T.imon's Y.ounger D.ays:

"Precious Few Friends"

By

Strein

AUTHOR' NOTE: I know these famous furs may not be in character, but I've taken some poetic license liberties considering how in this story Timon and Tatiana are 13 years old, so their personalities are probably still developing (in the "Behind the Legend" crap, Mr. Berkowitz, we Timonaholics' lovely favorite meerkat Timon, seems to be high school/teenage when he is shown being bullied author winces, remembering his own junior high/high school days in early 21 century -.-, so he Timon probably didn't have that influence on his personality yet…fucking "Behind the Legend"…-.-

Anyway, on with the show:P YAAAAY!D

DISCLAIMER: As always, I do NOT own TLK and/or T&P, nor am I, say, the president of the Walt Disney Co. But I will be! Eventually! Maybe (?) Yeah!D cough Okee-dokey…

Chapter 1

Timon hopped over a low-hanging branch that was below a mound of dirt he was standing on. He landed on the ground with a small thump, slipped and landed on his bottom. Timon laughed, got up and brushed himself off. He noticed another meerkat up ahead of him, knew instantly who it was. Timon snuck over, a mischievous grin on his mug. The female meerkat in front of him didn't hear him coming, as she bent over, picking flowers. She squeaked as Timon playfully shoved her, sending flowers flying and 'kat sprawled on the ground. She looked back defensively, smiled and brightened when she saw who it was.

"Hi, Timon," Tatiana chirped. Timon wasn't as much of an outcast yet and Tatiana wasn't a princess yetit would be a few more years before the reign of her father. They weren't even datingthat wouldn't come for a while. Right now they were just 13-year-old 'kats, playing and having fun as friends.

"Hi, Tatiana," Timon grinned. "How ya doin'?"

"Oh, fine. I was just picking flowers before you pushed me down."

"Hehe. Sorry."

"It's okay. Hey, do you wanna play?"

"Sure!" Timon cried. Meerkats never get tired of playing, especially the little ones. "Let's go exploring!"

"Ooh! Ooh! Where?" Tatiana squeaked excitedly.

"Um. How 'bout over there by that tall grass."

"That's not a waterhole, is it, Timon?"

"Uh, no. We live in the Kalahari, so how can there be a wa"

"Dammit, just play along!" Tatiana clears throat "The waterhole? What's so great about the waterhole?"

"Uh, I'll show you when we get there… Bitch."

They both giggled. Timon looked at the tall grass not too far away, frowned. "That ain't a briar patch, is it?"

Tatiana looked at Timon like this: -.- "No, Timon. Wrong movie."

Timon smirked, sarcastic. "And a Zippity-Do-Dah day to you too, squeaker!"

They both giggled as they scurried off in search of adventure.

"Tagyou're it!" Tatiana yelled. "You're it! You're it!" Timon spun around, arms thrashing wildly. The tall grass shifted noisily as the two giggling young meerkats romped, wrestled, and chased each other through the foliage. They stopped by an outcropping of smooth rock, which led to some more grass, only this was a bit shorter than waist level.

"Let's go sliding!" Tatiana declared.

"Alright! Yeah! wOOt!" Timon exclaimed. He sighed. "The author is running out of ideas for dialogue, isn't he?"

"Yeah, probably. Let's just get to the yiffy parts."

"Hey, why are you being so assertive, Tatiana?"

"Well, I'm higher on the social hierarchy than you, Timon."

"But you're not the princessyour dad isn't even in office."

"But you're still lower than me. You're an outcastyou always have been and you always will be!"

Timon froze. His eyebrows knitted; his eyes got a far away look. Timon slowly lowered his body into a sitting position, feet half-resting, half-dangling listlessly off the edge of the rock. His tail was limp, one arm wrapped around his legs, holding them close, the other laying limply beside him. Knees to chest.

Timon sniffed. Tears pricked his eyes.

"Jesus, Tat." Timon whispered, voice quavering. He looked up. Tatiana, shocked at what she had said and at Timon's reaction, couldn't meet his eyes. She could just avert hers.

"Dammit, look at me, Tatiana!" His voice was quivering, but she could tell he was pissed. "Look at me I said!"

Tatiana forced herself to look at him. His face was sad, pained. And his eyesthey were huge. They had lost their far away look and had become…indescribable. Sad. Lonely. Despairing…

Betrayed.

If they could be described, betrayed would definitely be one word to describe them. And utterly sad and alone. Tatiana didn't know it, but Timon would make a similar stare years later as he watched one of his bestest best friendsand essentially only lion friendslowly leave the circle, to a degree more or less ending the friendship. And love, sexual or not. The love loss would be extremely painful, heartbreakingeven after all those years of terrifying abuse as a pouncing toy…

Tatiana wanted to turn away, but she knew she shouldn't. So instead she loosened her stance, swaying a little. Her forehead creased and her eyebrows knitted; the corners of her mouth drooped downward. She sat down next to Timon, a secure arm's distance away in case he tried to hit her.

There was a moment of silence.

Timon spoke. "Tatiana, your words really, really hurt me."

"I know," Tatiana hung her head in shame, water collecting at the corners of her eyes. It's justit's just that I'm in a higher class than you. And, you know, if you're in a higher class you're seen as superior to those lesser than you. It's the hierarchy, the pecking order. I'm way up on the top of the social ladder and you'rewell, you'll be lucky if you're on the bottom rung…"

Timon's eyes narrowed, his fists clenched. "Jeez! Jesus, you snobby little bitch! Could you be any more blunt? You're just the princess of diplomacy, ain'tcha? Well, I'm sorry! I'm sorry I don't have all this fancy, expensive stuff. Or rich and influential parents. You're not the clumsy workerwhy, I bet you've never worked a day in your life!"

"I'm only thirteen"

"Shut up! And I'm sorry I'm not the popular upper class meerkat with friends up the wazoo! I'm sorryI just don't have any of that!"

Tatiana was very quiet. "II'm sorry, Timon," she whispered. "I didn't realize how painful this is for you. But I have to say in some ways you've got it easy. No one looks up to you. You don't have to worry about always being scrutinized and judged, of always having to live up to impossible high standards…it sucks. It really sucks."

Tatiana was quietly crying. She sighed. "I like to paint. I paint in my roomflowers and such, nature. My room is pretty bare and unfurnished. I like it that way. It's a bit of simplicity in a way too complex life."

Tatiana paused, and then after a moment leaned closer to Timon, hugged him. He hugged back, crying quietly, too. They held each other for a few momentseyes closed, embrace tight.

"Let's put this behind us, okay? I'm sorry."

"Okay. I'm sorry, too."

They both slid down the steep rock and landed in the almost waist-high grass. Relieved from the unpleasantness of a few moments before, and glad that they were still friends, the meerkats were in a playful mood and began running all over on all fours. The grass brushed passed their faces, making it hard to see. But they could tell where the other was from the rustling of grass and sounds of giggly mirth.

They played tag. Timon chased Tatiana, and then Tatiana chased Timon. They began to get more aggressive in their tagging, more daring. They playfully threw each other, twisting and turning. Ran around in circles. After a while they toppled down to rest, panting. Grinning, endorphorens pumping through their bodies, making then feel good, happy.

Timon spontaneously gave Tatiana a random slap on the ass. "H-hey," she laughed. "What are you slapping my ass for?"

"Oh, sorry," he grinned. "I thought we were still playing tag."

"Ha! Ha! Yeah, right."

They both laughed good-naturedly.

Timon sighed. "Ah, poop." Tatiana giggled. Timon smiled.