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“Nooo, don't go." Whined a still asleep Rocky as he blindly took hold of Mordecai's tail and tried to pull him back onto the bed.
Mordecai laid himself across the matress, stopping just in front of Rocky's face. "I know, my love. I'm sorry," He leaned forward as he smoothed a patch of ruffled fur, giving the side of tabby's nose a light peck hoping to not rouse Rocky more than he already had, "But I must. Somebody needs to pick up my mother and sisters from the aiport. Unless… you would rather do that?"
"No…" Rocky grumbled — more a snore than anything.
Continuing to lay there, just contently staring down at the tabby's face, despite knowing full well he needed to leave soon if he wanted to make it on time, Mordecai allowed himself to take another moment. The two of them had such little time to themselves in the past several months.
Trailing his thumb along the single dark gray stripe that streaked his cheek and whispered, "I love you," to Rocky who mumbled back as his head tilted towards the hand in unintelligible words. Mordecai took them as reciprocation of his statement. Mordecai huffed in amusement as he, carefully coaxing his tail from Rocky's hold, climbed from the bed. Rubbing along his now sore tail, he began gathering his outfit for the day.
As he sorted through his portion of their shared dresser under the low light off a nearby lamp, his ears twitched at the sounds of patting behind him. Turning he Rocky's hand was sweepping along the tuxedo's side of the bed, almost certainly in an unconcious attempt to look for Mordecai in order to cuddle him half to death. As the tabby went unable to find much of anything other than the sheet, this seemed to cause him to begin to groan and stir.
Not wishing for Rocky to wake after the tabby had worked so late into the night, Mordecai grabbed his still warm pillow. Turning the cushion to cover his side of the bed, Rocky near instantly clung himself to it like a baby Koala would its mother and nuzzled his face against the pillowcase with a heavy purr emanating from his chest.
A simple trick that has worked countless time but had also never failed in causing Mordecai to feel a pang of jealousy over not being a pillow during those moments. To distract himself, as well as prevent the murder of another innocent pillow, he continued to prepare for the day.
—
Mid-toothbrushing, Mordecai's phone suddenly began to rang. He quirked an eyebrow, confused as to who would be calling him so early in the morning while raising his to phone to check the cause of the vibrating. It read, 'The Annoying One,' with a blurry photo of Esther falling face first on the ground after tripping over her own feet, taken by him with his first phone from their teenage years, covering the screen.
"Hel-" She began.
"One second." He spat out in a garbled fashion though a mouth full of toothpaste. Spitting and rinsing he continued, "What are you calling for?" He pulled his phone back and glanced to the time, "Your flight shouldn't be landing for another hour."
He could hear Esther rolling her eyes, "That's why I'm calling. Our flight was canceled." She sighed as someone could be heard shouting from the background.
"Oh," He glared at the speck of toothpaste that manage to find its way onto his shirt. "So, what does that mean now?"
"It means-" The person was now demanding to speak to a manager, then switched to the chair of the FAA only to immediately request the President of The Uni- They backtracked to just wanting a higher up.
"Rose! Calm down before you get us put on some kind of list." Mordecai smirked as he momentarily set the phone down on speaker, quickly removed the ruined top and replaced his phone against his ear. "That girl..."
"It means we won't be there until tonight… if we're not arrested first that is." That meant he now had at least another 15 hours before he needed to leave for the airport.
"How is mother fairing with all of this?"
"Well, a little annoyed, but I also think she's ecstatic. You know how much she hates planes." He couldn't help but remember the last trip they had taken together.
They all surprised their mother with a trip to Germany in order for her to reconnect with family. While she had been over the moon for the gift it had quickly changed to sheer dread the moment they arrived at the airport. From the moment the plane took off to the time it landed she spent the nearly eight hour flight crying, praying, and swearing — usually a combination of all three. Only worsened by every slight bump of turbulence.
"Is that your brother?" He heard his mom ask from the background. "Tell him I said hi and can't wait to see him."
"Am I on speaker?" He asked.
"One second… okay."
"Hi mom. I can't wait to see you too."
"Honey, just give me the phone. Yes I know how to turn off the speaker, I'm not that old. That girl, I swear."
"Hi, my little moonlight."
"Hi mom," He greeted again, his voice soft.
"I can't wait to see you again, it's been too long. Both of you, I can finally put a face to the name of that tabby of yours."
He rolled his eyes in feigned annoyance as if she were able to see. "I was there only a few months ago. Also, you've spoken with Rocky over video countless times already."
"I know, I know. That boy can make any conversation a story, it is a miracle that you still have both ears attached. But it will be nice to finally meet the boy who managed to enrapture you face-to-face.
"We need to go," Esther started in a hurry. "Rose just got security called on her."
"Oh, not again, I told you to make sure she took her meds. Love you honey!"
"Why was that my responsi-"
"Love you too mom."
"Gotta go!" The phone had ended up back in Esther's hands.
"Okay. Text me when you get the new flight."
"I will. Love you, bye!"
"Bye. Love you too." The call dropped after that and Mordecai just chuckled silently to himself when not even a moment later Esther texted him:
'DID YOU JUST SAY 'LOVE YOU'?!'
Locking his phone, Mordecai stared at the stained shirt in his paw and realized that his entire day of plans had just cleared themselves out with one simple phone call. He wondered what he would do with all the time that just freed itself. A full list of possibilities passed through his mind, tasks he would not be able to complete until a later date due to the countless plans that would follow his family's arrival.
Suddenly, he remembered the sleeping form of his beau.
Quickly throwing the item into laundry basket, he carefully opened their bedroom door. Removing his remaining clothing, folding and then placing them atop the dresser for later use, he pulled back the covers of the bed to find his side taken; The tabby having managed to shuffle himself across the mattress and was now atop his other pillow, the one from earlier still in his hold.
Snapping a quick picture, Mordecai moved over to Rocky's side and laid down. Covering them both with the blanket he carefully ripped the pillow from Rocky's arms, whipped into the vast darkness filling the room, and cuddled himself against the man's lean form, one arm snaked under him side with the other wrapped over his hip with a hand placed against tabby's fluffy chest.
"Hmm? You're back early," Rocky muttered placing his own hand atop the tuxedo's where he gave it a squeeze, their engagement rings rubbing against one another with the tabby's slow, steady heart beat below.
Burying his face into the thick fur coating the tabby's back, Mordecai took a deep breath. Rocky's fur held a consistent strong scent of petrichor cut through by a subtle, but noticeable, hint of maple syrup. At the moment however, he also smelt heavily of musk. More than likely caused by performing all night on a stage directly illuminated by bright spotlights.
He knew he should have made the tabby wash before having allowed him to climb into bed earlier in the night but,
It had been a while since he had the chance to see the tabby perform on stage —he receives a private show when Rocky wishes or he ever so requested. That did not stop the mental images of Rocky working up a sweat on that old stage housed in the Lackadaisy, dressed in the brilliant blue suit of his along with the feelings that arose with them.
"Change of plans, they won't be here until tonight." He muttered as he breathed in deeply, peppering kisses against Rocky's bony shoulders and lean neck. The tabby pressed further back against him, purring even more heavily than before. Mordecai smirked against the fur. Take that pillow, He goaded to nobody but himself in victory.
He can just make Rocky change the bedding in the morning.
"That's nice…"
"Mmm," Mordecai hummed in agreement against Rocky's back as he pressed his face into the crook of the tabby's neck, breathing eventually evening out as his purring resonating with Rocky's filled the otherwise quiet room.
Rocky sighed contently as he quickly slipped back into sleep. Until his traitorous bladder had different ideas. "Mordecai, let me go. I need to pee." He attempted to free himself from Mordecai's loose hold.
Instead of a verbal response, the tuxedos arms wrapped themselves lower around his waist and squeezed, effectively preventing him from moving any further. This was further assisted by one of Mordecai's legs shoved between his thighs pinning down against his own which only worsened his current situation.
"Mordecai!" Rocky whined.