"Delusional is a word for it," Reid says, keeping his tone serious, though he flashes a teasing smile Russell's way. Their working relationship isn't exactly what Reid would call playful but of all the people at the station, he feels most at ease with Russell. That's mostly to do with the fact that they've worked most closely together most consistently but even so, Reid has an appreciation for the way Russell approaches his work. It's so unlike how he would do things himself but in spite of that, Russell had stepped in to fill the gaps with Denise back at the shelter without any prompting at all. Not everyone can act that quickly, even for a case so simple.

Besides, Russell is also right about how things are going to turn out with Luke. Even though Reid is nervous, simply because he knows he's the one in the wrong, he knows his boyfriend will ultimately be accepting of the situation. It's really just a matter of how long that'll take, though he's hoping Luke will find the cats cute enough to resolve that fairly quickly. Either way, he doesn't really think Luke will kick him out of the apartment or anything remotely as extreme over this; it's just that Reid may have some serious groveling to do for an indeterminate amount of time.

"They're just cats," Reid repeats, nodding firmly. "No, you're right, he's not unreasonable like I'm probably making him sound. It's just that it's really only now hitting me hard that I'm not exactly making it fair for him. How could he possibly reject the idea of putting Russell and Mister Purrkins in little sweaters? He won't be able to, I know it. I know him." He bites down on his lip, glancing at Russell. "We've never had a fight before, maybe that's why I'm a little nervous, too. The idea that I could be responsible for making him angry for any reason just makes me uncomfortable."