Chapter 6

Mistoffelees informed Tugger of the things Jenny and Jelly had told him. He did leave aside what Jelly had said about him, not wanting his mate to try and do something about it – as he knew Tugger would want to.

"Two weeks then?" The Maine Coon hummed.

"Yes." The tux nodded. "They also told me my morning sickness may grow worse during the third week."

"Thanks for the warning." Tugger said with a chuckle and Mistoffelees couldn't help but smile back at him.

Both felt surprisingly comfortable having that conversation, the knowledge that the two were indeed going to be parents having finally settled. And not just because it was a simple fact, but because they had decided they were going to work through it together.

"And what do you want to do now?" Tugger spoke up, voice and expression more serious than before. "Do you want to tell the rest of the tribe or…?"

Mistoffelees hesitated.

He knew he wouldn't be able to hide his pregnancy forever, especially from his family and close friends; in no time he would be big with one or more kittens. Mistoffelees didn't want to think about the awkwardness and the confused reactions they would receive, after all, he was a pregnant tom; and he didn't know if he had answers for the questions that would follow after.

Mistoffelees loved being the center of attention when related to his magic shows and dance moves, but the idea of having all eyes on him because of something like that – despite being related to his magic – wasn't entirely welcome.

"I'm not very sure…" He admitted.

"We can wait… That is, until you start showing…" Tugger said, his voice was soft. "Only some of our family knows for now. I know they'll keep it a secret until we're ready to tell."

Mistoffelees nodded. That meant they still had a week and a few days to figure out a not so awkward way of announcing to the tribe.

And to cats outside of the tribe…

The tux had a quiet and quick meltdown thinking about how he was going to give the news to Bustopher Jones. He knew his uncle loved him, but Bustopher already didn't like Tugger. Mistoffelees wouldn't be even a bit surprised if the older tuxedo cat didn't take the news very well; even though there wasn't anything he could do by now.

Unless if he tried to find a way of intervening, like he did once or twice. But Mistoffelees didn't allow his uncle to separate him and Tugger before, he wasn't about to let him do that now.

"Misto? Are you okay?" Tugger called, tilting his head to the side and eyeing his mate with worry.

"Ah, yes…" Mistoffelees waved Tugger's worry away with a light chuckle. "I was just thinking how I'll tell this to uncle…"

Tugger laughed as well.

"I think he'll be surprised."

"You know he is not very fond of you…" Mistoffelees pointed out, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, too bad for him, there's no turning back now." Tugger shrugged, crossing his arms in a defiant gesture.

Mistoffelees laughed.

"You're not wrong…" He shook his head, staring at his mate with a fond smile.

For a while, Mistoffelees had been imagining how it would be like to raise kittens of his own with his mate, his best friend from kittenhood, and now, in about two months or something like it, the two would have kittens.

Kittens of their own. All thanks to his magic.

There were many things still going about in his head, many questions that needed answering, all of them related to that strange, sudden and magical pregnancy. Everything happened so fast, but right now he felt able to sit and think about it with more ease.

He wasn't exactly sure how they were going to pull it off; but as his mind tried to find ways of fretting and getting nervous, he was always reminded that Tugger had chosen to stay beside him, chosen to join him in this "little adventure"; just like they had always done, ever since they were nothing but kittens themselves.

Things hadn't really changed. They were still the same duo of cats who enjoyed getting themselves in trouble together.

Mistoffelees felt his mind and heart settle into one feeling and his whole body seemed to warm up with it. He recognized the sensation, being the same one that had taken over him once he and Tugger had become mates for good.

He was happy, more than happy!

"Misto…" Tugger's voice and the soft touch of his paw against Mistoffelees arm brought the tux back from his thoughts. "You're sparkling."

Mistoffelees looked down at himself, noticing the glittery sparkles that started covering his black and white fur, making it shine with rainbow colors. He shook his head, quickly running his paws over his arms, trying to make it disappear; it didn't matter how many times it happened, or how much Tugger said he liked it, Mistoffelees couldn't help but feel embarrassed whenever it happened.

Tugger reached for his paws, stopping the magician from continuing his cleaning.

"You told me you have been thinking about this..." He said with a smile, the type of soft smile that made Mistoffelees melt – even if he tried his best not to show it on the outside. "But I wasn't expecting it to be so important for you…"

Mistoffelees felt his cheeks warm up considerably.

"It's not the pregnancy itself…" He admitted. He tried pulling a paw away to scratch at his ear, but Tugger kept a good hold of both; so he leaned his head to the side, rubbing it against his shoulder. "It's the whole experience. The fact that you want to do this with me."

Tugger's smile grew a bit more.

"Wow, you're being all cheesy now, Sparkles. Is it the kittens?"

Mistoffelees glared at his mate, who simply chuckled at the expression, evading a swipe coming from the tux.

The two did as planned, keeping it a secret, shared only between them and a few cats. Jenny and Jelly still kept their word of not spreading the news, as Mistoffelees had asked them to; Munkustrap was polite enough to not tell Demeter, even though he clearly wanted to, once Tugger had made the request; and Victoria also kept her mouth shut, having told Plato that it was a family thing that she would explain to him later and asking him not to mention it with anyone.

Mistoffelees, of course, shared it with Alonzo and Cassandra, knowing that, just like Victoria, they wouldn't mention it to anyone.

Alonzo was a bit surprised by the news and he glared at Tugger until both cats told him they were going to go through it together. After that, Alonzo relaxed, telling his little brother his secret was safe with him and Cassandra.

Said queen smiled and congratulated him with sincerity, but Mistoffelees saw the way her beautiful, pale eyes looking uncomfortable, a rare thing to see. The tux knew why, but he tried not to touch on the subject, unsure of how it would make her feel.

Still, before Mistoffelees could do something about it, Alonzo pulled him aside.

"When are you telling uncle?" The older tom asked.

"I don't know." Mistoffelees admitted. "But he's coming around next week. By then I'll be three weeks into the pregnancy." He shrugged. "I can tell him then. Why?"

"I don't think he will be surprised once you tell him it happened because of your magic…" Alonzo said. "But I don't really think he'll be happy with it."

"Well…" Mistoffelees sighed. "Let him complain. He already dislikes Tugger…"

"Misto, I know you look up to him…"

"Alonzo, his disapproval is not going to destroy me." The magical cat interrupted.

"I know it won't destroy you, but it will hurt." Alonzo said simply.

Mistoffelees nodded. His brother was right, it would hurt, just like it did when Bustopher denied giving his blessing to his and Tugger's relationship; he had gotten over it quick, after all, it was just a silly thing that he didn't necessarily need in his life anyway.

But having his pregnancy and his kittens shunned by his uncle? That's a whole different thing.

Mistoffelees knew he shouldn't think of his uncle as such a "tyrannical" being in his life, but the fear of the older cat doing something like that lingered in his head. Bustopher could be very strict about many things and Mistoffelees had always worked hard to make his uncle proud, about everything; he was proper and polite, serious but friendly, he rarely got in trouble and was the type of respectful little kitten that all older cats adored. Or at least he tried to be, but he couldn't ignore his real nature all the time.

In a way or another, having kittens with Tugger was almost like a rebellious act in and out of itself.

The thought of Bustopher disliking his kittens made him uncomfortable, but while his uncle wasn't a father himself and didn't know a thing of taking care of kittens – he did hand his own nephews and niece to the tribe once his sister couldn't care for them, after all – he had a nice way with kittens and cared for all of the young ones of the tribe.

He would never hate Mistoffelees' kittens just because they happened to be Tugger's kittens as well, would he?

"I just want you to know that I will stay by your side, no matter what uncle says." Alonzo said with a kind smile.

"Thanks, 'Lonz." Mistoffelees smiled back, nuzzling his brother.

Alonzo shook his head with a soft scoff.

"Who would've thought both my youngest siblings would have kittens before I did?"

He said it with a smile that Mistoffelees tried to imitate. He could still see the barely concealed meaning behind those words, but decided not to bring it up, just like Alonzo had asked him not to do a while ago.

Hiding the pregnancy was a strange experience, Mistoffelees decided. Strange and stressful.

The magician couldn't help but feel worried whenever he interacted with the rest of the tribe. The memory of how quickly Plato and Cassandra had picked up on his change of scent made him wonder how long it would take for other cats to notice it and figure everything out.

He wouldn't be surprised if Tumblebrutus or Pouncival or any of Jelly's kittens ended up recognizing the smell after a while, since they had witnessed a few of their mother's pregnancies already.

Mistoffelees and Tumblebrutus were close friends, but the magician decided to not let the tom in on the secret. It wasn't like he didn't trust him, but he did fear Tumblebrutus would accidentally let it all out – as he had a tendency to do, most of the time without noticing it.

"It's okay, Sparkles." Tugger reassured him, looking up at Mistoffelees from the magician's lap while the two sunbathed on top of their cupboard. "We'll just act like we do every day. As if nothing changed."

Anyone would be fooled by Tugger's smile and apparent calm demeanor, but Mistoffelees knew what was happening behind that façade. Tugger was nervous himself, maybe not as much as the tux, but still nervous. He side eyed other cats and made sure that nobody came too close to figuring things out, always smiling and changing subject and saving Mistoffelees from the limelight when needed, something his mate was very thankful of.

Then later, while they cozied up in their shared den, he would wrap his arms around Mistoffelees, one paw always resting over his still flat stomach. The touch was a bit disconcerting at first, knowing what was growing under the Maine Coon's large paw pads, but Mistoffelees was sure he would get used to it eventually. And he would take any excuse to cuddle with Tugger, anyway.

But things were changing and it was becoming harder to ignore them.

As days passed, Mistoffelees couldn't help but grow more self-conscious of his own body.

The first difference he had noticed were his nipples, which had grown bigger and pinkish in color by the last days of his second week.

After patting his fur and making sure that they were as well hidden as possible, Mistoffelees went about his day in the junkyard. But he soon discovered he mustn't have done a great job when Pouncival mentioned it with a chuckle, asking what was going on with the tux.

Mistoffelees had wanted to disappear right then and there, and was about to do exactly that, when Etcetera nudged her brother, saying it wasn't nice to laugh at others – also adding that he should know better than to annoy a magical cat, shooting a smile towards Mistoffelees. Said magical cat took the chance to change the subject and Pounce didn't mention it again.

He tried wearing his rainbow jacket to hide it, but the piece of clothing barely reached the end of his chest, leaving the nipples below that area exposed; which was a problem, since the fur there was shorter. He had to put the jacket aside either way, since it caught too much attention, even when he kept the glittering under control. Not even changing into his fully black form could help, since his fur was even slicker like that.

Mistoffelees didn't mind being in the spotlight, he actually enjoyed being the center of attention, but only with a good reason for it; like his magical and dancing skills. Aside from that, he was mostly quiet and preferred his own space, and in his current situation, all he needed was more space for himself.

"Hey, Sparkles, what's wrong…?" Tugger asked, seeing the way Mistoffelees curled around himself, quickly understanding what was happening. "Come on, it's not that noticeable."

"You noticed, others noticed as well." The tux pointed out.

"You're my mate, if I'm not checking you out, what am I supposed to be doing?" He said with a chuckle, but it did little to reassure Mistoffelees. The Maine Coon had to agree either way, remembering how Sillabub had come to him, being too shy to ask straight forward about Mistoffelees' changing body. Tugger sighed, sitting beside his mate. "Isn't there something you can do? To make them… I don't know, shrink back to their normal size?"

"If I could, don't you think I would've done so already?!" Mistoffelees hissed.

"Alright, geez, you're right…" Tugger huffed, leaning his back against their larger pillow.

They were silent for a moment, before Mistoffelees sighed, lying beside Tugger and resting his head against his stretched arm.

"I think the worst thing is when others notice but don't want to mention it to me…" He complained. "The side eyeing, the whispered comments… The tribe think they're sneaky, but they're not. At all."

"Tell me about it." Tugger scoffed, blowing the curl that fell over his forehead. He regarded the tom laying against him, tilting his head and watching as Mistoffelees sighed, poking his chest in an almost shy manner. And then an idea came to the Maine Coon. "You know a place where you won't be side-eyed by any cat?"

"Where?" Mistoffelees turned blue and yellow eyes up to his mate.

"Our human den." Tugger said, smiling as his mate's mismatching eyes sparkled at the revelation.

How had Mistoffelees not thought of it before? If there was a place where they didn't need to worry about how others would react and comment on his changing body, it had to be their human den.

Humans didn't really understand much of a cat's anatomy, just like a cat didn't know much about a human body; so there was little chance that they would know what the tuxedo cat was going through. And It wasn't like they even saw his underside that much; with the exception of the male human kit, who liked to pat his belly from time to time – something he couldn't do to the Maine Coon, unless he wished for a few sharp teeth sinking into his paw.

For the first time ever, Mistoffelees reacted to the touch, swatting the furless paw away and rolling unto his stomach, much to the human's surprise. Mistoffelees didn't know if what made him more uncomfortable had been the thought of his pet noticing anything, or the simple fact that the contact was weird; his nipples had grown so sensitive, he found himself even asking Tugger not to touch them.

Much to his displeasure, the morning sickness continued as Jennyanydots said it would, wavering from day to day and not always being confined to the morning hours. Mistoffelees tried not showing it to his humans, not wanting them to worry and try stuffing him into a box to visit the veterinarian. Tugger helped him through it, the distance he put between the two of them shortening as the days went by, probably getting more used to it; but since Mistoffelees' appetite remained low, he didn't have much to push out anyway.

Aside from that, he didn't have much to worry and, with no other cats around, Mistoffelees felt a bit more comfortable with his changing body. He did pay close attention to it though.

One or two days into his third week, Mistoffelees swore he could already see a curve on his normally stomach and the area felt a bit harder under his touch. It was weird. He knew he was pregnant, but to feel something like that was strange, as if his mind couldn't fully process it.

Jenny's little visits helped the tuxedo deal with it. She stopped by sometimes, just to check on Mistoffelees, making sure that he was taking care of himself and that everything was going well.

But while Mistoffelees' was growing to terms with his changing body, he was having a hard time with something else. He was happy to stay away from curious stares and whispered comments, but hiding from the rest of the tribe was bringing back memories that he would rather not think of.

So he slept, allowing himself to dream instead of think. It helped that he was growing more sluggish and tired anyway.

"Hey, Sparkles."

"Hm?" Mistoffelees rolled to the side, stretching and yawning as he opened his eyes, looking up at the Maine Coon sitting on top of the white cupboard.

"Wanna go back to the junkyard?" Tugger asked with a smile. "We've been cooped up in here for a while…"

Mistoffelees hesitated for a moment. Tugger was right, they had stayed in their human den for a few days already, only exiting to explore the small patch of grass behind the den; well mostly Tugger, Mistoffelees still preferred staying inside.

He did miss the junkyard, his family and friends, but as he moved, feeling his chest and stomach pressing against his bed, the tux remembered why he would rather stay away from all of them.

"You can go if you want." He said, stretching one more time and rolling unto his back. "I feel like staying inside for a bit longer…"

He received no answer from the bigger cat, so he kept his eyes closed anyway, wishing to drift back to sleep. He barely moved, even when the cushion beneath him sunk with the weight of his mate.

"Misto… Are you okay?" Tugger purred softly, his voice much closer than before.

Mistoffelees opened his eyes, looking straight into his mate's eyes as the larger cat leaned over him.

"Yeah." He said with a smile, trying to dismiss Tugger's worried expression. "Aside from the sickness and the dizziness from time to time…"

Tugger scoffed, tail moving in a quick flick.

"That not what I meant and you know it." He stated.

"Why would I lie?" Mistoffelees said automatically.

Tugger shook his head, wondering why his mate still tried using that tone with him; both knew that it never worked. He regarded the tux for a moment, tilting his head to the side and raising an eyebrow.

"I…" Mistoffelees started, letting out a sigh. He raised a paw and scratched at his ear, a clear sign of his nerves acting up. "I don't like this…"

"Misto, you're barely showing, we can go back, no problem." Tugger pointed out before Mistoffelees could finish speaking.

The tuxedo cat sighed, sitting up and stretching once more, letting out a big yawn.

"I don't like this." He admitted.

Tugger was silent for a bit, as if not knowing what to say.

"What exactly…?" He asked, tentatively.

Mistoffelees shook his head, keeping his eyes downcast.

"I know we decided to keep it a secret, but it just gets harder and harder to deal with it…"

"We knew this was going to happen once you started changing…" Tugger mentioned, softly, not wanting to upset his mate, but wanting to make sure he got where that conversation was heading.

"Even without the changes, I don't like keeping it a secret." Mistoffelees said with a groan. He scratched at his ear one more time, then again, and only stopped once Tugger held his paw. He finally met Tugger's stare. "Doesn't this remind you of something else?"

The Maine Coon didn't answer right away, clearly thinking hard about what his mate was talking about. It didn't take him long, his brows furrowing, while his eyes continued soft.

"It's like when we had to hide your magic…"

Mistoffelees nodded.

It felt like ages ago. Tugger had known of Mistoffelees' magic since they were nothing but kittens, and after going through a hard time having to accept that his best friend happened to be magical, just like his estranged older brother, Tugger had decided to stay beside the little tux, promising to keep his secret safe.

So many years repressing his magic, having to keep it away from the other's eyes, hiding all the marvelous and splendid tricks Mistoffelees' could do; ot never stroked Tugger as fair, but both accepted that that was the best to do. The tribe had grown distrustful and afraid of such powerful magic, the memory of Macavity and the things he had done still lingering fresh inside their minds.

It wasn't until the last Jellicle Ball that Mistoffelees was finally given the chance to shine and to show the tribe that they didn't need to be scared of his magic.

Holding that secret for so long had been such an uncomfortable experience; Tugger could still remember Mistoffelees saying, voice barely above a whisper, how he "didn't want to have to hide that part of himself anymore".

It was no wonder Mistoffelees was having a hard time doing it one more time.

"Well, if you're ready to tell…"

"I didn't say I was." Mistoffelees huffed.

"Do you think I am?" Tugger threw back, sighing when his mate scratched his ear again. He knew Mistoffelees would feel pretty uncomfortable going around the junkyard announcing his pregnancy, prompted or not. And anyway, what was the chance of the tribe believing him in an instant? "Here's an idea… We can just tell the others they can start spreading the info. So we don't need to do that personally."

Mistoffelees hesitated, leaning his head to the side.

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

"Well, it'll sure make the news travel fast through the tribe." Tugger shrugged. "Especially if Jelly and Jenny are involved."

Mistoffelees nodded. News and gossip ran across the junkyard like wild fire, and it was mostly thanks to the two oldest queens, who were always ready to share what they knew or had heard about.

The thought of the news of his pregnancy being spread in such a way made the tux feel uncomfortable, but he couldn't deny that it was a good idea.

"Misto?" Tugger leaned forward a bit, pulling the magical cat out of his thoughts. "Well, what do you say?"

Mistoffelees wasn't given a chance to respond.

"Hey, look, it's that fat tabby cat again." The voice of the young human tom-kit got the cats attention. They didn't need to hear anymore to know who he was talking about.

"You boys have a visitor." The human queen leaned her head down, smiling at the two toms.

"Just in time." Tugger chuckled and Mistoffelees couldn't hold back a smile.

The two walked side by side towards the back door, which was readily opened by one of the humans.

Jennyanydots was waiting for them by the steps of the house's small, backyard porch. She was still in her typical "Gumbie Cat" form, looking much bigger and rounder than she did during her nightly life in the junkyard.

"'That fat tabby cat', how sweet." She giggled, walking over to Mistoffelees and nuzzling the tom – who looked even smaller near her now. "How are you feeling today, dear?"

"I'm good." Mistoffelees nodded. "We were just talking about you."

"Well then, you can tell me why I've been on your mind while I check you up."

Mistoffelees answered Jenny's questions, allowing her to paw softly at his stomach. She promptly felt the resistant consistency of his abdomen, pointing it out with a glint in her eyes. Tugger waited as patiently as he could, picking on his mane, or playing with the chains that adorned his belt; he knew that Mistoffelees would want him to give Jenny the news.

"Well, you're already on your third week, so this means that the kittens are just starting to take shape!" Jenny said with such an incredible amount of joy that Mistoffelees couldn't help but smile also, as if it was contagious. "Your nipples are going to get a bit redder and you will feel when the skin over your belly starts getting thin, but don't worry! That's normal!"

"Thanks Jenny…" Mistoffelees nodded, and his smile turned into a soft frown as the queen pawed at his stomach once or twice more.

"Do you know how many…?" Tugger asked, paying attention to the queen's actions.

"Oh, it's too early to know that." Jenny said. "But… I believe there will be a few…"

"More than one…?" The Maine Coon said, tentatively, and Mistoffelees tried holding back a chuckle at his tone of voice.

"Probably!" Jenny's smile grew even wider.

Tugger simply nodded, his eyes meeting Mistoffelees , who just smiled kindly back at him. His mate was nervous, still processing the information that they would have more than just one kitten, and Mistoffelees couldn't help but find it adorable when Tugger's brow furrowed, the blush under his golden fur almost visible.

"Jenny…" The large tom turned to the queen, as if trying to ignore the tuxedo's knowing eyes. "We would like to ask you a favor…"

They explained their plan to Jenny and the queen listened intently.

"Are you sure of it?" Jenny asked, as sweet and caring as she always did. But the two toms could see the barely concealed excitement in the old queen's eyes at the prospect of finally letting the cat out of the bag.

"Yes, it'll make things easier." Tugger shrugged.

"And there's more chance they'll believe you first." Mistoffelees added.

Jennyanydots nodded.

"Well, then leave that with me." She said with a kind smile, patting Mistoffelees' head.