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Tugger drummed his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. Come on, Munkustrap! He knew that theatre rehearsal things always ran over, but it was boring as all hell to just sit in a car and wait with nothing to do. He would never agree to pick him up again!
At that moment, the stage door flew open, but it wasn’t his brother who came out. It was, instead, the most beautiful person Tugger had ever seen in his life. His jaw fell open as he took him in. He had dark, curly hair, and brilliant heterochromatic eyes. He was small but clearly fit, and was wearing a casual white shirt with a black leather jacket. Hello, theatre just got much more interesting! The pretty man looked annoyed, actually, he frowned down at his phone and let out a visible groan. As he did, Tugger heard the splash of a raindrop hit the windscreen. The man clearly noticed the incoming weather as well, as he turned his face to the sky with an expression that clearly read: “dear God, why?”
Tugger leapt into action. No pretty faces would be getting drenched on his watch! He seized his umbrella from the passenger seat, and scrambled out of the door. The other man didn’t notice him approach right away, but looked up as the umbrella materialised over his head.
“Can’t have a pretty head like yours getting soaked now, can we?” Tugger said, shooting the man his best flirty smile.
“Tugger Deuteronomy,” the man said flatly.
“Eh?”
It was true, he was a legend, but if he had ever met such a beautiful creature, there was no way Tugger wouldn’t remember him. The man smiled, realisation dawning on his face.
“You’re Munkustrap’s brother, are you not? I’ve heard him talk about you. You have the same nose.”
“Whatever he said is a barefaced lie,” Tugger countered immediately, resisting the immediate urge to touch his nose. Getting on Munkustrap’s nerves was the most funnest of fun times, but it was only to get him to chill out a bit. The other man snorted a laugh.
“I’ve known him to exaggerate before. I’m Mistoffelees, by the way. Misto, for short. I dance here. I’ve helped your brother to choreograph some scenes in his plays before.” Mistoffelees extended his hand to Tugger, who immediately raised it to his lips and kissed it.
“The Rum Tum Tugger, at your service, Misto. I promise you, I’m a delight, don’t listen to my brother.”
He was a dancer! That was hot. Tugger couldn’t resist checking him out again. There was definite amusement in Misto’s eyes when they locked gazes again.
“Well, Tugger, you certainly make a good first impression, regardless. I think getting rained on would have been the icing on top of a spectacularly shit day. I may have actually cried,” he said, gesturing to the umbrella. It was now raining heavily.
“It would be nothing less than a criminal offence for a pretty face like yours to cry. I simply will not allow it. Who do I need to beat up?”
Misto laughed again and Tugger preened.
“My artistic director, I suppose. I was supposed to be meeting him here, but he cancelled last minute, as did my ride home.”
“Consider it done.”
“Just don’t throw me under the bus, mind. Make it look like an accident, will you?”
“A case of mistaken identity it is,” Tugger said with a mock salute. His stomach was performing more and more acrobatics the more he spoke to Misto, who was now smiling fully and beautifully at him. “But if your day has been spectacularly rotten, please allow me to buy you a drink to make up for it.”
Misto raised an eyebrow.
“Aren’t you here to do something? Or do you just make a habit of hanging out by stage doors and flirting with whoever comes out?”
“Only when they’re as gorgeous as you,” Tugger winked. “And I can think of nothing I’d rather do than continue to impress you with my charm and good looks in a local establishment.”
“Make it somewhere that serves food and you’ve got a deal, you terrible flirt. As is befitting my terrible day, I left my lunch at home,” Misto lamented, but he was smiling. Tugger gave a dramatic little bow, taking care not to jostle the umbrella too much.
“As you wish,” he declared, manoeuvring them towards his car. “Your chariot awaits, my dear.”
“How gracious of you,” Misto grinned, playing along as Tugger opened the door for him, still holding the umbrella over him, before trotting round to the driver’s side.
“I know the perfect place for the first of our many dates,” Tugger said, starting the engine.
“Confident, aren’t we?”
“Always. Besides, you’re a dancer. That means you’re hella strong and could easily wipe the floor with me if I do something you don’t like.”
“Relax, I don’t make a habit of getting into strangers’ cars if I think they’re going to murder me. That gets old quite fast.”
Tugger laughed out loud as he pulled onto the main road.
“If you know my name and family, am I really a stranger? I have ID to prove it! Besides, failing in a pathetic attempt to murder you would be highly counterproductive.”
“I suppose so, if you’re planning for this to be the first of many dates,” Misto snickered, pulling down the sunvisor to examine his glorious reflection in the mirror. He ran his fingers through his hair, but obviously found no imperfections in his appearance, and snapped it back up again, turning to Tugger with a mega-kilowatt smile that made him want to either scream, cry, or throw up. Maybe all of them all at once. But that would be very aesthetically displeasing, so he clamped down on that.
“Oh, I absolutely am, sweetheart.”
Misto rolled his eyes, but Tugger could tell he was amused.
“Slow down, lover boy, one at a time, ok?”
That was not a no! Tugger couldn’t believe his luck. This would be the best date ever!