Tristan nervously approached Mason's door. In his left hand was a plastic bag containing an edible, and in his right hand was his hesitation to knock on the door, his hand approaching ever so slightly and then jumping back. He had to wonder what a passing stranger would think of him simply standing in front of someone else's door, but he tried his best not to indulge the thought, even as he realized how cold it was. He could have sworn he heard Mason talking to someone as he finally knocked, although he figured Mason was just talking to himself like he usually did. He heard Mason shout "Oh shit!" before taking a moment to answer the door.

 

"Uhh... Good morning," Mason greeted him, looking down at the brownie in Tristan's hand.

 

"Hey," Tristan replied. "You seem... Focused. Are you gonna eat this as soon as I give it to you?"

 

Mason looked back up at Tristan. "No? That's not what I've been doing."

 

"Alright," Tristan began, dropping the bag in Mason's hand. "Here you go. It's 10 miligrams."

 

"Just 10?" Mason inquired. "I mean, I guess that's fair. My tolerance is just a little high is all."

 

"It hasn't dropped at all?"

 

"I mean, kinda. Just not a lot, but I guess I should taper off anyway probably."

 

"Well there you go," Tristan began before being interrupted by a thought and taking a deep breath. "Hey, uh, I just wanna apologize for Monday. I understand what it's like to not wanna think about someone. I guess I'm just not used to people being so... Sensitive, I guess. No offense."

 

Mason glared at him very briefly before averting his eyes and focusing on the ground. "Are you serious right now?"

 

"I... That... Came out wrong. Sorry."

 

"Oh... Sorry," Mason began, shrinking a bit. "What did you mean to say?"

 

"It's just that... I guess I need to examine myself more. I'm only used to her parenting because I grew up around her, whereas you only interacted with her once a month or so."

 

"Yeah, that's fair."

 

The two stood there a moment.

 

"...Was that all?" Mason asked.

 

Tristan looked down. "...For now. Is Monday still a go?"

 

"...Sure, I guess. I just want you to tell me what's up."

 

"I'll try. See you later, Mason."

 

Mason nodded and with that, Tristan left and he closed the door. He plopped down on the couch, examining the edible.

 

"You can come out now," he shouted to Domino, who proceeded to exit his room and sit next to him.

 

"Oh, is that what they actually look like?" Domino inquired.

 

"Yeah, this one at least."

 

"Do they taste any good?"

 

"Sometimes. These aren't the best because Tristan wants to discourage me from wanting to eat them more than once a week."

 

"Understandable. How is he, by the way? I only heard a bit from your room."

 

Mason sighed. "Well, he apologized for triggering a panic attack I guess, but it didn't really feel like an actual apology. It felt like he had to backstep every time he displayed even a little sincerity."

 

Domino tilted their head. "Why would he do that? He's seemed pretty direct with you so far, I thought."

 

"Yeah, but only when he has a problem with something I'm doing. I get the vibe he wanted to say more."

 

Domino nodded. "I see. What's a vibe?"

 

Mason chuckled and scratched Domino under the chin. "You're really good at getting me to think about stuff I usually don't think about."

 

"I know!" Domino replied cheerfully. "You didn't answer my question though."

 

"Well, it's kind of just a feeling you get related to something I think. It's more informal I guess."

 

"Ah, I see!"

 

Mason took his hand back. "But yeah. I guess I figured he wasn't being fully open with me, but it's different actually seeing it. It kind of... Contextualizes the past two weeks or so."

 

"That's good! It sounds like there's finally some progress!"

 

Mason put the edible on the table and sunk into the couch, crossing his legs. "...I guess. Maybe I'm a bit impatient for expecting things to get patched up so fast. I mean, it's so obvious that he isn't the same person I knew anymore."

 

Domino leaned against Mason. "I don't really know how to navigate all this human stuff, but this seems like something that'll fix itself over time. Maybe someday I won't have to hide around him anymore. Either way, I'm here for you."

 

Mason sighed. "Thank you. I'm sorry for making you do that.  I don't know if he'll be able to process a talking cat anytime soon because he's still having trouble with me, but we can figure something out, like a workaround or something, I think."

 

Domino sat up. "Like what?"

 

Mason thought for a moment. "Maybe I could go and grab one of those Obama phones and I can... Introduce you two that way? Like, I can say you're busy all the time and that's why you can only talk to him over the phone maybe."

 

"A phone is that glowing rectangle you have, right? The one with the guys inside it asking people if they wanna get something or double it and pass it to the next person?"

 

"Heh, yeah."

 

"Ah, fun! That still doesn't explain what an Obama is, but I don't need to know everything about something to appreciate it!"

 

Mason laughed. "I won't explain it then, I guess. But yeah, what do you think of that plan?"

 

Domino continued to rest against Mason's shoulder. "I'm still not sure if I want to see him again. He's treating you pretty badly, and I'm not sure if I'm ready to unpack how I used to be known to him just yet."

 

Mason nodded. "He definitely wouldn't treat you the same as he did before, but I don't think he'll flip out and call the police or anything."

 

"I think I still feel an obligation to see him again. He treated me well and always opened up to me, and it only seems fair that I reciprocate that, even if I find it weird that he treats other people so differently."

 

"Yeah, but you won't be able to be totally open about it probably. You'd have to pretend to be a human, which I know you told me you didn't wanna do."

 

Domino sighed. "True. Maybe I'll still get a phone for other reasons."

 

"Like what?"

 

"I think being able to use a phone would be a useful skill, and I'd be able to contact you if something goes wrong."

 

Mason smiled. "True. I'm cool with whatever."

 

Domino beamed. "Nice!"

 

Mason was about to get up to put the edible in his room before deciding to sit next to Domino a little longer. He figured they were one of those cats that took a liking to people pretty fast, but it still had been nice to have someone around. Something was preventing him from getting up. He figured it was the warmth of finally having someone to talk to and not much else.

 

"Uhh... Domino?" Mason began.

 

"Yeah?"

 

"I need to get up."

 

Domino gave Mason space. "Oh, sorry!"

 

"You're good," Mason began, stretching and grabbing the bag. "We can continue sitting together once I put this in my room."

 

"Alright!"

 

As Mason entered his room, the thought of having a way to contact Domino seemed more and more like a nice idea. They'd been feeling more like an actual friend than Tristan lately, and he'd grown to look forward to getting home and talking to them after work. It finally felt like some aspect of his life was normal, even somewhat exciting. He'll have to talk to them about hiding inside the cabinet under the sink, though.