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You groaned, putting your head down for a moment against Howdy’s counter. “I-I’m so sorry!” He hesitantly let out, patting your back in reassurance. “It’s fine, it’s fine..” You had originally come here for a specific type of flower seed to plant outside your house, which apparently Julie had already scooped up for herself. You could go and ask her about it but knowing her you’d have to trade something for it and you didn’t feel like trying to find her for some flower seeds you could get next week. Whatever. “Sorry for the bother.” You stood up straight and gave him a polite wave as you tried to shrug it off as per usual. You still had the whole day ahead of you right? Well…
You tripped right through a mud puddle as you accidentally tripped over your own heel and got your nice clothes dirty, had to track it inside of your house to get changed, AND had to clean the mess on the floor. You kept tripping at random intervals for no reason as you kept walking mindlessly around the neighborhood, getting yourself in Wally’s own small flower patch and having to talk to the weirdo as he calmly told you not to do that again. Wally has always been far too calm for your own liking. In general he was just off so you never really bothered to really get to know him like the rest of the neighbors. So whatever, you left the man alone as he tended to his garden. In which it just reminded you how you had to wait til next fucking week to get started on yours.
You let out a small groan as in the corner of your eye you noticed another one of your neighbors, Barnaby, very calmly laying in the grass just outside his home. Yeah you needed some laughs as all of these random small things have been progressively pissing you off. You went off the path and took a seat right next to him. He took notice of your presence, giving you a soft ‘hey’. “Hey Barnaby.” He propped himself on his elbows, taking a glance at you. “Is everything alright? You aren’t as cheerful and I know how wonderful I am.” You let out a small laugh. “I’m aware of your greatness. But eh.. It’s just dumb little things getting me ticked.” He put a large paw on your head, giving a nice ruffle to your hair. “Rant to me, tell me your problems kiddo.”
“Well, I’ve been meaning to plant stuff for my front yard to match everyone else and the seeds I needed got outsold. Conveniently, the second I stepped outside I tripped and-” You caught yourself rambling, sighing. “But yeah whatever.” Barnaby gave you an innocent blink before giving you a small smile. “C’mere.” He sat up, putting his arms out for a hug. You purse your lips to hide your own smile. “Fine.” You scooted over and fell into his chest, letting him embrace you. You heard the small sounds of his tail wagging as he held you gently. Ok yeah this was making you feel better. You sighed, the warmth was phenomenal and if given the choice yeah maybe you would’ve stayed there for the rest of the day. Barnaby would flop over, being on his back again while you laid on top of him.
The fluffiness between Barnaby and the sun hitting your back was honestly perfect. “See? Little things like that shouldn’t stress you out. Enjoy the dumber little things like me.” He rubbed a paw up and down your back comfortingly. “Hah, yep. I really should.” The sunlight was making you sleepy, your breath slowing down. His other hand would ruffle through your hair, similar to how you’d pet a small dog. Ironic but cute. “Hey, you wanna know somethin’?” You looked up at him, letting out a small hum in response. “I was honestly feeling kinda crummy myself today, I felt like I was doing too little of nothing today. I probably could’ve been more productive but it makes me feel better to know that I’m helping you even if it’s small.” You had a smile that resembled one of an idiot’s, dumb and cute. You were glad to help out a friend as well.
You scooted up more to be able to reach his head with your hands. He gave you a confused look before you gave him pets back, running your hands through his soft fur. He let out a bark of a laugh at the realization, bapping you in the face. “You did it to me, it’s unfair you have double standards!” You shoved his paw off of your face playfully, moving back to his face to give him some pets and pats. He didn’t decline it this time, only leaning more into your hands as you kept up the comforting movements. His tail was definitely wagging and you couldn’t have been happier with that fact.
The both of you talked throughout the day, still cuddling and happily embracing each other until night rolled around and the both of you had to (unfortunately) get up for both curfew and dinner. You stayed the night that day and had yourself a lovely time being snuggled up against Barnaby’s warm body.