A/N: Okay, so I lied about not writing another TLK fic. I actually didn't lie, though. I only thought I would write more, but not be able to post it. But I figured I'd stop hiding in the closet and come out with what I like. I like the Timon/Pumbaa pairing, strangely enough :P And I'm proud of it. All I can write is romance, and Timon is my favorite character, and I was NOT about to write a Timon/OC. So you can flame, if you want. I'll really be expecting it. Though I do hope some of you can 'look beyond what you see' and put this into consideration. You don't have to like it, I'm just saying think about it before automatically flaming the second you find out this is a Timon/Pumbaa fanfic.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with The Lion King.

"Endless Night"

No sleep was going to come tonight. Not for Timon, at least.

Timon stared up at the sky from his usual spot on Pumbaa's stomach. The treetops covered most of his view, but from what he could see, the moon was shining, and the stars were gleaming like dew on the morning grass. He listened to the crickets chirp as Pumbaa's breathing softly raised Timon up and down.

Tired of not being able to sleep, Timon sighed, sat up, and put his paws together. He turned his head to look at his friend's face and could only watch as he slept through the night, snoring loudly. But the snoring didn't bother Timon much. He was used to it, and now it was hard to get through a night without it (if they had been separated by a fight, or something). Plus, being with the guy and hearing it every night had kinda grown on him.

As Timon continued to watch Pumbaa, he suddenly felt his stomach jump. This was something that was starting to happen often, and it was becoming very frustrating to Timon. He was sick of feeling weird every time he would be around his friend. It… had never been weird before.

He tightly shut his eyes and waited for the feeling to pass. After a few seconds, it did. He reopened his eyes and cursed himself. He cursed himself for acting this way -  for feeling this way. He wasn't supposed to be emotional, or cry! If he did, everyone would know that he had another side to him. But he didn't want that, and so he wouldn't let himself be that way. But now, as he looked on at Pumbaa, he realized…

He couldn't help it.

Somehow, while looking at his friend, Timon knew he couldn't help the way he was feeling. The emotion tormented and played with him; he felt his heart break, and wasn't sure if he would ever feel normal again. The black web of fate was toying with him.

But so what if the emotion picked on him? How was that going to make him accept any of it? He didn't want to, and so (being the stubborn meerkat that he was) wasn't going to. But in the back of his head, a little voice asked him,

If you've accepted that it's fate, can you really run from it forever?

Timon shook his head, hoping the 'voice' would leave him alone for a while. Wide awake, he carefully slid off Pumbaa's belly and landed firmly on the ground. He looked behind him at the warthog for a second, then started walking off.

The jungle was quiet and still as he walked. He didn't know exactly where he was going – he was just going to let his feet take him wherever they wanted him to go. While walking, he hoped that maybe it would take some energy from him and help him go to sleep. If it was one thing he couldn't stand, it was sleepless nights. He always felt that they would never end, and the moon would keep the sky dark forever.

Timon let his feet come to a halt and he looked around to see where he was. It was a wide, open field. The wind was blowing softly, making the grass around him blow lightly, creating a soft brushing sound. Timon closed his eyes as the wind gently brushed against him and he breathed in the cool air.

He sat down on the ground and hugged his knees to his body. Resting his head on his knees, he sighed. He knew he had to figure out and (eventually) accept everything that was coming to him. He just didn't know if he was ready.

The feeling he was getting around Pumbaa was new to him. He didn't recall ever feeling it before. It was so strange… indescribable, even. Sometimes his stomach would just jump, but other times, it would be a lot more. He'd feel awkward, his heart speed would pick up, or just feel like his spirits had been lifted like never before.

And even without knowing what the bizarre emotion was, he mainly wanted to know WHY it was targeted on Pumbaa! His best friend in the whole world, of all animals, it was him! He was the one whom he trusted and relied on. He was the who Timon wouldn't know what to do without. And if it wasn't for Pumbaa, Timon never would have found out how wonderful it was to have a friend, and not be lonely anymore. He would do anything for Pumbaa, and he knew Pumbaa would do anything for him.

So what could the feeling possibly be? It couldn't be anything serious, could it? If it was for Pumbaa, then it couldn't be anything to worry about.

Right?

"Oy…" Timon let out. He could barely take the confusion anymore. All he wanted was to know the answer. But how?

He kept his mind on the subject, even though he was convinced nothing would come. He felt like he was a student stuck on a question on an important test; he was just staring at the paper hoping for a solution that wouldn't come.

The, suddenly, a thought did come. Timon was in too much of a subconscious state to realize what it was, though.

"Could it be…?" he whispered. He repeated it, louder this time, and speaking to the stars. "Could it be that I… love him?"

The small meerkat continued to stare at the sky with blank eyes, but when he heard what he had said, he snapped back to normal. His eyes went wide and he slapped himself in the face.

"What in God's name am I THINKING?!" he screamed, disgusted at his won words. He stared at his hands as his breathing quickened. Question after question and thought after thought coursed through his mind and he didn't know what to do. What in the world had caused him to say that? Sure, he hadn't been in the right state of mind, but it's said that when you're delirious, or in another state of being, you're more true to yourself…

Just then, Timon felt something slide down his cheek. His fast breathing formed a small gasp, and all of his thoughts came to a sharp stop. He slowly raised a paw to his cheek, almost afraid (yet half knowing) if what he would find. He felt a tiny bit of moisture on one finger, and he pulled his hand away to look.

It was a tear.

He was crying.

He was crying…

He chuckled weakly. "Look at me," he told no one, sniffing once. "I'm crying! I'm crying for pete's sake!" He continued to smirk as he felt another tear fall from the other eye. Timon angrily wiped the tear away and put his head in his hands.

"What's happening to me?" he asked quietly. Sniffing once again, he lifted his head. The wind stung his now wet cheeks, but he still remained there.

The tears hadn't come until he said… what he said about… Pumbaa. Timon cringed at his friend's name. He could barely even think about him, now that he knew what the emotion could be.

Timon decided to put all of shi pride, rules, and and any other thoughts behind him and actually consider it.

Was Timon really in love with his friend? It felt so wrong for him to feel that way. Bot only would he be breaking the inter-species rule, but they were also the same gender. Timon was genuinely scared the think they he may just think of Pumbaa as more than a friend.

But what else could this emotion be? It was for Pumbaa, and something Timon had never felt before. And he knew very well that he had never been in love in his life. Deep down, he had desired to love, and be loved back, but never in a million years would he have guessed that this was how it was going to come about.

It was now or never. Was the emotion for Pumbaa really love? Timon clamped his eyes shut and clenched his fists. He was in this tense moment for a bit before loosening up. His body relaxed, and he whispered, "Yes."

Timon bit down on his lip, thinking of the single word that had escaped him. The single word that meant so much now. He now knew what the emotion was, and he took it in as a part of him now. He accepted it. He still couldn't figure out why it had come, but that was to be expected. Emotions have a tendency to not have a reason.

He got to his feet and stood up. He stared at the sky for a good few minutes, letting the breeze play with his fur. Then, gathering every amount of courage in him, he whispered,

"I love you."

And with that, he turned around and began walking back towards the jungle and back to Pumbaa. Someday, he would tell his friend his feelings, but not now. He had just accepted it himself, he wasn't ready to let anyone else know about it. But he promised himself he would let his friend know.

As he walked back, he knew the endless night was coming to an end, and that the sun would rise again soon.

THE END

A/N: -sits and waits for oncoming flames- Hope you liked it. I enjoyed writing it, and yes, I am nervous about posting it. But you can't blame me for not wanting to write TLK fanfics and not post them, just because they have a pairing that obviously one agrees on.