A/N: Enjoy!
Simba's fluffy red tail-tip twitched, swishing through the desert dust while his amber eyes slitted, soft purring emanating from the huge cat sprawled like a hunk of melting caramel across the rock.
The land around him sang with the smells of new plants fueled by rainfall and the subtle, delicious play of deer and hog scents teasing his nostrils. The land was growing back, defiant of Scar's hold over it.
The land would not be contained by the inky stain of Scar's reign.
His purring got louder.
As he dozed, he heard a purr of laughter, but he didn't bother with the trouble of prying open an eyelid. Instead, he twitched his whiskers to show he was awake, content to let the newcomer identify himself.
"You look like you're dead, and altogether quite happy about it."
Never mind, herself.
He lolled his head around, deigning to open his eyes just a sliver, and purred all the more when it was in fact Nala smirking down at him. He flicked his tail in silent invitation, and she lay herself down next to him with the long-legged grace he would never manage.
He rolled over on top of her, purring like a motor, and grinned faintly when she let out a growl of displeasure. She smacked his ear lightly with a paw, but he was a lump for all he cared.
"Simba."
"Mm?"
"This is not what I came here for."
He drew his tongue lazily over the top of her head. "No? I thought you just came here to mess with me, but your illustrious king has decided you make a better pillow."
He flopped his head down between her shoulder blades, inhaling Nala-scented heaven, smirking faintly at his supposed ego and wondering how life got better than this.
She snorted and cuffed the side of his head again, sending it lolling, but really, his copious mane made excellent padding. He purred, satisfied with this arrangement.
"You sound more like a housecat," she teased.
"I'm happy."
He felt her twist her body slightly to look at him, and he peeked at her from behind sleepy eyelids, only to see a pair of blazing blue eyes watching him with a decidedly playful air. "What?" he asked, "Was there some other reason you came here? Besides to hang out with me," he added, with a contented rumble from his chest.
"I cannot believe I traveled across a desert to have you flop around like- like-"
He grinned. "Like what?"
"Like this!"
He shrugged, settling his head against her warm, pale back like a stretch of sunshine and asked, "Is there something that needs to be done?"
She hesitated, and he smirked, flicking his tail up to tickle her nose. "See? Nothing left to do, so you can snuggle with me, or at least let me flop in peace."
After a moment, he was rewarded with the sound of Nala's purr- a far sweeter thing than his-, and soft noises intermingling, one high and one low, both tranquil. "You're such a dignified monarch, Simba."
Simba, observing his languid body lounging across an entire boulder and a lioness, soaking up the sun like a sponge, and purred at the sarcasm.
Chuckling softly, he shifted off of her, tucking himself into her side instead, and she rested her head atop his brazen mess of a mane.
"You know you missed me," he rumbled.
"What a strange idea."
"Oh please. You're not fooling anyone, least of all me."
She bent and drew her tongue across his muzzle, and he shut his eyes, content to be stupid with a beautiful she-cat. And hey, now that Scar was gone, he could be as stupid with Nala as he wanted. Forever.
It was a good prospect.
A/N: I don't care if lions can't actually purr. XD