Marriage of Convenience

Part Four

By the end of the week, Lion-O and Cheetara were ready to return to New Thundera. They had met with all of their allies on Third Earth, re-strengthen the bonds of friendship. However, the rest of the time had been boring and slightly uncomfortable. Cheetara actually looked forward to the work that would keep her busy all day.

The trip to New Thundera was quick and uneventful. As soon as the Feliner landed outside the lair, Snarf, WilyKit, and WilyKat ran out to meet them.

“Snarf, it’s good to have you back,” the furry creature remarked.

“How was the honeymoon?” WilyKit inquired.

Lion-O glanced at Cheetara, smiled, and replied, “It was great.”

Snarf opened up a small book he carried and followed Lion-O as he helped Cheetara unload the Feliner. “You’ve got a busy schedule this week. The leaders of the lion clan want to meet with you this afternoon. You’ve got a meeting in thirty minutes with...”

“Enough, Snarf,” Lion-O interrupted him. “We’ll get to that later.”

Lynx-O, Ben-gali, and Pumyra came outside. Ben-gali said, “We’ll get those suitcases for you.”

“Yes,” Lynx-O added. “The twins and I are ready to go to Third Earth for guard duty.”

“Thank you for the help,” Cheetara replied.

Pumyra grinned and said, “How else can Lion-O carry you if he has his hands full with luggage?”

“Carry me?” Simultaneously, Lion-O asked, “Carry her?”

“Over the threshold, snarf, snarf.”

Lion-O shrugged and picked Cheetara up. “They have a point,” he commented, and began walking.

“I guess so,” she remarked, putting her arms around his neck. She looked behind Lion-O to see the ThunderCats following them at a distance, the luggage in tow.

Once they were inside the lair, Cheetara glanced at Lion-O. “You can put me down now.”

“I think they’re expecting me to carry you all the way upstairs. Will you push the button?”

Cheetara leaned over and hit the ‘up’ arrow for the elevator. “Don’t be silly, Lion-O. You carried me over one threshold already.” She wrapped her arm back around him, for security, she told herself.

“It’s okay,” he replied. “I like carrying you.”

She gazed into his eyes as he walked into the elevator. Everything around them seemed to disappear as the elevator doors closed. An emotion within Cheetara built itself up, keeping away all logic. It was an emotion that she could not fight and refused to struggle against it anymore. Instead, she found herself yielding to it. The smell of Lion-O’s cologne, the touch of his hands on her body, the feel of his skin under her fingers was only enticing her. Cheetara closed her eyes and kissed him. He welcomed her openly. Their mouths clashed against each other with a hunger that could not be satisfied.

Pulling back and breathing heavily, Cheetara said, “No one is watching us. What’s the point of doing this?”

“You kissed me first,” he pointed out, and kissed her again.

The elevator stopped and opened its doors unnoticed by its occupants. The door then closed and the elevator went back down to the first floor. When the doors opened again, WilyKat made gagging noises. “UCK!”

Cheetara looked behind her to see the ThunderCats watching them.

“We’ll take the stairs,” Ben-gali said, the elevator closing again.

“Well, it looks like they saw us after all,” Lion-O commented.

Cheetara thought to herself, “What am I thinking? I can’t be doing this...not until I know for sure how he feels about me. I have to be more careful.”

“Is something wrong?”

She looked back at him. “No, Lion-O.”

The elevator doors opened again. This time, Lion-O carried her out and to their bedroom.

“Here we are.” He put her down on the floor but held her close to him.

Nervously, Cheetara remarked, “The others will be here any second.”

“We could put a ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door and lock it,” Lion-O whispered.

The cheetah wanted to succumb to his idea badly. Her thought processes shut themselves off as he began planting kisses along her neck.

Just as sudden, he stopped. Cheetara popped open her eyes to see the other ThunderCats at the door. As they brought the luggage in, Snarf was saying, “You’ve got twenty minutes to get there. I’ll walk with you to the hangar and give you the rest of your schedule along the way.”

She shook herself out of her daze and breathed a sigh of relief. Lion-O turned to her and said, “It looks like I’m busy until tonight. Do you mind unpacking our luggage by yourself?”

Cheetara glanced at the suitcases by the door and looked back at him. “No, I don’t mind.”

He smiled and took her hand. “I better go before Snarf has a conniption fit.”

The furry creature put his hands on his hips and huffed.

Lion-O replied, “Thanks, love.” He brought her hand to his mouth, kissing it lightly. He then winked at her as he let it go, a promise in it.

In the background, Pumyra glared at Ben-gali. “Why don’t you ever do things like that to me?”

Grinning, Ben-gali remarked, “The next time we have luggage that needs unpacking, I’ll be sure to remember to do that.”

With a playful growl, Pumyra grabbed Ben-gali’s ear and began pulling him down the hall.

“Hey, that hurts!” he said.

The rest of the ThunderCats left to finish their work. Cheetara watched Lion-O leave with Snarf then closed the door. She leaned against it and grew angry with herself. How could you let things go that far? You’re going to have to be more careful! Don’t even get excited about the name he called you. He said that for show. What are you going to do about tonight now?

Cheetara shook her head and looked at the suitcases waiting on her. She growled out loud and ran her hands through her hair. The cheetah despised unpacking. She quickly did the unpleasant chore and decided to go see if Panthro or Tygra needed help with anything.

*****

The next morning, Cheetara got up at the same time she did every day. She always got up early so that she would have time for her morning run. It helped keep her in shape. Before getting up though, she glanced at Lion-O’s sleeping form. She knew that he did not get home last night until after she had fallen asleep. The cheetah was hoping the same thing would happen tonight.

As quiet as a mouse, Cheetara pushed the covers off of her and got out of the bed. She walked toward the closet and almost tripped on Lion-O’s shoes. Holding in a painful scream, she grabbed her ankle and grimaced. The cheetah hobbled to the closet and turned on the light inside the wardrobe. She pulled out a uniform and quickly changed into it. As she was about to put her boots on, Cheetara heard Lion-O grumble and roll over in the bed. She quickly turned off the light and stood silently until she was certain he was asleep again. She slipped on her boots and left the bedroom.

The female ThunderCat had not gone on her morning run in several weeks, except for the morning runs on her honeymoon. With all the preparation for the wedding and getting adjusted to the marriage, Cheetara had not had the time to run. She was excited about getting to go this morning. The cheetah always used to time to clear her head or think over problems in her life. That particular morning, she thought of the problem she was facing in her marriage to the Lord of the ThunderCats. Cheetara knew that she could not keep avoiding him. Yet, she did not want to ask him out right how he felt about her. He would only say what he thought she would want to hear. No, Lion-O would have to tell her when he was ready. Until then though, she just could not be with him. Not in that way...

Cheetara knew her time was running out. She cursed herself for kissing him yesterday. It only complicated matters.

She went back to Cat’s Lair and up the stairs to her bedroom. Except it was Lion-O’s bedroom. She still felt like she was intruding into his private space. Cheetara sighed and walked in, knowing he would already be up.

He called from the bathroom, “Is that you, Cheetara?”

“Yes,” she replied, sitting on the bed and taking off her boots.

“Where did you go?”

“I went on my morning run,” she answered.

Lion-O stepped out of the bathroom into the bedroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist. “You shouldn’t go by yourself.”

Cheetara turned around to him, saw what he was wearing, and flipped her head back around. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. “Why...why not?” she asked flustered.

“You’re the Lady of the ThunderCats now. I can’t risk you being ambushed by one of our enemies, like the Mutants.”

“The sword would warn you if I were in danger,” Cheetara reminded him.

“Most of the time,” he pointed out. “You don’t need to go by yourself and that is final.”

In a rush of anger, the cheetah stood up and folded her arms. “You can’t do that to me! I can take care of myself. I’ve done it a lot longer than you have.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Lion-O questioned her.

“Nothing,” she mumbled and walked past him into the bathroom. “But I can’t live my life in a...safety bubble just because of my position. You go places by yourself.” Cheetara turned on the faucet and began rinsing out the sink. She frowned in annoyance of the shaving scum Lion-O left in the sink from his razor.

“But that’s different. I have the Eye of Thundera to protect me,” he reasoned.

“I have to run. It helps keep me in shape,” she pointed out, rummaging through her personal items on the bathroom counter.

Lion-O grabbed her elbow and turned her around. “Let’s not fight. We’ll think of something.”

“Okay,” she said and nodded her head.

“I’m sorry I got here so late last night. I’ve got another full day again today. That’s what I get for taking a week off.”

“You have to do what you have to do.”

Lion-O smiled and stroked her face. “I’m glad you are so understanding about that.” He kissed her lightly on the mouth and stepped back. “I’ll see you later this evening.”

Cheetara closed the bathroom door and undressed. She then turned on the shower and stepped in. Cold water rushed over her. She stifled a scream and quickly turned off the water. It was going to be a bad day.

*****

That next morning was not much better for the Lord and Lady of Thundera. In fact, it was much worse. It started the night before when Lion-O got home early. He found Cheetara in the control room, pulling a double shift as monitor. She explained to him that Pumyra asked her to work her shift so that she could go out with Ben-gali. Lion-O was not very happy about that but reluctantly went to bed by himself. Cheetara was thankful that he was already asleep when she went to bed.

But when the cheetah awoke to go on her morning run, she was not so lucky. As she shuffled to get out of the bed, Lion-O put his arm around her and pulled her close to him. “Where are you going?” he asked, still groggy from sleep.

“I’m going to go run,” she whispered back to him.

“I can think of better things to do,” he replied and began kissing her.

Cheetara began pushing him away from her. “Lion-O, I can’t.”

“Sure you can,” he replied, planting kisses along her neck and stroking her body with his large hands. “I give you permission.”

Fear beginning to set in, the cheetah pushed against him. “I’ve got to go run. Otherwise, my whole day will be ruined.”

Lion-O sighed heavily and laid back on the bed. “I told you that you couldn’t go by yourself.”

Cheetara took the opportunity to get out of the bed. “What do you expect me to do, Lion-O? Stay at the lair all day...and not ever go out by myself? That’s crazy.” She walked into the closet and turned on the light.

“Fine, do what you want,” he replied smartly.

“I’m sorry that I woke you up. Just go back to sleep. I’ll see you when I get back,” Cheetara remarked.

His anger and frustration growing, Lion-O growled, “I can’t go back to sleep now. Besides, when you turn on the closet light, it wakes me up!”

Cheetara looked back at him and put her hands on her hips. “Well, I wouldn’t have to turn on the light if you wouldn’t leave your shoes on the floor! I tripped on them yesterday and almost sprained my ankle!”

Lion-O threw the covers off and got out of bed. “I would put my shoes in the closet if there was room for them!” He walked into the closet and motioned at all her clothes hanging in it. “Your stuff takes up most of the room in here!” He grabbed a handful of her clothes and threw it out of the closet. “There! Now I have room!”

“I can’t help that! You have a small closet! You’re not so easy to live with either. You leave shaving scum in the bathroom sink!”

Lion-O opened the bathroom door and flipped on the light. You’ve got stuff all over the bathroom counter!” he bellowed. With a sweep of his arm, he knocked all her things on the floor, one of her perfume bottles breaking.

She cried out then glared at him. “Well, what did you expect? That I wouldn’t have anything that I need?”

“I can’t believe one woman has so much stuff!”

“Oh yeah! I can’t believe one man uses up all the hot water!” she shouted back.

Lion-O growled out loud again. “You hog all the covers!”

Cheetara went to the bed and threw the bed sheet onto his side. “There! You have all the covers now!”

“Great!” he answered back.

She paused for a moment, and then asked angrily, “What do you want from me? Do you want me to move back into my room?”

“You might as well,” he replied icily.

“Fine,” she commented as he walked past her and to the closet.

“Fine,” he told her and pulled a uniform off a hanger. He threw it over his shoulder and headed out of the bedroom.

“Where are you going?”

“To get some fresh air!” He yelled at her and slammed the bedroom door.

Cheetara, fuming, picked up one of her boots and threw it at the door. She looked around the bedroom at the mess. All of a sudden, everything that had just happened hit her full force. She ran her hands through her hair in frustration and fell to the floor. She brought her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs, and lowered her head as she began sobbing heavily.