening.
"I'm sorry, Mittens..."

She sits there staring at the ground, not making a sound until she's sure he's gone. When she's for sure that he is.
She starts to hit her head with her paw multiple times.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid." She whispers angrily before lowering her paw.
"Why did I do that?" She asks herself.
"What did I take off on him like that...? It's not his fault that he doesn't understand..."

She feels awful. She knows Bolt is still basically new to the real world. Still learning more about it... And she just went off on him... How she be so-... Heartless.

Mittens swallows to moisten her dry throat.
"...I'm hurting you. More than you're hurting... Me..."