((AN: Well, after having a pairing that I've been obsessing over for a while, it's inevitably happened that I drabbled some mature fiction of said pairing. x3

So for those of you who aren't familiar with any of my past mature writings, here's the thing: I do not like to write lemons/limes with any sort of crude, dirty, overly-detailed language, unless the characters themselves like to use it. I like to focus on the emotion around the acts, the romance and the true love, while also writing a little story around it instead of dropping into the act altogether; to me it makes it a little more substantial...trying to balance heartwarming with the heat of the moment.

Much of my style of mature writing is a bit of an experiment, while also indulging in what makes me love a pairing so much. x3 I finally decided to post some of what I've been writing, so I hope that the like-minded enjoy it too. ^.^

A fair warning before you go further, that I feel I must add about my writing Cats characters...I more or less see them as actual cats with human mannerisms. I wrote these so that a reader could also easily imagine them in their more human-like forms if it's more comfortable...however, I did take into account real feline anatomy. ^^; if that doesn't bother you (I just found it fascinating to write sex from the cat's perspective), then you're free to read on.

These stories are canon with all the stories I've posted so far, and this particular one takes place right about in the middle of Tidbits of Cats: Aftermath.

I think I've covered all I need to. So here this is, see if you like it, and if you do, there'll be a few more. ^^ (Shyly retreats))


A Dance at Dawn

As the horizon brightened slowly above the junkyard that the Jellicle Cats called home, the shadows of night still lingered towards the dusty floor and the bases of the widest rubbish towers. There wasn't a sound to hear in those somewhat lonely hours, as by then many of the other residents, from cats to rats and mice, had endeavored to turn in and get their daylight's sleep. The breeze was cool, and soft as it fluttered by, carrying pieces of paper or other lightweight things along its path and making the only sounds...save, if anyone else were awake to hear them, for the sounds of two sets of padding paws.

There was a secluded corner where Demeter kept her hidden home in the junkyard itself, if she didn't decide to sleep in the guard house most nights. It was there where she entered her private little clearing in front of the makeshift den entrance, with only a cursory, cautious sniff of the air first. No others around, as she expected...only herself, and the Jellicle Guardian, who'd been close at her back the whole way.

They'd just come down from the tallest junk tower, where after a dangerous and emotional night had come to pass, they'd decided to spend the rest of their waking hours together, and in quiet seclusion...wrapped up in each other's warmth, protection, and love. And there was hardly a better place in the junkyard for that than in her own den...for a skittish queen that tended to view every day with suspicion of danger, it had to be safe, and she built it that way.

She turned with a smile to her mate, who was wearing a gentle expression of his own behind a little smitten grin as her tail brushed beneath his chin; a little beckoning signal as they jumped down into the clearing.

As she landed, though, she couldn't help but let out a pained huff through her nose, bringing a paw up to the edge of her collar. "Ugh...I shall be so glad to have this wretched thing off..." she muttered.

Munkustrap couldn't help but notice her pause and the way her back tensed, his expression melting into one of concern as he came up next to her, a paw on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Ah..." she sighed and tried to smile again. "It's nothing...my collar is just rubbing against my...my scratches. It doesn't hurt...it's just...annoying."

In more ways than one, perhaps, the silver tabby thought as his head tilted with worry. The scratches she'd spoken of were puncture wounds on her neck, hidden by the collar, and were the marks of the earlier night's cause for worry...wounds from the vile monster Macavity, who'd made an attempt on their lives and her well-being as they'd both battled him tooth and nail, only for him to be driven off by the rest of the tribe.

Both of their wounds had been well-cleaned and partially healed up...but painless though they were now, they were still a grim reminder that danger still lingered...and tonight, they'd made the decision to forget that danger, to make good of the rest of their waking hours. Munkustrap was nigh-determined to erase all memory of it from his love's mind...from both of their minds.

"Well," he began, his soft and musical voice a whisper with the wind in her ears as he gingerly took her paw in his and stood them up on their hind feet, "I think I should help to take that annoyance away, then."

And before she could respond, she ended up chirping a quiet laugh as he reached up and twirled her around by her paw, initiating an elegant dance between them. And like the natural Jellicle Cat that she'd grown to be, Demeter quickly caught on to his rhythm, even feeling like she could hear the music that guided their bodies.

Her clearing was like their personal little ballroom under the lingering stars, music that hummed in their voices just for each other's ears. It wasn't like the Jellicle Ball, where every cat's dancing was guided and enhanced by the light of the bright full moon, every step like magic in their hearts...

But she very well imagined, how she felt when she danced with him, that it was close. She took her graceful turns to his measured and flourishing arms, every step a mirror of each other's; sometimes he would break off and execute a regal turn of his own, showing off his expertly-timed prowess and grace, and she would answer with a flick of her feet and a little leap across the floor and back to his open paws, eyes meeting and noses so close that they heard their breaths, two heartbeats that felt like one. They'd been thinking of a routine of their own to bring to the Ball Dance...this felt very much like it would fit.

I definitely can't wait to have a dance with him at the next one, Demeter had to grin as they started to wind down in their movements, and she was pulled back closely against his chest. His eyes sparkled like the emeralds they resembled when she looked into them again and saw his tender affection in them. It already feels like magic.

Her body was warm, and she could feel her pulse in her ears, and when she lifted her leg again in a graceful step in and out of arm's length, an eager little tremor passed through it. She had to hand it to him...he always knew the perfect ways to distract her from her dark thoughts. She was engrossed in his touch, and with a little purr, pulled herself to him so that her back was to his front.

His free paw wrapped around her waist instantly when she stepped into him...and just like her, he was spellbound. The feel of her slender body against him, a trilling purr that sent a little jolt through his torso...he couldn't help but take a step forward, rubbing his thigh against her leg while his chin caressed the top of her head.

Demeter, all but surrounded by his warmth, felt the need to rub the entirety of her spine against his front, down to where her rump was pressed...but the dancing had been enough of a tease for him, she decided...she wanted this time with him to last, and when the actual moment came, it wouldn't have lasted long if she'd prompted him to start his eager grinding now, here where they were still in the open.

With a nuzzle under his chin, she stepped away and turned to meet his eyes with a sultry gaze, prompting him to follow her; though he didn't need to be asked, as he returned her look with one just as alluring.

The front den entrance was through the open roof of the remnants of a car, the rest of which was lying as a part of the base of a tower of large appliances...inside, they had to squeeze into a deceptively-tight space between two re-purposed car seats and through a curtain, which hid her own personal little haven away from the outside world.

A few dots of open skylight above them illuminated a fair-sized space of folded blankets and soft pillows, big enough for cats to be able to stand up in if they wanted to and wide enough to allow for at least several more visitors, if she was so inclined...but tonight, she only wanted him.

As Demeter sauntered inside, she paused for a moment in front of a piece of discarded wall that made up one side of the den, which had a hook still nailed to it. Reaching back around her neck, she undid the snaps to her favorite spiked collar, and made a satisfied little sigh when she removed it and placed it in the designated storage spot.

Then she turned back to Munkustrap, who was crouched just inside the entrance of the curtain, watching her with a gentle gleam in his eyes...and a shy smile, waiting for her official invitation inside.

Demeter hummed a little chuckle, charmed at the sight; she hadn't been used to toms that followed the rules of protocol when wanting to mate, or even just to court. But the Guardian was still ever the polite one, waiting and watching with his body hunched in a position of respect. He didn't need to do anything more to prove he was worthy but to be himself, that he held her feelings in the highest regard, even when he now had absolute permission to enter her personal space.

With a kind and loving smile back, she sat herself in the center of the blanket and beckoned him in with a little nod. "Come, darling...let me help with your collar."

He gave a soft chuckle and stepped inside, his eyes never leaving hers even as he sat in front of her and fiddled with the loop on the neck piece. "Much obliged...but I can do it. You shouldn't have to work, tonight."

She had to hum a laugh of her own at that, and when he made it loose enough to pull his head through, she placed her paws alongside his. "Well, at least you will not say that I'm not a gracious host." The collar slipped easily off the rest of the way, tag and all, and she reached behind her to place it with hers on the hook while he straightened the fur on his face.

After a little shy pause, Munkustrap then felt her give a nuzzle under his chin, turning it into a tender rub on his neck as she sidled closer, slowly, almost timidly. His breath hitched as he felt her warmth all the more strongly in this enclosed space, took in her scent which surrounded him and made his mind a little hazy. He leaned in closer and took in a little more of her, one paw wrapping around her shoulders.

But, Demeter couldn't help but notice that he was pausing in his touches, acting just slightly tense, as if he didn't know exactly how to start, and was being his gentle self while also making sure that he wouldn't do something wrong.

It was easy to come to that conclusion; they had been waiting for the right time to actually mate, and he'd made it fairly clear that she was the first queen that he'd ever considered being with...but they weren't completely inexperienced. They would often come together in private moments and she would let him relieve a little tension if he'd needed to (after offering first if she noticed; he always seemed a bit too shy to ask), if by soft touches or a gentle grind on her rump, and in that time, they taught each other things that they liked to do or have done to each other. They were sometimes shy and hesitant moments, but they were intimate and close ones, and she loved when they had them. It allowed her to know Munkustrap in every way that went far deeper than his confident and staunchly serious self.

After a moment of reassuring him with her gentle rubbing on his face, neck, and chest, she figured that would be a good way to start, as if this were one of those intimate sessions. Pulling away a little and giving a little warm grin to his shy gaze, she slowly turned her back to him, and he leaned down against her, rubbing on her neck with a deep purr in his voice that made her entire body quiver.

She then moved forward into a crouch, her spine swerving as she felt it nestling against his underside. He gave a sigh against her neck, a warm huff of breath, as his forearms stood to either side and encased her like a protective cage. There was a little groan in his voice as she felt his crotch graze against the sensitive nerves on her backside, and his chin rubbed atop her head. "If I do anything wrong...please..."

"I will tell you, my sweet tom," she reassured in a whisper and wiggled her spine along his belly, prompting him to start pressing himself against her. "Don't worry...just let go. Feel it."

And oh, did he feel it. The Guardian felt relieved when she started with something familiar, a little pride in how lovingly kind and clever she was...he was in love with everything at the moment, from the way she took in an earnest breath when his teeth took a hold of her scruff, the soft feel of her body fully pressed against his own, the tightness growing in his loins when she moved a little in tandem with his grinding...

She too was lost in him, and she wanted to stay that way forever, kept so firmly in his hold and yet so fervently close. She knew how to make love, but, she never knew just how good it could be when you were truly in love, and you knew that your partner was as well...she felt such a difference in Munkustrap than she ever felt with Macavity. The way he held on, a paw wrapping around her belly, pads pressing firmly to feel the softness of her underside, the breathy groans from his throat...the silver tom was telling her with every movement of his being just how he revered her.

Demeter could no longer hold on to herself, feeling his movements grow into a more fervent, active energy. She arched her back and raised the underside of her tail up into the space between his legs, and she felt him enter her with a deep push. His grinding turned into twitching thrusts as he felt her heat surrounding him, deeper, wanting more.

He let go of her scruff to drop his head over her shoulder, eyes squinted against the intensity that he was starting to feel, his breath coming in and out as quiet gasps, while she raised her own head and backed into him harder, the rasping movements inside of her sending their own bursts of ecstasy out in urgent grunts of her voice.

It lasted for only a second or so more, and then she felt Munkustrap's entire body shudder against her as he took a hold of her scruff again, a growling moan in his throat to accompany his riding out the peak of his pleasure.

Her own was soon to follow...but when she felt him tug, and there accompanying it was a sharp prick from his barbs, she couldn't help but let out a yelp. Everlasting Cat, I've forgotten about this part...

Munkustrap heard her shrill little gasp, and through his harsh breathing, he gave her neck a loving rub as he made another little tug...not much closer to dislodging himself, and making her give another muffled yelp.

All movements halted, and from his tense body, she could tell that he was trying his hardest not to hurt her...as it was inevitable to happen after withdrawing. He pressed his cheek tightly against the side of her head. "I'm so sorry..." he murmured, with every note of apology he could muster in his smooth and soft voice.

"Quickly," she rasped out through her teeth after a couple breaths of her own. "Just do it quickly. It will be okay, I promise."

Demeter felt him nod, although reluctantly, and he took a hold of her scruff again while his feet dug into the blanket below them. She braced herself as he counted with his breaths, and on the third, he finally managed to wrench free with a tug that made her want to shriek, though it came out only as a loud and hard grunt through tightly-clenched teeth.

But with the pain of the initial coupling also came an immediate wave of pleasure and relief, her own release coming like a tidal wave as she felt him loosen her from his hold so that she could roll over on her back and catch her breath.

She could hear Munkustrap doing so as well, from where he'd retreated just a foot or so away…ears ringing, both of them breathing, all that could be heard was a soft recovery. There was a moment of rest taken before she felt him walking slowly towards her on the slightly-tussled blanket. She opened her eyes to see him lie next to her, his expression so loving, that her heart couldn't stop its thunderous pace.

His tail curled over hers. "Are you sure you're alright? I've never really thought...exactly what that was like for a queen," he softly confessed, his gaze briefly wavering.

Demeter hummed a soft laugh, reaching her paw to touch his cheek...it was always so endearing, how thoughtful he was. "I'm sure, my love...it becomes much easier to endure...the more we go," she shyly grinned. "And besides...with you, just as I thought...it could only be heavenly."

He gave a breathy chuckle, coming forward to nuzzle her face, and slowly reaching his arm to her other side so that he could lean over her. His very presence was electrifying, in such a good way, and his every touch was teasing her sensitive nerves...oh how lovely it was to have his body so close above her, like he was her shield and her shelter. "Good...because I always want you to feel like you're in heaven. I guess...I would be doing a good job tonight," she felt him grin.

"Oh, very much so," she agreed with a purr, and nudged his head so that she could look closely into his eyes, the pads of her paws resting softly on the fronts of his shoulders. "I would hope that you will stay and sleep with me...but I admit I feel a little guilty keeping you away from your human."

"Nonsense," he shook his head with a reassuring smile and moved so that he sat between her hind feet, leaning over her completely. "No feeling guilty. I want to stay. It is my mission to keep my queen feeling safe..." his paws came up on either side of her, his pads ghosting down her form as his eyes took her in, "...And loved," he ended with a breath.

Her body gave a little quiver, and she knew she was already wanting him again, and even more than before...by the soft glazed look he had, he was feeling the same. She caught one of his paws with hers and placed it to her racing heart, her smile soft and showing the ecstasy she felt just by where he was. "You always make me feel like that...always," she hummed, and guided his paw over where she wanted to be touched, her voice lending itself to her purr as he caught on and placed both gently over her chest.

Slowly, thoroughly, his pads trickled their way over the trail of her nipples, and when her back arched at the touch, her fur had parted to show the delicate pink surfaces as he moved up her belly to where he started and smoothed it down again, digits spread to take in every muscle and curve of her slender and sleek form.

As he continued his gentle ministrations, Munkustrap just took his time admiring the lovely queen that purred at his feet, and gave him that soft and trusting look from her shining gold eyes. He felt so lucky, and almost mystified at the thought that he would have fallen so quickly in love...but this glorious angel had come to his tribe with so much fear in those eyes, and yet so much hidden courage, he was intrigued almost at once, and wanted to help her most of all. In return, she'd helped him to keep the tediousness out of his life. Every time spent with her was enjoyable, every talk and playful interlude, the sound of her laughter filling the space...and now their lives were connected, and he couldn't be happier.

Demeter was taking in the feel of him, reveling in the slow and methodical touch he had on her body. It wasn't a possessive touch, like she'd gotten used to having before, however careful it had been...his was genuinely caring, and she could feel it in the way he paused to observe how she reacted, her movements and sounds, making sure he knew how she wanted to feel. There was a haze over her, and she couldn't think of anything but him in that moment...she wanted to give back as much to him.

The gold-and-black queen raised her paw to cup it underneath his chin, pulling him closer over her, and he crouched so close that they were belly-to-belly. She could hear his breath coming in a little more deeply as he rubbed his face to her neck, his tongue trailing along the side of her chin, and she positioned her leg so that it rubbed at his crotch...and by the sound of the moaning hum that she coaxed out of him, he was ready for more.

She teased him for a little bit longer, until she heard a little eager growl in his voice; her paws wrapped up around his shoulders, her spine curling so that she lay where she needed to take him in, legs now between his own and resting up to his knees. Demeter could see a bit of hesitation in his gaze, even when he was nearly brought to his limit...but her loving smile erased any doubt from his mind.

Munkustrap bumped his head to hers, his deep and quiet purr felt through the both of them, as with a little push he again slipped inside of her warm core. A hum and a huff of breath was felt from his love, as she arched her spine to coax him in deeper, and he couldn't help but let a note of a moan escape.

She couldn't deny an earlier observation made that the Guardian, among many things, was also a lovely singer...she could hear it in the little snippets of his voice that were brought to the surface from their love-making, though he wasn't really doing it on purpose. He was a born poet and narrator, contrasting to his also being a born leader and defender. Demeter wondered, in what little gaps there were in her mind between the passionate, bewildering energies of their movements, just what notes she could bring out of him if she tried.

In almost too little time, he felt himself reaching his peak, and he reflexively bared his teeth against the side of her neck (he dared not bite down now, though) as a shuddering, breathy groan was pierced out from the quaking of his body. She took in all that he gave and more with an ecstatic note of her own in his ears, her claws flexing out involuntarily to just reach his skin through his fur.

She was close...now he just had to...

But oh yes, bless him, he remembered what was best to do...no room for pause, he dug in his feet and tugged himself out. The growling cry that he'd caused this time, however, wasn't nearly as high-pitched...but it still left him with a bit of regret, and the feeling of her claws taking a dig into his shoulder-blades.

They released each other immediately, and her spine twisted her around a few times to get rid of the so-brief sharpness, to be released with her high as it came—she swore, almost stronger than the first. Oh, by the Heaviside...she thought as she relaxed again into the blanket and a nearby pillow, coming down from the deep pleasure through which she was sent.

Munkustrap watched as she rode her high from where he lay on his side, again just a little bit away...it was in the reflexes of a tom to back away from a queen just after pulling out, in case she'd seen fit in her pain to swipe at him. But Demeter hadn't, both times...showing that for her, this wasn't just any tryst...this was love...and so it was for him. He smiled, forgetting that she had even accidentally scratched him in her hold, and just admired the blissful expression that lingered on her features.

After a beat of rest, he stood again and slowly came up to her, a quirk of his whiskers in his expression as he had an idea.

She tensed slightly when she was brought out of her orgasmic low, to feel him nosing between her legs...and to feel his tongue. He was grooming, carefully and slowly, around her slightly-reddened entrance. It took her a second to figure that he was taking it upon himself to care for what pain he was leaving. How am I so deserving of such love?

Demeter's quiet giggle brought him quickly out of his actions though, only to face gentle laughter in her eyes. "See? I told you it only got better."

He hummed a chuckle of his own, sparing one last gentle lick over the sensitive nerves (and sending a good shiver through her as a result). "So it sounds...but I certainly don't mind helping a little," he pointed out, his eyes shining with his smile as he stood again to sidle next to her, practically tumbling down onto a pillow with a heavy, contented sigh.

She breathed out another giggle in observing the silver tom, catching his gaze and simply lying facing him, their paws intertwining. His eyes were hypnotizing to her, but in a way that never felt forced, unlike the vile cat who once had her in his bed...the way Munkustrap looked at her, she could forever linger in that gaze and still be free to look away, like now, as she felt shy and humbled under it. He called her his lady, holding such respect...but he was practically royalty in this tribe.

His paws curled around hers, and she was pulled up closer to where he lay, where she could rest her pads on his chest and he could place his arms around her body, his head nestling onto her ears with that all-encompassing purr...even without words, he could remind her that she belonged right there.

Demeter let out a little chirrup of her own, a breathy giggle that came when she nudged up against his chin. "It sounds as if you are enjoying yourself too, dear one."

"You didn't think I would? Oh, quite the contrary," he hummed with fervor in his breath, tilting his head down to hers to catch her eyes, so close that she felt his words, "...You truly are a goddess."

She had to take in a shy gasp at that, shaking her head and closing her eyes while she placed her paw on his face. "...And you are truly dramatic."

He snickered, very much enamored of the fact that he could tease that lovely smile out of her with nothing but the truth. He grabbed her paw again and licked her cheek. "So I've heard...but I don't care. You are a goddess, my lady, that brings me Heaven on Earth."

Surely he's just a little delirious from this pleasurable morning...she thought with another involuntary chuckle. Then again, so am I.

"Then you, my lord," she purred as she leaned up a little to draw her paw from his grip, down from his chest and slowly down his side, "Are magnificent enough to warrant Heaven brought on you."

"Magnificent," it was his turn to laugh shyly, "Me? Never have I been called that. Or lord, come now, Demeter..."

"No, you're dramatically true, so am I," she shook her head and waved at him, "Magnificent, handsome, kind, brave..." she bumped her head with his, and now he had to be caught in her insistent golden gaze, "And well deserving of this." Her paw came up again, pads spread to trickle from his cheek...to his neck...down his chest...his waist...and she heard his breath hitch when she came down his knee and teased a touch into his thigh. Her voice went quiet and low again, breathy, barely getting enough of him from seeing and feeling. "That is...if you wish, once more."

He hummed, and slowly rolled on his back with a bit of a groan, inviting her touch to deeper places. "Oh, do I wish...though I fear that I shan't move much afterward for this night..." he nervously chuckled again. Damned bruises.

That was when her grin went slightly wider, the gleam in her half-lidded eyes all the brighter, as she stood up with an understanding nod. She kept a paw on his chest, and slowly trickled it down the center of his body as she sidled around him. "Then don't move."

His brow quirked as he watched her, wondering what she meant to do...and then succumbed to a cascade of shivers as she slunk between his legs and nuzzled across his crotch, and up his belly and chest, feeling her soft and sleek body rubbing his completely while her purr—which had grown so much stronger since she'd joined the tribe, he noticed—rumbled through him.

Demeter watched as his head dropped back into the pillow in bliss, his own purrs coming out broken and mixed with his voice in little gasps and groans the more she rubbed and playfully wiggled against him. She took a moment when his head was fully back to lick across his neck and underneath his chin, and his paws came up to wrap tightly around her back, holding on as if for dear life and attacking her face with his own tongue.

It was her laugh that sent the most shivers through him above all else. Munkustrap lived for that sound, the first time he'd ever heard a playful kitten-like giggle from the distrustful queen. It was like a gift whenever she gave him one of her own accord, and he felt like he won something whenever he coaxed it out.

And it was all the better when she lifted her head to show her mirthful grin and soulful eyes, despite the scars that ringed the bottom of her neck like medals of survival. The night's earlier sorrows were gone, replaced with all the joy in the world that he could give her...and he would give her the Jellicle moon on a platter if she wanted (though he doubted she did, she was also beautifully selfless).

"...Are you sure you don't want to switch places?" he softly inquired. "I can't free myself so quickly from you this way."

"I still can free myself," Demeter insisted, leaning down to press her nose to his. "And this way I won't scratch you again."

His body shook under hers when he laughed quietly. "I didn't even feel those...I don't mind."

"And I don't mind doing this now," she argued back, giving his neck a tender nuzzle before leaning up and backing to where she could nearly sit between his legs. Her paw traced up across his striped belly and over his side; she was making him absolutely tremble, and he wondered if she could feel the pinching sensation in his loins from where she rubbed.

It was her turn to admire him now, from where she balanced herself above him. Magnificent indeed, a strong and regal tom whose kind eyes and melodious voice never failed—even from the first day—to comfort and heal her. She could never guess which one of them began liking the other first...it had surprised her when she'd began wanting to be in his presence day by day, or even just within his watchful sight from afar, but barely felt worth his attention; but he'd given it, freely and happily, when needed.

How things change...here they were now, after she'd officially asked if he would be her mate and he'd said yes, without question...how did she deserve it? After still keeping her full past under lock and key?

And he always said one thing; that she did, that she proved it, that it didn't matter what she had been.

Demeter felt him getting close again to his breaking point, and his paws were flexing on her upper arms in anticipation. No more teasing...she found his sensitive spot, and drew him inside, slow and deep; this time, she was the one controlling the tempo, and she'd try to make the ripples of pleasure coursing through them last.

The silver tom felt his spine curl as he tried to enter as far as he could, and his paws held around his queen's shoulders as she let out her little breathy groans, moving in tandem with his hips and legs. He was feeling himself trying to slow his pace to her wishes, and it helped him to concentrate on not once letting his claws slip out onto her skin as his pads flexed with their movements.

But soon enough, she was feeling him twitching against her body, and it almost sent her over the edge, if mentally; she loved to feel how his body responded to her, to know that he appreciated everything of her, every moment between them something to cherish...and right now, she was sensitive to his every move, breath, and pulse, all leaving no room for doubt...he loved her, and she more than loved him.

So when he seemed about to collapse from exhaustion, she helped him to his release with a twist of her hips...and there it was, the note she was looking for, breathy and eager and high, that escaped his open jaw in a moan along with the full-body tremble (dramatic so he was even subconsciously) that told her he was at his apex.

And when he was done, she gripped the fabric all around him with all four paws (trying not to look at his concerned gaze), and all but wrenched herself free with a loud growl that turned into a breathy groan. She was momentarily dazed by the flood of her own release, a Heaviside-sent pleasure that she was almost never sure she'd associate with anyone other than her former captor, and barely registered that she'd collapsed on him; thankfully, no longer registering the scraping pain that came with letting him go, either.

The two of them breathed for a long time, hearts racing together in their ears; then, she felt him roll them over onto their sides, though she was still kept in his warm hold. When she opened her eyes, it was to see her face buried in the beautiful silver fur of his bare neck, as his was nuzzling against the slightly-rougher texture of her black-and-gold mottled head.

She heard his heartbeat beneath her ear, slowly drowning out the sound of his purr as she focused on it. The rumbling was felt through her more now, breaking the pain of her wounds from the battle earlier on in the night. Demeter only wanted to know that she was where she was, when long ago there didn't seem to be much hope for such happiness. Nestled so close to the heart of a tom that seemed as much a divine soul as much as he was a cat...coming down from a morning that felt like a dream. Above in the little openings that showed the sky, the stars were all but vanished, and the dark hue was lightening considerably, and slowly.

Munkustrap himself was feeling the edge of sleep just about to creep up on him...and considering how quiet the queen in his arms had gotten, she was just about there herself. His tongue ran across both of her ears and groomed the top of her head, with one paw smoothing the fur down on the back of her shoulder-blades. "Are you tired now?"

"Mmh," she nodded against the base of his neck. "As much as I don't want to be."

He chuckled quietly in agreement. "Sadly, life must go on, and the sun must come up."

She smirked at his rather tiredly poetic observation and licked at his throat. "...Are you sure you don't want to go back to the guard-house? I won't keep you, if you still..."

"Demeter," he murmured, soft and a little stern, holding her all the tighter, "I have said I will stay, and I will. Give me one good reason not to."

There was a time when the troubled queen would have given many. I'm a burden. I'm not worth your precious time. I don't belong here anyway.

...I'm too dangerous.

But those days felt long ago, now...Munkustrap, and the tribe as a whole, gave her enough proof that those worries were unfounded, and she'd begun to see herself in a much better way with their insistence. Now, try as she might, she couldn't find a reason not to allow him to stay as he so wished...as she really wished.

He took the silence as her answer, and his arms came from around her. Slowly he got up, making her head rise, her expression falling...was he really leaving?

But no...instead, he just moved so that he lay curled around her body...and pulled her up so that she could also curl around him, a yin-yang pose, acting as each other's pillow. "I want to stay," he reiterated with a nuzzle and a nestle against her midriff, returning the full force of a purr that she swore healed her soul every little time she felt it just for her. "I love you...and it's my right to stay with my beloved mate."

The way he said it...so sincerely, she couldn't help but believe it. After all...the Guardian hardly ever lied, if ever at all...and Everlasting Cat save her...he'd quickly solidified himself in her life, forever and always. She believed him with all she had.

Her eyes closed as she felt sleep creeping in, nestling her head against his warm and softly-curled body as well, shoulder-to-shoulder. "I love you too," she said in a murmured voice that she almost couldn't muster, as if her previous hesitation still lingered...but she still meant it, and he still heard it, and she wasn't unaware of his quickened heartbeat and extra warm nuzzle that he spared. The smile he had while teetering on the edge of sleep told her that he really did feel honored to be there as her true mate.

And so their dreams took them together to places far distant, until the afternoon sun would summon their awakened resolve...but that night would always be the best private memory for them, even through many others since.