It was the day after the Jellicle ball and the birds were singing, the kittens were playing, the grown toms and queens were talking, flirting or doing their jobs. That actually only included Jelly and Jenny for the moment, Munkustrap and Alonzo were usually on guard this time of the day but both of them were really tired and still mildly hurt from the fight with Macavity.
Some of the grownups were resting in the sun, Skimble, Asparagus Jr. and Admetus being three of them. Skimble was longing on the trunk of TSE 1 and Ad and Asp were lying on the tire. Ad had pulled the smaller tom to him, everyone just thought it was because of their closeness as best friends and foster brothers but to Asp and Ad it was more. The only ones that knew were their parents, well Asp's parents, Jellylorum and Gus, they were Ad's foster parents and the other cat knowing was Alonzo. Ad and Asp were close to him, growing up in the yard together and living on the streets today.
The kittens were playing tag or wrestling when suddenly a thought hit Pounce… at the same time as Tumble tackled him.
"Hey", Pouncival said looking up at Tumble.
"Hello to you too", Tumble grinned.
"Why didn't Asp dance at the ball? I didn't see him do much of it anyway. I mean during Jenny's song he just sat there, as for Tugger's and Bustopher's and Skimble's he didn't dance either… well Bustopher didn't have much dance in his number and when Grizabella sang he just sat there too."
"You're right", Tumble asked and got off the other tom kit. Only to be tackled from behind by Etcetera.
"What ya talking about", she asked wagging her tail happily, yeah like a puppy but that's just Etcetera for you.
"Why Asp didn't dance", Tumble said.
"Well you're his brother Pounce", Electra said. "And you're his sister Etcy."
"Yeah but Asp was already grown and had left the nest, like mum use to say, when we were born", Pouncival explained. "So we don't know him that well."
"Maybe he's just shy", Jemima said softly.
"Let's ask him", Tumble said and they all hurried over to the tire. Tumble jumped onto the tire and shook the two tom's shoulders.
"G'way", Ad grumbled and turned around, doing that he pulled Asp with him and the smaller tom yelped in shock and was wide awake.
"S'mak'n noise", Ad grumbled and buried his head in Asp's back. Asp looked around confused and saw the kittens look at them.
"Let me go you big lug", he said to Ad but he was only held tighter.
"No… you're warm and fuzzy", Ad mumbled.
"So's you!"
"Not in that same… nice way."
"Let me go this instant we have company."
"Stupid company", Ad grumbled and let go of his mate and curled into a ball. Asp rolled his eyes and looked at the kittens.
"What is it", he asked.
"Why didn't you dance", Etcetera asked and Asp blinked in confusion and Ad was fully awake now. All grownups close enough to hear had gone quiet. Asp opened and closed his mouth a few times then Alonzo rushed over.
"Hey Asp you promised to help me with that thing", he said. "Let's go." He pulled the smaller tom out of sight. Ad smiled and then looked at all the kittens watching him and tried to go back to sleep. But the kittens were not going to let that happen.
"Why", they asked over and over again until Ad snapped:
"Because he can't!"
The kittens stopped asking and looked at him before laughing, all of them missing the anger on Ad's face.
"Asp can't dance", Etcetera giggled.
"What Jellicle can't dance?" Pouncival shrieked with laughter.
"Asp", the others giggled.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" They stopped laughing to look at the grey, and for the moment big-looking, tom that was furious glaring at them. He looked twice, almost three times, his normal size and Ad was known for being calm. So the kittens had never seen him mad, so they were a bit scared.
"That's enough", Ad growled out. "Don't you laugh about things you don't know anything about!"
The kittens bundled together in fright and started to tremble. Munkustrap hurried over.
"Kits", he said and they looked at him. "Asp can't dance because of a physical problem he has."
"He didn't have it from the beginning", Jelly said and walked over with tears in her eyes. "When your brother", she turned to Pouncival and Etcetera. "Was your age he could rival Victoria and Mistofelees with his dancing."
"Really", Victoria asked in awe. The grownups nodded.
"Then", Tumble asked. "What happened?"
"A storm happened", Ad growled. "The storm happened."
"The", Tumble asked. "Like the storm that caused a river to flow through the yard and take half of the junk with it?"
"The very same", Ad growled.
Flashback
It was raining worse than any of the kittens had seen in their entire life. Asparagus and his mate Jellylorum was keeping a close eye on their two boys Asp and Ad.
"Mum", Ad asked. "What's that sound?"
Jelly listened and heard an odd rumbling.
"RUN!" screamed Pharaoh, the old protector. "Run for your lives!"
Gus looked outside and saw a big river heading their way. The humans had led the water to the yard. He grabbed his kids and carried them outside and looked around.
"Up", he said and urged them on before going after them with Jelly. Jelly was up in front of the kittens helping them and Gus helped them from below. Asp slipped and Jelly grabbed his paw and pulled him up.
"GUS!" Skimble yelled from another pile. His scream was in pure terror. The water was heading straight for the little family.
"Jelly jump", he yelled to his mate and she did. She then turned around on the other pile and reached a paw out to her sons.
"Jump Addie", Asp encouraged the bigger kitten that didn't want to let go of his foster brother's/secret lover's paw. "You can catch me." Ad nodded and jumped. Jelly helped him. Then the flood hit.
"Jump son!" Gus yelled and the two of them jumped. But the water had knocked them a bit of course. They didn't get to the top of the other pile, just the middle, Asp above his father. Gus lost his grip when water hit him and grabbed something he'd thought was a rope. But realized too late it was his son's tail. Asp squeaked in pain and his small grip was lost and they both fell into the water.
"NO!" Jelly screamed as she saw them disappear into the water and Admetus stared with big horrified eyes.
"Gus!" Skimble yelled and jumped down the piles to get closer to the water. Bustopher Jones, slim at the time, and Deuteronomy did the same from their piles.
"Gus!" Skimble yelled and looked at the water.
"Skimble!" Bustopher yelled and pointed at a spot not too far from where Skimble was. Gus was clinging to an old chair. Skimble ran over and reached out to him.
"No", Gus yelled. "I can make it. My son! Get my son!"
Skimble nodded and looked at the water and saw the teen-kitten fight the current. Skimble ran across the piles like crazy, wondering where in Heaviside Pharaoh was. He saw the kitten get hold of a pipe, a sharp one. Skimble hurried towards it and reached out to the kitten. Asp reached for him and they almost reached each other when… a new wave hit and Asp disappeared again.
It took a few hours for the water to be washed out, but it took a lot of the junk of the yard with it. But as soon as the ground was "dry" the grown cats set out to find the kitten that had been washed out. It took a while but when they found the nearly drowned kitten they found him with a sharp piece of metal through his thigh and a nail through his knee and other injuries that wasn't as bad. Gus carried him all the way home, feeling guilty.
It took months for the kitten to heal but when he was finally able to play with the others something else happened. Demeter and Bombalurina had asked him to show them some complicated dance moves. Asp started out with some easy ones that no one could fail. He went on with some a bit harder and felt something odd in his leg. It felt stiff and painful and when he was going to do a rather easy jump and turn it felt like his leg was on fire and he screamed and collapsed.
"Asp!" Ad exclaimed and hurried over. "What's wrong?"
"My leg", the other kitten got out through clenched teeth as he was helped up.
"Want me to get you to mum?"
"No! I can do this." He started over but with the same result. This time he was taken to the medical den. Ad and the other kittens waited outside.
"NO!" Asp yelled and ran past him, but Ad could see that he was crying.
"Honey", Jelly yelled and followed but stopped outside the door when she saw her son disappear from sight.
"Mum", Ad asked and she turned to them wiping tears from her eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Your brother", she sniffled. "He… he won't dance anymore… he can't dance anymore. His… his injury…" She started to cry. Ad looked at her and hurried after his lover.
He found Asp crying his heart out and sat beside him and hugged him.
"No!" Asp yelled and pushed him away. "Go away! You can't love me anymore!"
"What?"
"You can't love me anymore 'cause I can't dance! I'll never be able to dance anything advanced at the ball! I'll never dance like myself again!"
Ad ignored the weak attempts Asp made to get out of his arms and after a bit Asp hugged him back crying into his shoulder. Ad rocked him back and forth.
"You think I only love you for your dance", he asked. "Then you're crazy."
"But…"
"No buts. You are my tomfriend and I don't care if you can dance or not! You could be blind, mute and deaf and I wouldn't care! You could only have three legs or no tail and only one ear! I wouldn't care about that! You are still you."
"But-"
"I'll be your dream
I'll be your wish
I'll be your fantasy
I'll be your hope
I'll be your love
Be everything that you need"
"But-"
I'll love you more with every breath
Truly, madly, deeply do
I will be strong
I will be faithful
'cause I'm counting on
A new beginning
A reason for living
A deeper meaning, yeah
"Ad…." But Admetus ignored him and pulled Asp down onto the ground with him and hugged him close to him.
I wanna stand with you on a mountain
I wanna bathe with you in the sea
I wanna lay like this forever
Until the sky falls down on me
And when the stars are shining brightly in the velvet sky,
I'll make a wish, send it to heaven then make you want to cry– "Hey!" Asp said.
The tears of joy for all the pleasure in the certainty
That we're surrounded by the comfort and protection of
The highest power
In lonely hours
the tears devour you
I wanna stand with you on a mountain
I wanna bathe with you in the sea
I wanna lay like this forever
Until the sky falls down on me
Oh can you see it baby?
don't have to close your eyes
'Cause it's standing right before you
All that you need will surely come
hooohooo ye-ah
I'll be your dream
I'll be your wish
I'll be your fantasy
I'll be your hope
I'll be your love
Be everything that you need
I'll love you more with every breath
Truly, madly, deeply do
mmm, mmm,
I wanna stand with you on a mountain
I wanna bathe with you in the sea
I wanna lay like this forever
Until the sky falls down on me
I wanna stand with you on a mountain
I wanna bathe with you in the sea
and I want to live like this forever
Until the sky falls down over me
Asp sighed and snuggled closer to his tomfriend and they stayed out there for hours.
End flashback
"So you see kits", Munk explained. He'd not mentioned the last part since he didn't know of it. "Sometimes life is cruel… it was rally cruel to Asp."
"I can't imagine not being able to dance", Victoria thought with horror. "I would never make it!"
"Yes you would", Ad said and rose. "Someone that loves you very much would be there for you." Then he took off to where Alonzo and Asp had gone.
"Thanks Zo", Asp was saying to the patched tom. "I had to get out of there."
"Don't worry buddy", Alonzo said. "That's what friends are for."
"You think they're still laughing?"
"No I think your mate straightened them out."
"Damn right I did", he said and Alonzo smiled and left them. Ad hurried over to hug his mate to him. "Don't you dare cry."
"I won't", Asp said calmly. "I stopped crying over that years ago… I'm just don't like to talk about it."
"Do you still miss it?"
"The dancing? Yes… a lot."
Ad grinned and got up pulling the smaller tom with him.
"What are you doing", Asp asked when Ad got behind him and put Asp's feet onto his own. "Please tell me you are not going to do this."
"I am. I've practiced."
"With who?"
"I started with Jemi, helping her memorize the dances, then Quaxo, then Plato and just for fun with Bomba during that party where you and I got drunk."
"You got drunk, I didn't."
"Yeah yeah… killjoy."
"Hey!"
"Now shut up and let's do this." Ad started doing the dance he, Plato, Munk, Cori and Alonzo had done during the ball. Asp was amazed his mate didn't lose his balance, and that they both could stay joined together like that. Ad then danced the dance he, Alonzo, Tugger, Mungojerrie and Plato had done. Asp closed his eyes and imagined him and Ad dancing side by side at the ball doing just this. He didn't notice the tear slip from his eyes. But Ad did.
"I said no crying!" he said happily as he continued to dance around with Asp.
"I'll make a wish, send it to heaven then make you want to cry
The tears of joy for all the pleasure in the certainty
That we're surrounded by the comfort and protection of
The highest power
In lonely hours
the tears devour you
I wanna stand with you on a mountain
I wanna bathe with you in the sea
I wanna lay like this forever
Until the sky falls down on me
" Asp sang softly and they stopped. "Why didn't my leg hurt?"
"Because you weren't straining your muscles or whatever it is that bothers you."
"But I did…"
"Not in the same way you get hurt in. I took the toll."
Asp turned around and kissed him. "Did I tell you I love you?"
Ad hugged him close. "You just did."
Song is not mine. it belongs to Savage Garden