It was good to hear Mick laugh. The real deal. Neither of them seemed to find reasons to do that much anymore so to be the cause for it was even better. With some luck maybe Ashes would brighten up Mick's day from time to time too. It wasn't like he expected his partner to just forget about the real world he could wind up in again any time. But the more he could help either of them not have to think about it, the better. And he had horrible puns for days he could line up.
He would have stayed even if Mick hadn't promised him breakfast, but it wasn't a bad way to sweeten the deal. And Mick pointing out his tendency to mark his own territory only made him snort as he shifted so Mick could get up, but didn't jump at the chance to do so himself right away. "Just remember it's your own fault if he starts to pick up your bad habits." Although Len hardly meant it when he complained about any marks Mick left behind. Mostly it was for the sake of pride.
He wanted to complain when Mick helped him up, too, not exactly keen on moving but they did need to get the cat situated and he knew he'd be much more comfortable once he was settled in an actual bed. Fortunately the benefits of a cat over a dog as far as care was concerned were many. Even as kittens they tended to have a natural inclination towards the litter box which was what Len started working on once they were in the bathroom.
"He hadn't had anything since I brought him back. I'm not surprised. There's a can of wet food in the sack so you can go ahead and put that in the bowel for tonight. Dry food should do him for a while, though. They say it's better to alternate between the two once in a while." Len shrugged, not entirely sure how much it mattered considering if Ashes were out on his own he'd be munching on live prey, bones and all. As long as Mick didn't forget to feed him the kitten would be fine. And he was pretty sure the little guy would complain loudly before he let that happen.
"Litter's easy enough. Box, bag, litter. Scoop it out every time he does his business so it doesn't stink up the place. You can get a separate trash for that. We can pick that up tomorrow but for tonight he'll be fine. Might not want to leave him in here while you're in the shower though. Cats tend to be curious. And you know how the saying goes." He scooped the little guy up just for good measure once it looked like he was don with the water and curled a finger under the animals chin to start scratching there.
"This might seem like a lot now but I have a feeling you're going to get on like a house on fire. You have a good way with strays, Mick. Always did with me." And he did mean that, even if he was using the cat as an excuse to avoid Mick's eyes for the moment. For all their ups and downs, Mick was still one of the best things that could have happened to him.