Corners of the Multiverse (Scomiche Oneshot Compilation)

Two's Company, But Tree's a Crowd (Stranded 'Verse Pt.1)

What can I say? Puns are my wheelhouse.

As the title suggests, this is the first half of a planned two-shot. The second part will be posted soon, likely in the next day or so.

Please enjoy!

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It's only 9:17 in the morning, and Mitch is already certain that that today is the worst day of his life.

And let's clear one thing up first-it is not his fault. No, the blame lies solely with the obnoxious, hairless, couch-destroying (and now day-ruining) hellspawn that is his Sphinx cat.

"Wyatt Blue Grassi-Knowles, I swear to God if you don't shut up right now, then I'm going to--yeek!" The threat is cut off by a yelp of fear as Mitch loses his balance slightly, and must cling more tightly to the trunk of the tree.

The tree that he is stuck in.

That's right, ladies and gents (and everyone in between), Mitch Grassi--recent honors graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, current summer employee at Frank's Groovy Record Store, and fully (mostly?) functional adult-is stranded twenty-five goddamn feet above the goddamn ground in a goddamn tree in the middle of a goddamn California suburb.

Wyatt just meows again from his spot at the base of the tree, scratching at the bark. To clarify, this isn't Wyatt showing concern for his marooned owner, nay, this is Wyatt's "I'm hungry, stop goofing around and feed me!" meow.

"Wyatt, I am so over you right now! This is entirely your fault!"

And it is. Long story short, Mitch had read somewhere recently that some cats enjoy being taken on walks; it stimulates their brains and makes them more happy and relaxed pets. Wanting to be the best cat owner he could, Mitch had figured a short walk in a quiet suburb might determine if a daily stroll would benefit Wyatt.

Short answer: no.

Long answer: a passing cyclist spooked Wyatt so badly he rocketed up the nearest tree, refused to come down, and instead chose to meow pathetically at Mitch as if his predicament was somehow the human's fault.

And Mitch, fearing for the safety of his cat, had climbed up after Wyatt in order to rescue him. He had also left his phone behind, fearing he might drop and break it.

Therefore, naturally, When Mitch finally reaches Wyatt after ten minutes of braving the intimidating height and the rough bark scraping his palms, the cat barely spares him a glance before skittering back down the tree with ease.

The sudden movement had surprised Mitch, and his flinch and subsequent scramble to hang onto the tree knocked his glasses askew. They dropped like a stone, bouncing off of about eighteen branches in their descent, before finally reaching the ground with a disheartening 'crack'.

To recap: Mitch is stuck in a tree, blind, and phoneless, with an impatient feline yowling at him from below. Why did he allow himself to become such a soft-hearted crazy cat mom?!

Mitch gives climbing down a few solid tries, but every time his brain registers the height and the blurriness of anything further away than ten feet, his muscles lock up and refuse to move.

Great, Mitch is going to die alone, stranded in a fucking tree of all places. A morbid part of his brain hopes they play one of his better 8tracks playlists at his funeral.

"Hey, are you okay?"

A baritone voice shocks Mitch out of his depressed musing, sounding tentative and concerned.