#i also feel in my heart that tugger would ask stupid questions and gus would give him stupid answers in return

[the-cat-at-the-theatre-door]

Gosh, now you got me wondering--what was Tugger's relationship with Gus like, do you think?

Munkustrap was drawn to Gus because he offered an alternative outlet to the more rigid and quiet disposition he was used to - a more creative one, and one that gave him the ability to be someone else for a while, should he so choose. His relationship with Gus is based partially off of his ability to provide him with the escapism he craved, and partially his wanting to do what he did in return (also Munk just likes old people, listening to their wisdom and absorbing their teachings and being a helper; that's the way he is).

I feel like Tugger's relationship with Gus was based less so on "this is who I want to be and preserve" and more on "this is partially who I *am* already, and wow it's validating that there are other cats like me" - cats who, while serious and scolding and party poopers to their own extent (Gus has chewed him out a multitude of times), also just...prance around in the spotlight and crave attention and like showing off and can create these realities for people that makes them forget about things for a while and they do that for a *living*, isn’t that something? Tugger is a performer and a bit of a ham - of course he was drawn to the theatricality of the entirety of Gus' career, and fascinated that he got to *keep that up* instead of give it up (because I feel like...Deuteronomy may have been more like that once, or wanted to be more like that once, but eventually he had to step up....just like someone else. Gus never really stopped that.). He's also opinionated and stubborn and struggles with getting older and shirking from his responsibilities - just like Gus was and continues to be. It’s that kind of relationship between two people who are very similar and bond over that, but also there are points where that reflection is just a *touch* too strong and maybe that can cause friction from time to time. Not necessarily a relationship based on unfaltering respect and admiration, but one based in familial familiarity. This cat has been in my life for as long as I remember and this cat is very *very* similar to me. 

I feel like while Munk was up front being the one listening wide eyed and hanging off every word Gus would say and copying what he would do and be eager for his attention and approval, Tugger was also doing the exact same thing, but acting like he wasn't. As a kitten, he'd be whining how he didn't *want* to sit still and listen to another story, and wander off or muck around while the others were listening, but he also had very curated opinions about which ones of Gus' characters and plays were the best ones, and which ones weren't (which heavily contested with Munkustrap's and they would sometimes squabble over that). He would also be caught later in his play with his friends making references to those very tales that he would only know if he paid close attention, wouldn't he?

As an adult, it's the same thing: he pays very *very* close attention to Gus when he chances around, but acts flippant and casual about it, listening intently from the outskirts with his paws hooked in his belt, rolling his eyes, but then mouths the exact dialogue under his breath, and gets swept up, and startles when Gus would spook them all. Tugger would rib on Gus and, when he was still sharper, Gus would rib on him right back. Like with Deuteronomy, Tugger is very gentle with him even when he's goofing around. He's loud and boisterous and mouthy, tossing his head and bounding over, but then will curl down to just beneath Gus' height and mutter hello, ask him how he is, call him an old man(affectionate). A surefire sign that Tugger *does* love him is that he is *quiet* when he is talking, and values his opinion about as much as he’s able to value another’s opinion of himself - if Gus looks him up and down and hmphs and Tugger gets a sense that something’s wrong, he *will* think about it for the rest of the day (except no he totally won’t).

It's also...Tugger sort of understands Gus in a way that some other cats don't, due to that similarity I mentioned earlier. He remembers this larger than life personality that’s just barely a wisp now and he struggles to come to terms with the fact that it’s the same cat. When Gus looks back at their pitying faces and watery smiles, Tugger immediately looks away even though he was also staring sadly after him, allowing him his dignity. Knowing that if he were in his position, he wouldn't want that. That’s sort of his way of telling him that he respects his felinity and independence and thinks of him as an *individual* rather than a problem, and will gladly contribute to the upholding of it - he’d want him to do the same for him (and he *did* from time to time when he was a kitten).

I feel like when the two of them were informed that Gus was in the early stages of heading towards the long nap, Tugger was just as upset as Munk was, he just...hid it better? Because he’s used to coping with his abandonment issues under the surface of flippancy and casualty. He’ll be upset about another cat that was actually a constant in his life leaving him in private. I feel like he was also one of the cats who was very *side eye* at the fact that he got snubbed for the Choice (man would obviously never question his father’s decision in that - though yes maybe he would - but he doesn’t have to be happy about it). He’s still sore about that one to this day. 

In conclusion: