"Get u-up…" A distant, sweet voice sang. "C'mon, Tugger…Get u-up…" The voice persisted. "C'mon now…Tugger…Get u-up…Before I have to pull you off that couch by your mane…"

"Hu?" Tugger's eyes flew open, and met those of his sister-in-law.

"I said get up before I make you get up, Tugger." Demeter hissed. Tugger obeyed. It had been a week since Munkustrap had forced his (both physically and emotionally) maimed brother to stay in his den while his (physical) injuries healed. Tugger could now stand and walk without shooting pain running up his side, and the fur on the end of his tail was beginning to grow, but his arms would be bound for at least four more months.

Much to Demeter's chagrin, Tugger had made himself more or less at home. Munkustrap was happy that he had been able to stay out of trouble for seven whole days, and Tugger was happy that he had experienced seven whole days without his usual band of followers. That was, until dinner.

"Would you pass the cream, dear?" Demeter asked her daughter halfway through dinner. Victoria lifted the pitcher and passed it down past her uncle to the other side of the table. "Thank y—" She was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"I'll get it." Munkustrap stood up and walked towards the front of the house. "Can't imagine what anyone wants during the dinner hour." Munkustrap commented over his shoulder. CLANG CLANG CLANG! "But whatever it is, they must want it now." The second Munkustrap opened the door, four squealing kittens ran into the living room screaming at the top of their lungs.

"Tugger!" They all shrieked as soon as they spotted him, and ran towards the kitchen. Tugger flinched, lifting his paws to his face and ducking.

"Hey!" Demeter stood. The girls stopped short. "Look, any other time, I would be more than happy to turn him over to your cult to use as some kind of living sacrifice, but this is dinner time." All four girls' jaws dropped. "And I can't have people in my house during dinner time." Tugger lowered his paws and looked through one eye at the scene unfolding. "So I ask you," Demeter continued. "Please take your little party back outside, and if I feel generous, I met let you in after dinner." The girls all nodded their heads and left the way they came.

"Uh…see you later….um…girls…" Munkustrap mumbled as they walked away.

"Bye Mr. Munkustrap." They said in unison as they marched off.

"Well…Um…Let's…" Munkustrap tried to explain to himself what had just happened. Demeter took his paw and sat him back down at the table.

"I told you we need to get him out of the den." She whispered through her teeth as she stepped back to her own seat. "And you," She pointed at Tugger. "Owe me the thanks of a lifetime." Tugger sat and stared at Demeter for the rest of dinner, saying not a word.

After dinner had been cleaned up, and Victoria had gone to bed, and Demeter had gone to her room to read, Tugger sat down on his couch, and Munkustrap went to sit with him.

"Can I help you?" Tugger asked. "I thought I was supposed to be resting. I did just have dinner; I need to rebuild my strength from the walk across the den." He crossed his arms and looked away from his brother.

"Look, I know this whole thing is getting on your nerves, and trust me it's getting on mine," Munkustrap sighed. "But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about." He folded his paws and put his elbows on his knees, placing his head on his knuckles. "This evening, when the girls came," Tugger flinched and the thought. "Yes, well, I don't think I was the only one that noticed you got awful flustered." Tugger furrowed is brow. "Now, I'm going to ask you to do something you're not known for doing." Tugger raised his left eyebrow.

"I don't know what you want me to do, bro, but I'm not a fan of…" He let the last part of the sentence hang in suggestion.

"C'mon! Ew, no! Get your mind out of the gutter!" Tugger was laughing hysterically. "I'm serious, man, there are kittens in this house!"

"Fine, fine, fine, now what is itI'm not known for?" He asked in between chuckles.

"I want you to be honest."

"Hmm…that might be harder than what I was thinking about…" He snickered a little as Munkustrap's lip curled in disgust.

"I'm serious! You—" Munkustrap began, but he was cut off by his brother.

"See, that there is your problem. You're always so serious! You were serious when we were kittens! You've been serious forever, and you'll be serious until the day you die! I bet you—"

"A little serious is better than being a complete doofus!" Munkustrap screamed.

"If I'm a doofus, then you're a dweeb!" Tugger shot back.

"Lazy!"

"Dork!"

"Slack-off!"

"Nerd!"

"Failure!"

"Geek!" By the time they had gotten this far, they were both standing up, and had their noses right in each other's faces.

"I should have let you go home! I shouldn't have ev—" Munkustrap hollered, before being cut off.

"Uh…" Victoria stood in the doorway of the living room, staring at the two grown toms before her, including her father, squealing like kittens. "Do I…? Ya know what? I don't think I do." And she promptly turned back towards her room.

"See what you do?" Munkustrap hit his brother in the back of the head.

"What I do? What I do?" Tugger huffed. "I'm sorry for breaking my arms! You think I like being cooped up in your den? It's not my fault I got hurt!"

"But it is!" Munkustrap cut in. "You were the one that went out; you were the one who almost got arrested; you were the one that hadn't settled down by now! So, yeah, it actually kinda is your fault!"

"I—" But Tugger couldn't think of what to say. He sat down on the couch and tried to cross his arms to the best of his abilities. After a few minutes of silence, he finally spoke. "I bet I'll regret asking you this, but…" Munkustrap sat down and stared at him. "Didn't you want to ask me something? I had to be honest or something?"

"Ah. Yes, well…" Munkustrap hemmed and hawed for a moment.

"Well, what? I know I'm not going to like the question anyway, so you might as well get on with it."

"Well, this evening, when the girls showed up…Tugger, do you really like being followed around by all of the kittens?" Munkustrap looked up at his brother, who even sitting down was considerably taller than him. Tugger wore a look of anxiety.

"Um…I…I don't know." Was all her could manage to say.