DAY 3

-...-

"Haha! They're cuddling!"

"Don't be rude, they're taking care of us, Cleo."

"I'm not being rude! How is that rude! It's not rude!"

Rum Tum Tugger opened his eyes. He already knew that it wasn't morning, because the spot he was sleeping in was still dark. The entire room was dark. The only 'source' of light were two sets of large, glowing eyes. It took a second for Tugger's eyes to adjust to the room, but finally the cat's night vision kicked in and he was able to see the kittens standing there.

He squinted his eyes at them. "What is it?"

Cleo giggled again, her voice echoing around the drawer.

Maria, on the other hand, moved closer to the Maine Coon.

"Can I sleep here?" She meowed quietly.

"Of course!" Tugger replied, moving slightly so that she would have room in the drawer. It was then that he realized that Mistoffelees were there. He wasn't exactly cuddling, not in a way that Tugger would consider cuddling, but curled up very close to him. His long black tail was laying across the larger cat's body. Said cat's eyes went wide as he saw him lying there, so close to him, but he quickly turned back to the kittens. Having a fanclub helped him hide these emotions; if he wanted to keep fans, he had to keep staying uninterested in everyone, no matter how interested he was.

"Well?" He said to Maria, opening his arms for her. To his surprise, Cleo, whom he had originally assumed was only there for moral support to her sister, climbed into his arms. She draped herself over him, and buried her face in his mane, like she was trying to hide from something.

Maria moved behind Tugger, to where Mistoffelees was laying. She layed near him, before scooting close enough to touch him. When her fur brushed against his, he seemed to automatically reach out, grabbing the kitten and pulling her close. The magic cat muttered something under his breath, before settling back down.

He obviously wasn't a morning cat.

Once again, the drawer was silent. Everyone was breathing evenly, mostly(or heavily in some cases) asleep. Only The Rum Tum Tugger lay awake.

It was well known that Tugger did not like cuddles, but for some reason, he had still reached out and let Cleo slide into his arms.

Cuddles made Tugger, a large cat with a lot of fur, despite being shaved partially for show, very hot, sweaty, and uncomfortable. He hated it when cats touched his mane, he hated it when the kittens tried to get into his arms, he hated it when his acquaintances would try and stay the night, despite him making it clear that it was a one time thing.

But, these kittens were different. Their obsession with him wasn't because they found him sexually appealing, but because they genuinely liked him, and thought of him like family.

Tugger smiled up at the bedroom ceiling. He looked down at the kitten laying in his arms, then over at the two cats next to him, and smiled.

He didn't even remember falling asleep.

This time, Tugger didn't get woken by kittens giggling, but by a heavy weight crushing him. Well, it wasn't a heavy weight, just a heavy enough weight, so that Tugger could tell that someone or something was on top of him.

Opening his eyes told him nothing, as at some point the cat had rolled onto his stomach and the weight was actually on his back. So, there was only one reasonable way to solve this problem; stand up!

Tugger did just that, and there was a slight grunt as whoever had been on him hit the ground. Turning around told him that it was... Oh. Just Mistoffelees.

The tuxedo cat rolled over, grumbling, before curling around himself and falling back asleep. This made Tugger snort; if only Munkustrap could see this situation, if only to be proven wrong about his brother's habits.

The maine coon headed towards the 'exit' of the drawer, and almost tripped over a kit on his way out. Which one it was, he couldn't tell, as when they were both completely asleep like this, all calm and not dreaming, they looked identical.

On second thought, he didn't want his brother to see this right now, as it would raise a lot of questions. Those questions could include, whose kits are they? Why are you and Mistoffelees sleeping together? Why are the kits sleeping with you? Did you get another Queen pregnant, or is your song about Mistoffelees true?

Either way, he wouldn't want to deal with that.

None of the other cats, kittens or Mistoffelees, had woken up yet, so Tugger figured that leaping onto the vanity to take a look in the mirror wouldn't hurt anything.

The human she-kit kept her mirror better cleaned then the human Tom and Queen of the house. As previously mentioned, the bathroom mirror was always dirty; it was often covered in a disgusting tasting paste and water marks that had gotten flicked on while his owners did that weird thing where they washed their teeth. Once a month, they brought Tugger into the vet to have them do the same to him, and it was revolting.

The human she-kit only used her mirror to brush her hair, pull it into fancy braids, and put paint on her face. It never really got messy, except for the one time that the human tom-kit had come in and thrown stuff around.

When it did get dirty, she washed it right away, and even if it wasn't dirty, Tugger had witnessed her washing it at least once a week.

Besides that, the mirror was lower, so that Tugger could see his full body. It was good for practicing his poses, to make the kits back at the Junkyard scream in joy.

She also has a comb on the dresser, which is much easier for Tugger to pick and run through the larger knots in his mane. He had tried the hairbrush once, and had been unable to hold it that well.

He hummed while fixing his mane, perfecting the curl at the front and adjusting his belt and collar to look perfect. Tugger had almost forgotten that he wouldn't be going to the Junkyard that day to teaze the locals, and would have completely forgotten and walked off if there hadn't been a tiny, high pitched yawn from inside the drawer.

"Tugger?" Called a kitten's voice, followed by an oomph as said kitten most likely stepped on someone.

The tiny head of Maria poked out of the drawer, looking up at him. He smiled down at her.

She reached her tiny paws up to scramble up the side of the dresser, and he grabbed her once she was close enough and pulled her the rest of the way.

up.

"How's it going, kit?"

She smiled, resting her head on his shoulder in response.

"Well, would you like to practice with me?"

Maria looked slightly confused. "What are you practicing?"

"Oh, just my rock star poses! I have to be perfect for my fanclub, you know."

"I wanna do it! I wanna do it!" Called another tiny voice, once again coming from the drawer. Little Cleo peered out this time, and there was another oomph from in the drawer as she used Mistoffelees sleeping body as leverage to begin climbing the drawer. Tugger didn't even need to help her up, as she basically launched herself over the edge, using the handles on the drawers to push herself up.

"I made it up! What are we doing?" Cleo squealed happily.

"Well, you didn't fall, so I guess you're okay..." Tugger muttered in response.

"Pft, would have been fine if I had fallen!" She said with a flick of her paw. "Besides, Mr. Mistoffelees is down there! He would have caught me!"

Tugger looked down at the drawer again. The only movement that was coming from Mistoffelees was the steady rise and fall of his body as he breathed in and out without interruption.

"...I am sure he would have. Now! Back to the mirror!"

The three cats turned back to the mirror that they were standing in front of. Tugger set down Maria, and placed both his paws on his hips. Cleo automatically copied him, legs wide apart in a strong stance and a bright smile on her face.

He turned to Maria, and she tentatively placed her hands on her hips.

"Great! Now, you have to fluffy out your mane and hold your tail high!"

Both the girls held their tails proudly, and Cleo fluffed up the little bit of fur around her neck. Maria, on the other hand, looked a bit sad because she didn't have as much fur there, and couldn't fluff it up like a mane. Her sister had obviously gotten more of her father's genes, and was therefore a bit more fluffy and furry.

"That part is not as important, of course," He reasoned. "The important thing is the dancing."

With that being said, Tugger began to swing his hips back and forth, humming under his breath as he swayed across the dresser. Out of the corner of his eyes, the tom spotted a perfume bottle sitting near the edge, and with a cheeky smile and a flick of his tail, swiped it right over the edge.

A quick glance over the edge showed it landing in the drawer that the three had been dangerously left open, and the glass bottle shattered as it hit the edge of Mistoffelees sleeping spot. Some of the liquid slipped out and onto the clothing, but hey, the human she-kit knew that Tugger would impulsively knock things over. She should have thought about that before leaving her room in such a mess! Plus the fact that he had never seen her use that bottle of perfume, probably because of that nasty smell.

Tugger turned around, pleased with his work, and pleased with the reaction from the girls; they were giggling while holding their paws over their faces to block out the smell. the smell.

At long last, Mistoffelees stirred, and took in a deep breath; only to start coughing and hacking. The bottle had spilled on the clothing he had been curled up on in the drawer, as well as all over his fur. Luckily, the magic cat had short fur, so it wouldn't soak in and last as long as it would on someone like Tugger. Besides, Mistoffelees had magic!

Said cat glared up at the perpetrator, and flicked his paws in a downward motion. All the liquid that had fallen on him was gone, but the smell of perfume was still strong in the air and would probably remain that way until the human cleaned her room.

He leapt up next to the rest of the cats, only looking at Tugger. Tugger simply smiled in return. Mistoffelees stared at him, hard.

"Hey, kits, did you know that The Rum Tum Tugger is a terrible bore?" Both the kits giggled again. "Anyways!"

Mistoffelees fluffed up the white ruffles on his chest, and turned his nose up to the air.

"Bustopher Jones is going to bring some rice pudding to the Junkyard today!" He said proudly. Mistoffelees admired Bustopher, and always tried to be there whenever he was around. It was pretty rare to see another tuxedo cat around these parts, and the magician wanted to someday be as well known as the other. "Are you coming?" He asked the group.

While the kittens jumped up and down enthusiastically, Tugger was, surprisingly, more reluctant. He glanced outside, back at the kits, and outside again, all while running his paws back and forth along his belt.

"Ah, I promised their mother that I wouldn't take them to the Junkyard until they're older," He explained.

This made Mistoffelees frown.

"What about the rice pudding? It's the best thing! And you always come with me and let me eat yours!"

Tugger put an arm around his friend's shoulder and walked him a short distance away from the kits, who were fantasizing about what rice pudding could possibly be.

"Listen, sparkles, I would love to go get some food with you, but their mother would have my head if I brought them there. I try and always keep my promises, especially to her."

The magic cat looked disappointed, but suddenly perked up,

"He gets it from one of his clubs! If we go back there, there might be some in the dumpster!"

The maine coon looked back at the kittens, then back at his friend, and shrugged. "Well, it won't hurt anything!"

They had barely reached the end of the block before Maria grabbed onto Mistoffelees arm and gave it a few tugs. When he turned to look at her, confused, she reached up her arms, asking him to pick her up.

While Tugger was a large cat, and could carry a kitten without any struggle, Mistoffelees was just your average sized tuxedo cat. Maybe he was even a little bit smaller than the average cat! He's skinny, a decent head shorter than Tugger, but still quite a bit taller than the kittens, which could work out, except for the fact that he isn't exactly strong. I mean, the cat has magic, when had he ever needed to work out and practice lifting things to help around the junkyard? With just a snap of his claws, something could be floating across the Junkyard whenever Munkustrap asked!

But Mistoffelees wasn't about to use his magic on this tiny kitten. First of all, it was impolite to use magical powers on somebody without asking their guardians, and secondly, he didn't want to risk accidentally sending the kitten to an alternate universe or something.

So, just like when picking up her sister, the tom heaved her into his arms and began to walk, wobbling slightly under her weight.

Tugger laughed at this sight.

"Common, sparkles, don't you have a sister? Did you just not pick her up when she was little?"

"Were twins, you idiot! And she's always been bigger than me, anyways."

The group rounded the corner. Cleo bounced up and down from the ground, looking around excitedly at everything.

"Is that rice pudding?" She asked, pointing at a random house in the distance with her tail.

"Is that rice pudding?" She asked, pointing into a storefront that they passed by with her tail.

"Is that rice pudding?" She asked, head deep into a water drain that was on the street. Quickly, Tugger grabbed her out of there.

"Everlasting Cat, you almost killed me there!" He exclaimed, setting her down a safe distance from the drain. Her sister didn't even react, seemingly not worried about her twin. Or maybe she was just asleep?

"Oh," Cleo deadpanned. "Sorry!" Then she ran off again, trying to determine if an old shoe might have whatever her idea of rice pudding was in it.

"Okay, down you go," Mistoffelees tried to tell Maria as they entered an alleyway. The kitten simply held on tighter and squeezed her eyes shut.

"I can just get it," Offered Tugger, looking up at the dumpster.

"Tugger, not only do you hate rice pudding, but you despise getting in the trash. Last year, you kept complaining about how much your mane smelled."

"Hey! You said you wouldn't mention that!"

Mistoffelees just shrugged. "I hate to break it to you, but the whole Junkyard noticed. It did smell pretty rank." He continued trying to pry the tiny paws off of himself, but everytime he got one paw off and tried to move to the other, she simply reattached that paw to him.

It was a funny sight, and made Tugger giggle. Finally, something useful that The Rum Tum Tugger was good at; handling kittens!

While the magician was distracted, Tugger took a large leap and scrambled up the side of the bin, even as Mistoffelees protested down below.

Hah! He could prove that damn tux wrong! He could get that stupid rice pudding!

Tugger wobbled at the top for a split second, before tentatively reaching in, moving a few bags to the side. He couldn't smell anything just yet, so he leaned a little bit further in, to see if the pudding was in a farther bag. Just as he thought he could get a whiff of it, his claws slipped on the dumpster, and he fell in with a slight splat.

It was quiet from outside the dumpster. Maybe the cats were concerned for him, that would be nice; or maybe the bags were just so big and heavy and basically crushing him that he couldn't hear anything!

He waved his paws around, claws out, basically swimming through the sea of garbage. Now, listening closely, he could hear a slight chatter that must have been coming from the cats waiting outside, plus a door creaking open.

Crap, a door!

The meows stopped, and the sound of a human humming came closer.

Suddenly, a bag dropped over the little bit of his head that was sticking out! Tugger gave a yowl in surprise, and the human gasped.

Within seconds, Tugger was dug out of the trashcan by a concerned looking human tom. He held the cat with one of his hands, and looked mildly disgusted, most likely by all the food in his (formerly clean) mane.

Tugger, however, didn't look at the human, and swung his head around to look for wherever Mistoffelees and the kits had gone. In all honesty, he didn't have to worry about them; Mistoffelees lived in the Junkyard year-round, and the kittens lived in an alley with their mother, so they were more adept at hiding from humans than Tugger currently was, but he was still concerned.

The human gently lowered Tugger to the ground, where he finally spotted Mistoffelees and the kittens hiding behind a bit of trash. He almost started to make his way over to them, but the human suddenly knelt down in front of him, and he froze.

"Poor kitty," the human said, tilting his head at The Rum Tum Tugger. "You just wanted some food, didnt you?"

The human continued to observe the cat for another minute, before following to where his head was pointed. For some reason, Tugger had continued to look over at the other cats every few seconds, and this head gave the human tom a clue that something might be over there.

He quickly spotted Mistoffelees, Maria, and Cleo, and gasped.

"Oh my! You're just trying to feed your family!" He stood up, a smile on his face. "I have just the thing for you!"

The human vanished back into the door he had probably come from, but Tugger still tensely sat in his spot.

Mistoffelees voice rang in his ears suddenly, asking with magic,

"What was he saying?"

It took a minute for Tugger to remember that his friend, who had never lived with humans before, couldn't understand their language, and while Tugger couldn't understand it perfectly like some cats who had always had permanent human homes(Rumpleteazer and Mungojerrie could even write like humans!), he could understand enough to know what had been said.

"Ah, I just convinced him to bring out some food," Tugger replied smoothly. His meow shook a little, as he didnt know for sure what the human was going to do or bring. The most that Tugger had understood was that the human had called Mistoffelees and the kittens "family" and then said something about "food".

The tux rolled his eyes, probably not believing him, but Cleo and Maria looked impressed and excited.

They bound out to him, and he swept them closer with his tail. Mistoffelees simply stayed where he was.

While the kits had never had any experience with humans, and would probably be happy to get adopted in the future, Mistoffelees was plenty old enough to have met humans before. At some point, he had gotten taken to a shelter, but quickly escaped; the cat hated being touched without asking, and he couldn't exactly tell that to a human, so he prefered to not live with them.

Within a few seconds, the human returned, and set down a bowl in front of him and the kits, a big smile on his face. There was another bowl in his hand, and he turned and set it down in front of Mistoffelees.

"There's this big fat cat that's around here all the time, my boss always gives him this stuff!" He said proudly. The kittens were taking tentative sniffs at the food, as was the tux, when his eyes widened and he looked up at Tugger.

His eyes were sparkling, a smile on his face.

"Rice Pudding!" He meowed at his friend. The kittens meow rice pudding! Along with him, acting excited even though they had no idea what they were talking about. The human laughed, and directed his voice at Tugger.

"See? Your wife and children are perfectly happy! Eat up, kits!"

He went back inside as Tugger's face grew red. Luckily, the human couldn't see this; humans only see the cats as four-legged furry creatures. The illusion of that form doesn't show up for other cats, and sometimes really little children.

So Mistoffelees looked at him curiously between bites.

"What did he say?" He asked, except his mouth was stuffed full of the pudding, so it came out more along the lines of, 'Wot did ee phay?'

Somehow, Tugger still understood him.

"Ah, just enjoy the food." He replied with a casual shrug.

This made the magic cat frown.

"Well, everyone but you is enjoying it. I thought you said earlier you liked this stuff?" At this point, Mistofistoffelees was licking the food off of his paws and cleaning out the remains of the bowl.

"Oh, I do!" Tugger said, daintily licking a tiny bit of the food that the kittens had splashed onto his paw. Out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted a mouse running along the wall, trying to pass the cats without being noticed. Without a second thought, he pounced, killing it in an instant and beginning to gobbling the meat up.

Mistoffelees looked amused, but also mildly disappointed.

"Best of both worlds," Tugger muttered, mouth full of meat.

They didn't return to Tuggers human house for a little bit. The kittens were currently calm and happy, but Mistoffelees claimed that if they didn't 'wear themselves out', then they would be bouncing off the walls within an hour. Tugger, despite basically living with his niece, Jemima, had never seen this happen to her before, and none of the other kittens had ever done it. He didn't remember doing that when he was a kit, either, but then again, he didn't remember most of his knighthood.

The girls ran around the garden that they had hunted in the other day. They chased butterflies up into the sky, cheering each other on while Mistoffelees and Tugger sat to the side.

"I have to get back to the Junkyard," Mistoffelees suddenly said.

Tugger looked at him, surprised. "Why?"

"I don't stay away for long, you know that. Vicky will be expecting me back at any time today, especially since I missed Bustophers visit."

The maine coon looked disappointed. He leaned into his friend, just a little bit, but his friend leaned away from him and gave him a warning stare. Quickly, Tugger went back to himself, curling his tail around his body. The sad look quickly vanished from his face.

It was a practiced act; he knew exactly how to change his face to be the exact opposite of his emotions. If he wasn't calm, cool, collected, and flirtatious at all times, how would he maintain a fanclub, and get to be a big, famous rock star?

He had seen millions of human celebrities on the television, a strange magic box with people in it, that kept up this same persona. Even Bustopher Jones did not show when he was sad or disappointed in himself and others.

The only 'celebrity' who showed her emotions was Grizabella, and everyone had seen how she had turned out; washed up, slinking back to beg for forgiveness. If the Rum Tum Tugger was going to make it big, he was going to do it the right way.

So he turned his head back to the kittens, not giving Mistoffelees a second glance.

"Fine, have fun," He told him.

This time, it was Mistoffelees who initiated the contact, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and curling his tail around his friend's leg. They leaned into each other again, only for a split second, before awkwardly separating.

"Hey, I'll come back, if you want me to," He muttered, but Tugger did not respond. By the time he looked away from the kittens, Mistoffelees had gone.

this is a very long chapter lol. oops. anyways hope your ready for some mama bomba next chapter