Trouble In Paradise [Completed]

[cowardly_hero]

Character(s): Timon and Pumbaa
Content: A fight erupts, quite possibly splitting the dynamic duo... forever?
Setting: Vocea Condominiums
Time: Week 38
Warnings: None

He was the brains of the outfit then and he still was now. Pumbaa hadn’t the slightest clue what he was talking about. As if it could possibly ever be the other way, that Pumbaa were the brains… It was ridiculous. Just outright ridiculous! Where had the warthog ever gotten such an idea? Timon stomped his way through the apartment, steam on the verge of shooting out his ears. Pumbaa had questioned his judgment in the past, and admittedly for the better at times, but this was different. Timon had never heard Pumbaa talk to him like this before.

Just when had Pumbaa grown such a spine anyway?

Comments

[learntoloveem]

Pumbaa was pacing in the apartment, stopping every few moments to grunt and snort. Timon had done a lot of things before that really weren't very good ideas in the end, but he'd never tried to take Pumbaa's tusks, let alone sell them. He'd always been very proud of his tusks, and for Timon to just come along and...and act like he owned them! Pumbaa might not have ever been so angry in his life!

[cowardly_hero]

It was only a matter of time before the two ran into one another. And even through all his frustration, Timon could tell when he had entered the same room as his warthog friend. Er, plausible friend, rather. At least at that moment he was. He paused in the door way and watched the pig pace. Timon had seen Pumbaa angry before but not quite like this. Today, as it would turn out, had a lot of firsts in it. Timon silently gulped before deciding to speak.

Nose held high, he acknowledged the warthog in the room. “Pumbaa.”

[learntoloveem]

The warthog snorted when he heard the meerkat's voice. He stopped pacing, and put his own nose high in the air.

"Timon."

[cowardly_hero]

Only silence followed, the meerkat remaining perfectly in place. There was an endless list of questions, and even more insults, but Timon remained tight lipped. Pumbaa was certainly not the one calling the shots. And pacing around, acting as though he owned the place would do him nothing. Timon narrowed his eyes at the warthog.

[learntoloveem]

The expression was mirrored by Pumbaa, who was still completely lost in just what a terrible thing Timon had done.

"don't you have something to say to me, friend?"

[cowardly_hero]

“I think you outta have something to say to me.” Starting with an apology.

Pumbaa was overreacting over the entire thing. They were, after all, just tusks. Yes, in a way, they did define Pumbaa. But those gigantic, upside down, big ugly teeth jotting out the sides of his mouth were… well, just that! If anything, Timon thought of it as doing the warthog favour. Not that he really could remove the tusks, even if he wanted to. Timon could talk the talk but when it came down to it, he could never bring himself to actually steal Pumbaa’s beloved tusks. Zommie likely knew that from the moment he laid eyes on the meerkat.

Timon looked to Pumbaa expectantly. “Well?”

[learntoloveem]

Sadly, Timon's logic was completely lost on the warthog. Pumbaa wouldn't have been able to figure out what the meerkat was thinking with something like this on a good day, much less on a day when he learned about his tusks being sold indirectly and without his permission. The thought that Timon had figured it wasn't a real sale anyway because of the fact he wouldn't ever be able to remove Pumbaa's tusks never once crossed the warthog's less than agile mind.

"I have nothing to say to someone who would try to sell his best friend's things."

[cowardly_hero]

“I didn’t try to sell them." Timon explained, rolling his eyes. "I did sell them.”

Pumbaa made it sound as though the exchange had been unsuccessful, which in many ways had been true. The few measly little beans had been more trouble than they were worth. They had brought him nothing but misfortune and on top of that left barely sustained his hunger at the time. He had been duped. Why, if he ever saw that lousy, no good, zombie again… Timon would be sure to give him more than a piece of his mind, that was for sure.

[learntoloveem]

How could Timon be so carefree about all of this?

Pumbaa snorted, and glared down at his ex-friend. "Then how do I know you didn't sell anything else? Maybe you sold my bed! Or my hat!" The thought of losing that hat was simply devastating. How could Timon even think of doing something so terrible?

[cowardly_hero]

His hat, really? Now the warthog was just being absurd. “That hat don’t mean a whole lot to anyone else.” Only the three of them knew its true value: the Doctor, Pumbaa, and himself. Giving it up felt wrong, even to Timon. They had never had any real material possessions before, not like these humans. To rob Pumbaa of his when he had only just gotten it would not sit right with the meerkat.

“And your bed? Please.” No one would want that.

[learntoloveem]

"Well, that doesn't change that you still sold my tusks! I'm just as proud of them as I am of my bed and my hat! You should be ashamed of yourself, Timon!"

The warthog looked down at the meerkat with the most disappointed stare he could possibly muster up. A moment later, his expression softened, and he looked much more depressed than angry. "And I'm ashamed of myself for ever calling you my friend."

[cowardly_hero]

“Pumbaa…” Timon instinctively reached out to comfort the warthog but stopped himself as the reality of Pumbaa’s words struck him. They had shouted at one another, called each other countless names and once even gone an entire day without speaking with the other. But none of that had ever stuck to the meerkat, not the way Pumbaa’s words had. They hurt more than any name Pumbaa had ever called him, even ‘rat face’. The pair had never brought question to their friendship during their fights. This was serious.

Shocked by Pumbaa’s response, he shuffled back, his voice falling quiet. “You don’t… You don’t really mean that, do you?”

[learntoloveem]

Pumbaa stuck his nose up in the air, pointedly looking away from the meerkat in a huff.

"I do, Timon."

The meerkat had never offended Pumbaa so much, or done something so insulting. It made him angry just thinking about it!

[cowardly_hero]

Words failed Timon in a way he had not thought possible. He had always found something to say, some smart remark or protest. But this time there was nothing. He found himself waiting for Pumbaa to say otherwise, that their friendship was strong enough to overcome anything, but he never did. Instead, Timon continued waiting. Waiting until he realized the words would never come.

The meerkat lowered his head, uncertain how to address his feelings now that he’d been silenced. Anger had always been his way of dealing with them, if such could ever be considered ‘dealing’ with them at all. He struggled with otherwise, just as he did finding what to say next. Pumbaa was ashamed of him, ashamed of their friendship. He was ashamed just like his colony, his uncle… his father. Timon could feel their disappointed gaze on him.

He opened his mouth, leaving it so for a moment before closing it again. He’d come all this way … and still gotten nowhere.

[learntoloveem]

Pumbaa was lucky he couldn't see Timon's face, or know the meerkat's thoughts, because if he could, he would have lost all resolve and swept his good ol' buddy into a great big hug and refused to let go until Timon was near ready to pass out.

But the warthog was too wrapped up in how angry he was to see anything but red. ...Red and the ceiling, since the ceiling was where his headed was pointed.

[cowardly_hero]

Was this it? After all the years they’d spent together, the laughter and joy they’d shared, this was how it would end? Timon swallowed the forming lump in his throat and looked up at Pumbaa. It couldn’t be, not like this. They’d get past this just as they did everything else. It was one teensy mistake and could have happened to anyone. Who didn’t know someone who hadn’t tried to sell their friends tusks at least once? Sure, maybe it was a little soon, but they’d laugh about it someday.

“But…!” What could he say? Pumbaa had no reason to trust him, not after what he had done. Timon lowered his gaze. It didn’t matter what he said, the warthog had clearly made his decision. He sighed, ignoring the aching in his chest while he turned his back to Pumbaa. Timon could hear his uncle’s last words repeat themselves his head as he took one last glance at his friend.

I did trust you.