Mickey couldn't keep the slight frown off his face as he walked down the hall, and he found himself feeling silly. He was in a rebellion against the King… he'd faced more dangers than he cared to count. Yet somehow, he was a bundle of nerves at the prospect of facing one of Oswald's moods. He wasn't scared or anything like that… it wasn't as if the rabbit would throw a punch at him or something. But Oswald knew how to be intense without resorting to his fists, as Mickey well knew.

C'mon, Mickey… pull yourself together. You've faced way worse than this.

At least he didn't have to worry about the kids interrupting, They'd made the usual fuss about going to bed, but there wasn't much that could wake them once they were down. Mickey's thoughts quieted when he reached the main sitting room; as he knew he'd be, Oswald was in his usual armchair, gazing quietly into the fire. Usually, Ortensia would be sitting with him, but she was apparently preoccupied.

Taking a deep breath, Mickey moved across the room. Oswald's ears twitched and he looked up, smiling a little when he saw Mickey.

"Hey, Mick."

Before the mouse could reply, Oswald looked closely at him, and his smile turned into a frown.

"Something up? You're lookin' a little… stressed." His frown grew concerned. "You hurting or something?"

Mickey gave the rabbit a reassuring grin.

"Relax, Os, I'm doing just fine… fit as fiddle and rarin' t' go." When Oswald raised a brow, the mouse raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I am, honest!"

Mickey couldn't help but smile at the relief on his brother's face.

"Good," he said quietly. Then he sat back, scanning Mickey's face. "So, what's up?"

The mouse took a deep breath and let out a sigh.

Now or never… c'mon, do what ya came for.

"Well… I just wanted t' talk, if ya have a minute."

Oswald raised his brow again, looking suspicious, but straightened up.

"Okay… what's up?"

Mickey bit his lip, then moved to the other chair.

"Well… it's something kinda personal."

The rabbit cocked his head.

"Yeah? Somethin' about you and th' Princess?"

Letting out another sigh, Mickey sank down in the chair and lifted his eyes to meet Oswald's.

"It's not about me, Os. It's about you."

A frown creased the rabbit's face again.

"What… about me?" he asked slowly.

After a moment of hesitation, Mickey took another deep breath.

"Well… I know all that's been goin' on s' hard on ya. I just…" He looked at Oswald closely. "I just wanna make sure you're okay."

He saw Oswald's eyes widen a little, then he seemed to steel himself before opening his mouth to reply. Knowing what the words would be before he said them, Mickey narrowed his own eyes.

"An' I don't wanna hear ya are if you're not," he said. "'Cause I got a feelin' you're not, an' I'm not leavin' till we talk about this."

For a moment, Oswald looked at a loss for words and seemed to be struggling for a reply. Mickey knew he was trying to come up with an excuse and resisted the urge to smile.

"C'mon, Os," he said in a gentle voice. "You've always got my back, whatever my problem is. Lemme have yours now… please."

He kept his eyes locked with Oswald's as the rabbit hesitated again, mentally crossing his fingers and hoping he hadn't pushed too much. Finally, Oswald let out a quiet sigh and crossed his arms, leaning back again in his seat.

"Fine," he mumbled. "You wanna talk… let's talk."

Some of Mickey's tension left him, and he sat back as well.

"Okay. First of all, I know I gave ya a pretty bad scare, and I'm really sorry for that."

Oswald's jaw tightened, and his voice was quiet when he spoke.

"It was… so awful. When we found out, I felt like everything dropped out from under me. All I could think 'bout was when we lost Mom and Dad, and I was so scared that…"

His voice broke a little, and he quickly lowered his eyes. Mickey had seen the sheen in them, though, and had to swallow hard as his own eyes stung at the memory. Even so, his voice trembled a little.

"Os, you gotta know I'd a' never done that to ya if I could keep from it. They were my mom and dad too, an' I think about 'em all th' time."

Oswald nodded, still looking down.

"I know," he murmured. "I guess th' worst thing with you was just… not knowin'. Not bein' able to be there t' see ya through th' worst of it. I mean, I know ya had th' Princess and I'm real glad for that, but…"

He rubbed his hands against his arms as if cold.

"But I'm supposed t' look out for ya. I was supposed t' be there, an' I wasn't."

By now Mickey could tell the rabbit was dangerously close to breaking down, and he could almost hear what he was thinking. Taking a deep breath, he spoke softly.

"You're nothin' like yer old man, Os."

"Don't call him that," Oswald said right away, his voice a little sharper. Mickey bit his lip.

"Sorry. But m' point is, ya weren't there 'cause ya couldn't be, not 'cause ya wanted t' be."

He saw Oswald's jaw clench again and waited, unable to help but feel a little tense. When he began to wonder if his brother had just shut down, the rabbit spoke again in a voice that was quiet but raw with anger and pain.

"How could he do that? Just toss us 'way like that? if we meant nothin' to him th' whole time, why'd he even…"

His voice broke then, and Mickey could tell he was struggling to hold himself together. Slowly, he got up and moved to stand in front of the rabbit, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Os," he murmured. "It's just us here. Ya don't hafta hold back now."

He heard Oswald draw in a sharp breath, then the rabbit started trembling. The sound of his hushed sobs tore into Mickey's heart, and he was struggling to hold back tears himself. His ears twitched then, and he turned to see Ortensia standing in the doorway, her eyes wet. He saw her swallow hard before she slowly walked over and slid into the chair beside Oswald, placing a hand on his back. He tensed, then spoke in a choked voice.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Ortensia… I… "

Ortensia hushed him softly, wrapping him in a gentle hug.

"It's all right, hunny bunny," she soothed. "Sometimes being strong means letting it all out."

Oswald choked, then dissolved into more hushed weeping. Mickey gave the rabbit's shoulder a gentle squeeze while Ortensia ran a hand up and down his back, murmuring words of comfort and endearment. After a while, Oswald drew in a shaking breath before looking up at Mickey, his eyes still bright with tears.

"Mick…" he rasped. "D' you… r-really think I'm strong?"

The mouse's eyes were stinging, but still he smiled and bent to give his brother a hug of his own.

"Strong? Don' make me laugh, Oswald… you're th' toughest guy I know."

His brother let out a choked laugh before pressing closer. His voice still trembled, but Mickey could hear the gratitude in it.

"Thanks."

Ortensia smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder while Mickey patted his back.

"You bet, big bro. What else s' family for?"