#(her other dad is skimble but y'all knew that)

[jellicle-chants]

the hug that last longer than the others

So, this ended up being way longer than I anticipated, so it’s mostly going under a cut.

Rumpleteazer sat on the edge of the roof, knees pulled up to her chest. Her tail twitched, as much as she wanted it to be still. She pressed her eyes shut and sighed.

"Your dad means well, you know." She turned her head to see Asparagus climbing out of the attic window. He tried to stand upright on the shingles, using the eave as a handhold.

"You shouldn't be up here, Da. You're going to fall." She wanted to get up and help, but something was keeping her stuck in place.

"Don't worry about me," he said, crouching down and half-sliding, half-crawling to the roof's edge. "I used to do my fair share of climbing when I was your age."

"Really?" She couldn't help but laugh a little at the idea.

"Of course! Well, you know I'm awfully shy now, but it was even worse when I was a kitten. I would do anything I could not to have to talk to people, so I learned how to climb things better than anyone else could." He looked out over the horizon, the rays of the setting sun casting an orange glow over his white fur. "I would sit up at the tops of trees all day, just doing whatever I wanted to, and I loved it. Of course I would come down for meals and that sort of thing, but otherwise nobody could bother me unless I wanted them to." He turned his gaze back to her, smiling sheepishly. "So, I guess I've come to bother you. But only because I want to make sure you're okay."

Rumpleteazer turned away and rested her head on her knee, not able to meet his eyes. "I'm okay, I guess. I just wanted some time to cool off so I wouldn't stay mad at Dad." She paused, a lump hardening in her throat.

"I know you probably don't want to hear this, but what he said, that's not actually what we want for you."

"What do you want, then?"

"Just that you're safe and happy. Whatever that looks like for you, we can deal with."

"Well, then why didn't he just say that?"

Asparagus took in a deep breath. "Nobody's perfect, apricot." Rumpleteazer felt a rush of heat to her cheeks and blinked away a stray tear. "That's why there are two of us, so in case one of us mucks it up, you have the other one to talk it out with." She could hear his voice get strained, like he too was struggling to speak. "Can I tell you something?"

She nodded, turning her head to look at him again. The sun had set enough now that he was cast in shadow, only his eyes reflecting the last specks of light in the sky.

"We were never mad at you, or disappointed. But we were scared, very very scared, that you might—" He broke off, and the next moment she was hugging him, burying her face in the fur of his chest; and he held her close. She had no idea how long they stayed like that, but when she finally lifted her head, night had settled in around them, the streetlamps illuminating the world below in pools of warm yellow light.

Rumpleteazer chuckled, wiping the corners of her eyes. "I think dinner might be ready by now." She stood up, offering her father a hand, which he took gratefully, and they began walking back together.

"Yes, I expect we'll be in for quite a scolding. And, if you wouldn't mind, I'd rather he not know I was climbing about on the roof."

"Your secret's safe with me, Da. Just so long as you can slip me an extra piece of pie at dessert."

"I think that can be arranged," Asparagus said with a grin, closing the window sash. "Now let's hurry, before our food gets cold."