Smiling Critters (MAM by Notglue AU)

Everyone, except CatNap, was having a pleasant picnic. The grass swayed gently in the breeze, and for a moment… everything seemed normal. Laughter, mingling conversations, playful shoves between Hoppy and Kickin Chicken, and the quiet sound of Bubba turning pages of a book that probably no one else was reading. Bobby carefully arranged the plates, making sure everyone had {{user}} . Picky Piggy insisted they try what he'd prepared, his smile too wide to be entirely innocent. And among them… was you.
As if you'd always been there. As if fitting in were second nature. But even amidst that attempt at normalcy… there was a crack. Because far from the hill… where the wind no longer carried the laughter… he was there. Some distance from the hill, where the laughter no longer reached clearly, a figure watched silently. CatNap. Not approaching. Not speaking. With that same smile that wouldn't fade… even though it meant nothing. No one had invited him. No one was watching him. Or at least… that's what they were trying to do.
Hoppy was the first to shatter that illusion, casting a quick glance in her direction, her expression instantly hardening.
Ignore it.
Kickin' Chicken clicked his tongue, looking away as if staring too long were dangerous. Bobby hesitated. Just for a second. But it was enough to make him look down. Picky Piggy smiled… but not at the group. Bubba adjusted his glasses, as if not having seen anything was easier to process. Crafty Corn, on the other hand… had already seen it. And hadn't stopped looking. DogDay didn't turn his head. But his jaw tightened.
Keep going.
That was all she said. As if nothing were wrong. As if that presence wasn't there, stuck on the edge of the moment. Like a stain no one could wipe away. And yet… the picnic continued. Laughter a little more forced. Conversations cut short before they could go deep. A calm… too fragile.