"I would never even want to try and do that," he assures him, catching the way Rat emphasizes the words. Marius favors optimism and clings to hope as often as he can, but it doesn't mean he doesn't understand why people prefer cynicism; he'll never begrudge Rat for it, only gently tease him, the same way Rat teases Marius for his optimism. "You're much cuter when you're grumpy," he assures him, eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Hey!" Marius only laughs at the poking in his shoulder, too tempted to keep joking even though a small part of him wonders if he actually his pushing his luck. "What, no desire to witness an outbreak of bees who infect you with Todd Chad's songs instead of fire or ice?"

"Agatha," Marius repeats. "I like the name. A real live wire, huh? She must get along fantastically well with you, then." He sips from his coffee again, waking up more with each drink.