He snorted at the easy excuse. It was just . . . touchy. There wasn't much he was firm on when it came to details about himself and how people treated him, but his name . . . It was the connotations that went along with it, not his actual name. The times he'd angered his mother weren't the happiest, especially since it was usually when he came home beaten to hell and back for opening his big mouth again. The other reason was . . . a lot more personal and something he had no intention of explaining.

Steve blinked at the pet suggestion, "An owl? People actually keep owls for pets? Aren't they a lot of work? And don't they . . . bite? I mean, they just don't seem all that . . . cuddly . . ."