Howard checks his watch as he walks out of the room. "Eighteen minutes, damn. If it's more than twenty-five we get the pizza free. Did you get breadsticks?" Not that Howard minds getting the food seven minutes early.

He grabs the pizza box and takes it to the kitchen. The cats, predictably, follow, expecting that while they can't get scraps from Howard, they can continue to appeal to Cedric's generosity. Howard sets the table, not because he actually cares about table manners, but because he generally makes the effort not to look like a starved, ravenous dog whenever he's around Cedric.

Besides, it's routine. And Howard likes routine. They've settled into a nice one here, he and Cedric, and as much as it sometimes gets him down it's better than no routine at all.

"So, you going to tell me why you're acting weird?" Howard folds his hands over each other on the kitchen table.