"I definitely don't mind. I don't think perky is a word I've been able to use to describe how I'm feeling in a really, really long time," he admits, maybe a little more honestly than he'd intended, but it's true. Life has kind of sucked for a little while now. It's great having Tommy back, finally, but that doesn't fix any of the rest of his fuck-ups back home, and it doesn't get him his friends back, or his parents, or his life, or Teddy. He definitely doesn't want to get addicted to holding a cat, but hey, aren't pets supposed to cause endorphin release or something anyway, even when they aren't magic?

Reaching out, he runs very delicate fingertips over the top of the kitten's head, scratching gently behind the ears, and he can't help the soft grin that spreads over his face. It might be the skin oils he's talking about, but honestly? It's just as likely to be the incredibly cute tiny kitten just as a general concept. "This is honestly the highlight of my day so far," he says, sounding better already. Then after a beat: "...Don't tell my brother that."