Don't You Remember? (Sweet & Open)

[Clawbane]

JAGGER

Jagger couldn't help the unhealthy obsession he had with Koschei. That red and white cat was the first one to truly ever accept him. Every chance he could, he would try to attract the Sovereign's attention. All he wanted was Koschei... his mind was practically swirling with thoughts of Koschei; and what would Koschei think of this, or what would Koschei do in this situation. Even now as he wandered through rows of twoleg nests, he was still thinking about the leader of the raiders. He knew that he was one of Koschei's favorites, but that wasn't enough.

"One day, one day, Koschei," he murmured quietly... he stared at his own reflection on a puddle on the ground. That devilishly handsome calico tom was staring back. Jagger was vain, and proud of it. "Why don't you love me?" His voice strained and cracked, and his ears drooped.

A sudden noise made him jolt and turn around... and that's when he saw him there; the brilliant and magnificent odd-eyed cat known as Koschei. "Sovereign," Jagger murmured, his voice again cracking. "What are you doing here?"

[SWEET♥]

[bg=352d24][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] KOSCHEI: SOVEREIGN OF RAIDERS I wonder what's wrong with Captain Jagger, Koschei thought as he approached the somewhat gloomy-looking calico. He would rather his raiders not be under the weather, it made them perform less than stellar. He could see Jagger's ears drooped, and Koschei tilted his head. He wanted to be more of a friend than a leader, just until he could raise the Captain's spirits. If something was wrong, he wanted to know about it. "I was just out for a walk. Is something wrong?" he asked. Jagger was usually in a good mood, or at least he was when Koschei was around. Koschei knew just how much Jagger liked him. It came as a surprise at first, but being more on the vain side, Koschei knew that many cats admired him. Jagger just happened to take it a little further than other cats did. All the other raiders often liked to poke fun at Jagger because of it, calling him 'Koschei's pet' or something of the like, but at the end of the day, Jagger had better benefits for it.

[Clawbane]

JAGGER

Jagger was both pained and relieved to see the sovereign standing there. He dipped his head in respect, and brushed one calico paw out in front of him for a bow.

KOSCHEI: "I was just out for a walk. Is something wrong?"

The calico tom wanted desperately to tell Koschei exactly what was going on, but he knew that he couldn't. He had to be on good terms with the sovereign, and what he had to say could easily ruin their relationship. He knew he needed to keep silently so he just shook his head.

"Nothing's wrong, I was just thinking about things," he meowed quietly.

[SWEET♥]

[bg=352d24][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] KOSCHEI: SOVEREIGN OF RAIDERS Koschei sighed. He knew that answer wasn't accurate. Of course something was wrong with Captain Jagger, and he was about to find out what it was. The respect that Jagger always showed him was nothing knew, and he'd long learned not to be surprised when Jagger did his swishy bows. "Do tell me what's really going on, Captain," he meowed. He sat down next to the calico tom, staring at him through concerned odd eyes. He did care about Jagger. Jagger had been such a loyal cat for such a long time, and one of Koschei's favorites. Though Koschei cared for all the members of the twisted family he called the raiders, there were a certain few who were special to them. Rose and Jagger above all, usually. He looked into Jagger's blue eyes. "I just want to help you if there's something you need help with."

[Clawbane]

/

[SWEET♥]

[bg=352d24][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] KOSCHEI: SOVEREIGN OF RAIDERS "Ah, relationships?" repeated Koschei. He knew very well of Jagger's particular preferences... his lack of interest towards she-cats and his tendency to pursue toms instead. "Who's the handsome tom you've got your eye on?' he asked, knowingly. He knew deep down that the answer was probably clear. It's me, and that's not just a vain thought, he sighed to himself. If there was any cat that Jagger would do anything for, it was him. However, Koschei didn't exactly feel the same way. He admired and appreciated Jagger, but Koschei didn't have time for relationships and found himself generally uninterested in them. He'd never had a mate in his life.

[Clawbane]

JAGGER


KOSCHEI: "Who's the handsome tom you've got your eye on?"

This was a question that Jagger had been dreading. What could he say? He couldn't admit that it was Koschei, but he didn't really know what to say. "Er -- Sasha," he blurted out, lying through his pointed teeth. He and Sasha hadn't even ever been that close, but he was the only other somewhat queer cat Jagger could think of at the moment -- other than Anubis... who wasn't so much queer as utterly insane and willing to rape anything he could get his claws into.

What will Koschei even say about this? he wondered. Had he ruined any potential that there was for a relationship already? Or was there even any potential there to begin with. He let out a confused sigh.

OOC: I accidentally blanked my other post.

[SWEET♥]

[bg=352d24][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] KOSCHEI: SOVEREIGN OF RAIDERS Raising a brow, Koschei was bemused and surprised. Sasha of all cats. Just when I thought he couldn't ever like anyone but me. It was peculiar for Jagger to pick someone who wasn't even in his own squadron. Sasha was a strange one too; too jittery and suspicious. Jagger's taste in cats was a little less than impressive to him. "Ah, Sasha," he meowed dryly. "Isn't he the one who's afraid of his own shadow?" He was subtly being insulting, though he didn't know why. He didn't want Jagger to feel bad, but perhaps he was just a little jealous. Koschei loved getting attention, and if Jagger loved Sasha, then Koschei would certainly not have the Captain's undivided attention. As Sovereign, he wanted to be worshiped and adored by everyone in the Raiders.

[Clawbane]

JAGGER


KOSCHEI: "Ah, Sasha. Isn't he the one who's afraid of his own shadow?"

Jagger swallowed, fearing the rut he had gotten himself into. Why can't I just admit that I love Koschei, he thought. He didn't love Sasha, he barely even considered Sasha... maybe once or twice, but Koschei's visible dry, almost teasing way of talking about him made Jagger sick to his stomach. Was the Sovereign thinking less of him now?

"I... guess it is," he choked out. He wanted so much to take back what he said. How could he ever tell Koschei? He found himself shaking a little bit, and there was an obvious look of distress on his face and concern in his bright blue eyes.

[SWEET♥]

[bg=352d24][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] KOSCHEI: SOVEREIGN OF RAIDERS Something told the Sovereign that Jagger wasn't exactly speaking the truth. Of course it couldn't be Sasha, he thought. Jagger had never even seemed to show even a fleeting interest in that neurotic cat. It had to be someone else; it had to be him. "Are you sure you meant Sasha?" he question, his eyes expressing doubt. He's never going to confess anything to me, why am I even trying? he thought. Why do I even care? He wasn't sure why it mattered, but Koschei loved to be adored. He liked to be fawned over. He didn't have to return the affection, but the sound of his name in praise was enough to make his icy heart soar.

[Clawbane]

JAGGER


KOSCHEI: "Are you sure you meant Sasha?"

Jagger groaned inwardly. Now the Sovereign was doubting him. Why am I not succeeding in telling this lie? he asked himself in his thoughts. His tail was swishing back and forth as the nervousness within him grew. Should I tell him? he thought. Does he know, what do I say? He cleared his throat, turning away slightly.

"It's you," he blurted out. "It's always been you." He couldn't believe what he said the moment he said it. The words hadn't even gotten caught in his throat, he had just said them, unexpectedly. He wanted to run and hide, as he was sure that Koschei would be displeased, but he couldn't make his legs move. He was frozen in fear and shame.

[SWEET♥]

[bg=352d24][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] KOSCHEI: SOVEREIGN OF RAIDERS Though this is exactly what he expected to hear, Koschei was still taken aback by it. How was he going to let Jagger down easily without breaking his heart? He swallowed, giving a quick lick to the fur on his chest. He looked around at the light filtering through the leaves of the trees that dotted the Twolegplace. "Ah... well," he started. "I thought so." He didn't know what else to say. Flicking his ginger and white tail, he turned away. His odd eyes were somewhat narrowed. Maybe the best thing to do is say nothing, he thought. He took a deep breath and started to walk away from Jagger, hoping that he wouldn't take this gesture as utter rejection.

[Clawbane]

JAGGER


KOSCHEI: "Ah... well, I thought so."

Captain Jagger's heart sunk. This wasn't the reply he had wanted from Koschei, and on top of that the ginger and white tom was walking away from him like he didn't even care. He swallowed a lump in his throat. He didn't know what he was going to do. He really hadn't ever experienced rejection. He considered himself suave and irresistable, but Koschei just wouldn't fall to his charms.

"That's it then?" he asked as Koschei began padding away from him. "Aren't you going to say anything? Don't you like me too?"

[SWEET♥]

[bg=352d24][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] KOSCHEI: SOVEREIGN OF RAIDERS The ginger and white cat cringed. Jagger was taking this even worse than he thought. He took a deep breath and turned around. He wasn't about to say that he loved Jagger, because in all truth, he didn't... however, he knew that this rejection might have the potential to turn the Captain insane. He had to make up his mind. It might mean pretending to be the mate of a cat who he wasn't attracted to, but at the very least he could save his friend some pain. He didn't want Jagger to run off and leave the Raiders, either. "Alright..." he meowed to himself. He turned around to face the sad-eyed calico. "The truth is, I do like you. I like you lots, Captain Jagger." Koschei could put on a convincing lie even in the toughest of situations. He had honesty in his odd-eyes. Not a twitch or anything of any little bit of doubt. He had lot of experience in this area. He could keep this up for a little while, and then maybe act undesirable enough so that Jagger would leave him and everything would be back to normal.

[Clawbane]

JAGGER


KOSCHEI: "The truth is, I do like you. I like you lots, Captain Jagger."

The calico tom's blue eyes opened wide, and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He likes me... he likes me, he thought. He could barely believe what he had heard. He didn't know what to do. He was stuck again, but this time it was from euphoria rather than fear. "You -- you like me. You like me," he gasped. "You... you like me..."

He couldn't think of anything else to say. I have to ask him if he wants to be my mate, he thought. That's all I've got to do. He opened his mouth to say the words, but he couldn't get them out. What a time to freeze up! he exclaimed to himself.