Mistoffelees didn't have a name for it, at first.

It was an ache, a yearning. A driving force that sometimes kept the young tom up at night, wondering exactly what was going on.

The other toms had spoken of changes that he could go through – conversations that left him blushing and curled in on himself, wishing he were anywhere but in front of Tumblebrutus explaining the ins and outs of puberty. But this… this was different. And it started when he was very young.

The best way he could explain it – in hushed tones to Victoria in the middle of the night – was that it was sparkles. Different colours surrounding each Jellicle that brightened and dimmed with each emotion, sparkling with excitement and crackling with anger.

He wanted it.

He wanted it so badly.

As a kitten, he thought it was something that every Jellicle saw, and he couldn't figure out why the other kittens his age could resist the urge to crash tackle a sparkle of blue energy.

In fact, it happened a lot.

Mistoffelees would be distracted mid-conversation by a flash of yellow, and suddenly Munkustrap would end up with an armful of the kitten, pressing himself against the silver tabby almost desperately.

Eventually he worked out that it was a side-effect of the magic, but that didn't make it any easier to resist. He was drawn to the energy like a fly to light.

At night, it was the worst. Unconsciousness was the only time a Jellicle's energy turned black, the sparkles less entrancing, almost static. It drove Mistoffelees crazy – he thrived on other energies, yet there was none to have. He felt isolated. Empty.

Some nights, the loneliness was too much.

"Vicky?" Mistoffelees whispered, his head up, ears cocked to listen for his sister, sleeping a couple of spaces away in their den.

She stirred, groaning sleepily, and her body lit up with dull orange sparks, thrumming gently. Immediately Mistoffelees was purring, crawling closer to her.

"Misto?" she whispered, letting out a breathy huff, "What is it?"

"Nothing," he murmured, "Can I just…?"

He shuffled closer, falling onto his side next to her, pressing up against her and letting out a content sigh.

"Misto…" she whined, inching away, "It's…no, stop… it's too hot…"

Mistoffelees' breath caught in his throat and he whined back at her, "Please?" he murmured.

She grumbled softly, "No…" she huffed, "You're like a furnace."

"But…" he sighed softly, moving away slightly, but he couldn't bring himself to move too far from her. He lowered himself to his stomach, closing his eyes and breathing in deeply, trying to take in the energy she emitted.

She grunted softly as his tail curled around her paw, but she didn't say anything to make him move. Eventually the dull orange faded to black, but the contact was enough for Mistoffelees to relax, and finally fall asleep.

Mistoffelees couldn't help but end up there every night, tail curled around her paw. It kept him grounded through the night, and slowly she got used to it.

Over time, Mistoffelees learnt to read the different energies – the subtle differences – and learnt to read them differently for different cats.

For example – yellow was a sign of stress, and orange was irritation.

Munkustrap's default seemed to be yellow. In the beginning, Mistoffelees was concerned for the tabby, following him around and asking him if he was okay. Munkustrap would wave him off, and Mistoffelees just accepted that fact that maybe Munkustrap was just always stressed – about everything.

Gus was often orange – if you looked at the cat sideways, he'd snap. Mistoffelees found that out the hard way. The elder had been like a disco ball all day, changing between calm blue to jealous green, sarcastic brown and fond peach. Mistoffelees had been fascinated, and when the tom has shone a brilliant ruby, he'd pounced. He'd ended up licking his wounds when Gus had thrown him into a junk pile, quickly realising that ruby was the epitome of frustration.

It was a useful little side effect, he thought.

But the Jellicle Ball…

Mistoffelees was almost drunk on energy at the Ball. All the Jellicles were vibrating with nerves, excitement, and all Mistoffelees wanted to do was touch. He wanted to bury his head in their fur and soak it in. He managed to go about, touching where possible, closing in on the Jellicles that radiated the emotions he didn't get to experience very often.

It was intoxicating, and it left Mistoffelees feeling drained by the end – and maybe somewhat changed. He felt he knew his fellow Jellicles better – knew what triggered them, and knew how they would react. Excitement, fear, rejection, elation, acceptance. Every feeling had a colour, and Mistoffeless had overdosed on a symphony of them that night.

It left him boneless and weary, and that night he didn't even need Victoria to fall asleep.

In fact, he almost wanted to be as far away from the energy as possible.

After the Ball, he slowly recovered – delighting over his newfound closeness that the other Jellicles didn't seem to understand. After his display of magic, many of the cats were still wary of him, although grateful for his gifts. He wanted their energies, but they seemed reluctant to let him get too close.

It was devastating, but… he had Victoria for when he was desperate.

But then... it wasn't long after the Ball that Tugger approached him.

"Misto…" Tugger's lazy drawl interrupted Mistoffelees from his thoughts, and he turned to face the Maine Coon.

"Yes, Tugger?"

The older tom was alight with a navy blue energy; content, relaxed, "Move in with me?"

If Mistoffelees could see his own energy, it would've turned white in surprise. He rolled to his feet, staring wide-eyed at the tom, "Excuse me?"

The tom got to his feet, narrowing his eyes and shaking his head. He went from navy blue to bright yellow. "Nothing!"

"Move in with you?" Mistoffelees asked, ignoring the sudden defensiveness, "Why?"

Mistoffelees watched his colour turn from yellow to red and then a sizzling grey – his discomfort was weighing out the other emotions he was going through.

"It was just an idea," he half-spat, embarrassment-red seething through the grey.

"Tugger, whoa… hold on," Mistoffelees pleaded, "Tell me. Why?"

Tugger huffed, "You're… good company,"

"Through the night?"

"Don't be like that," Tugger grumbled, a resigned orange radiating from his fur as he slumped onto a beam.

Mistoffelees graced him with a small smile, "Sorry," he hummed angelically, before he sighed, scratching the ground with his claws, "But… I'll have to decline…"

Tugger cocked his head, frowning slightly, "You will?"

"I'm a cuddler," Mistoffelees shrugged, "And the Rum Tum Tugger doesn't care for a cuddle…"

Tugger raised an eyebrow, his anxiety fading slightly. Cheeky purple started to blossom around him and he stepped forward, wrapping his arms loosely around the young tom's hips, "A cuddler?"

"Mmhm," Mistoffelees murmured, his eyes closed as he took in Tugger's energy, feeling the familiar weight of it around him like a heavy blanket.

"Somehow I don't think I'd mind too much, if it were you…"

Lusty bronze surrounded the two toms, and Mistoffelees let out a soft chuckle, his cheeks heating up, "You would."

Tugger dropped his hands, smiling and shaking his head, "Well, you could always give it a try…?"

Mistoffelees tilted his head, studying the hopeful mint green that was starting to leach out of Tugger.

"I guess…"

Tugger pouted, but the green didn't fade, "I expected more of a response from you, Mister Mistoffelees…"

Mistoffelees shivered and he let out a tiny laugh, tail flickering happily, "I'll see you tonight, Rum Tum Tugger…"

As promised, Mistoffelees crept into Tugger's den as the sun started to rise. The large tom was stretched on his side, eyes half lidded, a beautiful blue surrounding him. It was dimming – the tom was almost asleep.

Mistoffelees almost felt bad as he pounced.

Almost.

He wrapped himself around the tom who yelped in surprise, energy flashing a bright white. It flickered between yellow to blue as he decided how to react - anger or ignoring it - finally settling as he curled himself around the black and white tom.

"Sorry," Mistoffelees chuckled, turning in his arms and became the smaller spoon.

Tugger's arms encapsulated him and he shivered, their energies mingling, his heart swelling. This… thing with Tugger was new, and still exciting, and to be so close…

It was something he never wanted to move away from.

"Sleep…" Tugger grumbled quietly, "You're practically vibrating…"

Mistoffelees glanced down to Tugger's arms, knowing that the tom was relaxed, but needing the visual confirmation as well. He spotted the dim blue – the tom was almost asleep again.

Trying to relax himself, Mistoffelees breathed deeply, until Tugger's energy all but dissipated, his breath slow and heavy.

But… the Rum Tum Tugger didn't really care for a cuddle.

In his sleep, the tom's arms lost grip around him and he rolled, and Mistoffelees felt cheated. He tried to move closer, but Tugger merely shifted so they were no longer touching.

If Mistoffelees hadn't seen his lack of energy, he would've thought it was an awful joke.

Bereft of his comfort, Mistoffelees curled in on himself, eyes closing and trying to fall asleep without it. The black and white tom was starting to ache for it, even though it had only been a few minutes. With his sort-of mate so close, it was almost like he needed the closeness even more than usual.

"Tugger?" his voice was so soft he doubted Tugger would wake up, and his eyes squeezed shut.

His chest grew tight as he tried to find sleep, suffocating in the lack of pulsating energy. He could feel the edges of Tugger's, and it was a tease – tantalising and just out of reach.

He hadn't even realised his tail had moved when suddenly everything was better.

His breath came easily, his whole body relaxing as he curled his tail around Tugger's leg. The little energy he gave off was enough, and Mistoffelees absently nuzzled into the soft padding of Tugger's nest.

Within seconds, the young tom was asleep, the restlessness and the ache immediately gone.

Like with his magic, Mistoffelees was still learning.

The energy was harder to control – he didn't know what triggered the nights where he needed contact, and while it was fun, he didn't understand the use for it yet.

Sometimes he wondered what would happen if he couldn't find any energy. If he was lost and alone.

The thoughts were crippling, and he often pushed them away, trying not to linger. He could never be alone. Not now. He had become so close with the Jellicles, with the soft energies of the elders, the playful hues from the kittens, and the ever-changing rainbow from the adults.

And Tugger.

Purples and bronzes surrounded the tom, and jealous green whenever Mistoffelees spoke to anyone who wasn't him. Mistoffelees found that Tugger's energy seemed to radiate larger than the others, and maybe that was the reason he craved it ten-fold when Tugger was around.

In his sleep, his tail curled tighter, his body giving a content shudder.

His own energy stilled happily, maybe for the first time in his life.

The other Jellicles could avoid him, shun him, and push him away. But it didn't matter. Not really.

Not when he had Tugger.

A/N: There will be more in the same style as this, but I just wanted to put this establishment fic out there :)