Misinformation Can Be Deadly

Chapter 41: Oh Wow, It's Virgil if He was a Cat

Logan set the car keys down as he walked through the door, Virgil following him as he looked around him curiously. Patton was standing in the living room, holding a box that had holes in it as he smiled widely. He must have heard the car pulling up in the driveway.

Behind him was a pile of boxes with a blanket thrown over it hastily. Virgil was starting to get an idea of what the surprise was... but he didn't know whether to believe it or not. Even when there was a small meowing that started from the box, making Virgil hold his breath.

"Come over here!" Patton ushered excitedly. "Come on!"

Logan placed a hand on Virgil's back before walking over, leaving Virgil standing there in disbelief. He slowly took a step forward, feeling a bit numb.

Roman frowned in curiosity and tilted his head, watching cautiously. He wanted to make sure Virgil reacted positively, however considering how kind Logan and Patton have been, he will. They seem to have a good idea of who he is so far.

"I-I thought..." He whispered as Patton set the box on the coffee table. "I thought you guys said- I didn't know you were serious."

"Go ahead and open it!" Patton encouraged, jumping on the balls of his feet.

Virgil opened the box and saw a small kitten inside, oh so small as it stood on a blanket. It's face, ears, feet, and curved tail were brown, and the rest of the long fuzzy fur was white. They meowed up at him and jumped onto the edge of the box, looking around to find a place to jump out to.

Virgil didn't give them time, picking them up and petting them. He scratched behind their ears to calm them, and the kitten purred loudly. He smiled widely, and couldn't help but glance over to Roman as the demon awed loudly.

"They're so cute," Virgil looked up at Logan and Patton with stars in his eyes. "Thank you, dads!"

Everyone froze as they all registered what Virgil said. The younger felt his face flush and he stopped scratching the kitten, making them meow loudly in protest.

"Oh kiddo!" Patton pulled him into the hug, making the kitten meow louder, though he was careful to avoid hurting them. "You have no idea how happy that makes me to hear!"

"It-it just um..." To be honest, it had just slipped. However... "It just felt right."

Logan put his hand on Virgil's shoulder. "We're both happy you feel that way. However, I suggest you give us different terms. Father, dad, or-"

"Padres, pop!" Patton added. "Or whatever else you know, even from different languages."

Virgil's chest felt light, despite having a struggling kitten in his arms. He resumed petting them to calm them down. "Thanks, I-I... thanks."

"Anyway, back to this little cutie!" Patton lightly scratched the kitten's head. "She was given to me from a coworker I'm friends with who has a kitten that recently had a litter. This little one was the runt, and she couldn't find a home for her, so I volunteered! Her name is Buttercup, she's a Balinese kitten, so my allergies will not mess with me."

"She's adorable," Virgil said, sitting on the couch and setting her on his lap. She meowed loudly and looked around before deciding to curl up on his lap. Virgil's heart melted as she purred loudly.

Roman couldn't help but smile at the adorable sight. The smile on Virgil's face and the stars in his eyes, and the sweet adorable kitten that seemed to immediately get comfortable with him.

"Remember, you gotta take care of her," Patton told him. "She was a bit weaker than her siblings, and needs to eat plenty of food. But my friend told me that she's gotten a lot better and almost caught up to her siblings before they were separated. She is still smaller than them, and will probably stay small."

"You were separated from your momma too?" Virgil asked Buttercup, scratching under her chin. "Don't worry, you and I have good dad's to take care of us. I'll take care of you too, I won't let anything hurt you."

Roman moved to the side of the couch and sat down, hanging on the arm of the chair. "I love her," the demon said, and to Virgil's surprise he was literally purring as well. Roman looked up and met the human's eye before Virgil focused on Buttercup again. His smile was so sweet and soft, and his black and blue eyes were so pretty as he looked down at the kitten in his lap. I love you.

The thought had crossed his mind quickly. He... he didn't mean to- Did he really feel that way? Maybe all it meant was that he valued Virgil's friendship, that they had grown closer from being a demon and the human he was contracted to. They were friends. That's it.

But... Roman was no fool. He knew exactly what the thought had meant. He had felt this way for humans before, and even a few demons before their relationships had turned sour. He had fallen for Virgil, a human, once again.

He couldn't tell him, he just had to hope these feelings would go away. Humans were too fragile, it wasn't worth it. He can only protect him for so long until the curse catches up again. However, even if Virgil died a peaceful death, he will still die, eventually.

"Okay, well, we had gotten her a lot of stuff that we need to set up," Patton said, pulling back the blanket that covered the boxes. "Cat litter, cat bowls and food, I even got her a small cat tower and cat bed."

Logan sighed, "We're gonna have a lot of fun putting that together."

"Yes we will!" Patton ignored the sarcasm. "This will all be for Buttercup!"

"I don't think she's old enough for the cat tower, she might have trouble getting in, even if it's not too big."

Patton spun the box around to show the picture. "It has stairs." It was indeed small, just one of those fuzzy cubes with a hole for the cat to get in, being held but a cat scratching post and fuzzy stairs leading up to the hole in the cube.

Virgil continued to pet Buttercup. "I'm sure she will like it," he said as the kitten looked up at his hand again. She swatted at it, making Virgil pull his hand back with an amused gasp. "Oh you're a feisty one, aren't you?"

"Just like you," Roman mused, a soft smile returning to his lips.

Virgil continued to smile as he looked over at Roman, rolling his eyes as his brow and nose scrunched. The sight was adorable- No, he will not entertain this crush. It will remain platonic.

The kitten jumped off of Virgil's lap and looked around, jumping at the sound of Patton tearing open one of the boxes. He looked up when he heard the small hiss, the kitten all puffed up and Virgil struggling not to laugh.

"She's jumpy too," Logan commented.

"Again, just like you," Roman told Virgil. "She's a perfect match for you."

Virgil laughed lightly, muttering a small, "Shut up," that neither Logan nor Patton heard.

"Okay, let's get to setting up this stuff," Patton said, pulling out the first pieces of the cat tower.