A/N from Magical: It has been so much fun writing this collab with Lazaela. It has inspired me to pick up my solo works again. Rest assured they are coming, but bear with me. Also, the plot should be picking up very soon. We have some lovely plot-treats waiting for all of you dears. Yes, there has been a good deal of fluff, but we have to counterbalance some of the crazy drama we are planning. I hope you all enjoy as much as I enjoyed writting half of it!

A/N from Lazzy: It has been incredibly fun to write! It is amazing how we have produced two chapters in two weeks when it normally takes me that long to produce a single chapter of this quality! Thank you all for your reviews! Rest assured that in the RP the plot HAS PICKED UP. Don't get bored of us yet ;)

Disclaimer; -sob- We own nothing.


His nose twitched from her touch and a smile blossomed on his face as he settled into his nap. It was a while later when the tom awoke; he was sprawled upon his stomach in his blankets. He opened his eyes and rose to all fours; stretching out in the typical-cat way. His paws kneaded his blankets and he purred as he recalled his memories of earlier, they were almost like a dream. He glanced around his dimly lit den and was confused; it was tidy. He focused for a moment on brightening the lights before glancing around, not noticing the white queen right away.

"Surprise!" Victoria exclaimed, jumping in front of him with her arms in the air, "I decided to help you with your den. You mentioned you didn't have time to clean,"

She bit her lip. She was awaiting his reaction, trying to keep her bubbling excitement under control.

He was silent for a while, his face remaining unchanged. She had done all this for him? He was flattered. He cleared his throat and looked around the den again. He returned his gaze to Victoria's face, a playful thought coming to mind.

"Thanks Vicky, but… where are my underwear?" he asked, cocking his head, deathly serious for a moment, his tail twitched and his ochre eyes met her own.

She paused for a moment, her smile fading.

"I didn't know cats wear underwear," she replied, biting her lip in nervousness now.

Oh, Heaviside, had she screwed up?

He guffawed; doubling over at how adorable she was when she was confused. He laughed and wrapped his arms around her.

"My silly Snowflake; I'm joking. I am flattered you would do this for me. Thank you, my love." he smiled to her before placing his lips against hers. He was full of energy after his nap and he was looking forward to spending the rest of the day with his queenfriend. He still couldn't believe Victoria chose him! She could have had any tom she wanted but she had chosen him; Simple, scrawny Mistoffelees!

Her tail curled up in pleasure. She inwardly kicked herself for taking him seriously, but she had only been half-sure of it being a joke. He could catch you of guard if you weren't paying attention.

She let him kiss her for a moment, before parting reluctantly.

"It's nice to have you awake," she teased, giving his nose a gentle poke, "I didn't know a nap could alter you so wholly and completely,"

He waggled his eyebrows to further prove her last point. He lashed his tail excitedly. "You help too! My dreams were about you..." he glanced away shyly yet pulled her all the more nearer to himself.

"Hmm," she hummed in reply with a die smirk, "You dreamt of me? What kind of dream was it?"

She snuggled her head over his chest, giving his bowtie spot a swift lick.

He blushed profusely at her words. Had he had green hair he was pretty sure he would have resembled a tomato. He purred as she licked his ebony bowtie. "Me and you had just had a mateship ceremony. We were together for life. I think we had about eight kittens." he shrugged slight at the last bit; the redness in his cheeks fading slightly to a rosy tinge.

"You're so cute when you blush," she mused, licking up the bridge of his nose, "I think eight kittens would serve us rather nicely. You are rather good with kittens,"

She stepped away from him, sat down and began to groom herself. She had forgotten the last time she groomed was early this morning.

He was relieved that she wanted a large amount of kittens. When he began to groom herself he edged closer and licked her shoulder once or twice; silently asking for permission.

Ascertaining what he asked for, she smiled brightly at him.

"Stoff, could you help me?" she asked gently, glancing at him through her lashes, "I can never reach my back,"

She positioned herself so that he could reach her better, her tail slightly erect in expectancy.

He nodded mutely in response to her offer. He stroke down her back with his paws before licking her shoulders gently. For you to allow another cat to groom you was a sign of pure trust for the said cat. Mistoffelees entwined his paws in her elegant, fluffy white tail.

Victoria giggled quietly as he raked his claws through her tail ever so gently. Apparently he simply could not keep his paws off her. She did not mind this, of course, because she loved him. And now she knew he loved her as well. There was no singular way on earth or in Heaviside that she would shirk away from his affection. Mistoffelees was not a very open or bold cat. For him to be grooming her and touching her spoke volumes of love and trust. Victoria could not help but smile widely, leaning into him as he groomed her, a loud purr emanating from her throat.

He ran his tongue through her downy fur, at first hesitant. He had honestly never groomed another cat before. He timidly reached his paws around her waist, hugging her lightly. Mistoffelees nuzzled her as he cleaned the fine fur that covered her back and shoulders. He occasionally nipped her neck playfully, entwining their tails. His ears flicked when he heard a familiar pitter patter of the rain outside. He almost shuddered at the sound. As a kit his father, Macavity, had tried to drown him in a drain pipe before the Jellicles rescued him. He despised water and dealt with it in only small quantities. Now it was raining and he was den bound. The conjurer groaned slightly but buried his face in Victoria's soft, now-groomed back. He ran his tongue along her fluffy shoulders before resting his chin on them, in a bolder moment he kissed along her jaw. It felt strange for him to be able to show is affections instead of hiding them away like he had been doing since kittenhood. All the while he kept running one paw up and down her back, the other still wrapped in her silky tail.

Victoria purred on, thrilled to simply be in Mistoffelees' presence and enjoying his attentions tremendously. She was thankful of her relationship with him. She had been a semi-outcast in kittenhood. Although she was the Protector's daughter and had high social ranking among the Jellicles, other cats had a rather difficult time accepting her. She was not constructed the way other queens were. Sure, she had a feminine feline figure and enjoyed fairytail games of princess and fantasy when she was younger, but she had had a difficult time fitting in with the other kits when she was younger. Not only was her coat the only stark white in the tribe, but she also had an odd tendency. She enjoyed silent reflections alone. She socialized with others, but she enjoyed the solitude of a good book or a solo practice dance. She had become such an incredible dancer because she had devoted such time to being alone and practicing. She recalled how much it had worried her parents as Mistoffelees groomed over her back and she gave a small shudder of delight.

In a rather large way, Misto's affections to her now were therapuetic. In her kittenhood she had also been used by "friends" for trust or someone to complain to. She had been betrayed, bullied and hurt in her young life. It had created a type of trust issue with her. She didn't trust very many cats. At first, she had thought she was the one who had caused all of these relationships to turn sour, but she had later realized it was the other cats. Thank goodness for her friends at the Jellicle Junkyard. They had never hurt her or used her. Etty, Leccy, Jemmie and Rumple were all gems. But, most unfairly, she treasured Mistoffelees the greatest. Ever since he had come to the junkyard, she and he were inseperable. They had become bosom friends. They shared their greatest secrets with each other, played together and, most importantly, they trusted one another. Now, as he stroked her back, his tail entwined with hers, she realized that they were destined to be together. he had always been the one, it was just the fact that he was right there, under her nose.

She was suddenly roused from these musings by Mistoffelees kissing over her jaw bone and that was when she heard the faint pattering of rain as well as Misto's groan. She knew he loathed water. There again, most cats did. She was no exception, as the rain caused her fine fur to frizz in the most ridiculous fashion immaginable.

"Oh, blast it, it's raining!" she muttered exasperatedly under her breath.

As he groomed her Mistoffelees also contemplated his past, as a kit he had been rescued from his father by the Jellicles. Each one of them knew of his past and only a small handful accepted him for it such as Munkustrap, Demeter, Jellylorem, Rum Tum Tugger and of course; his beautiful Victoria. He had always felt relaxed in her presence and always had adored being close to her. He had finished grooming her back but still stroked down it gently, loving how the downy fur tickled his paw. His purring thrummed alongside hers. He nuzzled her neck gently. Even though he hated water he was silently thanking the Everlasting Cat for making it rain and giving him and Victoria a chance to be alone; no cat goes in the rain voluntarily. He just hoped he could remember when he stored all the emergency food. Had he eaten it? Oops. He would have to conjure them some. He closed his ochre eyes and rested his chin on her shoulder. Mistoffelees was quite simply content with being close to her.

"It could be worse Vic. We could be Outside in it." He grinned to her playfully, chuckling at her exasperated cry and nuzzled her neck. He was reluctant to break their contact as he stood up and stretched, he sprawled lazily beside side touching her leg as he looked up at her with a kittenish mew. Mistoffelees smiled up as her and touched her tail with his own gently. His purrs were softer now as his eyes drank in the sight of her beauty. She her coat seemed to glow like a star, though she looked queenlike she was still kittenish.

Victoria blushed and shyly looked away as he gazed upon her. She was rather flattered to have him do so. It wasn't that Mistoffelees didn't like queens, but hardly any, if any, had ever caught his attentions. Well, besides her, she supposed. He was one of those genius types. And they don't just fall for anyone. Oh, no. If he wasn't planning on settling down with the queen, he wouldn't even fool around with them. He was far too honest to flirt with a queen and break her heart. Victoria had always admired his integrity. Although, it had slipped once in a while when he pulled an elaborate prank or caused mischeif. But, he never did it for spite and she admired him greatly for it.

She settled down beside him, her inward musings going silent for now. She no longer need dwell upon these things. She should spend all of her time with him, focused solely on him. It was time to bring her focus out.

"I suppose you're right," she grinned, finally looking him in the eye, "I would hate to get all wet. My coat frizzes something terrible when I get wet. It's rather unflattering,"

She drew her tail closer to his, gently placing it atop his. She leaned towards him and softly rasped her tongue over the tuft of fur centered upon his forehead.

He shivered in pure delight at her touch, each soft lick to her head set his body alight with need; the need to be closer to her, only her and no one else. Of all the queens she was the one who caught his attention, he first noticed her pelt. He noticed how to seems to shimmer in the summer. He then learned she could dance at last year's ball where he was paired with her at the last minute. He then noticed her gentleness, her kindness. She was everything Mistoffelees had truly held dear. She was his opposite, the one he could be with forever. He purred as she touched their tails and he curled his tip to entwine around hers. The tom was comfortable in her presence. Ever since the last ball and Tugger singing about his accomplishments he had been constantly fighting to keep the other queenkit's from fawning over him; he was constantly pawed and rubbed against like he was Tugger. The only one who didn't do those was Victoria; maybe that's why he trusted her with his affections.

"So, what are we going to do, now?" she asked quietly, stroking a paw over his headfur lovingly, "Rain does tend to keep one indoors, after all,"

All she could do was look over him, gazing affectionately in his direction. She was still taken aback that the Original Conjuring Cat had chosen her over any other of the queens. He could have chosen any of them. After all, he had just recently acquired a fan-club and they would gawk over him. Victoria found the bahaviour somewhat ridiculous. Sure, she had oggled over the Rum Tum Tugger, but she had grown out of that. It had gotten her nothing, just Plato being angry with her for it. She quickly diverted her train of thought away from Plato. She would think of him no longer. She went back to thoughts of Mistoffelees' fan-club. It was rather amusing that he had a small following. he inched closer to him, resting her side into his.

He closed his eyes at her touches. He nuzzled her arm as she petted his headfur. Mistoffelees contemplated an answer for her question; What could they do? They could be trapped inside for minutes or hours; even days! He purred as she pressed her body against his, he draped one arm around her shoulders gently.

"Well... We could ask each other questions about ourselves. We could play games. We could dance. I could show you some magic. We could sing." He offered her a variety of choices, hoping at least one of them would make her smile. He relished their closeness. He buried his digits in her gorgeous fur. He licked her cheek gently. He was still shy about showing his affections but would try to let her see just how much he really loved her.

She grinned, snuggling her head into his neck for a brief moment. She liked the questions idea the most.

"How about we ask each other questions? I can start," she replied, still running her fingers through the sleek black fur on his head, "Why is it that you love me, and not any of the others queens? Like, your lovely assistant Cassandra, for instance?"

She cocked her head to the side, awaiting an answer.

Her question caught him off guard, he watched her intently for a moment. Mentally phrasing his answer, he checked it over many times to assure every word rang true. The tom sat up slightly, leaning over her a bit. He kissed her forehead before he finally answered. How long had passed since the question was asked? Seconds? Hours? Eternity?

"None of them appeal to me as you do. You have several of the qualities I admire. With you I can be myself, not 'The Original Conjuring Cat' or 'Magical Mister Mistoffelees'. I can just be me, Misto; your friend and lover." He murmured softly to her, rubbing his cheek against hers before continuing. "The other queens expect so much from me. They expect me to be able to conjure everything for them and give them the world. You however, expect nothing. That is why I'm glad I chose to give you my heart."

He was silent as he awaited her response, still leaning against her. He could feel her heartbeat and feel the rise and fall of her chest. His tail twitched as his eyes met her own, his ochre eyes relayed everything he didn't say to her. He broke the silence again as he said softly.

"And they would never trust me as you do, because of my father."

"You're father has nothing to do with you," she spoke softly, brushing one paw against his cheek and fingering his chest ruffles with the other, "But, thank you so much for answering me honestly, Misto. I don't know why any queen would even remotely think that you are like your father. You are a truly trustworthy gentleman. And I'm glad you've entrusted me with your heart and I'm also very glad that you have mine as well. You flatter me by trusting me so much, but I'd have it no other way,"

She rubbed her muzzle against him, purring deeply as she still twisted his chestfur through her fingers, the downy fur such a stark contrast to his sleek black fur. It was odd, but both colours of his fur varried in texture. His white fur was soft and fluffy, like the downy feathers of a duckling. His black fur was smooth and had more of a feel of silk.

"Now," she giggled, tracing his bowtie spot with a claw every so lightly, "Ask me a question and I'll try and answer true."

He chuckled as she touched his ruffles, his chest rising and falling with each breath he took. He listened to her soft voice as she spoke her thoughts. He felt his cheeks grow warm in happiness as she told him of her love for him.

Her soft nuzzles to him were soothing, her purrs were low and continuous, a soft thrum against the sounds of the outside world. He contemplated her words, was he a gentleman? He liked to think he was. He shivered in delight as she toyed with his ruffles and felt the different textures.

"Alright." He murmured softly, already knowing his question for her. He smiled; his cheeks still slightly rosy. "When did you figure out you wanted to be my queenfriend?"

She pause her fiddling with his fur, her face scrunching up into a look of puzzlement. When exactly had this started? She had to go far back into her memory. It seemed like she always had, in retrospect, but he wanted a specific answer.

She resumed playing with his fur, acting upon a sudden impulse to braid his soft white bib. Unfortunately, the fur on his chest wasn't quite long enough to braid to her liking, but she tried all the same.

"It's been coming on so gradually, I hardly know," she began, still mulling over the thoughts, "But, I believe that I fell for you when I returned from that trip to France with my humans. You had grown into a tom during my stay there. A rather handsome one, if I may add,"

She blushed self-consciously. It was still so new to her to express her thoughts and feelings ike this to him. They had shared many things with each other before, but never to a degree such as this. She quite liked complementing him. She could get quite comfortable with this.

He was slightly appalled at her braiding his ruffles; he was a tom! He endured it however, seeing how it made her smile. Mistoffelees relented and let her continue, secretly beginning to enjoy it. He listened to the answer and cocked his head slightly. She had gone to France a about five seasons ago; Misto had only just reached a year old when she left. He had pined after her for every moment she was gone before having to mingle with the other kits out of boredom.

He kissed her cheek gently, his touch was light yet he lingered, wanting to treasure the moment as he branded her words into his memory. He wrapped his tail tighter around hers before he finally spoke, his voice was soft and shy.

"That's good then. It wasn't until you left the junkyard for your trip that I realised exactly how much I would miss you; and why I would miss you." He murmured, letting his eyes meet her own with a smile. He stroked her head fur softly as he awaited a question from her.

As she took in his words and his gaze, she suddenly felt the need to be absolutely close to him. She she nuzzled into him, resting her head under his neck and wrapping her arms about his chest. She closed her eyes, trying to draw in as much of him as she could. She never wanted to lose him, ever.

"That's rather flattering," she whispered softly, rubbing her head on his chest. "I suppose I should ask you something else, now."

She thought for a few moments, untangling all of the chest fur she had matted and messed with. She suddenly had her question.

"How is it that a shy tom like you, is friends with the most boisterous Rum Tum Tugger?" she asked, rather curious to know.

He, in turn, wrapped his arms around her. Content to never let go, he felt dependant on her; even if they had been together for a few short hours. He listened to her question and laughed heartily. He thought of the typical tom that was Tugger.

"He is my uncle Victoria, he practically raised me. Believe me, I love humiliating him and he loves getting his own back. It's a sorta love-hate relationship. He can be a good friend but other times heaviside can't handle him." The conjurer smiled, stroking her back gently.

The tom masked a grin by burying his face into her hair. He was remembering the time when he and Tugger were planning on prancing Munkustrap and it all backfired so Tugger was instead the target. Mistoffelees had warned Munkustrap beforehand and the silver tabby and tuxedo turned it on the maned male.

"Sounds a little vengeful and dangerous if you ask me," she replied, though laughed to think of all the mischief and trouble both toms had caused on the poor junkyard, "I suppose one has to love ones family, "But, you two have caused a lot of entertaining mischief, so I suppose I cannot complain."

She was content to sit near him, his bi-coloured arms wrapped around her. She felt safe and loved. It was a very pleasant feeling, to say the least. She licked one of his arms and snuggled into him fondly. How was she ever supposed to leave him, now?

"Now, ask me something!" she practically bubbled over with excitement.

Her licks to his arms were heavenly and Misto swooned slightly. She was like a drug to him. He doubted he could live without her now. Her words made him laugh too as he thought of a question.

"Why did you choose Plato over me?" He asked, he knew it was awkward; he just had to know. Misto had always acted like her tomfriend, even if it wasn't official. Then Plato came along. The name of his queenfriend's ex made him gnash his teeth together slightly.

She drew closer to him, now more insecure as she thought about her ex-tomfriend. She knew it could prove better to talk about it than to bottle the emotions up, so she formed a reply.

"Well," she began quietly and hesitantly, "You understand me more than he does. He doesn't understand my humour. I put him out of sorts and he rubs me the wrong way. He wants me to be totally mature and grown, but he never enjoys life and stops to sniff roses or dance in the moonlight. He rushes around far too much. But you, you're nothing like him. You are gentle and kind. You don't pressure me into behaving a certain way or forming to a certain idea. Instead, you take me for me and you love me for who I am. There is no other choice for me. You accept me,"

She gave him a watery smile, looking deeply into his eyes. A small tear slipped down her cheek.

"That's why I chose you," she answered simply.

He leant towards her, kissing her cheek where the tear fell, silent. He was flattered by her words, he cleaned the salty moisture from her face before rubbing his black nose against hers. Mistoffelees closed his eyes, sighing in bliss. He reopened them slowly and looked into her eyes, pulling back slightly.

"May I kiss you?" He asked shyly, he normally would have just done so but seeing as she was thinking of Plato he wanted her permission. He wanted to make her remember only his touch and to forget that her ex-tomfriend had abandoned her; she had something better now - him.

She nodded, more tears spilling over her cheeks and onto her lap. There was no other comfort in the world she would rather have. He was it. He was the only emotional support she needed, she wanted.

She wrapped her arms about his neck, nuzzling her head underneath his chin before she drew back in order for him to kiss her.

He closed his eyes as she buried her face in his ruffles. He opened them when she drew back and placed his paws either side of her snowy face. He leaned closer, feeling her warm breath on his cheeks as he pressed his lips to hers gently. The moment he did he felt his body spark with fire. He lingered for a moment and struggled to hide a moan. He loved being close to her, it was the best thing he had ever know, he nipped her bottom lip as his playful streak peeked through.

She chuckled softly, simply enjoying being near him and his open affections. She was so glad she finally had one heart she could be her entire self with. She hid her true self with the other cats, most of the time. She was afraid they would find her too odd and different.

He lingered for a moment longer, sighing blissfully; he wrapped his arms around her tenderly. He drew her close, resting his forehead on hers. He too was glad he could be himself around her; he was vague and aloof normally but with her he was quite willing to discuss things openly.

"I love you," she admitted softly, closing her eyes tightly as her forehead rested against his, "You're the only cat who has ever cared enough to see me for who I really am. You're not just expecting a perfect white queen,"

She did not move from him. Once this rain let up, who knew when they could be like this, together and alone? It was a rarity to be alone in the Jellicle Junkyard.

He was glad she didn't move, he doubted he could keep himself upright otherwise. He wanted to swoon at her feet and croon pretty things to her. He somehow kept himself in check as he murmured softly in response.

"I love you too Victoria." He nuzzled her cheek, licking her tears away again. "I always will; no matter what happens."

"Thank you, Misto," she replied tenderly, stroking a paw down his cheek onto his chest, "I-I cannot live without you,"

She resumed petting through his chestfur, simply to hear him purr loudly. She loved that singular purr that was Mr. Mistoffelees'.

"Now, is it your turn to ask, or mine?" she questioned, "I hardy remember, but I believe it was my turn, correct?"

Through his purrs he barely caught her question. He pondered and replayed the past few blissful minutes over in his head, he smiled down at her as he remembered whose turn it was.

"I believe it's your turn to ask me a question, my snowflake." He crooned into her ear gently, licking them lovingly.

She tried to control the warm tingle that ran through her spine, much to no avail.

"Well, then," she sighed, rubbing over his bowtie spot, "Do you like having powers? I always wanted to ask you, but it's supposedly 'rude,'"

He chuckled and nodded enthusiastically. He wasn't at all offended by her words in fact he was glad she had asked. He purred louder to show his pleasure before repeating his strokes to her back.

"Having powers is amazing. You know how it feels when I kiss you? Or when we embrace?" He asked, when he thought he saw a nod he continued. "Every time I am at the peak of executing a spell it feels like that. It's the second best feeling in this world."

The tom nuzzled her gently as he thought of more things to add to his answer. "The only problem is that it leaves me exhausted. I can only do so much before I need a respite."

"I see," she replied with a smile, her sadness passing like a shadow, "That's rather amazing! I wish I had a power of some sort. I can just dance,"

She was glad she had nodded for him to continue. He was a tom that usually asked for permission. She supposed it was because he wanted to be considerate.

"What's the first best feeling in the world?" she blurted out and then recalled it wasn't her turn.

He laughed at her; he rubbed her headfur with his paw as a look of embarrassment covered her face. He tapped her nose with one of his right paw digits.

"It's okay Victoria." He nuzzled her and licked her forehead as he begun to formulate a reply to her question, regardless that she asked it out of turn. "The best feeling in the world is being with you."

He smiled sheepishly at her, ducking his head slightly. He chuckled at his cheesiness, even if the words did ring true.

"That's so sweet," she replied quietly as she twitched her nose from his tap to it, and nuzzled her face back into his, "Don't worry, it wasn't cheesy; although, the only reason for that would be the fact that it came from your heart and wasn't pre-planned. That simple spontaneous thing you just said, made my whole year,"

She licked over one of her shoulders and snuck a quick lick over his.

"I suppose since I asked out of turn, you may ask me two questions," she stated teasingly, giving him a somewhat flirty look through her lashes.

His face grew warm as she complimented him. He purred and nuzzled her cheek after she kicked him. He cocked his head cutely as she spoke to him.

"Hmm. Well actually I was going to ask you if you were hungry or anything...?" He half stated, half asked her. Her happiness came first for him and he would be utterly pained if she was discomforted in any way.

"Well," she began, taken aback momentarily by the sudden change of subject, "Come to think of it, I am, a little,"

She had been so engrossed with talking to him that she had entirely forgotten it was time to eat once more.

He chuckled before looking up his pipe with a slight grimace. It was still raining. He flicked his tail then cocked his head. Where had he stored his food for emergencies? His eyes sparkled as he remembered. He sat up, smiling at her before heading to the far side of his den. He nudged the door of a cupboard on his wall and it opened easily; revealing the food inside. There were mice, rats, birds and even pieces of good meat humans had thrown away. All preserved by Misto's magic. He turned to face her and bowed.

"Ladies always get first pick." He purred to her as he gestured to the cupboard; wondering what she would choose.

"Hmm, let's see." She smirked coyly as she walked over the cupboard and looked over the food before picking some meat. "I rather like steak."

She took her lunch back to the blankets, delicately eating her morsel.

He chuckled at her choice before browsing the cupboard himself, grinning as he saw his favourite; bantam chicken. He took a small piece and closed the cupboard; returning to her side. He too ate his meal before sprawling on his side with a smile, keeping his eyes on Vicotria.

She ate happily and glanced to him out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't help but grin at him.

"What are you looking at?" she asked teasingly. "Are you wanting dessert?"

She arched her eyebrows as her grin was replaced with a playful smirk.

"It depends what your offering, Snowflake." He grinned back flirtatiously. His favourite dessert was sitting right in front of him. He began to purr again as he settled into their new game. He feigned a disinterested look and gazed at his ivory claws.

"After all, I have been a good kitten; don't I deserve it?" He smiled playfully at her, his fangs digging into his black lips; his teeth appeared grey in contrast to his stark white face.

Her smirk began to show her teeth, a purr exuding from her throat in response to his. Her heartbeat quickened just the tiniest bit.

"I thought perhaps some rice pudding." She replied cooly, examining the dirt floor as if it were a piece of art. "After all; you simply adore rice pudding."

She hastened a glance at him through her lashes, nearly beaming now. She wondered exactly how this game would pan out.

"I suppose you have been a rather good tomkit." She answered nonchalantly, scooting a few centimetres towards him, just as a hint. "After all, you've played nicely and have been such a good host."

He gulped slightly at their proximity; normally he was the bold one, but here she was. To him her tone was one of power, it was alluring and seductive; he liked it. He purred and steeled himself – he would not lose in a game with a queen. He met her gaze and smiled cutely, falling into the tomkit role assigned to him.

"I do enjoy rice pudding." He nodded enthusiastically and leaned a bit closer to her, his chest rose and fell rapidly as their closeness increased. He smiled wider at her compliment, in response he murmured softly; "Only the best for you, Victoria."

She leaned closer to him, aiming for his lips. Closer…Closer…she was almost there… then she drew back at the last moment, grinning impishly.

"Good." She replied, looking his features over. "Then do get us some."

She liked this game. She was starting to wonder if she was playing with fire. After all, she had never been in a tom's den before, alone… stealing kissed and flirting. She simply hoped she wouldn't get burned, or even singed. She would much rather keep this game flirty, but innocent.

He pouted as she drew away. He smirked and leaned back against the blankets, an idea coming to mind. His tail lashed and he let out a melancholy sigh.

"I shall, but it costs you a kiss." He warned playfully with a grin before adding shyly. "That is… if you wouldn't mind."

She sighed dramatically, pretending to be highly put out. She rolled her eyes and tried to look as annoyed as possible. She had to try rather hard to keep her grin from surfacing.

"Very well." She replied, sounding none-too-thrilled, but then she turned to him and smiled, becoming a little more shy. "Do your worst."

She shuffled her paws in front of her as she fiddled with the fur around her wrists; glancing up at him innocently, the playful streak diminishing slightly.

He chuckled at her playful reluctance. He leant forward and quickly caught her lips in a sweet, gentle kiss. As he did he let his magic surge through him and then through her as he conjured two bowls of rice pudding for them. When he drew away he beamed.

"And we all say…" he sang softly, grinning playfully to her as he gestured to the dessert.

She sat for a moment, her eyes still closed and her mouth parted slightly as if she wished for a further continuation of their kiss. Her body tingled as his magic surged through her and she was astounded for a moment. That feeling was slightly intoxicating. If only it had lingered a little longer.

"Oh well I never, was there ever a cat so clever…" she replied softly, recovering her senses.

She took the bowl daintily, slightly embarrassed at how much he really affected her.

"Thank you, Misto." She murmured quietly.

"As Magical Mr Mistoffelees!" He finished for his queenfriend with a grin, he had noticed how her maw parted during their kiss and he fought to suppress the urge to kiss her again and explore what she was offering him.

He chuckled at her flustered state. He took his own bowl and began to eat it; purring in delight – rice pudding was one of his absolute favourite desserts!

"That arrogance is going to get you in an awful lot of trouble someday." She teased him, commencing to eat as well.

After watching him eat ravenously for a few seconds, she grinned widely and rolled her eyes. His love affair with rice pudding had always been rather humorous to her. Of all things he could love to eat, why rice pudding? Perhaps, that should be her next question, she mused.

"It's rather amusing how addicted you are to this." She said with a grin, elevating her bowl slightly to give her comment full meaning.

He stuck his tongue out kittenishly at her. He licked the remains of his mean from around his maw before saying.

"Its rather amusing how you seem to be unable to take your eyes off of me to notice that." He grinned cheekily towards her, making his bowl disappear in a plume of black smoke. He smiled to her as he waited for her to reply or finish. He was quite eager to resume their activities.

"I was not taking my eyes off you simply to make sure you didn't choke scarfing that stuff down your gullet." She simpered tauntingly, mouth curved into a wicked smirk.

Playful banter was one of her favourite things. Unfortunately no other toms had ever realised she was normally joking. She was so thankful to Heaviside and back that Mistoffelees was not that way. He enjoyed it as much as her, she was sure. She finished off her dessert, resting the bowl beside her.

"Now now Vic. We both know you cannot tear your eyes away from this." He struck a pose with a grin; pointing to his adorably handsome face. Banter was part of his charms; he could do it with anyone and still be their friend by the end. He smirked as she finished, making her bowl disappear like his own.

"From what?" she asked, arching an eyebrow dubiously. "From your pudgy and kittenish physique?"

She grinned widely, awaiting his response. Perhaps this game is a little better than the last, then again; they were stuck indoors and hadn't much to do. She quickly turned to look out of his pipe, her hopeful glance fading into one of defeat as she saw the pouring torrents outside. She sighed; there was a slight possibility she would have to spend the night. Oh what would her parents think?

"You're one to talk; look at you! Getting kind of chubby are you Vic?" He prodded her waist playfully; grinning. He had stopped checking for the rain a while ago. He knew it was there; a fear at the back of his mind told him so. He saw a look of panic flash in her eyes and he guessed what she was thinking.

"Would you like me to go to your parents? To explain where you are." He offered, he didn't want her going in the rain if he could help it. He needed to go out and get some extra things anyway.

"O-Only if you want to." She replied hesitantly, knowing how much he feared water in general. "But you don't have to do that on account of me. I can wait really."

And as she recalled something, she gently whacked him upside the head.

"And how DARE you call me pudgy?" she demanded, though she smiled all the same. "I'm no Gumbie cat! Besides – I thought I was attractive to you."

She pouted up at him, crossing her arms and giving him the saddest look she could muster. This was far too much fun. She was loathe to let him go. Not so soon. She would eventually brave the weather but she didn't want him to.

"I w3ouldn't care if you were a Gumbie – I'd love you all the same." He murmured, dropping the banter for a moment. He stuck his tongue out at her sad look. "But seriously, I do think you need to cut down on the amount of dessert you eat – Its beginning to show."

He tried to restore the mood before standing up. He stretched before kissing her head gently. "I'll go tell you parents; I'll be back before you know it."

The conjurer smiled and climbed into the pope above his den, he yowled as he stepped into the icy rain but stayed outside; he made his way to Victoria's parents. He explained the situation to them, partially drying out before starting on his way home. He picked up a few bits and bobs on the way back.

Before Victoria could utter a word in response he was gone. She looked downcast for a moment but shrugged it off and settled into his blankets. Where had that sudden draft come from? It was freezing without another cat body close by!

It was nearly fifteen minutes before the sodden conjurer landed back in his den, shivering. He yawned and smiled to Victoria through his chattering teeth. He headed down one of the tunnels within his den, it lead to a smaller room with a deep pit dug into the earth.

He used his magic, with difficulty, to fill the pit with water. He heated it and headed back to the main area – where Victoria was. "Do you want a bath Vic?" He asked her, he was still cold and wet. He was willing to share the bath with her if she wanted.

"Um…I guess." She shrugged, caught off guard by his question. "But I think you need one more than me – You're shaking!"

Without any hesitation she drew closer to him and wrapped in in an embrace. His body felt like ice.

"I told you I could have waited." She chided him gently. "Now you're nearly frozen!"

The tom sneezed with a burst of golden glitter. He shook his head at her last phrase.

"It had to be done." He murmured, nuzzling her ear as she em,braced him. His shaking slowed slightly before he lead them both down the small tunnel to his little bathroom, He gestured to the pool with a paw.

"L-l-ladies first." He smiled, chivalry not failing him even in his freezing state.

"And you're coming in right after me." She replied, half-playfully and half-chidingly.

She grabbed his paw and pulled him in after her, settling down into the warm water. Perhaps, at a certain temperature, water wasn't so bad at all. All it really needed was some heat.

"And perhaps some bubbles…" she mused aloud, momentarily forgetting that she was not alone.

He chuckled nervously as he settled into the warm water, his fear ever present. His shaking slowed but he still sniffled. The tom smiled at her outburst, he let the warm water seep into his cold muscles before saying his magic word softly.

"P-Presto." He stuttered softly, filling the bath with a few bubbles for her. He sneezed again with an explosion of glitter. He frowned slightly as the golden particles rested on the top of the water – some even landed on his queenfriend.

She gasped in delight at the bubbles but her euphoria was periodically postponed as he sneezed at her. She drew away from it, her ears drawn back till it subsided. She giggled a little as the sparkled lay upon her. Her mirth quickly faded to be replaced by worry.

"Are you alright Misto?" she asked, wading through the water to sit beside him. "Did you catch a chill?"

She looked over him, concern clearly etched on her pretty face. She lifted a paw out of the water to feel his forehead and his ears. He did seem warm – but then again this bath was rather hot.

He ducked away from her touch, shaking his head softly. He splashed her to distract her.

"I'm fine Victoria." He smiled reassuringly. His body was warmer than before, almost uncomfortably so. He was coming down with something but didn't want to worry her.

She ejected some stray water from her nose in a soft snort, glaring at him in annoyance. She knew exactly what he was doing but she would not stand for it.

"Don't try and sidetrack me." She said gently but firmly, resting her side against his and nuzzling her head over his shoulder. "If you're coming down with something you need to tell me. After all, I have trained under Jenny and Jelly in the infirmary. I know a few things about nursing a sick cat back to health."

He pouted, unable to contain his purrs at her touches, as distracting as they were. He shivered, not from cold but instead their closeness. He licked her forehead and sighed.

"I'll be fine, my love." He whispered into her ear gently, nipping it and tugging it playfully. He splashed her again, grinning as he tried to entice her to play.

Her eyes dilated into slits in an annoyed yet playful glare and she splashed back at him, purring like mad. She beamed at him, licking over his wet and matted chest ruffles as she scooped some water into her paws and suddenly dumped it over the back of his head. She giggled; elated. She sloshed over to the other side of the small pool, taunting him.

He purred, lunging forward to ensnare her waist. He shook his wet head, his soft fur splattering her with water droplets. With her he wasn't afraid of the water, he would face anything if he got to spend time with her. Mistoffelees sneezed again. The glitter from his shoulders fell upon Victoria, making her sparkle slightly.

"Gross." She exclaimed, wiping off her face and shaking the water out of her headfur onto him. "You don't have to shower me with your affection you know!"

She giggled as he held her waist, a slight tingle coming over her. How was it that he always managed to do that with her? It seemed a touch from him always held a spark of electricity.

He smiled sheepishly, holding her closer. He nibbled her ear.

"Maybe I like to shower you with affection; literally." He admired her for a moment longer before chuckling. "It seems you now have a sparkle of your own Victoria."

She quirked an eyebrow at him before following his gaze to her shoulders; she couldn't help laughing in turn. She had never been glittered by a tom before and she quickly told him so.

"Are you really feeling well, Stoff?" she asked, bringing up the subject once more because she simply couldn't help it, "I need to stop worrying, but really, I can't,"

She ran her claws affectionately through his chest ruffles, purring in contentment as he held her close. She was still reeling in bliss from the fact that he actually loved her. She had a tom, all her own.

Mistoffelees kissed her cheek gently. His mellow voice soothing her as he once more reassured her he was fine. His purrs deepened at her touches to his alabaster ruffles. He nuzzled her. He licked her ear gently.

She leaned into him, resting her head upon his shoulder as she enjoyed every caress and every bit of affection he bestowed. She continued to mess with his chest fur, knowing full well it was his favourite spot.

"You know," she began, catching his attention, "If my father knew what we were doing right know, he would have an absolute fit!"

His purring ceased at that thoughts and his expression became one of mock horror.

"Does this mean I have to destroy all of the garden shears?" he joked playfully. He knew Munkustrap could pose a real threat if he wanted, but the conjurer was equally sure he could escape anything the silver tabby threw at him.

"And even the silverware that you so love to collect," she added with a smirk, but her mirth quickly turned to worry, "Really, Stoff. I don't want him to be upset with you. We have to get his blessing in order to be mates, you know,"

She removed her head from his shoulder in order to look into his face. Hers, she knew was etched in worry.

He chuckled and nuzzled her comfortingly.

"I'll speak to him as soon as the rain stops. Maybe we could become mates at this year's ball... It is only four weeks away..." he mused quietly; he suddenly had an image of him in Plato's place last year at the ball and grinned.

"If you think speaking to him would be good enough," she sighed in defeat, "I'm just afraid that he's going to disapprove of any tom I bring home, but, perhaps not you. He likes you, right?"

She lay her head on his shoulder once more, giving a small happy sigh.

He held her closer, hoping to take her fears away.

"Do you love me?" he asked her, peering into her dark blue orbs. He already knew the answer but sought to hear it from her anyway.

She gave one soft and quiet laugh, though she wasn't quite sure why. She looked into his chocolate eyes, smiling minutely as her eyes misted in tears.

"Of course," she whispered softly, giving him a small smile, "I really always have."

He licked her white nose with a grin.

"Then what are you worried about? I love you too. I wouldn't care if you were a Gumbie or if you were Macavity's daughter. I would always love you. When Munk sees our feelings he will leave us be." The tom said softly, he enjoyed being close to her.

"If I was Macavity's daughter, we would be brother and sister," she reminded him, settling down into his side, "But, I suppose your right. I'm still simply worried my father won't allow us to be mates. Then, what do we do?"

She absentmindedly fiddled with his ruffles, racking her brain for possible solutions.

He was saddened by her negative outlook on their relationship. He took her cheeks in his hands, forcing her to look at him.

"We will be together Victoria. If your father approved of Plato then he will definitely approve of me." he reasoned. "Now please, stop worrying. I'm starting to tense up again."

"I'm sorry," she sighed, gently pulling her face out of his paws, "I'll try and stop my worrying. It took me forver to get my father to approve of Plato. But, don't tense up on my account. I don't mean to stress you, at all,"

She made swirling patterns in the water with an extended claw, not entirely sure what else to say or do. Plus, Mistoffelees didn't have to see the emotions that were playing out in her eyes. Was this guilt she was feeling, or actual worry? She was simply not sure.

He sighed; she wasn't going to drop it. He smiled softly and said.

"You know... We never did finish our game." he smirked to her playfully.

"No, we didn't, did we?" she asked, a smile returning to her face as she felt less downcast than before, "Who's turn was it?"

He grinned as her countenance brightened.

"I believe it was mine." he smiled wickedly. "Who was your first crush?"

"Um... uh," she had to think back for a moment, "I suppose it was… Tugger?"

She wasn't at all sure.

Misto chuckled and ruffled her head fur before standing up, his sleek fur clung to him wetly. He climbed out and stretched, yawning. He turned to Victoria and grinned.

"Are you coming snowflake?" he asked. He wondered how she would look when she was wet…

Was she all fluff?

"Very well," she replied, standing up rather reluctantly.

For some odd reason, Mistoffelees didn't appear as small as she had assumed when wet. In fact, she could actually see some well sculpted muscles as his fur clung to him. For a moment, she simply looked over him, but then remembered she was half standing in water and clambered out of the little pool.

He chuckled to her and took her hands in his own, he knew she had seen his muscular frame; what else could she have been looking at? The tom fought back a girlish giggle as a particular thought popped to mind.

"You act as if your surprised. I'm not total fluff you know; not like Tugger." He grinned, shaking his sopping headfur.

"I… Um, sorry," Was all she could stammer out at first, as her cheeks blushed furiously, "I just thought that since you are so... but, perhaps I shouldn't finish that statement,"

She shook herself off as well, shaking out each individual paw. She then sat down upon the blankets in order to groom the residual water from her fur.

He groomed himself too before cocking his head curiously. What was she about to say?

"I know curiosity killed the cat..." he began, his nose twitched like a rabbit's when he sought answers. "...but please finish your sentence."

She looked up to him for a moment, slightly surprised that he wished her to continue.

"I was only going to say that since you are so petite, I didn't expect you to have musculature like you do," she replied hurriedly, commencing to groom her fur rather quickly, "That's all."

He looked a bit hurt at her words but shrugged. He knew he was small. But to hear it from her was a tad hurtful. He raised his hind leg to hide his face as he groomed his inner thighs. His tail twitched slightly. His ears pinned back sadly.

She hastened a glance to him and winced. She hadn't meant to hurt him, that's why she hadn't continued in the first place.

"Not to say that a small tom isn't attractive to me," she told him, hoping she could rectify the situation, "In fact, I'm so small, it's a wonder I have any muscle. Besides, I don't think I could be mates with a large tom,"

He glanced up at her, his ears flicking forward.

"It's okay Victoria. I'm small." his ears pinned back again to show his slight discomfort. He bit his tongue between his front teeth before continuing. "I'd rather have heard it from you now than later."

The tom lowered his leg to the ground before grooming his ruffled on his chest. He hid his face before continuing.

"It's just... being called small and petite is kind of degrading." he shrugged again. "But I don't mind... really."

"I've been called small and petite all of my life," she replied, grooming over her shoulders, "It wears on you, I know. I wish others would simply stop commenting on it. I didn't mean to degrade you or patronize you, I just... I mean... you're bigger than I am. Is it that bad, really? It makes you an incredible dancer,"

She looked to him hopefully, begging for forgiveness with her eyes. She began to feel she had dug into a rather sore subject.

He shrugged again. He brought his other leg up to groom the excess water from it.

"Its fine love, Can we drop it?" he murmured softly. He purred at her compliments slightly before twisting his body away from her to groom the base of his spine.

"Of course." she answered quietly, looking to the floor.

She sighed and recommenced grooming herself. She brought a leg up and began to ring the water out of her pelt with her tongue. She felt rather bad for breaching the subject with Mistoffelees entirely. She felt like she had hurt his feelings, but didn't quite know what to do. She hadn't meant to hurt him at all, but now she felt incredibly guilty. Why was she always saying these stupid things to him? She really hadn't meant to. She was grieved that instead of being open to fixing it, he had just asked to drop it entirely; that only made her feel more guilty.

He rolled onto his back, rubbing it against the dirt to get it dry. He shook out his headfur; licking his paw and using it to return his fur back to its normal position. He rolled onto his stomach and stretched out. Mistoffelees waved his tail in the air as he yawned; his tongue poking between his teeth.

Victoria licked her paw and combed it over her face, hastily wiping a guilty tear from her face. Why did she feel so bad about all this? She was behaving ridiculously! But, she couldn't help it. She buried herself in the blankets, using them to dry herself instead of the dirt. She began to groom herself over once more, for the blankets had fluffed her fur out. She pinned it back down with her tongue, dashing away a tear every once in a while.

Mistoffelees followed her back to the main area. His brow markings furrowed and he crawled over to her. He laid beside her, nuzzling her shoulder.

"Are you okay Vic?" He whispered in her ear. He had noticed her continuous dabbing at her eyes. He wrapped his body around hers for warmth. Though he would never admit it he was starting to feel slightly unwell.

"No," she replied honestly, wiping another tear away, "I always end up saying the wrong thing to you. Can i not go a few moments without hurting you feelings?"

She rubbed at her eyes, but more tears continued to fall. How on Earth was she going to make him a good mate if she kept hurting him? She snuggled into him, sighing heavily and sniffing.

He wrapped his arms around her; fending off his lethargy as he sought to comfort her. He stroked her headfur lovingly.

"Victoria... You didn't hurt me... It's my fault for taking offense." he licked her tears away with a shiver. He rubbed her back with his paws and crooned softly to her; hoping to sooth her.

"I should know better than to offend you," she sniffled, turning to bury her face into his chest, "I know you better than anyone, I should know better!"

She wrapped her arms about him, holding him as close as she could. She wanted to apologize, but the tears were making rather difficult to speak. She had already lost one tom to her stupidity, she wouldn't lose the one most important to her, would she? She nuzzled even further into him, horrified at the thought.

To silence her he pressed his lips to hers, dipping her against his arms slightly. When he had her attention he drew back, whispering softly to her.

"It's okay Vic. I know I'm petite, I should accept it. You were only telling the truth…" he paused to rub their noses before continuing. "…which I admire you for. Now please Vic, cheer up."

The tom kissed her gently, lingering a bit longer than usual.

She pulled back from him, giving him a small, watery smile.

"I'll try," she sniffled, wiping away her remaining tears, and chuckling at herself, "I think I'm just fatigued a well."

She snuggled into him, closing her eyes and sighing deeply as she drew in his scent. She yawned widely, allowing herself to drift.

He purred softly before yawning. He hummed a soft tune, a lullaby he used to be sung. Mistoffelees stroked her soothingly as she began to drift. He closed his eyes and succumbed to the nagging feeling of lethargy.