Zelena kept thinking about him.

Mufasa.

Just thinking his name sent butterflies of confusion to her stomach. She sat up in bed and sighed, turning the switch on for her bedside lamp. So far the farm house was unmolested by unwanted heroes but that was not her most pressing problem at the moment. What bothered her was that she had no idea what was going on. She liked to be in control and with him she felt it slipping, wanting to be or do or think something else when he was near her.

They'd met a few times at their rocks, reading together. She found his voice soothing, genuinely relaxing around him when she was unable to around anyone else. The last time...God, she leaned against him and closed her eyes. If he'd wanted to kill her all he had to do was produce the knife. And yet he didn't and she -trusted- him not to.

Trust? Since when? How? Why?

The witch lashed a robe around her waist and moved to the kitchen to get a drink of water, mulling this over. Never having had a friend before she naturally assumed that was what this was. Never having had a friend she also naturally assumed that this was normal and the fault of her confusion was on her. How was a person someone's friend? Was it something you tried to do or was it a natural something that didn't have to be focused on?

If that was so she was failing spectacularly.

He'd brought her the books but in all other ways was a perfect gentleman. He always seemed to have nice things to say about her and she usually blushed, brushing them off as him trying to be kind. Friends complimented one another, too, didn't they? Had she complimented him? She had said he wasn't old once. Did that count? The wildflowers he brought her the last time they met were sitting on the kitchen table in a vase and seemed to taunt her with all of the things she hadn't done for him that he did for her. This was all very new to her.

Suddenly very concerned about the state of their friendship and forgetting that it was ungodly late, because she hadn't slept a wink, Zelena appeared fully dressed outside his apartment door. On the way she had liberated one of the kittens from the pet shop and held it. She knocked. When he answered she offered the mewing black and white kitten, trying not to appear as insane as she probably looked.

"You have a nice door."

Mufasa

Mufasa was not expecting company, considering he was asleep. He sat up and looked around his room blearily, half thinking he had heard the noise in his sleep. But the knocked continued, and he realized it was actually coming from his front door. Eyeing his clock, he noted the hour and pondered an appropriate response for being woken up at it as he shuffled his way across his home and to the front door.

He was not looking his most put together. His hair was messy from sleep, though he had only settled down into it an hour or so ago, and his face was a bit scruffy and in need of a shave come morning. Not this early in the morning, of course. He was wearing a loose fitting shirt and some sweat pants, the most comfortable things he had ever experienced in his life and adored sleeping in now that he had found them.

They did not have such simple clothes in his land, after all.

Opening the door, he found himself staring at his potential girlfriend, the woman who had captured his attention and he was trying to gently woo by spending time with and attention on her. He blinked at her, though, as he had not invited her over at god-awful-o-clock, so he was not exactly sure why she was knocking on his door so exuberantly.

Was that a kitten?

Awkwardly taking the small animal that was being offered to him, largely on instinct to be polite and accept a gift being given, he looked at Zelena in wonder. He was certainly waking up rather quickly, shaking his head and clearing his throat.

Wait. Door? Was that code for something in these modern times? What did the kitten mean? In his home, flowers, poems and acts of bravery were the acceptable forms of flirting.

"I... uhm. What... about my door? I... I find myself... uhm. Unprepared for this visit. Uh. Forgive me," he bowed, carefully cradling the kitten to him as he did so, "you look lovely this evening, Zelena. Please, do come in."

His door...jesus tapdancing christ.

"Apartment," she amended, coming in. Her brain was kicking her in the back of the head, telling her that something was very wrong but she was too wrapped up in things to think about that closely. Or realize precisely what was wrong. She took in the sight of him rumpled with sleep, scruffy and adorable, and got lost in how cute he was. It could not be said that she was not horribly attracted to him. Of course she was, even if she couldn't admit it. His eyes were a beautiful shade of green even if they were clouded by confusion and sleep. Then she seemed to realize what the matter was.

"Y0u were sleeping."

Damn.

"Of course you were sleeping!"

Normal people managed to sleep at normal times. Just because she was too neurotic to sleep didn't mean that other more emotionally stable people didn't partake in the wee hours of the morning. The kitten looked adorable cuddled against him and purred at its new owner. If nothing else he had a mascot for his book shop downstairs. And even if she'd done something incredibly stupid by coming there he had a kitten from it so, maybe it could act as her ambassador to apologize where she could not.

It wasn't like she could explain the crazy reason why she was at his door this late after stewing about it in bed for a couple of hours. Zelena lingered by the door and didn't come in immediately as offered. She stood paralyzed be embarrassment.

Could she never be normal around him?

"I should go. The kitten's name is Tiggy."

Or, at least, that was the name on its collar tag.

Mufasa

"Oh, no, please. Do not worry about that. I was only just settling down for sleep, you have good timing." He smiled at her reassuringly, though he was lying just a little to spare her feelings. He had definitely been asleep, and was probably on the way to dreams and a solid seven hours before she knocked on the door to hand him a small, fuzzy animal named Tiggy. The kitten was cute, at least, but Mufasa was still trying to figure out what brought her there so early.

He motioned for her to sit on the sofa, offering her the kitten while he went to the kitchen to make them some tea.

"Is everything all right? You are here so early, I thought for a moment that something was wrong. But the kitten seems healthy. Did you find it somewhere?"

He was clearly not going to let her leave, even if she was embarrassed, because she had come this far for a reason. He could be a good host, even if he was half asleep and not dressed in his best clothes for entertaining. That would dawn on him later. Right now, he was just focused on getting the kettle boiled.

Anyway, he was glad she was there. Even this early, it was a welcome surprise.

She had visited him at his home, after all, leaving her isolation in the forest of her own volition and coming to town. He knew that she did not like coming here unless she had to, and if nothing was actually wrong it meant she came just to see him. With a cat. Once the kettle whistled and he had the tea ready, he brought in a tray with the tea, some cups, and some cookies. He was not lying about always having cookies from the coffee shop downstairs.

"Here, having some tea, my lady. You can relax here, you are welcome in my home. You look very uncertain. Are you sure there is nothing wrong?"

Zelena didn't argue with him when he told her to sit down. She could hardly bring herself to considering it was she that disturbed him and he asked her to stay. Instead she took the kitten and pet it softly as she sat on the couch. It mewed at her and pawed at the lace on her dress, around the collar. She didn't stop it. In fact, she waited patiently while he went to the kitchen to brew the tea, watching him but pretending not to.

"No, nothing's wrong," she promised, lying. "I just thought I'd come to visit. I didn't realize it was so late."

At least that part was true.

"Thank you."

She took the cup of tea and waited for him to come back into the living room so Tiggy could sit with her new dad. The kitten climbed on him immediately, wanting attention from whoever was willing to give it. Zelena's hands were now full so it was up to him to provide it with much needed love. She took a sip of tea and set the cup aside to be polite and talk to him. Part of her wanted to explain her gift, since it was sort of an unusual thing.

"I'm told it's tradition for a book shop to have a cat."

And she wanted him to have that. She couldn't explain to him that she wanted to do. She wanted to be as good of a person as he was to her. She wanted him to continue to want to be around her. It had been a few days since she'd spent time with him and she found that she missed him. She honestly missed him. And she was worried that he wouldn't want to continue seeing her.

"Mufasa, do you think I'm being a good friend to you?"

Mufasa

"I suppose you're right!"

The King chuckled, but he was not really all that familiar with local and modern things like that. After all, things were very different in his land, but pets were always welcome. He doubted anyone could say no to a face like that, anyway. The kitten, he told himself, though he almost made himself smile and laugh out loud as he glanced at Zelena with that thought in his head.

"Well, Tiggy is welcome to stay here, then. And you are welcome to visit him any time you'd like, of course, since you brought him to me."

Her question caught him off guard, though, and the levity passed for a moment.

"Of course you are, why would you think otherwise? My lady, you are a very kind and interesting woman to be around, and I thoroughly enjoy the time you so graciously allow me to fill in your day. I treasure it, in fact."

He offered her a reassuring smile, not really understanding the source of her concern. After all, had he not already told her he was determined to be her friend? Beyond that, had his efforts to woo her properly gone rather unnoticed? He thought he had been winning her heart, honorably and politely, with his time and the gifts he liked to share with her. And of course, he just genuinely liked spending time with her, and would hope that she saw that for what it was.

Maybe a little more than friendship, if he were honest, but he was too old school to say it first.

"Believe me, you do not have to worry about such things with me. You company is a delight to me, and I very much enjoy spending time reading with you. I'm glad that you are here, even if it was a bit unexpected! With some tea in me, I think my brain is fully awake now. Hopefully I won't be quite as embarrassingly stupid, hm?" He chuckled.

Zelena nodded at him, trying to be casual. She didn't feel exceptionally calm but she was trying at least. Tiggy was helping, bring a cute relief from the tension. She pretty him gratefully as she sipped her tea. She was trying to believe him when he said it wasn't put out by her coming here. The kitten was probably the best thing she did all night.

"I'd like to visit him. I'm sure he'll be the best mascot ever."

She beamed and finally relaxed, reaching out to touch his hand with hers. It was a simple touch but it made her feel better. She realized that she'd come to rely on that touch. It soothed her and made her feel less self conscious. Which was good because that was all she could focus on. Or, rather, it read all she could focus on. His words broke that line of thought.

"You make it sound like it's a privilege."

She found that hard to believe but it was nice to hear. Her heart fluttered when he said it.

"I don't think I deserve this, you. I don't deserve any of it. I'm grateful, Mufasa, more than you'll ever know."

He saw the real person that she was. Everyone talked about redeeming her, understanding her. He was the only one that actually tried to know her and believed that she was someone worthwhile. He didn't talk to her in spite of who she'd been. He talked to her an ignored that past. He believed in her as she was. It was enough to make her believe in being good, if only a little.

"You could choose anyone to be with Mufasa. You could be friends with anyone. What I mean to say is...I like you. I think I like you very much."

Mufasa

"My dear, if I wanted to simply be friends, I would not be trying so hard," he looked at her seriously, yet somehow still managed to look playful. Maybe it was his fluffy, sleepy appearance. Or, more likely, his generally upbeat mood. "I think you are more than aware that my feelings toward you are... are a bit more than geared to just friendship. If I may be so bold, my lady... you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. You doubt yourself so much, but I see not only goodness inside you, but a heart that yearns for love. If it is not meant to be me, I am willing to accept that, after a profound effort on my part: but I can at least help you to see what you are so determined to hide."

He smiled at her with all the warmth in the world, shaking his head slowly as he relocated a bit closer to her. He put his hand on her hand carefully, though he felt even that was a bit too forward for a proper knight.

Or rather, a King.

"You do not have to worry around me, Zelena. You can be who you are. I am not scared of who you claim to be, or what darkness might be in you. I have seen worse, and lived to tell the tale. In you, there is so much more than just darkness and danger. It hurts me to see you so hard on yourself because of it."

He wanted to see her embrace the light that could be in her, and turn away from villainy. As far as he knew, that was what she seemed to want to do. After all, she was keeping him company, and spending time with him while he was a hero. If she was a true villain, she would simply turn away from him, or lash out at him, or some other thing villains were supposed to do.

In his eyes, she was not evil. Not wicked. She was his friend, and hopefully, one day, more.

"You..."

For a few minutes Zelena's face went blank. She struggled to wrap her head around what he had just told her. No one had ever told her they wanted to be her friend before, except him, let alone tell her that she was worth dating. When had that happened? she didn't think she was particularly worth dating and had precious little experience with dating. Or of being romantically desired. She tried to form a response but nothing was really forthcoming.

Finally, she was able to kick herself back into gear, finding her voice as she looked at him. She leaned forward and kissed him lightly, pressing her lips to his for a long lingering moment. When she pulled away she touched her lips in surprise. It felt nice, nicer than she could have thought.

She tried to speak again and gave him a shy smile smile instead.

"Are you sure?"

It was hard not to have any doubt all things considered. She wanted to believe him because he had never lied to her, not necessarily because she was worth trying to date. That was going to take a while to figure out but her mind kept going back to the kiss and how it sparked electricity on her lips, something that she still had a hard time comprehending.

Zelena scooted closer to him on the couch, looking into his eyes. In them she was worth seeing and possibly loving. She wasn't wicked to him. With him the witch definitely wanted to be a better person which put her at odds with her plans.

"You think I'm beautiful." She smiled at him. "I am myself with you, Mufasa. I can't help being myself when you seem to believe so much good about me. I just don't want to hurt you."

Mufasa

The smile on Mufasa's face was almost ear to ear after she kissed him. He chuckled at her, looking slightly embarrassed. His wife had died so long ago now, but he had not dared think about starting again with another woman. And casual dating? Enjoying someone's company and the ride of falling head of heels all over again? It was not something he could have ever seen himself engaging in.

Yet here he was, putting all his effort into this one little thing, trying to win her heart because the only thing he could think about was her. He wanted to waste all of his time keeping her company, and knew that would eventually drive her insane and tired of him if he wasn't careful. But he couldn't help himself! She was beautiful, sure, but she was also intelligent and interesting, exotic and enticing.

She had him under a spell, without either of them really understanding it, or realizing it had been cast from the get go.

He put his arm around her as she scooted closer to him, though he was still being as polite and courtly as he knew how. This world was all still rather new to him, after all, and he had to stick to what he knew.

"I am stronger than you might think. You won't hurt me, I promise. And I will never hurt you, that I swear. I can only hope to make you happy."