Gemotions

The tiny, shivering kitten, a ball of grey fluff, blinked up at Marcus. His roommate, Leo, had just announced, "Meet Patches! Isn't she adorable?" Marcus felt his jaw go slack. He hadn’t agreed to *anything*. The air felt suddenly thin, hard to breathe. He stared, utterly speechless, at Leo beaming down at the creature.

His mind raced. Had he missed a crucial conversation? Had Leo somehow assumed agreement? The sheer audacity of it all was…remarkable. His gaze flitted from the kitten to Leo, back to the kitten again. He could feel a strange pressure building behind his eyes.

Leo, oblivious, was already down on his knees, scratching the kitten behind its ears. Marcus eventually managed to croak, "But…but we talked about this. No pets." The words felt hollow, inadequate. The tiny creature, completely unaware of the domestic upheaval it had caused, yawned widely.