Work Text:
Spike
Spike wakened after hearing loud crashes and yowls from inside the house. He looked to his son, who whimpered and was obviously roused from his own slumber.
Spike patted his head and smiled in reassurance. “Don’t worry, m’boy. If they ever go out and mess with ya, I’ll be right here.”
Tyke smiled and curled back in his usual spot to sleep. Spike meanwhile lay awake, listening to china breaking, Tom’s evil laughter, Jerry’s high-pitched squeals, and every noise that accompanied the usual cat and mouse chase. Spike rolled his eyes and shook his head, wondering when their antics would end. Didn’t they get tired of the constant pattern? But perhaps… that was the main highlight of the duo’s days. Who knew?
At some point Spike had fallen back asleep and when he woke again when the sun started to set, the surroundings, rambunctious and chaotic just hours ago, were now eerily silent. Too silent it was suspicious.
So he stood and walked around the parameter, hoping to catch a glimpse of the pesky house cat and his good mouse friend. He found them in a corner by the backyard, playing poker. Spike blinked. Had he seen right? Maybe his eyesight was getting bad. But no… those two were really playing. No tricks, no violence, no nothing. And it looked like Jerry was winning, if the smug smirk on his face was anything to go by. Tom hissed out a curse and examined his set of cards before throwing down a card by the middle, triumphant expression on his face. Jerry only clicked his tongue and calmly set down a card in the middle, which guaranteed him as the winner. Tom angrily threw his cards and for a moment Spike feared the worst—chasing, maybe Tom burying Jerry in the ground. The possibilities were endless. But no. After having his temper tantrum Tom begrudgingly sifted through his belongings and handed the small mouse a bottle of milk. Hm… must be a bet.
Jerry’s eyes twinkled and he snatched up the bottle before saluting toward Tom and scurrying away, also giving a hasty wave toward Spike before disappearing in his home. Spike scratched his head and approached the feline left alone to fix their cards.
“What was that about, eh? That was new.”
Tom raised a brow, asking what he meant.
“The no violence thing. This musta be the first time I saw yous two jus’… lettin’ each other be.”
Tom paused and his face crinkled as if in disbelief. Spike honestly expected him to affirm or maybe blanch at how such an occurrence was happening between him and Jerry. But… and that’s the thing—Spike has done nothing in the past few minutes but say ‘but no’… but no. Tom gestured how Jerry had introduced him to poker because the mouse had no one to play with. Nowadays it had become a pastime for them, especially when the sun was setting. And to make it exciting, each time they’d play, something was at stake. Today, the bet had been: if Tom wins, Jerry won’t bother him for a week. If Jerry wins, Tom would have to give up a bottle of his prized milk.
And… get this… Tom didn’t look particularly bothered he had just lost a bottle of his beloved milk. And everyone who knew Tom knew he was fiercely protective of his food. Why didn’t it matter when Jerry was the recipient? Those two have known each other for so long and they weren’t exactly the best of friends. Seeing not much response from him, Tom continued fixing the cards and bid farewell before going inside the house.
Spike stood there, processing what Tom had just told him. He shook his head and smiled softly. So actually, there were days where those two could just unwind and… be together without having to cause so much trouble.
Cousin George
George went to visit Tom again, equipped with his suitcase and usual chair to stand on as a precaution for any dreadful mice. When Tom had opened the door and welcomed him in with a big grin, George relaxed somewhat upon seeing a familiar face. An added bonus was that Tom looked genuinely happy to see him too.
Now George sat on the couch as he and his cousin watched TV. Though, George couldn’t concentrate very well on the show because a mouse was nearby seated on a loveseat. And… get this… the mouse and his cousin were friends! When George asked Tom about it, Tom had vehemently shook his head and denied it. They were enemies.
George had only given Tom a deadpan look. “Really, cousin?”
And so… Tom conceded they weren’t exactly always enemies. He even went on to gesture how Jerry was pretty harmless, so long as you didn’t push his buttons or annoy him so much or anger him. Jerry also wasn’t one to look for trouble and would mostly keep to himself. George stared doubtfully at Tom before giving the mouse the benefit of the doubt and agreeing to be in the same room as him. Tom counted that as a win.
Something happened on the screen which made Jerry laugh out loud, slapping his thigh and nearly falling backward. Tom, seated on George’s right, snickered and struggled to disguise it as a cough. Jerry turned to him and pointed at the screen, as if asking if Tom had seen the hilarious scene. Tom only rolled his eyes and waved a paw. Jerry smiled, made brief eye contact with George, and smiled again before focusing once more on the show.
Huh… come to think of it, George had actually encountered this mouse before. Jerry had spent that time scaring him and Tom and that was when Tom had the brilliant idea to scare Jerry by making him think Tom had grown another pair of limbs and an extra head. He and Tom really scared the mouse that time as he scurried away as fast as he could. Before George had left, Tom offered parting words of comfort and reassurance and invited him to stop by again sometime. Remembering that time, George stifled a laugh by curling his lips inward though Tom gave him a curious side-eye as if to ask if he was all right.
Throughout the show, Jerry would sometimes turn back and usually just ask if Tom saw the scene. Tom usually did and he’d reply back with something snarky or just wave him off or tell him to focus on the television. But George sensed he wasn’t exactly annoyed, you know? It was more like a front at this point. What annoyed person would smile at themselves silly and shoot said aggravation (a mouse) a little smile? Yes, Tom did that. So George wasn’t exactly convinced they were enemies. Sure, he could accept they both would sometimes form temporary alliances but it seemed to George, however brief the encounter, Tom actually held a special place in his heart for the mouse. He’d go so far as to call them best friends.
During a commercial, Tom stood and stretched, pointing to the kitchen then his mouth, indicating he was hungry.
“Oh sure cousin Tom. Take your time.”
Tom left then and there sat Jerry, peacefully passing the time. Jerry really didn’t look all that intimidating and threatening, come to think of it. George was just really a ‘fraidy cat. He couldn’t help it. But Jerry… something was different. He didn’t look like he was out to kill or something. He was… well, George didn’t know how to describe it. And… after giving himself an encouraging pep talk, he cleared his throat.
“He—hey.” Jerry seemed surprised to be addressed, eyes widening and head turning toward him. Still, he waved. And that friendly gesture made George speak some more. “I—we—we didn’t meet p—properly the last time.” Jerry tilted his head to show his confusion. Ahh, Jerry must not really recognize him. “I’m George, Tom’s cousin. A—and,” he didn’t know if he should say this but, “that time I visited, you kept on scaring me till Tom had the idea to… scare you back. Remem—remember when you thought Tom had grown limbs and another head?” Jerry’s eyes rolled upwards thoughtfully and he snapped his fingers. He went slack-jawed and pointed at George in disbelief. George had to chuckle at his expression. “Hehe. Yeah… the other one was me. We’re so identical if you didn’t know us you’d really be confused.”
He didn’t know what reaction he was expecting but he certainly didn’t expect Jerry to blink then cackle until he was crying. George would have understood Jerry being angry or upset. George would understand if Jerry didn’t want to see him or talk to him ever again. George would understand if Jerry retaliated with some kind of object. And yet here he was laughing his tail off until he ran out of air.
That was how Tom found them. He took his place beside George, raised a judgmental brow at Jerry, and looked to George. He pointed to Jerry, asking what happened.
George snorted, thoroughly amused himself.
“I told him about our disastrous first meeting and this is how he reacts.” Tom nodded and kicked at Jerry’s loveseat to get him to shut up but Jerry only threw a nearby sock and kept on laughing. George could feel himself relaxing even more at Jerry’s response. He murmured to his identical cousin, “You know, you were right. Jerry really doesn’t seem to be so threatening.” Tom nodded proudly and George didn’t know what he was proud about—he was right or he was showing off his buddy. George would settle for a little bit of both. And so he cozied up in that couch and passed the night watching shows with his dear ol’ cousin and (quite possibly) first mouse friend.
Geraldine Mouse
Geraldine knocked on the door, her brother opening it moments later. Geraldine gasped at Jerry’s disheveled appearance, drooping eyes, and deflated ears.
“Oh my! Jerry, it’s like you haven’t slept for days!”
Jerry waved a dismissive paw and gestured for her to come in after attempting to fix himself up. Geraldine did so and looked around for her kid and nephews.
“Where are Sniffles, Nibbles, and Dinky?”
True enough, there was no sign of any child in Jerry’s home. The only indication children had been in here were the torn curtains, the haphazard placing of some objects, and bags obviously filled with their belongings. The worst idea came to Geraldine’s mind as she gasped sharply and held her brother’s arm.
“You live with a cat, don’t you? Oh Jerry, has that awful cat…” no, she didn’t want to say it out loud. Just thinking about it made her nauseous.
Jerry patted her shoulder in comfort, smiling softly. He pulled her along to the mouse hole connected to the house. Upon taking a glance, the pressure on Geraldine’s heart and stomach eased and she found herself cooing at the unexpected but adorable sight.
A big baby cat snuggled up on the floor, fast asleep and holding a teddy bear. An adult gray-blue cat rested upon the big baby, rocking baby Sniffles to the best of his ability in his arms while listening to Dinky prattle on about anything and everything he could think of. Tom briefly focused his attention on Nibbles, who was slurping up milk from his cat bowl. Ensured Nibbles wasn’t in any harm or trouble, Tom looked to Dinky again and nodded, tail curling up protectively over Nibbles who by now was half-asleep.
Geraldine sighed. She had been worried about nothing after all.
She noticed subtle signs of the cat’s tiredness. The struggle to stay awake, the lethargic movements that would pass over anyone not looking, and how he seemed to drift off to unconsciousness before snapping himself back to reality and concentrating on everything. Gosh, the cat seemed ragged and so exhausted. Well, who wouldn’t be after looking after four children?
“Oh Jerry how nice of your cat friend to help you babysit.”
Jerry nodded tiredly, eyelids drooping more. Geraldine tilted her head. The tiredness was showing more now that Jerry didn’t have to watch out for anything much anymore. Geraldine owed him so much.
“Get some sleep, you. I’ll handle it from here.”
He gave a grateful squeeze to her paw before walking off. Geraldine thought he’d crash on his bed but was surprised when he exited the safety of his mouse hole and went towards the little group. Though worn out, Jerry took great care not to disturb the rhythm Tom had kept on all the children and crawled all over the cat’s side, finally perching on his shoulder.
Tom spared him a glance. For a moment, Geraldine thought he’d flick him off or eat him or something. Again, she was proven wrong when Tom only nuzzled upon Jerry for a moment before relaxing more over the big cat baby, which Geraldine assumed was Tom’s own nephew.
She sighed fondly. Her brother has such a kind and considerate cat friend. Not every cat a mouse met was like that. Jerry really took the jackpot with this.
Butch
Butch waited outside the house impatiently, looking at his wrist for his imaginary watch. He and good old Tom made plans to go fishing today and that cat was nowhere to be seen!
The front door flew open and out came Tom with a bag and bucket hat atop his head. He screeched into a stop just before Butch and dumped his bag (zipper unzipped) on the ground.
“What’s taking so long, Tommy ol’ boy? You remember our meet-up time was at seven, right? It’s been almost thirty minutes!”
Tom vigorously nodded and raised a finger, asking him to wait. He dashed back inside the house and Butch could only sigh and wait for him to finish… whatever he was doing.
Jerry came by a few seconds later. Now, he and Jerry knew each other but they weren’t exactly friends. Acquaintances? Sure. Enemies? Yeah, sometimes. He and Tom usually competed for a female cat and sometimes, they’d team up trying to catch Jerry, who more often than not outwitted them in some way. That mouse looked harmless and all around friendly but he had his cunning and sneaky moments.
Butch readied himself for a possible chase but Jerry only held up a paw and stuffed a towel inside Tom’s still open bag. Butch raised a brow.
“What’s he gonna need a towel for? We’re going fishing, not swimming.”
Jerry rolled his eyes. Obviously, he wasn’t expecting Butch to understand. And quite frankly, Butch didn’t care.
“All right whatever. But if he complains about his bag being heavier, I’m telling on you.”
Jerry merely snapped his fingers and went away, presumably back into his mouse hole. Tom appeared again and stuffed a few other materials needed for fishing before yanking on Butch’s arm and off they went.
So they were by a boat, both their fishing hooks submerged in the lake. They were back-to-back, silent and waiting. Butch looked to the bucket where they’d store all their catch and counted three fish. It’s already been an hour. There was movement from behind him and the boat started rocking, prompting Butch to look behind and see Tom wrestling with his fishing rod and trying to reel in whatever fish he caught. Butch stood to help pull, the fish appearing seconds later after their combined effort. Butch’s mouth watered at another good catch. For some reason, Tom lost his footing and fell in the water with a loud scream, Butch immediately going to the side to pull his wet friend out.
Tom was unceremoniously dumped back on his place, sopping wet. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and tried to shake water off him, droplets sticking to his fur and whiskers. He shivered and sneezed, making a noise at the back of his throat that indicated his displeasure. Butch remembered how Jerry had made him bring a towel and so spoke.
“Hey. When you were still inside the house, Jerry came by and put a towel inside your bag.”
Tom’s eyes shined and he began digging inside his bag, successfully pulling out the same yellow fluffy towel Jerry placed inside. Tom hurried to unfold the whole thing, wrapping it around himself and sighing.
Huh. So Jerry had good reason to do that. Butch thought it was some kind of prank since those two were always at each other’s throats. Jerry must have anticipated something like this would happen and acted quietly. Butch couldn’t help but smirk. Ah… so that mouse cared after all.
Tom raised a questioning brow at his smirk and Butch shook his head.
“Nah, just thinkin’ about somethin’.”
Tom didn’t ask anymore; just wrapped the blanket tightly around himself.
Toodles Galore
Toodles invited some of them for lunch at her home while her owner was away. Tom and Jerry were there. Butch and his gang was here too consisting of Meathead, Lightning, and Topsy. Jerry’s girlfriend Cherie was there too and the mice were in their own world as the female mouse fed Jerry some finger foods. Ugh, the romantic in Toodles was enamored and quite jealous. The snarky and cynical side of her demanded she separate them both. Tom’s sister Thomasina and Jerry’s sister Geraldine were also here, as both stopped by to visit their respective brothers. Spike the bulldog had even stopped by for some food and friendly chitchat before leaving. It was a big crowd for ‘some people’ and Toodles was only grateful she had prepared a lot.
Tom hungrily scarfed down chicken, pushing Butch aside who went to get for his own share. As the two cats wrestled with Tom still chewing, a wrong movement caused him to choke. Others laughed while others panicked on what to do.
Toodles’ eyes widened and was about to fetch for something when Jerry went into action, hitting Tom at the back with a random rod he found. Tom screamed but was able to swallow down properly, shooting the brown mouse a glare. Jerry only stuck his tongue out and reclaimed his place beside Cherie, who giggled and said something that made Jerry smile sheepishly.
They all continued eating and talking amongst each other.
Toodles was in a light conversation about flowers with her fellow girls when she saw Meatloaf and Lightning snickering, preparing a sandwich full of hot sauce, mayonnaise, and ketchup. They placed it near Jerry as he was preoccupied with cutting meat. It seemed Tom must have seen it too as he quietly gestured to Jerry not to eat that. Jerry raised a brow. Tom continued to discreetly say to offer that rigged sandwich to either of the culprits. Jerry nodded, a devilish expression crossing his face.
He innocently turned to Meatloaf and offered the sandwich while holding an identical one. Meatloaf took it and bit into it without thought before turning red and jumping off his seat in search of water or anything cold, exclaiming how his mouth burned and all around just tasted bad.
All of them laughed at his misfortune but Toodles was more amused at the silent exchange of victory Tom and Jerry shared over a secret handshake without even having to look at each other. Cherie saw it too and giggled.
“Those boys are something else, aren’t they?”
Toodles had to agree. Their boyfriends really are something else and she had no doubt those two were close as can be.