Chapter Text
Pelle was on his way home, completely devastated. He had felt, just for a minute, that maybe there was something else between them. Just for it to be crushed like that. It was obvious Måns despised him, and that there was nothing he could do about it.
He looked up, trying to distinguish the stars in the night sky. It wasn’t very late at all, but the Swedish winter brought short days and long nights, putting the city to sleep earlier with each following day.
But to no avail, Pelle’s sight was blurry and he could barely stand upright without falling over. He saw no point in trying to gather himself and decided to just keep moving.
Pelle didn’t even know why this made him feel so crushed. He didn’t care about Måns, but part of him wanted to be noticed and appreciated by him so badly. He had been so out of it he hadn’t even noticed Gullan and Trisse walking by him, not until later.
When he was almost home, just by the pipe, he heard hasty footsteps behind him, and words muffled by a heavy breath. Pelle didn’t care to stop or even look, he was completely out of it.
Just as he reached the pipe to climb up he felt a hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his trance.
“Pelle-”
In front of him stood Måns, panting, trying to catch his breath. For a moment there weren’t any other sounds than Måns heavy breath.
“Are you… crying?”
Oh shit. Pelle hadn’t realized it himself, but suddenly he could feel the tears covering his face.
He turned away his whole body, and attempted to start climbing up the pipe. But this time Måns grip was too strong for Pelle to escape.
“No, I’m not. What do you want from me?”
His voice wasn’t very convincing, cracking already at the third word. Måns had by now regretted his choice of words and was struggling to come up with a reply.
“Look I didn’t… hmpf… I-”
Pelle kept looking at the pipe.
“I didn’t mean it, you know that right? I was just messing around.” Måns bit his tongue, knowing what a shitass apology this was.
“Thats not what I meant. I am… Look, I'm sorry. I’m really really sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I don’t know why I’d said what I said. Please don’t cry, I’m really really sorry.”
Pelle was taken aback by what Måns was saying, or rather rambling about. He had never seen this vulnerability from him.
And he definitely hadn’t received any kind of empathy like his before. He was at loss for words, really. Which just made Måns more anxious.
“You are great even with a short tail. I really didn’t mean to be so rude. Please don’t be upset , I’m really sorry. I like you exactly as you are now. Please I-” he stopped talking as soon as he realized what he had just said.
I like you
The words froze in Pelle’s mind. He didn’t know what to say.
“Oh”
Fuck. What had he done? Why did he have to say that? Måns internal panic had started to show on his face by now.
“Look I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just really really sorry and I don’t know how to make it up to you-” Måns spoke quickly, almost too quickly, in an attempt to fix the situation. He also placed his other hand on the other shoulder. Why, he didn’t know, maybe to keep Pelle from leaving.
Pelle on the other hand, didn’t know what to say or do. He just stood there, staring at the other man who was now rambling on in a pace that made it hard to distinguish any words at all.
Finally, when Måns was on the verge of tears trying to explain himself, Pelle closed the distance between them, putting his head on the other's chest.
Måns froze mid sentence, and felt the world around him go quiet. His hands were still on the other’s shoulder. He didn’t know what to do with them.
“It’s okay.” Måns looked down at the man under him, and could see him looking back up, giving Måns a soft smile that said more than words ever could. His hands moved instinctively around Pelle’s back, bringing him closer.
He hadn’t realized how close their faces were, their noses practically touching. He could feel Pelle’s breath warm his face in the winter cold.
Måns lifted a hand and let it rest on the other’s cheek. The temptation to close the distance between them was more than his brain could handle.
So they just stood there — for god knows how long — looking into each other’s eyes, making no noise except for the soft sound of their breathing.
By the time one of them spoke it was already late, and the city was deeply asleep.
“I’m getting kinda sleepy…” It was Pelle who spoke first, and despite his comment he didn’t move an inch away from Måns. Instead he rested his head on the other's chest again, burying it in the sweater.
“You don’t say?” Måns actually chuckled, a warm welcoming one this time, instead of the cold, mocking one.
He lifted his hand further, pulling it through Pelle’s neatly combed hair. It felt almost like silk running between his fingers.
“I’m too tired to climb.” It could have been a lie, but Pelle did actually yawn, and after all he did still have a huge scar on the back of his head.
“Fine” Måns rolled his eyes, but couldn’t resist a tiny smile.
“I’m too tired to carry you up, though”
Pelle groaned at the idea of having to leave so soon.
“Hey! You got legs and arms too, actually”
“I’m hurt!”
“Fair point” He looked around, as his grip on the other cat lessened.
“I actually know a place”
Pelle looked up at him with is usua curiosity again.
“You won’t have to climb a pipe, ut you still have to go up a few stairs…”
“Sure, I’m too tired to argue” he yawned again.
Måns let go of Pelle who backed away, with much dismay, and grabbed his hand instead. He started walking away from the pipe and turned the corner continuing up another street while dragging the other behind him. After a little while he turned another corner and then into an alley.
“What are we doing here?”
“Just follow me!” Måns moved a trash can to the side and lifted a plank. Behind it was hole in the wall. He gestured for Pelle to go first, which he did. Måns followed, moving the trash back and putting down the plank behind him.
“Where-“
“C’mon just follow me!”
Måns grabbed his hand again. They were in what looked like a really tight, tall room.
“The humans weren’t happy with the house so they built another wall on the inside, creating this room and filling it with pipes and wires . They left part of the stairs though.”
Måns was right. There was only a small part left of the staircase. The rest of the way up to the top consisted of different pipes and a few planks, used to support some form of electrical wires.
Måns led Pelle all the way to the top, guiding his every step, showing him how to easily get up. Finally they reached the top, where there was a hatch.
“What? You aren’t scared now, are you? Just follow me”
Måns chuckled, opened the hatch and crept into the hole behind it, with Pelle right behind him.
“Here we are!”
It was a really small attic, that wouldn’t have fitted for then a few cats. Part of the slanted ceiling was broken and covered up with a piece of plywood. It looked completely abandoned and inaccessible for the humans, and they probably didn’t even notice it was missing.
Well, it wasn’t completely abandoned. It was clear that Måns had been up here before, as there were both blankets and a scrappy mattress as well as a few empty cat food canes in one corner.
“Oh wow”
“Sorry for the mess, I just thought this was easier…” Måns looked at the other, waiting for a reply.
“It might not have been closer but it was definitely easier getting up here, in some magical way.”
“You can go home if you don’t like it. It’s easy, just exist through the roof.”
“I don’t- I’m sorry what?” Pelle looked at him, confused by what he had just said.
“Just look” he rolled his eyes
Måns went to the price of plywood and moved it out of the way. The gap in the roof started from the floor and reached halfway up, which made it relatively easy to climb out and move between the houses on the rooftops. It was also possibly to sit on the floor and dangle one’s legs of the roof, since the drainpipe under it had broken too.
“Just be careful.” He bit his tongue “Or do what you want, I don’t care.”
He did care, but he had already started to feel embarrassed by the earlier event.
“I’m too tired, I think I’ll stay here for tonight”
Måns looked hopeful.
“Are you staying too, Måns?”
A second passed
“Sure, I wouldn't want you to get hurt here too.” He chuckled, in the same mocking manner he always did.
He put the plywood back in place, perfectly covering the gap.
“If you want the mattress, take it, I don’t need it”
"Yes, you do. You look like you haven’t slept in years”
“Fine, if you say so, I won’t argue for sleeping on the floor.” Måns went and laid down.
“But you are not sleeping on the floor. You are hurt for god's sake!” He pointed at Pelle’s bandaged head.
“It’s fine, it’s almost healed anyways.”
“It’s not healed at all! That was a deep scar and it bled like crazy!”
“How do you know that?” Pelle stared at him, giving him both a confused and suspicious look. Måns just realized what he had said. And Pelle was starting to figure out what had happened.
Oh
Oh
“I didn’t fall from the windowsill, did I?”
Måns didn’t reply at first, he just looked away, trying to avoid any eye contact.
“Just get over here. There is enough room for both of us.” He turned and faced the wall, giving Pelle enough space so he could lay down on the mattress too.