Disclaimer: I do not own the series Top Cat or the characters. They are the property of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.
Notes: The idea for this hit me at my usual 'middle of the night' inspiration timeframe following actually watching the episode. The thought of Choo-Choo feeling remorse for everything that had happened, especially the words he'd said to Top Cat, would not leave me alone, resulting in me writing this. At first it was just going to be him pondering on the situation, but I couldn't make it sound right. So, instead I have him conversing with Benny while waiting for Top Cat to regain consciousness after fainting.
Warnings: Spoilers for the episode Choo-Choo's Romance. This is rated for all ages, just like the series. There is some angst coming from Choo-Choo, and possible OOC has occured for the main three in this fic. I tried keeping them in character, but when it comes to writing drama, it can be a bit difficult. There is no slash, it's brotherly love (that's just a bit stronger but still not romantic) that is being discussed here. I can see Choo-Choo being able to openly express it, while Top Cat prefers to let his actions do the talking, though still keeping it as subtle as possible.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this.
The alley was too quiet. Fancy-Fancy, Spook and Brain had left to engage in their own business, knowing Top Cat would be alright whenever he awoke. As for the remaining pair, Benny and Choo-Choo stayed by their leader's side. Benny did it because he and Top Cat were best friends; they'd known each other for years. As for Choo-Choo, he stayed partly out of guilt.
Benny smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Choo-Choo, he'll wake up soon."
"Yeah, I know." Thankfully, that was the truth. The fact that Top Cat was going to awaken. "Did T.C. tell you what exactly happened last night?"
"Not all of it. He just said you weren't talkin' to him and Pierre wanted to duel him."
"Well...something happened that led to all of that. It's all my fault."
Benny usually thought the nicest of others, but he had to agree that the chain of events certainly did call for the rose-pelted feline to take responsibility. "What did happen?"
"You already know about the plan of T.C. talkin' to Goldie for me. Well, she was so in love with his words, she wound up kissing him. We both considered those meant for me since he was actin' as me. It got to the point that when it was finally my turn to talk to her and she wanted us to kiss, I asked for T.C. to do it for me one more time. I don't quite get what happened next, but he told me Goldie wanted to marry him, and Pierre wanted to shoot him like a dog. I felt betrayed, felt like all that time he wanted Goldie for himself. I...said something I regret ever saying..."
"You said something like that? You?! What did you say?"
"I understand if you'll be mad after you hear this. I basically said I hoped Pierre killed him."
"Oh." He did feel mad at that, but he didn't show it.
"So, when I thought Pierre really had killed him..."
"Yeah. I know." He'd witnessed everything; the duel, Top Cat faking his death, Choo-Choo's emotional moment.
"I really didn't mean those words I'd said to him. I was just so angry and felt hurt." He gazed upon the yellow-furred features of the still unconscious leader. "If that bullet really had killed him, I don't know what I would've done."
"Yeah, I get that. I was actually meant to put those blanks in the pistols. It's a good thing Pierre missed."
"I'll say."
Benny stood up and stretched, not making a move to actually leave his friend's side.
"There were words I did mean though."
"What's that?"
"That he means more to me than anything. You fellas are my family, and I consider all of you my dearest friends. As for T.C., it's deeper than that. Nothin' like I feel for girls, but still strong. Am I makin' sense?"
"You love him more than a friend, but not in that way."
"Yeah. I mean, everything that happened over the last few days...he did everything for me. I know that now."
Top Cat's eyelids flickered as he started regaining consciousness. However, he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes yet. He wanted to hear more of what Choo-Choo was saying.
"You know what, Benny? We may be poor and often hungry, we may often be in trouble with the law, but we're the luckiest cats in the whole of New York. After all, we have T.C. as our leader and friend."
Benny smiled and nodded. "You're right about that!"
"Sure, he always wins whatever money we have no matter what we play. I can't help but feel something is up with that."
Why, I'm surprised you think I'd ever do something like that! Top Cat wanted to say in feigned indignation, but he forced himself to stay quiet.
"But, it don't matter." He smiled gently and gazed at the seemingly unconscious feline once more. "Even if I lose a dollar or what I have every time, it really don't matter. I'm having fun. I enjoy every minute with you fellas. Being in the gang makes me the proudest cat I've ever been. The one who helped me feel that way was T.C.. I sure hope he wakes up soon so I can tell him all of this."
At that, Top Cat told himself it was time to act like he was coming to. He stirred slightly and made sure to slowly open his eyes. It came easily; he'd sometimes fake being unconscious to try to coax the soft-hearted, usually Officer Dibble, into giving him a free meal just so he wouldn't keep 'passing out' from hunger. "Mm? What happened?"
Benny's black eyes widened, as did his smile. "Welcome back, T.C.! You alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. It only got my hat. Speakin' of, I'm gonna have to try to get Lou to repair it for me." He slowly sat up, not wanting to invoke dizziness.
"Are you really okay?" Choo-Choo asked, his voice filled with concern.
"I'm fine, Chooch." He looked to Benny. "Hey, why don't you go find the rest of the fellas and let them know I'm okay."
"Sure thing, T.C.!" The tiny, blue-pelted cat dashed away; all that could be seen was a blur.
He smiled, then turned to Choo-Choo. "That was quite a time, huh?"
He held back the urge to suddenly squeeze the life out of the other cat with a tight embrace. Instead, he smiled. "Yeah, sure was." His smile faded slightly. "Hey, uh, about what I said to you last night..."
"Forget it, I know you didn't mean it."
"But..."
"You know, I heard everything you said to Benny." He smirked in a slightly smug, incredibly cheeky manner. "I never knew you cared so much, Chooch."
"Oh, well..." He sighed. "It's all true, ya know. I really do appreciate everything you've done, and not just helpin' me out with Goldie."
"Yeah, I know."
"So, I guess all that's left is to say thank you. And I'm sorry."
"Like I said, forget about it."
"I can't. I really thought Pierre had killed you." He hung his head. "How can I make it up to you? Saying that I basically wanted him to kill you."
"Hey, you're good at sewing, right? How about you fix the hole in my hat and we'll call it even."
"Sure."
"One more thing."
"What's that, T.C.?"
"I don't want ya tellin' the others I'm saying this, but I love ya too." He averted his gaze. He wasn't really one for sentimentality, so he felt a bit uncomfortable admitting how much he cared vocally.
He looked up, a smile on his face. "Yeah, I know. You don't say it, but ya always show it."
He got to his feet and started to brush himself off. "Right, once Benny has let the guys know I'm awake, they'll more than likely come back here. It's gotta be near dinner time and I'm starvin' right now!"
"Yeah. Me too, T.C., me too."
And just like that, everything had returned to normal.
After-notes: These will be shorter this time. I just hope you enjoyed the story, and I do solemnly apologise if anybody seemed out of character. Truth is, this was my first attempt at a Top Cat fanfiction, so I have more to learn and put into practice.
Thanks for reading. You don't have to leave a review if you don't want to, but I do ask please no flames. Constructive criticism is fine though, it will help me know what I need to do to improve next time. Thanks again!