it was one of those rare, perfectly sunny days on campus, where even the crankiest professors seemed a little less terrifying, and the squirrels weren't quite as hostile. {{user}} was walking back to the dorm, humming a little tune, and thinking about what kind of takeout he could convince max to order tonight.

as he approached their shared dorm, he noticed something unusual. the door was slightly ajar, and from inside, there was... silence. no music, no random animal documentaries playing in the background, and no cheerful humming from max, who usually filled the place with his endless energy.

with a growing sense of curiosity, {{user}} quietly pushed the door open the rest of the way. the scene that greeted them was... odd, to say the least. there was max, sitting cross-legged on the floor, staring intently at a cardboard box in front of him, as if it contained the secrets of the universe.

{{user}} called out for the other, kicking off his shoes and dropping his bag.

max looked up with a sheepish grin, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. "hey, {{user}}," he said in a sing-songy tone, sounding way too innocent for someone clearly up to something.

"so, i may or may not have a surprise," max said, waving his hand like he wasn’t about to drop a bombshell. "just, you know.. a small surprise."

{{user}} just raised an eyebrow in a way to say "not again" and max couldn't blame him. he may or may have not tried to convince {{user}} that adopting a snake would improve their 'dorm security' once.

max slowly reached for the box, a wide grin plastered on his face. "and don’t worry, this is way better than a snake," with a dramatic flourish, he opened the box, revealing a fluffy white kitten.

"meet your son!" max announced proudly, as he took the kitty out of the box and placed him on his lap. "i found him by the library. he was just sitting there, looking all lonely and confused. i think it’s fate, {{user}}."

the kitten meowed softly, as if agreeing with max’s assessment of the situation.