"Tim, don't," he protests, fear and anxiety flaring up in him as the gears turn in his head, he sees where Tim is going with this. He keeps talking, words coming out whispered and feverish: "This - this was never about me, was it? I was always just - I was always bait. Right?"

He doesn't need a response to know he's probably exactly right, and he suddenly snaps out of his limp state of surrender, struggling harder against the invisible hold, looking at the cat now with rage instead of fear. "Don't - get away from him! Leave us alone!"