A/N: once again, TheSheep64 has spoiled me by leaving a lovely review—thank you so much! Also, thanks to JustPassingBy!

Ugh, I get so embarrassed writing romance…

Chapter 10:

As the setting sun created beautiful reds and oranges in the sky, it also sent a message to diurnal creatures of the forest that it was time to go home.

"Whew, what a haul!" said Simba, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"What a stench! Ya better take a bath before my nostrils burn, kid!"

"That is what you get for making me do all of the grunt work."

With a chuckle, Simba strode off in the direction of the spring they used for bathing.

"Might as well get dinner started, big guy. We can keep a plate warm for the kid."

Minutes later, Timon and Pumbaa sat outside, a hefty plate of spaghetti and worms between them.

"It's been awhile since we've eaten alone, huh Timon?"

"Heh, I guess so. It's been cool havin' the kid around, though."

"Of course! Gee, I can't believe we've all been together for four years now."

Pumbaa sniffed, thinking of how the nervous nine-year-old they had taken in had grown and matured into a confident young man. The rambunctious giant's voice became unusually soft.

"You know, I had always wanted to be a parent, but when I was banished, I thought...I thought I would never have that chance. I'm so glad we have Taka now."

There was a pregnant pause.

"Aren't you glad, Timon?"

"Oh, of course! I just..."

He thought about all of the times the kid had slept in their bed when he was young, all of the times they had hugged, all of the times they had laughed together.

"I never thought of it that way."

Timon chuckled, prompting a questioning look from Pumbaa.

"I guess I never thought of myself of the type of guy to raise a kid. Heck, I never even expected I'd settle down—"

Suddenly realizing the implication of his words, he cut himself off. There was an awkward pause, eventually broken by Timon clearing his throat.

"Great wormy spaghetti ya made, buddy."

"Thanks."

As they dug into their meal, neither could help but stare at the sky; nightfall had painted the sky an inky black and studded it with diamonds. The full moon sat on the tree tops, as if one could simply shimmy up a trunk and grab it out of the sky.

So engrossed were they, neither Timon nor Pumbaa realized they each had one end of the same worm in their mouths. Still looking upward, they sucked opposite ends of the worm into their mouths, inching closer and closer together. Simultaneously, Timon felt something warm and soft against his mouth, and Pumbaa found he was seeing olive green instead of sparkling black. Neither reacted for a blissfully long moment, enjoying the new sensations without realizing what had transpired.

Finally, reality reared its ugly head.

"What the?!"

"Oh crap, I'm really sorry!"

The two sprang apart, eyes wide and cheeks hot.

"I didn't mean to—gosh, I'm sorry, Timon!"

The smaller man didn't respond until he had taken a few deep breathes.

"It's fine, big fella. Just an accident, that's all."

"Right, right..."

Pumbaa purposefully refocused his attention on the sky, food forgotten. A silence hung between them like a wall while Pumbaa gathered the courage to speak.

"I was talking to Taka the other day."

He cautiously glanced at his companion.

"Yeah?"

"Yep. He told me that his clan thought the stars were actually rulers of the past."

Timon managed to meet Pumbaa's gaze as the larger man continued.

"He said that they guide our actions from the sky. That...that there's no such thing as coincidences or accidents."

Another heavy silence settled between them, but this time, Timon was the first to break it.

"That's kinda creepy."

They chuckled, some of the awkwardness fading. After a quiet moment—not so much awkward as companionable—Pumbaa returned his gaze to the sky.

And Timon wrapped his slender fingers around his friend's calloused palm, Pumbaa could swear the stars twinkled just a bit brighter.

A/N: I just had to include the worm kiss from "The Lion King 1 1/2!" I regret nothing! XD