Always the Guardian

A bit of angst and a lot of sexytimes in this part. Not for kittens!

Thank you for reading!


Part Two

"And you said it looked like an adder?" Jellylorum asked.

"It… yes, I'm almost certain," Munkustrap stammered. When Jellylorum's expression became grim, he quickly added, "But I could be wrong. I don't know snakes all that well. Maybe it was something different- something less dangerous."

Jellylorum shook her head kindly. "No, I think you're right, Munk. The symptoms match. Oh dear—it's been so long since anything like this has happened."

"But you have seen this before?" Munkustrap asked. "You know how to take care of him?"

He kept craning his neck, tail twitching nervously, trying to catch a glimpse of Jenny and Mistoffelees on the bed just behind Jellylorum. He'd brought Mistoffelees, still unconscious, back to the junkyard less than an hour ago, running faster than he'd ever managed before.

The good news seemed to be that Jenny and Jellylorum—especially Jellylorum—seemed familiar with the effects of snake bites and had begun working almost immediately, smearing medicine on the bite marks on the tux's swollen thigh and wrapping a bandage around it. The bad news was that Mistoffelees hadn't awakened since passing out in the forest. Jenny had rolled him onto his side, to keep him from choking in case he woke up and vomited again, and was now slowly pouring medicinal tea into his mouth, rubbing his throat with practiced fingers until he swallowed.

"Well, yes," Jellylorum said, shaking her head a bit sadly. "We have seen this before, but…"

"But…?

"But, well… if that adder had bitten someone like you, it would be better," Jellylorum said, though she quickly amended her statement with, "As opposed to Misto, I mean. You're a bigger cat and you weigh more than he does. Snake venom is very dangerous for a small cat."

"But he's going to be all right? He's still alive, isn't he?"

Jellylorum sighed, glanced behind her to where Jenny was still carefully feeding Mistoffelees the medicine, and evenly said, "He is alive, but… the next day will be very crucial. He's unconscious while the venom works its way out of his system. He may recover—or he may not wake up."

"He could die?" Munkustrap asked faintly.

"He could die, Munk. Yes."

"I'm sorry," Jenny said, rising to her feet with the empty tea cup. She walked over to Munkustrap and gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. "It's up to Misto, now. We've done all we can."

"It all happened so quickly…"

Jellylorum nodded. "It often does, dear. That's why snakes are so dangerous. They strike terribly fast. And the venom, well… it spreads like fire."

"He was fine one moment," Munkustrap murmured. "And minutes later, he was unconscious in my arms."

"But alive," Jenny said insistently. "Remember that. The battle isn't over yet."

Munkustrap nodded jerkily. The tux was still curled up on his side, a blanket pulled up to his knees, revealing the clean white bandage wrapped around his thigh. He looked rather peaceful- almost too peaceful, and Munkustrap nearly panicked until he spotted the faint rise and fall of Mistoffelees' chest. Still breathing. Still alive.

"Someone should stay with him at all times for the next few days," Jenny said, wearily rubbing her eyes. "Tugger and Victoria are quite close to him, maybe we could ask them to-"

"I'll stay," Munkustrap said. Without taking his eyes off Mistoffelees' sleeping form, he padded over to the bed and settled himself down on the cushion Jenny had been sitting on. "I'll stay with him until he wakes up."

A hand gently petted his head, and he heard Jellylorum say, "That's very commendable of you. But don't exhaust yourself; we can all take turns sitting with him."

Munkustrap shrugged faintly. Mistoffelees' lips were slightly parted as he breathed quietly, eyes closed and face relaxed. He brushed his hand against Mistoffelees' limp one, then checked the thick bandage wrapped around his thigh as though there was anything he could actually do to help accelerate the healing. "It's my fault this happened."

"Oh, Everlasting," Jenny said with an exasperated sigh. "There he goes. If anyone in this junkyard so much as sneezes, he'll go and blame himself."

"Munk, if he survives at all, it's because you got him back here so quickly," Jellylorum helpfully said.

"It's not like that," Munkustrap said. Under normal circumstances, he would have taken the time to feel offense at Jenny's words. He brushed Mistoffelees' hand again and wrapped his fingers around the tux's unresponsive ones. "We both could have been paying attention, but… we weren't. We didn't seen the adder right at our feet. It's my fault because I was distracting him."

"Were you having an argument?" Jenny asked. "Were you fighting?"

Munkustrap sheepishly shook his head. "We were…. Er…" Why was it so difficult to admit? He lovingly tightened his grip around Mistoffelees' hand, hoping the gesture and his embarrassed silence would be explanation enough.

Luckily, Jellylorum caught on. "Oh, I see," she said, with a hint of amusement despite the gravity of the situation. "Well, either of you can hardly be blamed for that."

"I'm sorry, dear," Jenny said. "I didn't know the two of you were… well… mates."

"We're not," the tabby quickly said. "Not yet. But… I suppose it's something we'll be discussing if Misto wakes up. When Misto wakes up."

Neither queen had anything to say against that. Munkustrap had to admit his own boldness surprised him; he wasn't in the habit of being pessimistic, but he also wasn't a blind optimist. Still, of there was any hope to be had, then he was going to cling to it like mad.

He wasn't about to lose the cat he'd fallen in love with, and especially not just a few hours after literally embracing that love for the first time.

He settled himself on the cushion, made sure Mistoffelees' hand wasn't about to slip free of his own, and prepared to wait as long as he needed to before seeing the tux's eyes open.


Since Mistoffelees had been brought to Jellylorum's den, owing to her more ample supply of medicines for this particular medical emergency, Jenny eventually left for the night and left their patient to be watched over by Jellylorum and Munkustrap.

Munkustrap hadn't yet left the tux's side, still sitting on the cushion. He made no motion when Jellylorum came by to pet him on the shoulder.

"Go get some sleep, Munk," she said. "You've had a very eventful day too."

"I'm fine," Munkustrap said, shaking his head. "Really. I'm not tired, I don't think I could sleep."

Jellylorum sighed softly. "You're allowed to take care of yourself sometimes, dear."

He made no answer. He was more preoccupied by the fact that Mistoffelees' hand, still cradled in his own, was becoming a bit cold, and that the small tom had begun to shiver in his sleep.

"Something's wrong," the tabby said. He futilely pulled up the thin sheet to Mistoffelees' shoulders. "Jelly—he looks like he's freezing."

The old queen quickly turned her attention to the unconscious tux, putting a warm hand to his forehead and feeling his face. "This may be normal," she said. "An effect of the venom. I'll get him some blankets to make him more comfortable."

Munkustrap nodded absently as she disappeared into the back of her den. She'd only been gone a few seconds but it already felt like hours, as Munkustrap helplessly sat and watched Mistoffelees shivering desperately.

On impulse, he pushed himself up from the cushion, lifted the thin sheet, and slid onto the bed behind Mistoffelees' back, pressing their bodies together full-length. With a purr for comfort, he gently began to groom the back of Mistoffelees' head and neck, hoping it would help heat up the freezing tom.

To his relief, the shivering began to ease, and Mistoffelees seemed to slid into a more restful sleep. When Jellylorum came back, holding a thick flannel blanket, she said nothing at the sight of the two curled-up toms, but smiled and draped the blanket over them both.

"If he loves you half as much as you love him, Munk," she gently whispered as she left the room to go sleep. "Then you're going to be very happy together."


Munkustrap stayed by the sleeping tux's side for three days. Three days, during which Jenny and Jellylorum alternated between yelling at him to leave and get some sleep, or doting fussily over him and bringing him food and tea. When they weren't doing that, they busily checked over Mistoffelees, changing the bandage on his thigh and forcing tea down his throat.

Munkustrap did sleep, in little bursts here and there, jerking himself awake and flushing with guilt that he hadn't been watching Mistoffelees as promised. Victoria had come by to try and take her shift by the still-unconscious tux, only to be rebuffed by Munkustrap.

Tugger had done the same, though he'd merely shrugged at Munkustrap's efforts to chase him away and settled down next to his brother and his unconscious best friend. At least the conversation was a welcome distraction from the tabby's exhaustion and worry, and had earned him boisterous congratulations from Tugger after he'd learned that the two had finally made a move.

For the most part, Munkustrap spent the time alone, clutching Mistoffelees' paw or carefully grooming his face and head, watching the tux's face for any signs of wakefulness. At the very least, he was still breathing, and occasionally it seemed to Munkustrap that he stirred and moaned quietly in his sleep, and that was something.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to Mistoffelees, once they were alone again. He'd spoken to the unconscious tom over the past few days, deciding that maybe a familiar voice would help rouse him. Tugger had offered to sing, and then to whisper obscene things to the small tom so he'd wake up and punch him in disgust.

"I don't mean that I'm sorry about the snake," Munkustrap said. He gently caressed Mistoffelees' paw as he spoke. "Well, yes, I am sorry about not protecting you, but that's not all. I'm sorry about always protecting you. Instead of… instead of paying attention to what you really wanted."

Munkustrap leaned down to rest his head against the edge of the bed. The move brought him close to Mistoffelees' sleeping face.

"Tugger told me I'm an idiot." He smiled ruefully. "Granted, he tells me that a lot. But according to him, I should have seen the signs from a mile away. But I didn't, you know? I never think about things like that. But, Everlasting, I should."

Despite himself, despite the strength and resolution he'd worked so hard to build up, he began to feel a heat and a prickling at his eyes. Tears? He never cried. He couldn't remember the last time he'd cried. Maybe as a kitten, falling from a box or bumping his head or losing a favourite toy mouse.

"I should, because…" Munkustrap paused, frowning as he wiped at his eyes. It did nothing though; as soon as he blotted one tear, more fell down his face, leaving warm tracks in his fur. He finally gave up on holding the tears back, and instead focused on keeping his voice from wavering as he spoke. "… because I almost missed something wonderful. I would have missed it, if you hadn't said anything. I was a fool, Misto… now please, please wake up and give me a chance to get it right…"

He trailed off, not wishing to embarrass himself any further with the rather maudlin speech and his increasingly obvious sobs. He pressed his face into the blankets, crying softly.

Munkustrap almost missed the soft nudge. The last three days had been filled with moments of false hope where he'd been sure he'd seen Mistoffelees blink or mumble something, so he paid no attention at first when he felt a gentle squeeze against his hand. The squeeze soon became more insistent, finally prompting the confused and still teary-eyed Munkustrap to lift his head.

"… you are crying," Mistoffelees weakly rasped. He was blinking sleepily, licking his lips with a dry sound. "I thought so. I never thought I'd see…"

"M… Misto?" Munkustrap gasped. To his embarrassment, the tears kept coming, though at least now they'd been replaced with tears of happiness. Mistoffelees was awake, and he was quite sure he wasn't dreaming. "You're… oh, Everlasting! You're all right! How do you feel? Does anything hurt? Do you need anything?"

"… water'd be wonderful…"

The tabby was on his feet in a flash, scrambling for the water cups Jellylorum had left around for him. Feeling rather giddily happy now, he set down the cup and slipped his arms around Mistoffelees, helping the weak tom sit up enough to drink.

Mistoffelees' eyes glazed over a bit as he sat up, though the moment he'd gulped down some water, clarity returned.

"Thank you," he said, coughing slightly, though sounding stronger already. He blinked a bit sluggishly and took in his surroundings. "That… that thing—the snake. It poisoned me badly, didn't it?" At Munkustrap's nod, he asked, "How long have I been…?"

"Three days," Munkustrap said. He began to press the tux back down onto the bed, but Mistoffelees shook his head, propping himself comfortably against Munkustrap's shoulder instead. "Give or take."

"Have you been sitting there the whole time?"

"… give or take. But you're awake, you're going to be fine now. How are you feeling?"

Mistoffelees seemed to consider the question for a moment. Munkustrap could see one of his paws straying down to feel the bandage-covered thigh.

"Not so bad. Tired. A bit sore. And… hungry, actually." He grinned to himself, then glanced at Munkustrap, lifting a shaking hand. "Were you crying for me?"

Munkustrap sheepishly wiped at his damp fur. "I wasn't crying. I was…"

"Sweating from your eyes, got it," Mistoffelees gave a tired smile. "I do so love it when you drop your guard."

"That… that's why this was my fault," Munkustrap said, grasping Mistoffelees' paw in his own. "I did drop my guard. If I'd been paying attention, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Mistoffelees shrugged as best as he could while pressed to Munkustrap's shoulder. "I think you did fine. Imagine how badly I would have gotten hurt if you hadn't been there at all."

Munkustrap gently shook his head. "I am sorry though."

"Well," Mistoffelees said, and for a moment, Munkustrap mistook the look of cheeky seduction for a look of exhaustion. The tux gave his hand a quick squeeze for emphasis. "I can think of one way for you to make it up to me."


Mistoffelees recovered surprisingly fast. Less than a day after waking up from the venom-induced coma, he was able to stand up and walk around entirely under his own power. Despite this, Jellylorum ordered plenty of bed rest and for the small tom to stay with someone to help him as needed. Munkustrap could not have volunteered any faster; shockingly, Mistoffelees himself had no objections, and found himself settling into Munkustrap's den the moment the two busy queens agreed to let him leave.

Mistoffelees, of course, made an awful show of limping and needing to lean on Munkustrap for the walk home. Ever the concerned protector, Munkustrap made sure he had two arms around the small tom the whole way, not without a large grin.

The next few days passed in a blur. It seemed that the moment Mistoffelees was able to wake up, the effects of the adder's venom had essentially disappeared. Naturally, he took advantage of Munkustrap's good-natured sense of guilt by demanding attention and a rather inordinate amount of cuddling.

"Right here, eh?" Munkustrap asked. Like so many times in the last week, he found himself sitting with Mistoffelees' leg sprawled across his lap, while he tenderly massaged the thigh with the healing bite wounds. The swelling was essentially gone, but Mistoffelees insisted that it still ached something dreadful.

"Mm-hm," Mistoffelees purred. "It's just agonizing." He sighed and squirmed in Munkustrap's lap, until the massaging paws were nowhere near the former injury site and instead were being lead just a bit higher on the tux's body.

Munkustrap made no move to object. In fact, he fought the urge to smile, heart racing at the endearing sight and feel. He'd wondered just when they would pick up where they left off in the shack, before the adder's attack.

At first, he'd felt a pang of anger at the entire situation- he'd nearly lost Mistoffelees, and nearly lost the chance to claim him as a mate because of that damn snake. But the anger had turned to something else now; oh, he certainly wasn't happy about everything that had happened, but at the same time, it had taught him a bit of a lesson. Mistoffelees wasn't a bloody kitten who needed to be kept locked away safely; he was his own tom, and a survivor.

And if this was what he needed, then Everlasting, Munkustrap could learn to give him exactly that.

It wasn't long before Mistoffelees' pointed squirming led to his paw making contact between the tux's legs. He didn't wait for further instruction before gently grasping and stroking the swelling flesh, rewarded with a pleased murmur from Mistoffelees. It had started out so naturally, and it still felt so natural to Mistoffelees now cradled on his lap, moaning softly as he attempted to return the gesture and carefully reached down between Munkustrap's thighs, finding a very hard and very eager member.

"Right there, eh?" Mistoffelees teased. He was very careful not to loosen either of their grips as he shifted about on the tabby's lap, turning himself around so he was straddling Munkustrap's thighs and facing him while they touched each other. Munkustrap politely failed to mention that the tux's ostensibly aching thigh seemed perfectly healthy enough now.

An attempted kiss ended with Mistoffelees' face buried in Munkustrap's neck; he panted harshly, nipping and licking at the tabby's neck while their paws continued to pleasure one another down below.

Munkustrap growled at the nipping. It felt terribly good, and coupled with the quickening strokes, it was becoming almost too good. He'd waited and dreamed about this for too long to have their first real mating end like that of two fumbling teenage toms in the dark.

Releasing Mistoffelees' member, he took hold of the small tom's hips, lifting him and depositing him on the cushions. Mistoffelees made a small sound of surprise, but quickly smiled at the new position, stretching himself out from head to tail and rolling his hips as though putting on a very sensual show.

Everlasting, the tux was beautiful to look at. Munkustrap placed his hands on slim hips and dragged them upwards through the black fur, deliberately pressing and caressing the skin beneath. Mistoffelees responded with little gasps and the occasional twitch whenever one of Munkustrap's hands glided over a sensitive spot. He moaned long and hard when the tabby passed over his nipples. With a slight grin, Munkustrap leaned in, pausing briefly to savour the way Mistoffelees' chest now heaved with excited breaths, and pushed the fur aside so he could mouth a nipple.

"Munk!" Mistoffelees breathed. He grabbed a fistful of striped head fur and clenched. "Yes… oh y-yes…"

Munkustrap briefly paused his gentle sucking only to adjust his position slightly, reaching down between Mistoffelees' widely-spread legs. He briefly caressed the tux's erection before exploring lower, carefully pressing a finger inside while he continued to lick and suck at a nipple, distracting the small tom from any potential discomfort while he prepared him, stretching him as slowly and gently as he could.

The discomfort, if any, seemed minimal. If anything, Mistoffelees only squirmed and moaned harder with every additional finger, until he was pulling hard on Munkustrap's head and rolling his hips insistently, making his intentions quite clear.

With a grin, Munkustrap went to position himself between Mistoffelees' legs, but the tux stopped him with a firm hand around his rigid flesh and a decidedly sassy shake of his head.

"Don't take care of me," he said, punctuating the order with a slow, gentle stroke that made Munkustrap shudder.

"Should I drop my guard…?" Munkustrap asked. He tried his best to be cheeky in reply, but it was difficult when Mistoffelees squeezed him again.

"No, I like it when your guard is raised," Mistoffelees said with a mock-growl.

Mistoffelees gave him a deliberately smouldering look as he sat up on the cushions, pushing on Munkustrap until the tabby was forced to rise to his feet. The small tom followed, though instead of standing, he dragged his claws down Munkustrap's shoulders, chest and hips as he lowered himself down to his knees.

He nuzzled the tabby's prominent erection, purring and breathing on it before using one paw to guide it towards his mouth. Munkustrap hissed softly, eyes rolling back in pleasure as Mistoffelees drew him in and out, pausing every so often to lick him from root to tip, until his erection and the thick fur surrounded it were wet with saliva.

He realized that the sucking wasn't meant to excite him, so much as it was to prepare him. Well, he was about as prepared as he was going to get; with a last, heartfelt groan, he slid his slickened, wet organ out of Mistoffelees' mouth, and drew the tux to his feet.

So, Mistoffelees didn't want to be taken care of? He could handle that.

He flashed Mistoffelees a wicked grin, making sure the small tom could see a devilish flash of fangs, and bent down to securely wrap his hands around the back of Mistoffelees' thighs. The tux's tail lashed against his hands in excitement.

Mistoffelees made an excited noise as he was lifted, wrapping his legs instinctively around Munkustrap's waist, gaining leverage to roll his hips and press his damp erection into the tabby's pelvis. Oddly enough, his thigh didn't seem to be aching at all anymore.

"And you're feeling all right?" Munkustrap asked unnecessarily, shifting their weight as the tux's arms came to rest around his shoulders. Mistoffelees wasn't heavy, but he was still careful to maintain his balance while he held the other tom.

"I feel wonderful," Mistoffelees purred. "Better than I have in a long time. I feel… alive."

Munkustrap smiled at that, and shifted their combined weight once more so he could better reach Mistoffelees for a kiss. A sweet, quick kiss, to temper the fact that what was about to follow was anything but sweet.

Tightening his hold around Mistoffelees' thighs, Munkustrap took a few careful steps towards the nearest wall and pressed the small tom against it. He used a tad more force than was strictly necessary, but Mistoffelees' loud groan and pleasured shudder told him he didn't seem to mind.

Now that the wall was able to take some of the tux's weight, Munkustrap freed one hand and reached down to grab himself, pushing his hips into a few different angles, saw the thoughtful, gleeful look on Mistoffelees' face as he did the same, until they found each other. Munkustrap groaned softly as he pushed inside, encountering just a little bit of resistance, eyes fastened to the tux's own. He watched as Mistoffelees' head fall back against the wall, and he released a tiny hiss coupled with a frown.

"Are you all right?" Munkustrap breathed.

"Y-yes," Mistoffelees said. His legs flexed around the tabby's hips as he adjusted himself. "It's just that, well—" He bit his lip through a sudden, mischievous grin. "You're big, Munk."

Though concerned, Munkustrap couldn't help a small smile. "Should we stop…?"

"Don't you dare."

Mistoffelees' mischievous grin disappeared as the tabby made a first, sudden thrust, replaced by an expression of pure rapture. A small whimper became a mess of gasps and groans as Munkustrap thrust hard, shaking the small body and making the wall creak behind him.

Mistoffelees' body tensed between Munkustrap's body and the wall, his moans falling to soundless, strained breaths. He slid his claws into Munkustrap's shoulders, urging the tabby to quicker motions, until his head knocked back against the wall with an audible thump as he reached his orgasm, spraying the fur between them with liquid heat.

The sudden clenching around his member nearly drove Munkustrap over the edge as well. While Mistoffelees still rode out his orgasm, he redoubled the strength of his thrusts, shaking the tux's body against the wall as he climaxed, pitching forward with a loud moan.

He'd landed with his face against Mistoffelees' neck, lazily mouthing the fur and neck there and enjoying the post-orgasmic high. The tux's shaking hands caressed the back of his head for a few minutes, then tapped against his fur to signal a request to be released back to the ground.

It took some careful manoeuvring, mostly because Munkustrap's legs were still trembling from exertion and he tried to be as gentle as possible as he pulled out of the tux and set him back to his feet.

With a happy sigh, Mistoffelees stretched languorously and made his way back to the cushions, flopping down gracefully with a lazy, contented purr.

"This is why I like your den," Mistoffelees mumbled sleepily. Crawling to join him on the cushions, Munkustrap could practically hear the grin in his voice. "The walls are sturdy."

Munkustrap returned the purr, smiling as the tux came to settle in his arms. He opened his mouth briefly, coming dangerously close to asking a question he knew he would regret.

Mistoffelees shifted against him. "What?"

"What do you mean, what?"

"I mean, what were you going to say? Were you going to say you were sorry for everything again?"

"No," Munkustrap truthfully answered. "I was going to ask if you're all right—I mean, with everything here."

"Mmm," Mistoffelees said, curling himself a little tighter around the striped chest. "You are such a worrywart. So let me assure you that I feel fine… in every way."

Munkustrap nodded lightly, absently running his paw up and down the sleek black fur of the tux's back. "I wasn't too rough with you?"

"Oh yes, and I'm glad you were, " Mistoffelees said airily. "And I'm glad that you—" He shifted up to lick Munkustrap's nose. "—learned how to drop your guard once in a while."

Munkustrap responded to the lick with a quick kiss. Before continuing on, he couldn't resist asking, "Does your thigh ache at all now?"

"Oh yes," the tux purred, guiding Munkustrap's hand down to his leg while he reared up for a kiss. "It hurts something dreadful."


The End!