Disclaimer: I do not own Cats, nor will I ever own Cats.
This was written for Aquavera's First Date contest, and I could not go past my favourite pairing. So here is Plato and Victoria on their first date. This is only my second fanfiction, and I enjoyed writing it.
Two kittens stifle giggles as they watch their frantic friend attempt to smooth his fur. They watch as he straightens, his ears twitching, and they know they've been caught. Instead of immediately escaping, the light brown and white kitten races forward and ruffles up the headfur of the brown and white tomkit.
"Oi Plato, you missed a spot." Pouncival teased, and received a cuff to the ear. He ducks away and sulks as the grey, brown and white kitten boldly moves forward. "So Plato, how'd you trap her into doing this? Spiked the milk? Threatened her? Cast a spe-" Tumblebrutus could not finish his sentence as Plato had hit him on the head with his paw. "Shut up, the both of you. I have to look presentable, and you two are not helping." He growls, nervous even thinking about the upcoming event. He shoos the two kittens out of his den, growling to himself at his lack of focus. He smooths down his headfur once more, patting down each strand of hair on his body down to the tip of his tail. He had to look his best for her, he just had to.
It had been three days since he had asked his crush out to their first date. He was highly nervous, and could barely string a sentence together.
He clasps his paws together in front of him, before drawing his arms up and placing his hands on the back of his head. He paces, his back paws padding softly along the floor of the Junkyard. Every now and then he looks up expectantly, before he is disappointed and returns his gaze to the ground. He doesn't know why he is so nervous; they had been dropping hints for a little while now and so this should not have been such a difficult task. But his head was jumbled; words no longer made sense. He is startled when a soft melody suddenly fills the air.
"Plato?" The white kitten asks, moving closer to the brown and white male. He looks up and meets her blue eyes, and he swallows tensely. "Oh hi…umm…can we sit down?" He motions to the box near the pair. Victoria nods her head and together they sit, a distance between them. She sits up straight, her paws placed delicately in her lap. She has her body angled towards the kitten, her pure white head tilted as she watched him fumble for words. Plato cannot keep his body still. His fingers tap against his legs as his legs jiggle up and down with obvious nerves. He finally begins to speak, nibbling on his lip before the silence is broken.
"I…umm…I…" He cannot form the required sentence. He looks to the ground and silently curses himself for his stupidity. The white kitten watches him eagerly, though she was not going to push him. She had hoped she knew what he was going to say; ever since they had met on that fateful night she had developed feelings towards the brown and white tomkit.
He speaks again, finally able to explain his reason for their secret meeting, though unable to look anywhere but his toes. He had not wanted his friends there to witness the occasion; they would have made him incredibly nervous, even more than he was now. "I…well….you see…" He takes a deep breath. "Doyouwanttogooutwithme?" He forces out, his words strung together into an almost indecipherable phrase. But her expectation had allowed her to decode the message, and her blue eyes open wide. He looks up to her face and is disheartened, his ears drooping, and his hopes dashed. She looked shocked, according to the kitten; he had dreamt of this moment for weeks and it had never ended like this. Usually, in his dreams, it was either a squealing yes, or a flat no; there was no silence after he had spoken. He begins to mentally panic; he had made a complete fool of himself and was going to lose her friendship. He should have kept quiet, he shouldn't have spoken out. But her next move was also unexpected.
Victoria did not know what to say. Of course she wanted to say yes; she had been waiting for this moment for a while now, but it had never occurred this way in her head. She wakes up to reality and reaches out hesitantly with her paw. She brushes his paw with hers, and the two clasp hands. Their eyes meet and the queenkit breaks the silence.
"I would love to go out with you Plato." She whispers, and he stares at her in disbelief. She giggles and squeezes his hand to bring him back to reality. He shakes his head and his face breaks into a smile; he then realises that the two are holding hands and he instantly becomes embarrassed. Victoria giggles and Plato plucks up the courage to speak once more.
"So…uhhh…how about tomorrow at the secluded park?" He asks hopefully, but he feels his hopes are dashed at her reaction. "Oh…tomorrow…I can't, I am so sorry…" Victoria feels horrible for rejecting his offer, and judging by the look on his face he is hurting inside. "Oh…I see…" Plato whispers, looking to the ground and feeling the fool once more. "No! I didn't mean it like that Plato, honestly. My humans are taking me to the vet tomorrow for my annual injection…" She doesn't look to pleased at this, but understands that it is for the benefit of all. "How about in three days time?" She asks, to which Plato is ecstatic. His face brightens and he pushes forward to hug her tightly. He then realises his actions and pulls back, twiddling his thumbs and blushing from embarrassment. He hadn't meant to be so bold; his emotions had driven his actions. The white kitten blushes as well, though she was confused for they usually hugged as friends, so she didn't see why this should be so different. "Three days at the secluded park at dusk?" He confirms, and the kitten nods her head in response. Words could not begin to describe the emotions which the both were feeling.
It was dusk and Plato had made his way to the secluded park. He had scanned every area for any sign of life other than himself and his date, and he was hoping that they would not be interrupted by any of the other Jellicles. He holds the stem of a beautiful white flower, and hides it behind his back as he sees Victoria approaching ahead. He blushes immediately, and walks forward to meet the blushing white kitten.
Neither of them had been on a date before, though it was not going to be the only "first" tonight.
"You look…beautiful." Plato compliments and ducks his head in embarrassment. Victoria giggles nervously and motions that they should sit. They both kneel on the ground, their tails subconsciously entwining. They look down as they feel the touch of the other, and gaze into each other's eyes with obvious embarrassment. "Oh, I…uhh…got this for you." He places the flower in her line of view, and her eyes open wide. "Oh Plato, it's beautiful!" She whispers, and delicately grasps the stem of the white flora. Her little pink nose twitches as she sniffs the beautiful gift, and her eyes close in delight. He twiddles his thumbs and does not know what else to do. "Umm…how about we watch the sunset?" He suggests, and the queenkit nods her head. The two adjust their positions so that they were lying on their back peering up at the multi-coloured sky. A moment of boldness strikes and the tom reaches out and touches the queen's paw, and before too long they were holding hands once more. They look towards each other and smile sweetly before the sky draws their attention.
Over the next few hours the two kittens talked about anything and everything; from the rumours that Pouncival like Etcetera, to wondering what would happen at the Jellicle Ball. They hadn't been to a Jellicle Ball before, so you could imagine their excitement that they may have found a mate. But they were not going to mention that as of yet.
The stars were well and truly out by now, and the two kittens had moved closer throughout the course of the night. It was Victoria whom broke the bad news first; she, like Plato, did not want the night to end. "I'm sorry Plato, but it's getting late and my humans will worry…" She fades and squeezes his hand to emphasise her regret. The brown and white kitten sighs to himself, but he knew that the night could not last forever. "Ok." He says as he begins to sit up, and like the gentleman he is he helps his date to her feet.
They walk hand in hand towards Victoria Grove, a rather ironic name considering. Their movements are slow; almost unwilling to leave the park and separate. The brown and white kitten is blessed with a stroke of genius, and he turns his head to speak to the white kitten. "May I walk you home?" He speaks in a voice barely above a whisper, as if he is afraid to utter those words aloud. The queenkit ponders for a moment, before deciding that it would be best for both of them. "I would love that." She tilts her head and nuzzles his shoulder, and they both freeze for a moment before Plato decides to nuzzle her white headfur, and then the two continue to walk on in silence. Everything seemed so much different tonight; every little thing they did held meaning. They had held hands before while dancing, they had nuzzled each other playfully and in a caring manner before; so why was tonight any different?
Because tonight was the night; tonight was a night unlike any other.
It does not appear to take the pair too long to reach Victoria Grove. If only the night could last; it had been perfect up until this moment. There were times when Victoria wished she could permanently live in the Junkyard, though she did not believe she would cope if she did not live with the humans. They fed her, they provided a warm place to sleep, toys to play with, and kept her beautiful white coat clean. But the Junkyard had its perks too; it was the home of the Jellicles, it was the home of her friends, it was the home of her Plato….Her Plato, it sounded funny to think, for they had only been on one date; one magical, marvellous date that filled them both with an indescribable happiness.
He does not know how far to take her; whether to part at the beginning of the street or walk her straight up to the front door, like a true gentleman. He had made up his mind and was not planning on revealing his agenda; for he did not want her to change his mind.
Along the street they walk, the stars above appearing to twinkle extra brightly for the two kittens. Before too long, they arrive on the doorstep of the glorious white house in which Victoria resided. As if on cue, the pair sigh as they knew that their night was well and truly over. "Well…I guess this is it…" Plato drags out his words in an attempt to make the night last as long as possible. Victoria nods her head, and they turn so that they are facing each other, reaching out to hold both paws. They lock eyes and begin to blush, but force the urge to turn away. Any words that they wished to express were lost in the moment, that one moment had said all that they wished to say. And as they lean in, their inexperienced lips brush together; a truly wonderful end to their glorious night of firsts.