“Don’t move,” Mungojerrie cautioned from across the room, approaching Wynne who froze, “There’s a bug on you.”
“Ew,” Wynne whimpered, going to swat it away.
“Don’t move, it might get you,” Mungo said, approaching her.
“What kind is it?”
He gave her a mischievous grin, pinning her to the ground, “A tickle bug!” He began to tickle her furiously as she screamed, squealed, laughed and kicked.
“Tynan,” she giggled, trying to fend of Mungojerrie, “Don’t just stand there; help me.” The dark tom bounded over, leaping at his dad, only to be shot down.
“Teaming up on me, eh,” he asked, beginning to tickle Tynan too, “Well, I can take you all on.” He continued to tickle the two until they were out of breath and rolling on the floor, sides sore from laughing.
“Why don’t you ever do that to Mommy,” Tynan asked, “You never pick on her.”
“I used to, back when we were small like you. I picked on her morning, noon and night.”
“I bet that you’re to chicken to pick on her now,” Tynan taunted, sticking out his tongue, “She went upstairs.”
“I’ll go do that now,” he said with bravado – not wanting to be seen as some form of a bird in his son’s eyes. He bounded up the stairs, looking around for the queen. She wasn’t about in any of the rooms and had a severe distaste for stairs – so he was certain that she didn’t go to the top floor. He climbed upon the back of the chesterfield, looking outside. He caught a glimpse of her, huddled near the siding. He crossed the house, went through the cat door and crept along side of the porch; stopping just short of the corner when he heard her talking.
“No.”
“Rumpelteazer, please, I was foolish-”
“And it took you nearly four months to realize that,” she reasoned, sounding cross, “Had it not been so long Lavvy, then maybe, but...”
“I love you though, Rumpel,” Lavvy said from the other side of the house where the two were situated.
“No you don’t,” she snapped, “If you did love me then why did it take so long for it to register? You had what, five other queens between the time we broke up and now? If you were in love with me you would have known that week; you would have gotten that sick feeling where your stomach won’t stop turning, your paws sweat, you can’t sleep, can’t think straight... This is nothing more then extreme lust.”
“How do you know that,” he asked, “How do you know that I don’t feel that way for you? Or that you don’t feel like that for me?”
“I know because you’re a cad,” she said, taking no shame in doing so.
“Is there someone else,” he asked in a calm voice. “Who is it...? Do I know him...? Is it Mungojerrie?”
“No,” she cried, “It’s not... What do you care anyways?”
“I want to know,” he pressed, “Is there someone else?”
“...I don’t know,” she said in a small voice that Mungojerrie had to strain his ears to hear. “Goodbye, Lavvy.”
Mungojerrie began to panic, running back into the house before Rumpelteazer found him. He didn’t mean to eavesdrop on their conversation but... He scanned the room, trying to find something that he could busy himself with. He saw the master’s shoe, ‘It’ll have to do,’ he decided, taking off towards it. He made it halfway when he got caught in the phone cord that was hanging haphazardly from the side table. The soft ‘thunk’ of the flap hitting the door told him that Rumpelteazer was inside, but he turned to check anyways, dragging the phone with him.
Clank
“Mario, not again,” the maid scolded, untangling him from the cable, “Enough with this foolishness you.”
“Nice job,” Rumpelteazer commented, giving him half a smile, “What brings you up here?”
“The kits said that you came up some time ago – I wanted to make sure that everything was alright,” he said quietly.
She giggled, “So, you got caught in the phone cord how?”
“I saw the shoe,” Mungojerrie said pointed at the brown shoe, making her laugh harder.
“I’m so glad to know that I’m second only to footwear,” she smiled, batting at his ears.
“That’s no ordinary footwear,” Mungojerrie scolded, her laugh and her smile growing. Mungo paused, wanting to take in every aspect of her joy filled face, “that shoe is a wing tipped, brown leather, heavy soled masterpiece – with hidden stitching...”
\//\\//\\//\
“Wow,” Tynan said, looking up at the ceiling above him, “It sounds like Daddy’s tickling her pretty hard.”
“Yeah...”