To Maran Zelde, yes, I am doing better on the updates, basically because all the hard stuff's done. All the scheming, who goes where, who does what, and so on. I like the outcome on the most part.
To Nachonaco: Haven't see you for a while. No, the acronym for Someone Like You (SLY) wasn't planned. In fact it was still a while before I thought up a lost brother, let alone his name. At the time I started it, for all I knew it was probably going to be my last TLK fic for a while. Good thing it wasn't, huh? I think this chapter and the next and this story's at an end. Finally! Now if I can just think of the next storyline I'd be set...
Chapter 52:
9 months ago...
The sun had begun to set. Timon was leading Zuri through the oasis. "Uh, let's see... there's a leaf over there... and there's a mud hole over there that Pumbaa likes to wallow in every now and then. If your friend Jina sticks around she'll want to see that." Timon took a look at Zuri, who looked extremely bored. He gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Zuri, I'm not really the best at giving tours."
"I've noticed," Zuri replied dryly.
He ran a paw through his hair. "Also this is pretty much the first time I've taken a normal walk with a girl, besides Ma anyway. Guess I'm kind of flustered."
Zuri grinned and leaned against him as they walked. "Come on, Timon, loosen up."
Timon blushed slightly and took a step away from her. "Loosen up. Easy for you to say. I've never been engaged before. You probably had to beat the boys back with a stick before you got stuck with Makali. I went down on the first pin during our competition for mating rights... not that it would've mattered anyway."
"You mean none of the girls liked you?"
"Tunnel klutz, remember?" He frowned when Zuri giggled.
Zuri noticed his frown and quickly put on a straight face. "Sorry."
"No, you're not." She let out a few more giggles. "Besides that, I guess I was giving the wrong signals. I was trying to score points before competition with some of the girls. One girl said she couldn't marry me because of medical reasons."
"Medical reasons?" Zuri blinked.
"I made her sick."
Zuri winced softly. "Ouch. Well, even if you did score points, we wouldn't have ended up together."
"Heh. Yeah, I guess some good came out of that." He stretched a bit, releasing a few cricks. As he stretched he heard rushing water, and grinned. "I guess I can show you that spot, since we're right here."
"What spot?"
Timon took her paw and pulled her along. "You'll see."
"I don't like surprises, Timon," Zuri said as she ducked under some low-hanging branches.
Timon pushed aside from vines and stepped through. "You'll like this one, trust me." Zuri stepped through and gasped. Ahead of them was a lake with a small waterfall covered in loosely hanging vines and vibrant bushes and trees. It seemed untouched. "I, uh... I rarely come to this part of the oasis. Don't ask me why. I guess it's just one of those spots I don't wanna go to alone."
"It's gorgeous."
Timon shrugged as he walked over towards the edge of the lake. "Yeah, I guess so, if you like this sort of thing." He picked up a pebble and tossed it into the water. It skipped along the water a few times before sinking.
Zuri watched with wide eyes. "How'd you do that?"
"All in the wrist, babe," Timon replied with a twist of his wrist and a grin.
"... 'Babe?'" With that Zuri playfully pushed Timon into the water. Timon yelped and made a splash.
Timon resurfaced, and spat water out of his mouth like a fountain statue. Zuri put a paw over her mouth and laughed. Timon grinned. "Oh, you like that, huh? Well, take that!" He floated on his back and kicked some water her way, drenching her. She stood there with an annoyed expression while Timon had his turn to laugh. "That's a good look for you!" he teased.
Zuri shook the water out of her fur and brushed down any piece of fur or hair that was stuck up. "Well, I was going to pull you out, but now I don't think I will." Zuri grinned and walked away. She soon found herself running when she heard Timon climb out of the water and was running to catch up with her. He ran and tackled her from behind to the ground. They had stopped near a neighboring pond.
"Got ya!"
"Why, you-!" Zuri growled and pushed him back with the back of her foot. She then turned and pushed him down to the ground. "Sneak attack me, will you?"
"I wouldn't call that a sneak attack. I'm not exactly wearing my sneakers," Timon pointed to his bare feet. Zuri went to take a look, and then Timon got up and pinned her to the ground. "Got ya again."
"Now that was a sneak attack," Zuri said with a dry look.
"Guilty."
Zuri grinned and started to sit up a little. She looked past Timon's shoulder and said, "Hi, Papa." Timon gulped and then looked back, seeing nothing. Just then Zuri pushed Timon onto his back, pinning him. "Got ya back."
Timon nervously chuckled. "Fell for the oldest trick in the book. You do a lot of reading?" Zuri chuckled, and then both became silent for a moment. "Are... you gonna let me up?"
"Mmm... mm-mm."
"What if I said something you'd wanna hear?"
Zuri leaned down closer to him and grinned. "Like what?"
Timon pouted his lips for a minute, thinking. Zuri leaned down closer, taking that as an invitation. He was too busy thinking of the right wording to pay attention to what she was doing. "How about something along the lines of 'I lo-'" Timon didn't finish his sentence. That's when Zuri leaned down further, having him right where she wanted him, and kissed him. He was not expecting that. Timon's eyes were as big as dinner plates, and the rest of him felt numb. He started to get some feeling back as she pulled away. "Loh-loh-luh..."
"Hmm... that's a new one. Broken record." She snapped her fingers in front of his face, and he seemed to regain his senses. "Better now?"
Timon shook his head to clear it and sat up, blushing. "What was that for?"
"Are you saying you didn't like it?"
"Oh, no, no, I liked it. I really, really liked it. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all."
Zuri frowned slightly as she stood and dusted herself off. "Hmm. You really have had a lack of contact with girls." She took a glance at him. "You've never even kissed one before."
Timon stood and dusted himself off, letting the blush dissolve away. "Girls never liked me before, that's all."
Zuri stood in front of Timon. "I'm a girl. And I like you."
"Just like?" Timon asked with an arched brow. "A girl doesn't kiss a guy she just 'likes.'"
"Love then." Timon felt the blush come back and swallowed. She leaned closer to his face. "You feel the same way, right?"
"I..." Timon gulped, feeling a lump in his throat. "I..." He felt the lump get bigger. He tried to swallow, but found it a little difficult. He walked over to the pond they had stopped by and took a few sips to help it go down. It helped. He tapped his throat a bit to work it out, and then he turned back to face Zuri, finding she was turning around and starting to walk away. "Hey, where are you going?"
"Knowing my father he'll want us to head back before the sun sets. It's a long walk back to the Pride Lands. We need to get everyone ready for the move this week," she said, looking disappointed.
Timon slapped himself in the forehead and ran to catch up to her. "I'm sorry, I don't know what just happened there!" He stepped in front of her, keeping her from walking. "I just had something in my throat."
"What were you gonna say?"
"That..." He swallowed again, feeling the lump developing again. He cleared his throat and tried to think of something else to say to make her feel better. "That... I feel the same way." He cleared it again. "And... I regret that I didn't say thanks."
"For what?"
He leaned down to her and kissed her. Zuri was a bit surprised at first, but quickly returned it. Timon pulled away and said, "That."
"You're... welcome." Zuri waved a paw in front of her face. "Are you hot, too?" Timon grinned and started to walk away with her. "Can't wait 'til later this week..."
"Me neither." Timon was happy, but he wondered what that lump in his throat was about.
Present...
"You mean because I sprung that kiss on you just as you were going to say the 'L' word, you started having trouble saying it from then on when you're thinking about saying it?" Zuri asked.
"Only thing I can think of," Timon shrugged. "That was my first kiss, after all. I guess I didn't think about it being the cause of my stutter, dry mouth, or the lump in my throat."
"Well, how do we fix it?"
Timon laid on his back and looked up at the stars. "I don't know. Maybe I'll never be able to say it to you when I'm thinking about saying it... when I'm not angry at least."
"Angry?"
"Yeah, the last few days I found I could say it when I was angry." He counted the times on his fingers. "When Sudi said I was just a replacement Sly to you, when Pumbaa suggested that you asked Sly to come back with us and you spending time with him, when Pumbaa asked me if really I cared for you-"
"Why would you get mad at that?"
"The way he asked it, Zuri. I mean, we have pups together. We're raising them together. I have everything I ever wanted, and he asks if I care for you?"
She laid down on her back next to Timon. "I guess that would make you mad. But I don't want to hear those words coming from you when you're angry. I want them to be sincere, gentle." She looked up at the stars, and suddenly blinked. "I just thought of something. Maybe it's not even my fault, but yours."
Timon sat up to look at her, looking insulted. "My fault?"
"I think it's suggestive thinking that you can't say the 'L' word, and your brain is using my surprise kiss attack as an excuse for your stutter and lump in your throat. That, and/or maybe you just don't have the stomach to say it right to my face." Timon furrowed his brow, still looking insulted. "After all, most males can't say the words if they don't have enough confidence." She looked at Timon with a teasing grin. "Apparently that includes you, Mr. Smart-Aleck Tough Guy."
Timon furrowed his brow a little deeper. "Smark aleck tough guy?"
"Mm-hmm..." Zuri nodded.
"Not enough confidence?" he folded his arms in front of his chest.
"Mm-hmm..." she nodded again.
"Suggestive thought?"
"Mm-hmm."
"... Anyone ever tell you you're great with conversation?" Timon asked sarcastically. Zuri grinned and nodded. "All right, you want me to tell you how I feel without you saying something first?"
"Be a nice change." Zuri then flipped onto her stomach and rested her chin in her paws, kicking her legs back in forth slowly as she looked at Timon. Timon drummed his fingers on the ground, thinking of how he wanted to say it. After a few minutes he stopped drumming and sighed. Zuri frowned. "What?"
Timon grabbed his cane and stood, taking a few steps forward. "I'm distracted by some thoughts."
"Like what?"
"Like, when I saw you with Sly, I felt like someone kicked me in the stomach. When I thought you were a part of that massacre, I..." He let out a sigh and shook his head. "I hadn't felt so beside myself since Dad died. If anything had happened to you..." He bowed his head and closed his eyes. Zuri stood and began to walk towards him. "You're the best thing to happen to me in a long time. I love you too much to lose you."
Zuri gasped softly. She walked to the front of Timon and lifted his face up. "What did you say?"
Timon opened his eyes and furrowed his brow. "You weren't listening while I poured my heart out? What were you, day dreaming?"
She quickly shook her head. "No, no, I heard all that. I just wanted to make sure I heard that last part correctly."
"I said I love-" Timon stopped himself, realizing he said the 'L' word. Twice. He swallowed and said, "I said... I love you." He surprised himself. He didn't stutter, his mouth was wet, and there was no lump in his throat. "Zuri, I'm cured! I can say it!"
Zuri smiled and put her arms around his neck. "See? Suggestive thought. And for the first time I can say, I love you, too." She leaned up and kissed him. He returned it as he wrapped his arms around her. She pulled away and grinned, "But do that stutter again and I'll dunk your head underwater with the piranhas and snapping turtles."
Timon nervously smiled. "Yes, dear."
To be continued...