meow -- bren

He really hoped that he had done something right. In his eyes, there were two ways this could go. Finnegan could love it, or Finnegan could hate it. Actually, Toby's mind was leaning more towards the likelihood of option 2. He was taking such a huge leap after an argument that it might be defined as insane what he was doing. He just had an idea, and rode the impulse to fulfill that idea. Yeah, he was definitely crazy.
"Mew," came a little sound on top of Toby's bed. Toby swirled around, redirecting his gaze from the mirror and onto the little ball of fur on his comforter. He had put on a plain red shirt with the sleeves rolled up and some jeans, a bit of a difference as opposed to his usual outfit. But it didn't look bad, so he stuck with it.

"Sh," he hushed in the softest voice possibly. "Try not to make too much sound, it'll spoil the surprise," he smiled. Opening one flap on a wicker picnic basket that was next to the kitten, Toby delicately lifted and lowered the animal down into the basket. "I'm sorry, I promise, you only have to be there for a little while," Toby said, as if it understood. He probably would look crazy if anyone were in the room with him. "You can go to sleep, it will be nice and cozy in there," he whispered. He then closed the flap of the basket and gingerly lifted the handle.

On the way to the cabin courtyard, Toby's mind was having a battle with itself still about whether or not this was a good idea. On one hand, this new kitten that he had bought for Finnegan could be too soon after his previous cat's death. He might see it as an insult, trying to replace Cap. But there was always luck that Finn would love it. That side was losing the battle.

When he arrived at the cabin courtyard, he was Finn waiting for him. He delicately moved the basket behind his back before approaching.

"Hey," Toby breathed, heart pounding in his chest. Oh gods, he though. Oh gods Oh gods Oh gods. "H-how are you?"

It was a little shocking when Finn greeted him with a kiss. They had had another fight, after all. It was ridiculous how often the two bickered. But Finn had tried to mend it with stuffed animals. Toby's solution wasn't too far off, just without the stuffed part. He tried to play off the kiss like nothing, but his pink cheeks probably gave away his nonchalant cover.-up.

Toby's heart began to pound as he drew on the strength to reveal his surprise to Finn. They hadn't spoken for a while, and it felt good to see his face. He didn't really want to risk this moment, since it was already pretty perfect.

"Yeah," he breathed. "I... I wanted to give you this... It's totally crazy..." Toby brought the picnic basket in front of him. He held it up between them and opened up the front flap. Right on cue, a furry head plopped out of the opening and into the light. The grey-haired kitten gave a small yawn as its large eyes peered out at the world around them. "I-" Toby began. Upon seeing the kitten in front of Finnegan, his brain began to flip out. "This is such a bad idea," he breathed, feeling a panic attack rising in his chest.

"I- I don't know it was kind of just a surge of whimsy a-and I know you lost cap and I just thought that maybe we could have a cat together, but it's like a huge commitment or whatever and- oh my god I'm sorry I can take it back," Toby said, without a single breath.

Tobias held his breath until a smile cracked onto Finn's lips. Suddenly, the sun shined properly. The breeze flowed freely. His breathing engaged normality. The risk proved to pay off, one of Toby's many weights simply thrown off of his shoulders. He was so glad that Finn liked it that he, himself, craked a wide grin as well.

Toby handed over the kitten. He wouldn't have been able to keep it from Finn if he had tried, for Finn seemed intent on its possession. The kitten was a little bit dazed at first, as anything would be after suddenly emerging into a world of light and then being transferred around so quickly. However, once it was securely in Finnegan's arms, it was obviously content with him. It's eyes squinted into small horizontal lines and made a small peep of pleasure at having its chin scratched.

Toby watched the two revel in their newly founded companionship for a moment. It seemed that a new cat was exactly what the boy needed to get his spirits back up. In light of past events, the kitten was a savior. It deserved a godly name.

"Thor sounds good to me," Toby mused, however not wanting to admit that he had no idea who Bucky was. Seemed like a silly name for a cat. He didn't want to let another slip of stupidity out, though, due to what happened with his last.

"I have some things back at my cabin to go along with it," Toby said, though he wasn't convinced that Finnegan heard him. The boy's eyes were focused on the kitten, and had been ever since they made visual contact. "I've got some cat food and some food and water dishes. I also have one of those feather toys, but that's about it."

Toby watched as Finn had a sort of internal struggle on the name of his cat. Honestly, he didn't really care what Finn named the cat, as long as it made him happy. Thor sounded cool enough to Toby, and he couldn't really understand what would be so important about the name Barry, but it must have had significance if it rivaled another name. Personally, if Toby had to name a cat, those three names that Finn picked out would have come to Toby's head immediately. Still, it was Finn's cat, Toby was giving it to him, so he had no room to judge.

"Name it Thor," Toby said, sounding decisive, but really wanting to get over this detail. "Thor sounds strong and it fits a cat better than Barry," he explained. Watching the boy, Toby realized that he probably wasn't even heard. Finnegan was so completely absorbed in the cat that he didn't even notice Toby. At first, he found it a little cute, watching the boy's face contort as he adored the kitten, but soon Toby found himself ignored. He didn't want to interrupt, because, after-all, Toby was the one who bought the cat for him. Still...

"Hey, Finn," Toby interjected, stepping forward. He bit his lip thoughtfully. He wanted some way to express his sentiment to Finn, besides the cat. It seemed difficult, but Toby eventually came up with something which seemed ordinary, but carried great meaning. He moved froward and wrapped his arms around the mid-torso of Finn's, and pulled him close in a strict hug, careful that Finn's arms were free to hold the kitten.

"I love you, okay? Never forget that," he said, his head sideways on the boy's chest, with his ear pressed up against the heart.

Toby felt Finnegan's lips meet the top of his head, and it brought a satisfied smile to his face. Not wanting to take up to much time with his embrace, he released the boy and took a step back, looking up at him. He was so relieved that this all worked out for the better that he almost laughed loudly. He had been freaking out about it so much before, that the relief lifted the huge compression of anxiety from him.

"Yeah, sure, that's sounds cool," Toby replied, shrugging. He was a little surprised that he wanted to spend time with him than the cat right now, after having just acquired it, but he wasn't going to argue. In fact, he was trying to be nonchalant to cover up his excitement. He was looking forward to spending time with Finn, so much so that he would do anything with him, even some of the things that Finn liked and Toby didn't, such as comic books.

Toby picked up the now-empty picnic basket and began to walk towards Finn's cabin with him. As they walked, a few girl campers awed at the kitten before going about their routine. Arriving at the cabin, Toby waited by the door for Finn to put the kitten in his room. He didn't really like the Athena cabin, with the amount of kids, the suffocating level of IQ and haughty personality was enough to drive anyone away. He set the basket on the floor just inside the door, and then waited on the outside for Finn's return.

Toby waited patiently for Finnegan's return, but still found ways to fret nervously. He examined his fingernails, making sure they were spotless. He tapped his foot against the wooden deck at the front of the outside of the Athena cabin. He turned and looked into a window, checking his hair, and his teeth. People probably saw him do this, but Toby was kind of in his own world. He had just mended things with Finnegan and had to look presentable for their time together.

When Finnegan walked out of the cabin, Toby quickly dropped his hands, and trotted along behind him. When he was by his side, he felt something that he'd felt before, every time he walked alongside the boy in good humor. It did kind of make Toby's chest hurt, but it was also a warm feeling. Not to mention his stomach, in which butterflies were practically swarming about.

Toby looked over at Finnegan and gave a small shrug. He wasn't really sure what they could do. It seemed to him like they had done a ton of couple-y stuff and the activities left that were undone were kind of normal. His eyes dropped to the sweater that Finnegan had just put on, and the boy smiled.

"I'm willing to do whatever you want to, Finn," he told him, after some contemplation, and an absence of ideas.