It had been a week since Alonzo stormed off. Nobody quite knew why he'd left and most were upset by it. There was however, a certain tuxedo tom who was more than happy to see the other black and white tom gone. Mistoffelees didn't harbor any real resentment towards Alonzo personally, but his position as Munkustrap's assistant offered him constant access to the tabby. There were rumors that at some point they'd even been involved, but they had subsided quite some time ago without ever being confirmed or denied. Part of him hoped the rumors were true because that would mean that Munkustrap was interested in toms, but the other part of him knew that it would be slightly awful of him to be trying to take advantage of Alonzo's departure if they had only just broken up. Then again, it wouldn't hurt to at least take Alonzo's position in the tribe and feel things out from there. Immediately Mistoffelees' mind ran to a few other things he'd like to be feeling, but he forced himself to focus on the matter at hand.
The major flaw in his plan, obviously, was his size. Alonzo was notably bigger than him and was without a doubt a far better fighter. But, Mistoffelees had his magic. Sure it was mostly just conjuring tricks, but he had a few other tricks up his sleeves. The only question was how he was going to show those tricks off. Even before that though, he'd have to throw his name in for consideration.
He groomed himself even more meticulously than normal before setting off. Of course he would never go out looking anything less than perfect, but he had to make a different impression today. Any other day he'd be fine looking suave and classy as he always did, but today he had to emphasize his masculinity. He had to look butch. He sighed as he looked in his mirror, seeing how completely his attempt to make himself look tougher had failed. He groomed himself back to his normal style and went out in search of Munkustrap.
He found the grey tabby sitting on his father's favorite tire and enjoying a rare moment of tranquility. As he approached, he fought to quell the churning in his stomach. No matter how many times he approached the handsome tom, he couldn't help but feel his pulse quicken.
"Hey, Munk...?" Mistoffelees kicked himself mentally. Off to a great start there Misto.
"Oh! Mistoffelees!" Munkustrap had obviously been lost in thought and hadn't noticed Mistoffelees approaching. "What can I do for you?"
"I was uh- well I uh- I was kinda thinking that maybe you might consider letting me be your assistant now that the position is vacant?" When he finally was able to string them together the words tumbled out of his mouth in a rapid jumble, leaving him breathless by the time he was done.
Munkustap blinked at him, a blank look on his face as he processed what he'd heard. "I wasn't aware you were interested. Are you entirely sure you want to take on the responsibility? Don't forget that the job entails more than just keeping an eye on things. You'll have to make yourself available to all the other jellicles, often at a moment's notice. And of course there will come times when you'll be asked to fight."
Mistoffelees shifted nervously at the mention of fighting. Suddenly he wasn't feeling so confident. But he had to remember why he was doing this. That it was worth it to have a chance with Munkustrap. "I know. I still want to, if you'll let me."
A small smile crept across Munkustrap's face. "I'd like that. But I can't in good conscience just let that be that. If you become my assistant you'll be my right hand as long as I'm protector, which as you know is a lifelong commitment. You'll have to take my place at least temporarily if I'm injured or killed. I can't let you just make a commitment like that nor can I let you take on such a risk to your own safety so easily. I'll tell you what, why don't we call this next week a trial run? I'm going to be extremely tough on you to make sure you can handle it, but if you make it through and still want to, I'd be honored to call you my right hand. If you don't make it or change you mind by the end, it will be for the best and I'll certainly not think any less of you for it. The fact that you've even volunteered knowing what it would entail speaks volumes to your character, and though I didn't think it possible, I respect you even more for it."
Mistoffelees hoped his blush wasn't too apparent. "Thanks Munk. When do I start?"
"How about right now? I have a few things I could use your help with..."
The first few days passed rather quickly and Mistoffelees was feeling quite pleased with himself. Munkustrap was being as strict as he'd said he'd be, but they'd still managed to grow surprisingly close in a relatively short period of time. At times it was hard for him to keep his emotions in check, but he knew that he was in for the long haul and would have to be patient.
He hadn't thought it possible, but he'd managed over those days to fall even more madly in love with the tabby. He loved every little thing about him. Obviously he'd fallen in love with his absolutely gorgeous body, beautifully toned without becoming too hard, and the kitten soft grey fur, but the more he got to knew the object of his affection, the more he loved him. The little things, like the way he smiled at the kittens when he saw them playing or the way he'd blush when teased, that Mistoffelees had never even noticed before had him completely bewitched.
The morning of the fourth day found the two seated next to each other on the TSE1 and chatting while keeping a watchful eye over a group of kittens playing in the clearing.
"So the calico says, 'I didn't know a pollicle could play the violin!'" Munkustrap howled with laughter and wiped a tear from his eye.
"Everlasting Mistoffelees! There are kittens around!" Munkustrap forced out, still laughing.
"Who would've thought such a pathetic little tom could have such a raunchy sense of humor?" The two toms' fur bristled at the sound of the voice behind them.
"What are you doing here Macavity?" growled Munkustrap, turning to face the red tom.
"Oh come now Munk. Where are your manners? That's no way to greet your brother."
"You haven't been my brother for years Mac."
"I'm so offended. In fact, you wound me so greatly I think I'll be taking two of those little kittens down there instead of one."
"Back off Macavity," said Mistoffelees, having finally worked up the courage to stand and face him.
"Damn, I guess I'm just going to go home now that the conjuror is threatening me. Oh... wait... no I'm not." He swung at Mistoffelees, catching him in the torso and sending him flying off the TSE1 and down into the clearing below.
Mistoffelees landed hard and felt the wind rush out of him when he hit the ground. The kittens scattered, now having realized the danger. Mistoffelees' vision blurred and the world around him grew unsteady as he fought to retain consciousness. As he lay there he could hear the sounds of Munkustrap and Macavity fighting. His vision was still far too blurry to see exactly what was happening, but he could tell Munkustrap was not fairing well.
His whole body ached as he dragged himself back onto his feet. He had to help Munkustrap. As Macavity had just proved, he'd be of no use in a fair fight, so he began sneaking up the pile of junk next to the TSE1. As he continued his vision began to clear, and he could better assess the situation.
As he'd feared, Macavity clearly had the upper hand. Munkustrap was getting the occasional blow in, but nothing compared the the beating he was being given. Macavity had him pinned and was showing no signs of stopping his onslaught until Munkustrap was dead.
Mistoffelees kept climbing until he was well above the two toms. He only had one chance for his plan to work, and even then it was a long shot. He felt his paws begin to tingle as he began building up his magic. Sparks began dancing between his fingertips as his power grew. If he waiting too long it could become uncontrollable, but if he used it too soon it wouldn't be strong enough. He watched on in agony as Macavity continued thrashing on Munkustrap. The more he watched the more he wanted to leap in, but at the same time he wanted more and more to kill Macavity, which would require even more magic.
Soon he couldn't bare to watch any longer and he leapt down from his perch, tackling Macavity and sending them flying into another pile of junk. Pain shot through Mistoffelees' body upon impact, almost causing him to black out. Another wave of agony shot through his body as he pressed his paws to Macavity's chest and released all the magic he'd built up. The last thing he remembered was the sound of Macavity's screams and the scent of burnt fur.
Mistoffelees looked around frantically when he awoke, trying desperately to reconcile himself with his surroundings. He was laying on unfamiliar blankets in an unfamiliar den. As he examined the den from his place on the blankets, the memories of the fight with Macavity flooded back. His whole body was still sore, and his fur completely unkempt.
"Mistoffelees? Oh thank Everlasting you're awake!" Before Mistoffelees could find the source of the voice, Munkustrap was beside him on the blankets, wrapping his arms around him.
"Munk? What's going on? Where am I?" Of course Mistoffelees wasn't going to object to Munkustrap embracing him, but he was slightly confused by the outburst from the tabby.
Munkustrap pulled away, paws still on Mistoffelees' shoulders, and looked at him with sympathetic eyes. "Misto... You've been unconscious for three days. I brought you back here to my den after the fight with Macavity. Jenny has be in and out of here, but even she wasn't sure if you'd make it. I thought that..." He pulled Mistoffelees close again and buried his head into his shoulder.
"Munk, it's fine! I'm fine!" Mistoffelees replied, confusion apparent in his voice. Obviously there was something Munkustrap wasn't telling him.
"No it's not fine! You nearly died on my watch!"
"Munk, listen to me. I signed up for this when I said I wanted to help you. I knew the risks, and I thought it was still worth it. Still do. I think I'll need a day or two to sleep this off, but as soon as I do I plan to be right back out there with you."
"I can't let you do that Mistoffelees."
"Why not Munk? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, you didn't do anything wrong."
"Then why?"
"I can't let something like this ever happen again."
"Everlasting, what happened? Macavity got one of the kittens didn't he?"
"No, he ran off after you attacked him. You gave him one hell of a shock."
"Was that a pun Munk?"
"Maybe...?" The tabby cracked a small smirk for a moment.
"What's the problem then Munk?"
Munkustrap sighed. "I can't let you be my assistant because I can't bear the thought of this happening to you again Mistoffelees. I..."
"You what Munk? You don't think I can handle myself? I'm pretty sure I just proved that I can!" He knew it was ridiculous, but for some reason every bit of him was saying that if he wasn't allowed to stay on as Munkustrap's assistant he'd never have another chance with him.
"No, it isn't that. It isn't that at all."
"Then what is it Munk?"
"You remember those rumors about me and Alonzo?"
"What do the rumors have anything to do with anything?"
"Bear with me. As I'm sure you've already surmised from my bringing them up, they were true. Alonzo and I were together before he left," Mistoffelees couldn't help but feel a little ray of hope slip at Munkustrap's admission, "and after he left, though I did everything I could to hide it, I was an emotional mess. Maybe I'll regret telling you this the minute I do, but I've come this far so I might as well. Having you around for those few days made me feel right again. Made me feel like myself again. Misto, I..." his voice trailed off, nervousness apparent in his eyes.
Mistoffelees leaned in and pressed his lips against Munkustrap's. The tabby's shock was apparent at first, but he quickly recovered and kissed back. When their lips finally parted, Mistoffelees looked him dead in the eye. "I love you too Munk."