❝ ＧＵＭＰＨＩＢＩＡＮ ❞

Sunlight from the morning of an early spring day dappled against the glass that lead into a flamboyantly painted apartment building.

Gummy's jelly green butt was perched against the edge of his hot pink beanbag, interest in his eyes while keeping his gaze focused on the flat screen TV in front of him. (Y/n) watched from the jade cushioned sofa from further down the living room, almost entertained by her boyfriend's excitement.

Curiosity swam through Gummy's azure eyes as he bounced his butt against the soft seating, his head not being able to look up any further to watch the motion against the screen above.

"And that concludes today's nature programme - Frog Nation." The voice came from the TV as the screen showed a group of frogs, ribitting and leaping across lillypads balanced on the crystal clear water of the pond.

In response, Gummy's overjoyed expression became a disappointed frown. "No! Don't end!" He cried, waving his hands towards the screen, hoping it would cause the programme to continue.

"Show me more frogs! They're so cute! So green!" Gummy cried, his frown returning to a smile as he remembered the footage of the bright green croaking creatures. (Y/n) giggled as a result of his adorable behaviour, her soft voice flowing through the warm air.

Suddenly, Gummy gasped, looking down towards his chubby green body and patting his tummy in what seemed like shock.

"Just like me!" He cried, earning curiosity from his girlfriend.

"Wait, what did I just say?" Gummy asked himself aloud, fingertips against his chin and deep thought crossing his expression.

(Y/n) giggled, sliding from the sofa and slowly walking towards Gummy across the white wooden floor.

"You said that frogs are green and cute..." she started, propping herself against the side of the beanbag and leaning herself into Gummy's side.

...just like you..." She finished her sentence, blushing slightly at Gummy's adorable smile that met her (e/c) gaze.

Gummy continued his thoughts about what he'd just blurted out after being reminded. He suddenly jumped from his beanbag, causing (Y/n) the slouch into it.

He spun on his heels to face his girlfriend, pride and curiosity in his eyes. "Maybe I'm a frog! It could explain a lot!" He cried, energetically reaching out his hands and tugging (Y/n) from her slouched position and leading her into his bedroom.

~

Gummy bounced up and down from his wooden bedroom floor, watching himself jump in the glass reflection of his mirror. He crouched his knees, palms of his hands against the ground while pushing himself into jumps by stretching his legs.

Gummy admired himself while he leapt up and down - just like a frog - in the reflection of his propped up mirror. He smiled as he noticed (Y/n) in the glass, watching with confusion in her (e/c) eyes.

Gummy raised his body to stand up straight, examining the jelly consistency of his tummy while looking down and patting it. He smiled with excitement into the mirror, coming to the inevitable conclusion.

"Yes! I'm definitely green!" He cried, turning around to face (Y/n), who still had no idea what he was trying to do. She watched him dash towards the front door, shrugged, and followed him out.

~

"I'M A FROG AND PROUD OF IT!!" Gummy shouted, his voice booming through the gentle spring breeze.

Harry and Kala collapsed in response to the volume, tripping backwards from the small staircase leading to the entrance of the apartment block. Gummy stood at the door, holding it open with (Y/n) nervously watching from behind.

Kala quickly jumped up from the dusty pavement, brushing her navy blue outfit with her gloved paws. "Uh... hi Gummy? Everything OK?" she asked, waving a little, feeling the need to question the current confusing situation.

"Sure is! I'm a frog guys! Isn't that great!?" Gummy cried, waving his hands into the air while earning a giggle from his girlfriend behind him.

Harry gazed towards his crazy green pal with confusion in his eyes. "What exactly makes you think you're a frog?" he asked, cracking the fantasy scenario with facts and reality.

"Because I'm green, silly!" Gummy cried, pointing towards his head as if the answer was obvious.

"Lots of green things aren't frogs, Gummy." Harry continued, a stern tone filling his voice.

"Harry's right..." Kala reluctantly admitted. "And you don't look or act like a frog..."

"The TV said there are over four thousand species of frogs..." Gummy tossed his own facts into the conversation. "How do you I'm not one of them..?"

Harry sighed. "Well, frogs have long, slimy tongues, and they hop around a lot!"

"You mean like this!?" Gummy cried, crouching into his previous position while leaping out from the doorway into the street, his green tongue hanging from his wide open mouth. (Y/n) giggled watching her boyfriend's adorably silly behaviour. Kala noticed, smirking towards her sister with pride in her eyes that her sister and Gummy were finally together, and that she'd finally plucked up the courage to tell him.

Harry shook his head while watching Gummy hop across the pavement, still imitating a frog. "Well, sort of... but they also live in ponds not apartments."

Gummy stopped in his tracks, raising his body back up to his previous stance. "Well, I can live in ponds too! In fact, that's just where I'll go! Forever and ever!" He added, earning a confused expression from (Y/n), Kala and Harry.

"See you in frog land!" Gummy cried, waving to his friends and girlfriend before returning to his crouched position. He pushed his body with his bent legs to send himself leaping up, his hands spread out to land on.

(Y/n) watched as Gummy hopped down the street, passing the trees that surrounded the buildings and heading towards the local pond. (Y/n) sighed as Gummy disappeared from her view, a little sadness in her (e/c) eyes.

She turned to Kala, seeing her sister shake her head in disappointment. "This is not going to end well, is it?"

"Yeah..." Harry sighed. "Maybe I should've mentioned frogs eat flies?"

Kala stuck her tongue out in disgust while (Y/n) pretended to gag in response. The kitty sisters burst out laughing, followed by Harry rolling his eyes.

~

Lush green grass surrounded a large oval of crystal clear water, trees dotted across the land while lillypads decorated the rippling pond. The sound of leaves rustling and birds chirping filled the air between the trees, croaking of frogs echoing from the pond beside them.

Footsteps patted against the small, beige stones that created a path leading from the park to the pond. Gummy ran past the trees that surrounded the pond, the frogs that perched against the lillypads coming into view. A beaming smile spread across his face.

"There they are! Just waiting for me to join them!" Gummy cried, his feet slowing down to allow him to stop by the edge of the body of water.

"Hello frog brothers - and sisters - I'm Gummy!! I've been a frog my whole life but only just realised it today!!" Gummy cried, happily waving towards the slimy green amphibians and pointing to his chest while introducing himself.

Gummy continued to examine the landscape. "Nice dang froggy place you got here, so quiet and peaceful. My, what lovely pond scum you have."

Suddenly, another bright green lillypad rose from beneath the water. Gummy's expression became more excited as he pointed towards it.

"A lillypad! I've always wanted to sit on a lillypad!" Gummy cried, crouching down and preparing to leap towards it.

He jumped from the grassy edge of the pond while aiming for the lillypad, landing into the water with an almighty splash. The frogs croaked in distress, hopping from one lillypad to another to move further away from Gummy as he popped his head from under the water.

"And my new life as a frog begins!" Gummy said happily, the lillypad that was balanced on his head sliding off as he began to swim with his back against the water.

~

Golden strips of afternoon sunlight were painted across the azure blue sky. The clouds reflected against the pond's water as though it were a mirror.

Gummy was lying with his tummy against a large rock that raised within the water, his head resting in his hands with his elbows propped on the stone.

"Gettin' kinda hungry here... hey my amphibian kin, what time's chow?" Gummy asked the frogs that sat on the lillypads that floated on the water below the huge rock that he rested on.

He noticed one of his 'amphibian kin' sliding its long, slimy pink tongue from its mouth, snapping a fly that buzzed past a few seconds before.

Gummy raised from his relaxed position against the silvery stone with his knees.

"I guess that means now!"

He opened his mouth, his little green tongue hanging from between his two teeth. A chubby fly came buzzing past, with Gummy prepared for his first attempt at catching one.

"Oh boy! My first fly! Here goes..."

He sent his tongue flinging towards the flying insect, attempting to catch it and shoot it back into his mouth to satisfy his hunger.

However, the fly began to buzz in the opposite direction while Gummy shuffled closer towards the edge of the rock. His knees couldn't move any closer to the edge as he watched the fly disappear into the opposite direction, disappointment swimming through his cobalt eyes.

He sighed. "Back home I ate all kinds of good things; ketchup smothered burgers, brain freezing shakes, pistachio ice cream with French fries on top..." Gummy listed his favourite foods, memories of him enjoying their taste flowing through his thoughts. A beaming smile crossed his face as he remembered a recent afternoon of enjoying pistachio ice cream decorated with French fries with (Y/n). He sighed again, this time with joy.

He turned his attention back to the green amphibians, who stared at him with emotionless expressions.

"You guys would love pistachio ice cream with French fries on top..." he attempted to lighten the mood.

Suddenly, an idea sparked into his thoughts like a lightbulb flickering on. Gummy jumped up from his crouched position, excitement filling his eyes.

"That gives me an idea! Hang on, my froggy family, I'll be right back!"

With that, he slid from the towering stone before dashing back to the street he used to call home.

~

Gummy dug his hands through his fridge, the icy air blowing towards his crouched posture. A large, cyan carrier bag stood behind Gummy, the zip wide open as he threw packets, tubs and boxes into it.

From the other side of the door, Kala, Harry and (Y/n) could hear the sound of movement. Kala headed towards the wooden door, shifting from her original route through the building. Her sister and Harry swiftly followed, curious expressions across their faces.

Kala pushed against the door, realising it was unlocked as it swung open from her touch. Gummy came into her view, Harry and (Y/n) now standing by her side.

"Gummy!?"

Gummy turned his attention from packing his bag with frozen delights, his gaze to be met with Kala, Harry and (Y/n).

'(Y/n)..!'

Gummy smiled warmly as his azure gaze met (Y/n). She slid from beside her sister into her boyfriend's apartment, dashing over to wrap her arms around his neck. She snuggled her head into his shoulder, earning a chuckle from Gummy and the same in return.

(Y/n) then slid away from her position, remembering that her sister and Harry were still watching. She turned to the doorway, only to be met with crossed arms and cheeky smirks. (Y/n) blushed a little, before turning back to her smiling boyfriend.

"So are you back!? You've been gone all day..." She asked, a little sadness in her tone during the second sentence.

"Everything is A-okay! I'm just packing some food for my new slimy buddies down at the pond." Gummy replied, plopping one last carton of fruit juice into his huge, open bag.

Kala and Harry came closer with interested expressions across their faces. Kala examined the contents of the container, seeming slightly disgusted.

"Um, are you sure the frogs will wanna eat that stuff?" Kala asked.

"Kala, who wouldn't want pistachio ice cream with French fries on top!?" Gummy replied as if the answer was obvious, crouching down to take a bowl of light green pistachio ice cream covered with thinly cut fries. (Y/n) giggled at her boyfriend's adorable behaviour.

"But you have to keep it frozen - otherwise it gets messy and smelly..." Harry tossed his facts into the situation.

"You're right, Harry! That's why you're a genius!" Gummy cried, proudly pointing towards one of his best buddies. "All this great food will spoil by the time I get it back to the pond... only one thing to do...

...take the whole fridge!"

Gummy emptied his wide turquoise bag, dropping every frozen food item across the ground until there was nothing left inside. He tossed the empty material over the top of his crimson fridge, convering just over half of it.

"Is it really a good idea to live like a frog?" Kala added. "Won't you miss the comforts of modern living?"

Gummy turned to face his friends and girlfriend, fingertips against his chin in deep thought.

"Wow, you're right Kala... I better bring them with me too!" He cried. With that, Gummy began dashing across his living room, grasping all sorts of 'comforts of modern living' that were dotted around. He ran back towards his fridge, stuffing the items into the pocket located in the front of the material while listing them.

"...and my computer..." Gummy finished his list of items, stuffing his closed laptop into the front pocket.

"Hope they have Wi-Fi at the pond!" Gummy added, turning back to his friends and girlfriend. They had quite surprised expressions across their faces as they watched Gummy attempt to pull the enormous bag towards the doorway.

Gummy groaned in discomfort as he tugged against the bag's floppy handles, the whole fridge slowly sliding behind him.

"Well... I'm off... wish me... luck!" Gummy grumbled between almost each word, struggling to maintain the weight of the kitchen furniture.

"Uh, that bag won't fit through-" Harry began, until the enormous container brushed against him. He knocked against Kala and (Y/n), sending all three of them crashing against the floorboards.

"-the door..." (Y/n) finished the sentence, smiling slightly as she watched her boyfriend try and squeeze his fridge along with half his living room into the narrow doorway.

Kala shot up, almost embarrassed that she had become a victim to the collapse.

"Harry! (Y/n)! We've gotta do something!"

~

The grassy ground that ran beside the gently rippling pond rumbled as an enormous bag skidded across the land. Gummy groaned in discomfort and a little pain as he tugged against the handle to bring his luggage into the new place he'd decided to call home.

Gummy stopped as his feet met the end of the path leading down to the peaceful body of water, releasing the material from his grasp and taking deep breaths to recover from his uncomfortable journey.

A smile crossed his face as his blue gaze met the small, slimy amphibians that watched him almost with confusion from their positions against the floating lillypads.

"I'm back! And guess what? Ice cream for everyone!" Gummy cried happily, gesturing towards his giant bag of luggage containing his fridge that would provide him with said frozen dessert.

However, the fridge engulfed in cyan material slowly began to slide from the edge of the water. Gummy's smile became a disappointed frown as he watched his luggage splash into the pond, surprising the frogs as they hopped further away.

Gummy sighed, his shoulders hanging low. "Who knew a frog's life was so hard..."

~

Darkness soon took over the beautifully blue sky, silver stars twinkling in the blackness as they reflected against the glossy water.

Gummy stood with pride in his posture as he admired his furniture from his apartment that he'd decorated the landscape with.

"Well, it took all night, but it's finally done! My new home is all ready!"

Gummy took out a television remote, pointing it towards a jet black screen that was propped against a magenta cabinet. The TV gave a static sound with glitches spread across the screen.

Gummy sighed. "Maybe I'll fix it later..." He stretched his arms as he let out a yawn. "I'm too pooped right now..."

He tossed his back against the slightly damp grassy ground, spreading out his limbs and closing his eyes to relax his drowsy expression.

~

"Gummy..."

"Gummy..!"

The sound of a familiar voice alerted Gummy, causing his eyes to slowly open to let in the beaming sunlight of the early morning. He quickly sat up, turning his gaze to the direction where he heard the soft, gentle voice.

His blue eyes met (Y/n)'s (e/c) ones, panic fading from them as she saw that her boyfriend was now awake.

She sighed with relief. "Oh, Gummy!" (Y/n) threw her hands around his neck as he did the same in return. She snuggled her head into his chest, relaxing his body as he leant into the top of her (f/c) hair. Kala and Harry soon came into Gummy's view.

"We've been so worried about you!" Kala cried, kneeling down beside her sister. "Look! You've got mosquito bites all over you!" She pointed to Gummy's chest as (Y/n) released her grasp.

Gummy's gaze slid down towards his chest, his concerned frown becoming a smile as he shifted his view back towards Kala and laughed.

"Huh? Sure they're not warts? Perfectly normal for a frog!" Gummy said proudly, also as if his observation was obvious.

Kala groaned, finally having enough of Gummy's silly behaviour. "For the last time - you're not a frog!" She cried, aggressively pointing towards Gummy as his smile became a confused frown.

"Y'know, you can't believe everything you see on TV..." Harry stated, crouching beside Gummy as he turned to him.

"You can't? Of course you can!" Gummy cried, gesturing to both his friends and girlfriend. "If it's on TV or the internet, it's always true!" He continued.

"I think we have a problem..." Harry groaned quietly, earning a giggle from (Y/n).

Kala's expression lit up as a brilliant idea burst into her thoughts. "Wait a sec, Harry!

I believe I have a solution..."

~

"Why do we have to do this? This seems kinda cruel..." (Y/n) asked her sister as she arranged a desk and chair within the bushes of the forest surrounding the pond.

"We're trying to help him! Now hush and help me set up!" Kala demanded, earning a groan from her sister as she slid into the seat behind the desk.

Harry arranged a camera to film the action as (Y/n) tapped the sheets of paper in front of her against the desk, becoming slightly nervous although she didn't understand why.

Meanwhile, the sun began to rise to open up to another beautiful spring morning. Gummy rose from his comfortable position against the emerald green grass, stretching his arms to prepare himself for the day ahead. He slowly opened his eyes, his family of frogs coming into view.

"Hello morning! Hello frogs!" Gummy happily cried. He suddenly jumped at the sound of static coming from his TV as it glitched into action.

"Woah! My TV's come back to life!" He cried, leaping up from his seated position