HAT: I don't know...
Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot.
Skimbleshanks glares at his friend from a distance, watching him listen to Etcetera's constant chatter and though he looks like he's paying attention and sympathizing with whatever problem that the silvery white queen-kit covered in brown stripes says, in all actuality he's a bit frustrated and a little disappointed. The orange tabby's been able to read his friend's emotions for years since the tom doesn't speak that often, he does speak with his eyes and facial expressions quite clearly, but lately he hasn't been able to read the emotions underneath the surface when the reddish brown and black tom speaks to him and it's tearing him apart.
"Now, Etcy, you should apologize," the tom replies.
She lowers her gaze and nods before rushing off to her littermate, Tumblebrutus, to apologize. Glass-green eyes narrow when dark brown eyes glance in his direction and then quickly flicker away. The tom goes to the oven and splays himself out there. Skimble sits up on his pipe and narrows his eyes at his best friend, wondering why he'd do that. He thinks of what he could've done wrong, but he can't think of anything. He nearly growls in frustration and leans back, his heart quite heavy. This is his best friend, sure, Jellylorum's a good friend and so's his sister and Lyon, but everyone knows that he and Asparagus are like two peas in a pod and are the best of friends.
He notices Jellylorum, Asparagus' mate, walk over to the oven and call up to him and he jumps down. Skimble's ears prick, though he knows that he won't hear anything, and he notices his friend wince and there's guilt in his features, pain, but then joy as he pecks his mate's cheek. Curiosity burns in the marmalade tom's chest and he wonders why he can read Asparagus' emotions when he talks to others, but not when having a conversation with Skimble.
The brown tailed tom grunts as a kit lands on his back and he looks up at his niece, Cylia and her fur's black with thin white swirls that look like vines all over her body and her eyes are violet. "Hello, lass, and what do you want from me."
"I wanna play," she replies with a cute little Scottish accent.
Turns out this litter, Cylia and her brothers, found Skimble's accent to be cool and started copying it at a young age.
He smirks. "Are you sure? Because the tickle monster's pretty hungry for wee kittens like you." The amethyst eyes widen and he grips her and starts tickling her, making her squeal, laugh, and squirm all at once while he makes playful snarling noise. When she finally gives up he gives her time to breath and she's resting on his shoulder, panting for much needed breath. "Are you alright?"
"Uh-huh... Uncle Skimble, where's Macy? I wanna see a magic trick?"
I'm so glad that I can use that against Mac now, Skimble thinks before spotting the ginger figure and pointing in his direction. "He's over there with Misto. If you ask nicely, maybe they'll both show you something."
"Okay," she replies before darting away.
The orange tabby chuckles and leans back, his long brown tail flicking as he watches the clouds drift lazily in the sky towards the rising sun. He turns his gaze to see a black and reddish brown stripped tom walking towards him and Skimble's observing gaze notes how he can't see anything to give him a glimpse of his friend's real emotions.
"Hey, Skim," the dark eyed tom says, sitting beside his friend with a friendly smile.
"Hey, Rag," murmurs the tom. Brief guilt in the dark brown eyes and then they turn away, leaving the air silent. When it becomes too much for the Railway Cat he sighs. "Listen, I don't care what's happened, whatever it is, and I'm sorry if I've done anything... but I want to know why you've been so closed off."
"What do you mean?" queers the bi-colored tom asks.
This causes the other tom to grit his teeth and give a glare towards his best friend. "You know what I mean, Asparagus. Why're you guarded around just me? Huh?"
A lowered gaze. "I-it's just... it's nothing."
Skimble can see the subtle hint that he doesn't want to talk about it with other cats around to possibly ease drop. "Alright... perhaps later."
A grateful look.
The curiosity makes Skimble's fur prick and he feels as curious as Tugger, and that tom's pretty friggin' curious. Still, Skimble uses his patience to wait until the other tom gets up and walks towards Skimble's den, the bachelor pad that looks as if he's mated... granted he takes care of a lot of kits and had to raise two, so it's kind of understandable why it would look that way. Some have called the marmalade tabby the eternal bachelor and he's not unaware, he just doesn't know that a lot of cats call him that instead of a few. He falls onto his couch and Asparagus sits beside him, bis body a little tense.
Skimble observes every inch, every centimeter, of this tom's face, but there's nothing there to observe other than the smooth, yet sharp lines of his face. There's no such thing as emotion on this tom's face, it's so well-guarded. It's annoying. Skimble's always been able to read Asparagus' face and it's immensely frustrating not being able to now almost has him wanting to shake the answers out of him. There's a reason that his face is so well protected by a mask of nothingness, after all his father is an amazing actor and he'd taken after him in hiding his emotions and showing them by not speaking, but Skimbleshanks has always been able to see through the masks, why not this one?
"I know you're frustrated."
"Beyond belief," admits the brown tailed tom.
"It's just that... it's complicated."
A frown. "It can't be that complicated." With a withering glance Skimble can see and feel how complicated it is. "Okay... start with the basics, then."
Not.
A.
Word.
No, Skimble's surprised with something else.
Lips are pressed against his and he blinks in surprise. He doesn't kiss back, but he doesn't fight it either. When the dark eyed tom pulls away he stares into shocked glass-green eyes and Skimble can see a love that he didn't expect, admiration, even, if he date says, a bit of adoration. The orange tabby's breath is heavy and he can't even wrap his mind around what's going on at the moment so it takes a minute for his mind to fully wrap around what just happened. That he was just kissed by his best friend.
"A-Asparagus..."
"Skimble," murmurs the tom before caressing said tom's cheek. "I love you..."
He wouldn't have said that if he didn't mean it. "B-but what about Jelly? Your kits?"
"Jelly found out a while back... she understands... I'll still love her, just... not in that way," comes the reply. "As for the kits... I think they found out before even me."
Skimble's paw lifts to caress the actor's cheek and he finds his face is getting closer. "I never thought... that it'd be like this between me and my best friend."
Asparagus chuckles nervously. "I didn't think you'd accept me..."
"I've always accepted you... I mean, you've always accepted me no matter what I've done..."
The Railway Cat's face is lifted up so his glass-green eyes meet dark brown eyes. "None of it was your fault."
An unconvinced chuckle. "Yeah..." Those soft eyes make Skimble feel like he could do no wrong, like nothing he ever did would taint his image in this tom's eyes. "I love you."
Asparagus grins and crashes his lips to Skimble's passionately.
"Alright! That's a wrap!" Gus yells, stepping onto the set. "You two did beautifully."
Asparagus frowns. "Why're you subjecting us to this?"
"I won the bet, didn't I?"
Old Deuteronomy winces. "Sorry..."
Gus grins. "This'll be great! Thank you for the help!"
Skimble rolls his eyes and wipes his lips. "Ain't a bad kisser, Rag..."
"Thanks, you aren't half bad yourself... still, I don't think I'll do it again."
Skimble stands and is immediately tackled by his mate. "Oi, lass, calm down."
"Sorry, just got a little jealous," admits the fiery pelted queen with ruby spots all over her.
Gus grins. "You're welcome!
HAT: ... well... that happened... I don't know how it came to that, it was honestly gonna end with their kiss, but then I... I don't know.
Etcetera: You had to, didn't you?
HAT: *nods* Yep!
Etcetera: You're special.
HAT: -_- Nooooo... I didn't know that!
Etcetera: Quit being a smarty pants.
HAT: Nope!
Etcetera: Review.