~Paper Flowers~

Author:

Danyael Panthernopaeus.

Storyline:

Mistoffelees tries to concentrate on his magic, only to be interrupted.

Disclaimer:

Everything of and referring to Cats does not belong to me. This is a fan-based, non-profit story. Please support the official release.

Author's Note:

I will once again have it that Quaxo and Mistoffelees are the same cat. Also, this will be very short. I will be KISSing it – Keeping It Short and Sweet.

This was inspired from the part in The Jellicle Ball when Quaxo is dancing forward, and Rum Tum Tugger stops him dead by standing in front of him.

I would also like to thank pouncii for the review of The Moon's Sanctity. Thank you very much.

Mistoffelees closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. He smiled as the sun warmed his coat. He went up on the ball of his left foot, and stretched his right leg up. He changed feet in a second, doing the same motion with the left leg. He could feel the magic gathering around him. It surrounded him, and gave him a secure feeling. It was something he knew.

He stepped out, twirled and kicked his right leg up. As he did so, he bent backwards and then forward as he lowered his leg. He crouched down, his arms out to the sides as he heard electricity crackling between his paws.

He knew that with a final leap, he would have completed the routine. He did the leap, and as he landed a picture flashed in his mind. It took him by surprise, and he landed on his left foot, which twisted to the side. He collapsed to the ground in a heap, grateful that he was alone and no one could see that horrible display of humiliation.

With a sigh, Mistoffelees looked around and saw there were gold and black paper flowers surrounding him. He went to stand, only to fall back down and stare at his left ankle. It had already swollen, and refused to move without sending bolts of pain through his small body. Groaning, Mistoffelees flopped back and stared up at the cloudless blue sky.

There were times that he cursed himself for being such a solitary tom. If he had been closer to the others, he could at least call out for help. As it was, he was as far away as possible so he wouldn't hurt any cat if his magic got out of control. It had happened once, but thankfully it had missed his sister and she didn't fear him after it. Victoria knew the risks when it came to disturbing Mistoffelees while he was practicing.

He could feel his eyes starting to get heavy. He really didn't want to sleep, just on the off chance that some cat might happen by. He rolled onto his side, and stared at the pile of junk that consisted mainly of vehicle parts. In his current predicament, he began cursing his mind for thinking of that image from the Jellicle Ball.

Mistoffelees closed his eyes, deciding that a small nap wouldn't be so bad. It would be a light one, so he could hear if any cat was walking by. He still had his doubts about that, but he was willing to hope that it could happen.

The nap didn't last nearly as long as it should have. Mistoffelees was woken rudely by a sudden down pour of rain. He had not seen any clouds in the sky before he fell asleep, and he was certain that someone would have mentioned the chance of rain.

The sky was nearly as dark as night, lit up by frequent streaks of lightning. Calling out for help was discarded as the thunder was nearly deafening. He scurried to his feet, and fell to his knees as the pain was worse than before. A breeze swept past him, making him shiver and his teeth start chattering. He glared up at the dark sky, finding a way to blame his current state on it.

His need to get somewhere dry outweighed his paid at that moment. It did until his left paw hit a rock, and sent him tumbling down the path into the clearing he was in. Not wanting to, he yowled in pain, holing the abused limb. It was already damaged, and now his toes were likely to be bruised.

With a deep breath, Mistoffelees stood up and slowly made his way down the path. He kept his eyes open for somewhere he could duck in to. The search took longer than needed, but he finally found a broken bureau with the bottom drawer missing.

He crawled in, not caring about the scent that was surrounding him. It was warm and dry, and he didn't care who else was using it. He could hear a cat purring above him, and decided that if he remained quiet they wouldn't know he was down there. That was the plan until he sneezed, and the purring stopped.

There was movement, and Mistoffelees followed the heavy paws to the end. A large tom slipped down to where he was gracefully. Gold eyes met dark brown, and the next thing Mistoffelees noticed was the magnificent mane around the broad shoulders of none other than Rum Tum Tugger. The Maine Coon stared at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Mistoffelees? What in the world happened to you?"

The last tom that Mistoffelees wanted to see was the Rum Tum Tugger. "A magic trick that went wrong," he explained through a soft sigh.

Tugger watched as Mistoffelees started to groom himself, being mindful of his left leg. When he looked at it, he saw the reason for the lack of attention it was receiving. "How wrong was it?"

Mistoffelees looked up, noticing that Tugger had gotten closer and was crouching by his left leg. If his pain threshold had not been obliterated from the way, he would have pulled it back. "Painfully," he answered.

"You walked here, didn't you?" A nod. "For such a clever cat you sure can be stupid at times."

Mistoffelees narrowed his eyes. He was not there to be insulted. He didn't have a choice when it came to finding shelter. The last place he wanted to be was in the lion's den, so to speak. He stood, using the back of the bureau to steady himself. If the Rum Tum Tugger had wanted him to leave, all he had to do was ask.

"I obviously made a mistake," he muttered, limping to the opening.

Tugger sighed. He grabbed Mistoffelees' arm, and placed the small tom on his back. He climbed up to the top drawer, and dropped the tux on the blanket. "You didn't make a mistake, Mistoffelees. I just want to know why you didn't call for help when you were injured."

Mistoffelees' eyes widened dramatically when Tugger started to lick his left leg, being extra careful around the ankle. The Maine Coon looked up, just as lightning lit up the sky. His eyes flashed with the bright light, and Mistoffelees' heart began pounding in his chest as the image entered his mind again. He wanted to pull away; run away. His stupidity made that impossible, though.

Tugger stopped his grooming, and moved up the small tom's body. He tenderly nuzzled Mistoffelees' cheek. "I am not going to hurt you, Mistoffelees." The tux nodded again, his eyes still remain wide with shock. Tugger went back to the leg. "How did it happen?"

Mistoffelees lowered his eyes, wishing he could bury his head in the sand. "I thought of someone," he murmured, hoping Tugger wouldn't pursue it.

Tugger chuckled, which turned into laughter as he licked the along the inside of the thigh. Mistoffelees tensed, and bit his lower lip. "That is one lucky cat. Is it any cat I might know?"

"I think…you would know him…" Mistoffelees trailed off, hoping to find the right words to describe how someone would know themselves. "…rather well."

"Munkustrap has the ability to make any cat forget what he or she is doing." Tugger lowered his eyes back to the limb.

Mistoffelees went back to grooming himself. After a few minutes, Tugger sat back and watch him. His left leg was feeling a lot better, and his body was enjoying the heat the larger tom was producing. He twisted his body around, to groom his back. Without thinking, he applied pressure on his left ankle. He didn't realize how often he used it, until he couldn't use it.

Tugger watched for a moment, before he shook his head and gently turned Mistoffelees over. The conjurer looked over his shoulder. "I can groom myself. I will just need to do it in reverse."

"Trust me, it was as painful for me," Tugger whispered into the black fur.

"What does that ––?" He broke off as a soft moan slipped past his lips. His chest was starting to vibrate from the purring that had erupted, as Tugger licked his neck and behind his ears. He closed his eyes, and tilted his head to the side. "You are talented with that tongue, Rum Tum Tugger."

"I've been told," he said arrogantly as he nipped an ear. "I have to say, you're the first tom to tell me that, though."

Hopefully I will be the only one. Tugger cried out, and jumped back as he was zapped. Mistoffelees closed his eyes, covering his head with his paws as gold and black paper flowers fell almost silently around them. He was hoping to keep that segment under control, but he could easily blame Tugger for that reaction with his magic.

"I am so sorry, Rum Tum Tugger. I was practicing a new trick, and I guess I do not need the routine that goes with it for it to work. Are you hurt?" He raised his head, still unable to look back at the tom he could easily have attacked.

Tugger shook his body. He was still tingling, but his attention was on the flowers. It was a kind of shiny paper that had been folded to resemble open roses. "I'm fine. I feel a little electrified, though. What was that about?" he asked, as he went back to grooming the other tom.

"I…" Mistoffelees didn't want to lie to the Maine Coon, but he sure as heck didn't want to reveal the truth. There had to be a middle somewhere. "That is… Um… Well, you see…"

"It can't be that difficult, Mistoffelees. We've all known your magic to require a dance to it."

"There is a certain segment of my magic that does not require a dance," he answered slowly, thinking the words over. "I am unsure if you would know the feeling, but when your heart swells at the thought of someone…" He smiled as he thought about the time that Tugger had stood in front of him, and almost refused to get out of the way. He could feel the magic building again, and quickly discarded the memory. "When I think of the tom that makes my heart swell like, my magic takes on a mind of its own, in a sense."

"I do know the feeling," Tugger revealed quietly as he finished with the back. He rolled Mistoffelees over again, and got to work on his chest.

Mistoffelees inhaled Tugger's scent, until the words sunk in. He forced back a wince. He already knew he would have no chance with the Maine Coon, but he still had his dreams and ridiculous hopes. He could feel the tears in his eyes, and knew his heart was pounding in chest as a reminder that it was not broken, but that it would be painful for a long time to continue living.

"Is it a cat I know?" he forced himself to ask around the lump in his throat. He was well aware that it came out strained.

Tugger smirked. "I think you would know him rather well."

Mistoffelees blinked. Was Tugger in love with his brother? The flirt's mind had automatically gone to Munkustrap when he had said those words. If that was the case, Mistoffelees knew he would never have a chance with Tugger. The only one that could compete with Munkustrap would be the Rum Tum Tugger. If they were together, it would devastate the entire junkyard.

"Munkustrap has that affect on every cat he meets, I believe," he murmured as he turned his head away, which gave Tugger the chance to lick along his jaw. "I should head home."

"You live on the outskirts, and you're injured. You aren't going anywhere, tonight anyway." Tugger's grooming suddenly got an almost seductive feel to it. "Besides," he said as he licked the area just below Mistoffelees' lower lip. "It isn't Munkustrap I get that mushy feeling for."

"Alonzo?"

Tugger chuckled. "For such a clever cat, you sure can be stupid at times," he stated.

Mistoffelees set his jaw, and his eyes narrowed once more. "You could just tell me, instead of insulting me."

"How many toms have you seen me groom? How many queens have you seen me groom, for that matter? I wouldn't even do this for Munkustrap if he had an injured leg." Tugger watched as the cogs turned behind the dark eyes. He knew it was only a matter of time before Mistoffelees finally figured it out.

"You… Are you saying…? Pouncival?"

Tugger groaned and crashed to the floor on Mistoffelees' right. He didn't see the conjurer smirking at his reaction. Oh, Mistoffelees was well aware that Tugger meant him. However, since Tugger had been responsible – in a menial way, of course – for his injury, he was going to take great pleasure in torturing the Maine Coon about it for a little bit. At least until he got tired of it, or until Tugger finally said it was him.

"No," Tugger said as he picked himself up. "It isn't Pouncival. I know you're being stupid on purpose, now. I don't recall singing a song for Pouncival, in the hopes he could bring my father back. I remember singing about a kitten I share a human family with, though."

Mistoffelees growled. Tugger was older than him by five months, and refused to acknowledge him as a tom when speaking about him. His coming of age dance was days away, and he was hoping that then Tugger would see him as the tom he is.

With a sigh of relief, Mistoffelees lay back and closed his eyes. A weight had been lifted off his chest, but the heavier one was back there. Tugger was atop him, staring at his face. He could feel the eyes of the Maine Coon that almost every queen was dying to mate with. He had no idea how he had gotten so lucky, though.

"When did it happen?"

"When you called me a bore, which I am not. I intend to show you just how fun I can be."

Mistoffelees' eyes flew open when he felt Tugger's warm lips on his. Their purring mixed together, which was drowned out by the thunder. Electricity literally crackled between them, as black and gold paper flowers fell around them. No one really understand just how magical love could be.

End.

I did say it would short and sweet. I wanted to work with this idea a little more, but my family wants to spend time with me for the holidays.

So, merry Christmas to all. I hope you have a wonderful festive season.