Just a little something from a prompt on tumblr. This is part of the Cryptid Monochromatic Family AU, in which Alonzo, Mistoffelees and Victoria are cryptid creatures, half cats and half something else.

"Cryptid" Alonzo x Munkustrap

Weird cryptid freakiness - short and sweet - Slice of Life - Established Relationship - Other characters mentioned


Alonzo was tired, in many more ways than most cats would understand. Being a protector was not an easy task, and he always wondered how Munkustrap could deal with it so well – as well as it was possible while being sleep deprived as hell. Munkustrap was busy today, more precisely his humans were taking him to the pet shop, probably for a trim or something like that.

With the main protector gone, Alonzo had to take the role of watching over the junkyard. And he was beat. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had decided that today was a good day for some mischief, and the monochromatic cat was forced to intervene when the twins, plus a few other kittens, almost got attacked by a pollicle.

It was a good thing most pollicles didn't like approaching him. Just like most other cats, dogs – no matter how stupid they were – could notice when the being in front of them was not just a normal cat. Alonzo quickly took care of the annoying mutt and brought the kittens back to the safety of the junkyard.

He scolded the kittens and sent them to their parents, who scolded them even more, even pulling some by their ears; and he took quite a lot of pleasure seeing Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer's faces at the chance of being introduced to Alonzo's other form. They quickly apologized and ran off to hide in their mates' den.

After all that mess, the rest of the day was mostly calm, with the monochromatic cat just doing his patrols and making sure everything was okay. He had no idea when Munkustrap would return, but he knew he would see the gray tabby later that day; still, Alonzo couldn't help but return to the old box where their den resided, deciding to take a moment to unwind.

Alonzo sighed, dropping himself gracelessly on the blankets in the middle of the den. He rolled his shoulders and tilted his head from side to side, slowly, as if his muscles were stiff, or as if his bones couldn't move too much. Bones.

He was tired, not only of having to take care of the junkyard and the twins' messes, but of simply… Existing. It was easy for other cats to assume that he didn't have as much of a hard time keeping himself in just one form when compared to his siblings; but in reality, he had just as much of a hard time with it.

The bones, the body structure, keeping himself looking prim and proper, like any cat should look like, was tiring. And Alonzo could hardly remember when was the last time he allowed himself not to have an actual body.

Munkustrap wasn't very used to it and Alonzo tried not to force him into seeing that, which meant that he would go long periods of time maintaining the "normal" form. He had stopped doing so uninterrupted, since sometimes it could cause some… Unpleasant situations.

Now, alone, he let himself… Melt.

That was the word Munkustrap used to describe what he did, and Alonzo believed it made sense. It looked just like that. The illusion of bones was the first to disappear, being soon followed by the muscles; he undid each one of them, bit by bit, like how Jennyanydots did with her knitting when it didn't go the way she liked it. It felt good, satisfying, like taking a drink of water after hours and hours of thirst.

He felt his body dissolve into nothingness, disappearing like specks of dust in the air, the pressure of gravity becoming less and less powerful, even as he "melted" on the floor.

Alonzo could feel everything around him, his senses heightening as he allowed himself just existing and not actually being something; he could hear every single sound around, feel ever vibration of every aura, be it of cats, rats or little insects running around the junkyard…

And then he felt, the very familiar aura of a larger cat, it floated around him, closer, closer; and it showed a miss of emotions… Surprise, shock, fear, amazement, wonder and-

Alonzo recognized the aura's owner before even hearing his voice.

"Ah…"

Alonzo opened his eyes – one of the few things he still had knowledge of having – and he found himself staring into the large blue eyes of a gray tabby.

The process of "melting" was stopped almost immediately and Alonzo's mind forced his body to take a form once more; it was fast and violent, making him feel dizzy, and he wasn't even sure if he did it right – which could make things even worse, like that one time Alonzo reshaped himself with his head facing backwards.

"H-How long have you been standing there?!" Alonzo asked, turning to face his mate.

"A… While…" Munkustrap was looking away, as if embarrassed. He stood by the den's entrance, not daring to take a step inside. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. Continue… Whatever it is you were doing."

"No, wait. I'm done." Alonzo quickly said, smiling at his mate.

Munkustrap finally raised his eyes, studying the monochromatic cat, before he nodded.

"Hard day…?" He asked.

"Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer."

"Say no more." Munkustrap couldn't help but sigh, knowing very well what those two could do.

Alonzo watched silently as his mate entered the den, sitting on the blankets with a sigh. He couldn't help but notice how Munkustrap was keeping a distance between the two. Munkustrap's aura vibrated weirdly, in a mix of confusion and joy.

"Looking great by the way~." Alonzo mentioned, trying to ease the atmosphere.

Munkustrap turned to him, his cheeks clearly warming up beneath the gray fur, and he chuckled softly.

"Thank you…" He ran his paw over his headfur, which had been nicely trimmed, just like most of his body. Thank the Everlasting he was not almost fully shaved like his brother had been. Munkustrap's smile suddenly dropped and he sighed. "I'm sorry for… Coming in while you were… Unwinding."

"No, I'm sorry you had to see that…" Alonzo said, holding back a sigh of his own.

He couldn't help it. He knew it was weird for Munkustrap, that it made him uncomfortable, and Alonzo couldn't help but feel annoyed at himself for getting sad over it.

"No, it's okay." Munkustrap was quick to say. "I'm the one who needs to apologize. That's just a part of you, I shouldn't act like that." He hesitated for a moment, scratching behind his neck. "I… Was watching for a bit…"

"Ah…" Was all Alonzo could say. He hadn't noticed Munkustrap's presence until the tom made himself known, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to ask exactly how long Munkustrap had stood there. But, at the same time, he couldn't help but feel warmth spread through his chest at the idea that his mate had watched him while doing something like that. "I really was out of reality I guess."

"It was… Interesting." Munkustrap admitted.

"You think so…?" Alonzo asked, trying to stop himself from sounding too excited. He was almost sure his expression should be betraying him, judging by the way Munkustrap blushed, smiling embarrassedly.

"Yes. I mean… You seemed to be enjoying it…"

"It's good."

"That's good…" Munkustrap nodded.

There was a moment of silence and Alonzo wasn't sure where that conversation was heading; but he still couldn't help but smile a little bit to himself. He could feel Munkustrap's aura, it was still confused, but it was also curious.

"Do you still need to…?" Munkustrap broke the silence.

"No, I'm okay now." Alonzo was quick to say, more in an automatic way than anything.

"Yeah, but do you want to…?" Munkustrap insisted.

Alonzo hesitated. He felt his whole body tingle with the idea of sharing that moment that has been so personal with his mate for the first time.

"… Yes…"

Munkustrap nodded, his energy vibrated with curiosity and affection.

"Then… Please, don't let me stop you." He said with a smile.