Remus groaned sullenly as he walked into the cafeteria for lunchtime. He wasn't looking forward to getting chewed out for being late to school. He didn't miss all the first period, but the administration called his mom about it, anyway. Remus yanked at his tie to loosen it and peered around the lunchroom.
Something about being feline part-time made Remus people-watch more than usual. His eyes watched entrances, and he always looked at loud noises. If he sat still, sometimes he'd space out and examine the various things in motion. The being in the fox mask didn't mention this, but it's not like Remus was chasing rats or anything. Remus took off his blazer and checked out the lines, choosing the least unappetizing option of the bunch.
He returned from the chicken tender line with a tray of garbage and studied the lunchroom for anywhere empty to sit. If he brought his own food, as he normally did, he would eat outside. He had befriended a squirrel out there with trail mix. But the lunch trays couldn't leave the cafeteria, so a teacher wouldn't let him pass. Remus's eyes caught on someone familiar as he scanned the area. He didn't recognize the blazer this morning, but he should have figured Virgil went to his school. Remus walked up to the table where Virgil was picking at their fries and sat down with an enormous smile.
"Hey!" Remus waved and grabbed a chicken tender to feast upon.
"Oh, fuck off, you rotten bastard," Virgil rolled their eyes and plucked up their tray right away, leaving. What the hell? Virgil stormed away, shoving some food in his mouth before dumping the rest and storming down the hall. Seriously, what the fuck? Remus didn't even say anything this time. Remus slumped and jammed a whole chicken tender in his unholy maw bitterly. Be that way. It was always going to be another person who Remus got attached to who would abandon him, wasn't it? Remus scowled at his meal while he ate. His middle finger twitched uncontrollably, so he shoved his entire hand under the table.
Remus didn't even have time to talk about anything. There was no mention of entrails or how he was curious if he could eat a rat or that sometimes he has vivid daydreams of killing his brother. He didn't even start talking about torture methods, which got Remus in trouble so much he lost count. Remus only said 'hey'. What the fuck did he do? He had a reputation for being weird, but he didn't have the impression Virgil would care about that. They seemed to want a friend so badly, and willing to let flaws go for some company. Remus sighed and drooped his head. Clearly, Remus was the exception.
He hated this shitty food, and he hated today. He hated everything. Even himself. He tried so hard to not go there. He loved his unabashed curiosity and wonder about everything. Remus loved his pure honesty and loved how he always jumped in head first to anything. But none of that got him anywhere. The guy he thinks is cute is afraid of him, his brother is ambivalent, and the person he spent hours of his lifespan on just called him a rotten bastard. Virgil was right. Maybe he should give up. Remus's neck twitched, and he tapped his foot rapidly while he ate.
— ? —
Roman's friends weren't here after school today. It meant one of them had too much homework, normally, but he was bitter that Patton wouldn't be coming over. Roman's room was silent, so he was probably the one under a pile of schoolwork. Remus leaned back in his desk chair and listened. He could faintly hear his mom on a work call downstairs. They had already eaten dinner, and the sun was way past set. She needed a better work/life balance. It wasn't any of Remus's business, though. He did not know what he wanted out of life and was in no place to judge.
The average human lifespan was eighty, right? So half of that is forty for the one-to-one lifespan trade. Since he was eighteen, that meant he could live another twenty-something years as a cat. That really wasn't that bad. That was a full life for a feline. Unless he got flattened by a long-haul truck or any other vehicle. Though that's true of his human life, too. He could just as easily turn into a roadkill pancake either way. There were lots of dumb ways to die. He had learned about plenty of them, but he also knew that song by heart. Remus crossed his arms and tapped his foot while he pondered, leaning back to stare up at the underside of his loft bed.
Remus had the option to live as a cat instead of being a human. Most people didn't get that. Remus chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully. At least he thought they didn't. It was almost a waste to not take advantage of it. But that was just because Remus was feeling like shit for getting rejected, if he was honest with himself.
He didn't know what he wanted to do yet, but nope-ing out to be a cat probably wasn't the answer. It's not like he knew anyone to adopt him, anyway. Unless he really could eat mice. Then maybe he can go be a forest cat. He did like those Warrior Cats books when he was younger. Whichever option was less lonely seemed like the best. He could become a show cat or something. He had human intelligence and was apparently not a common breed of cat. Roman might want a show cat.
This was stupid. It wouldn't make a difference to be himself or a cat. He'd still be lonely and useless. Well, unless someone opted to eat him. Then he could be dinner. That was very useful and he wouldn't be alone, he'd be in someone's stomach. Remus double-checked that his VPN was on and looked up serial killers instead of moping. He was curious how many serial killers were also cannibals, because the percentage of people who might eat him for dinner was intriguing. Huh. Does drinking the victim's blood count? It's technically part of the body… Remus hummed to himself and continued on his search.
This was awful. Really disgusting stuff. These things were going to get trapped up in his head for sure. He might fall down a hole researching other facts and some of these he genuinely didn't want to know, which was rare for him. There was an overlap of upsetting things they did, and he didn't like what that meant about people and could mean about himself. And he knew that was a generalization, but he couldn't stop himself from drawing it. Remus probably should click away. He shouldn't know this stuff. It could get worse if he goes farther. He should stop. Damnit, stop fucking—
"Remus, you don't have that cat with you this evening, do you?" Roman peeked his head into the bedroom.
"Thank fuck," Remus sighed, finally able to click away just from getting snapped back into reality by his brother showing up. "Not right now. Why?" He asked, shaking out his hand that was painfully stiffened from trying to stop himself. His foot was still tapping up a storm under his desk, but Roman didn't seem to notice.
"I thought you might've adopted a cat under mom's nose. She's mad enough about you missing part of first period. What happened?" Roman asked, leaning in the doorway.
"Bit of trouble sleeping, lately. I just slept in," Remus shrugged, spinning around to face Roman.
"Huh. That's unlike you. You sleep like a brick," Roman chuckled to himself. "So what's that cat's deal?"
"It's a friend's. They were getting something fixed in their apartment and I offered to help hide it so they wouldn't have to pay the fee," Remus came up with a plausible story to have a kitty around sometimes. It was a thin story at best, but he really had little to work with for why he had a cat without having a cat. Remus was kind of like his own friend, keeping an eye on himself as a cat. Wait, what? Oh, no, there were so many holes with that story, he should have—
"Ah. That's chivalrous. That means no fleas or something of that ilk to worry about," Roman nodded, looking satisfied. Huh. Roman didn't question it. Remus wasn't sure if he was relieved or offended. "I'm getting in the shower. Good night," Roman waved and left the doorway after a momentary pause. Remus exhaled harshly and cleared his browser history, then shut off the computer so he wouldn't get tempted to go back to the research. Roman didn't care enough to dispute his flimsy story, which was incredibly conflicting.
But now he was concerned about fleas. Should Remus get flea treatment? He went outside often. He'd go outside as a cat again. Remus pulled up his phone to look up home flea prevention. Oh, eating lots of garlic helped. Remus did that for sure. Brewer's yeast could also help. He would pick some up tomorrow. A flea infestation sounded annoying. Remus deposited his phone face down on the desk, just out of reach, so he'd have to think about picking it up. That way he wouldn't grab it absent-mindedly and get tempted again.
Remus looked at the window. He probably shouldn't go outside tonight while he was still at flea-risk. He didn't even think about that. But he didn't trust himself on his computer right now, and he wasn't tired in the slightest. Remus scanned his room for something to do. He shouldn't be on his phone too long, just in case. Part of him really wanted to find out what humans were capable of in that field, even though he knew he'd just hold it against himself.
There was some sick shit in there he didn't want rolling around in his head, which he'd love a distraction from. He knocked on his desk with his ring finger knuckle while he examined his room. On the desk were some old paperbacks and his school work. He also had some board games on a short bookshelf with his other books and figurines. Nothing was particularly compelling.
He reached for the textbook next to his computer from his earlier homework. He could study? Remus shot another glance at the window. Was Virgil waiting? If they were, good. Remus flipped open the textbook and went to the next chapter. History was cool. Sometimes. Well, the textbook presented it badly. It was incredibly dry this way. Remus skimmed the introduction and started reading.
For the love of all things holy, was Remus really studying history on a Friday night just because he had nothing else better to do? Fuck. Roman stayed in this Friday to study, too. Probably because he had plans this weekend, he didn't want to be interrupted by homework. Remus had no such plans. He knew he didn't have to have plans, and it was unhealthy to expect them, but what fucking day in a row was this? He didn't even know. That's how sad this was. He'd been alone basically every night since Toby graduated.
Remus slammed the book shut. If he had to be alone, he could at least spare a minute to revel in someone who was even more alone than he was. It felt as if everyone constantly told him he was evil when he opened his mouth, so he was supposed to want this stuff, anyway. And if Virgil wasn't there, their dad probably came back and Remus wouldn't have to feel so bad for them. It seemed like a win-win. Schadenfreude or visiting that dad dude. If only the world always had such obvious options. Remus gripped at the ribbon and got up to head out the window.
He tied on the bow and glanced at the luminous moon in the sky after he climbed out and closed the window. It was just as crisp out tonight as it was last night. With Remus's coat of fur, it wasn't a challenge, though. His face was a little chilly, but there wasn't much wind tonight. He walked down the streets to the playground, taking in the night air. Remus strutted with his tail high through the grass. He bolted away when a car passed through the street, but otherwise sauntered at a leisurely pace to the park. He kept to the shadows and skirted along the side of the park.
Remus stood next to a hedge and looked at the swing set from the side. Virgil was on the swing, as expected. They did literally tell Remus they would be here if their dad didn't come. Remus would have predicted that Virgil would be curled in from the cold again, but they completely slumped against the swing. They were leaning forward with the chains, the only things stopping them from falling face-first into the rocks. There was something loose between Virgil's fingers, but Virgil wasn't kicking the pebbles or swaying slightly. They were utterly motionless as they sat with their head hunched into their chest. Remus heard a subdued sniffle coming from Virgil's oddly lit suspended figure.
Fuck. Schadenfreude wasn't Remus's thing. He thought he would enjoy this, but Virgil looked completely crushed and it was not enjoyable in the least. He was supposed to appreciate this, and he fucking hated it. It didn't matter how mad he was at Virgil. Remus still related to Virgil like he never did with anyone else. That was enough for a little forgiveness. Remus ran up to the swing set and hopped his front paws up on Virgil's legs, meowing.
"Oh!" Virgil wiped their eyes on their sleeve. "Hey, Nox. I was right. Dad didn't come," Virgil's voice had a desperate quality and followed their greeting with a broken laugh. "I thought you wouldn't come either. Which is stupid to expect you, because you're a cat. You couldn't agree or anything," They shook their head sadly. "Um, I looked up your breed and brought you stuff," Virgil told him, and held up a tiny mouse toy that smelled heavenly. "It says maine coons are hunters, so I figured you'd like to crush something under your mighty paws," Virgil sounded a little cheerier and Remus took the mouse with his teeth. It made Virgil smile, and they curled down to stoke between Remus's ears.
"I got a brush, too. Do you want to come home with me again?" Virgil asked hopefully, motioning with their head to the apartment complex. Remus stepped down from Virgil's legs and sat intently. Virgil stood from the swing gradually and crouched down to pick up Remus after stretching their arms. He shifted to settle down, putting his paws up on Virgil's shoulder while Virgil supported him from the underside by his hind paws.
Virgil stroked Remus's back frequently while they walked towards the apartment complex. "Did you have a bad day, too? You'd normally be purring by now," Virgil asked after a few minutes of quiet sounds of crunching dry grass as Virgil strolled on. "I had an absolute shit day. More than dad not showing up. I kind of already realized he wouldn't, not that it makes me feel any less gutted. But on top of being fully forsaken by my only family, that bastard showed up at lunch today. Like I'd want to talk to him. He generally ignores me like everyone else does. Maybe he forgot? Like I could," Virgil scoffed and buried their hand in Remus's fluffy neck fur. What the hell was Virgil talking about? Remus had literally never met them before. "Some kid could have died. Of course, I reported it to the teacher," Virgil grumbled to themself.
Fuck, Remus has done nothing at school that would have gotten someone killed. He talked about it, sure, lots of times. He imagined burning the building and poisoning the lunches more times than he could count. But most of the life-threatening stuff that occurred in meat space when Remus had a penchant for pushing kids off the playscape. And there was a dangerous dares phase in middle school. But Remus had been warned he'd get all of his games taken away if he had got in that kind of trouble in high school. Remus lets out most of his weird impulses in video games, and he needed them to not get so obsessed with violent ideas.
All of Remus's stupid impulses were for himself if he gave in and did them. He couldn't remember doing anything that serious. Did Remus do something he didn't know was dangerous but also not get in trouble for it? Remus knew all about treacherous things, and it would be weird if he didn't get in trouble. The teachers often watched him like a hawk. Remus meowed oddly around the mouse toy, and Virgil reached up to pet Remus's head. Well, it wasn't as if he could ask.
Virgil walked them up into the apartment and locked up behind them and dropped off Remus on the top of the couch. Remus plopped down on the soft cushioned top and released the mouse onto the seat of the couch, plunging down on top of it right away. Virgil was right, Remus enjoyed crushing things under his mighty paws. He tugged at the fabric tail and pinned it down as if it was helplessly struggling. Virgil leaned over the top and regarded him with a smile.
"Online it also said that your breed needed lots of grooming," Virgil stated it almost like it was a question and turned to pick up a metal brush from off from a side table as they passed around to the front of the couch. Remus put down the mouse and studied at it with trepidation.
Virgil held it out, and Remus sniffed it automatically. The scent was a little odd, but someone else brushing him sounded even weirder. He looked at the brush nervously and gave it a small bite of uncertainty. It was hard between his teeth. It seems unpleasant. When was the last time someone helped him with that? Virgil sat down next to Remus and ran the brush lightly down back.
Holy shit, it was scratching an itch he didn't know he had. Remus started purring and got up to move onto Virgil's lap to make it easier. Virgil chuckled and continued to brush the fur, running it slowly along his spine and clearing off the fuzz after every few strokes. He moved Remus's head and adjusted his tail as Virgil groomed him.
"Dang," Virgil drawled, sounding impressed. "I'm stopping here so you have plenty of undercoat for the cold, but if I kept going, I could make a whole new cat," Virgil smiled and cleaned the brush off the last time into a small trash can next to the couch.
Virgil shifted Remus so they could lie back on the blanket, and Remus happily took over Virgil's chest again. It felt silly being mad at Virgil now. Virgil didn't even know Remus, and they did all these nice things to take care of him. Remus wanted to feel taken care of, and Virgil was here for him the most, and they hadn't asked for a single thing in return that wasn't just listening to them talk.
"Damn, you're even silkier now. I didn't think it was possible for you to be softer," Virgil sounded amused as they ran their hand along Remus's back appreciatively. They leaned back and seemed to enjoy just feeling Remus's fur. Remus purred vehemently, feeling refreshed and incredibly cared for. Remus didn't have it in him to be agitated by lunch anymore.
"Hey… Nox? Do you ever feel like the way people perceive you feels wrong?" Virgil asked slowly after a long pause of silence. Boy, did he ever. Especially since he wasn't actually a cat. Remus meowed and sat up to rub his face on Virgil's. Virgil smiled at Remus as he settled back down. "I don't really feel like a 'he'," Virgil stated quietly. Oh, Remus didn't quite relate on that front. People judged Remus for his interests and odd mannerisms, which is not the same as a gender identity issue. The species thing also isn't exactly the same. "I don't feel like a 'she' either. I kind of like… 'they'," Virgil said with a rising inflection, as if they were curious themself. Neat. Remus's 'gender-neutral until proven otherwise' habits paid off.
"I'm scared of telling my dad. He's already upset with me, but my dad is the only person I talk to for real. It would mean so much to me if he saw me as his child instead of his son, you know? But he's so stressed, and I don't want to cause more. Not that I'm not also stressed, but…" Virgil explained, picking up Remus's forepaws between his fingers and playing with Remus's footpads. It was a little like a hand massage. Remus meowed sagely in solidarity while Virgil played absent-mindedly with his toes and stared at the ceiling. Their fingers stopped moving, and they looked at Remus with an expression tinged with a small epiphany.
"Huh," They chuckled to themself, looking at Remus curiously. "Speaking of… I slept well when you stayed with me. You're really warm and I never knew how calming purring was until twenty fucking pounds of cat pinned me," Virgil scratched behind Remus's ear and he leaned into it. "Do you want to stay again?" Virgil asked hesitantly. Remus paused and blinked at Virgil. That was another eight hours off of Remus's life, just for sleeping here. That didn't even include the time he's already spent.
Remus's tail flicked while he contemplated it. He was upset about the loss of time earlier. But he also considered giving up on humanity to be a cat for the rest of his life yesterday. Eight measly hours wasn't as unacceptable when it's compared to twenty long years. He slept well, too. Sleeping as a fuzz machine was natural and simple to slip into, and sleeping on a person-sized heating pad was a definite bonus. But Remus thought it made the most sense to only be a cat while he was awake to appreciate it. His impulsivity screamed that he should absolutely stay over again, and he was not the best at ignoring that. He was able to stop and deliberate this time, at least.
There was some lingering resentment at Virgil for lunch, too, if he was honest with himself. That gave him more pause than anything else. Rationally, either there was a misunderstanding or Remus earned that reaction. Remus the human never interacted with Virgil, and if they were some kind of mind-reading being, they would know Nox was Remus. From all fronts, it only made sense to let it go, despite being miffed. Staying over here for the night could be fun. It's not like anyone would care if he stayed out and he didn't have a good argument against not being here out…
"Fuck, how would you even agree?" Virgil dropped their head back and rolled their eyes. "You're a cat, damnit. Why do I keep forgetting that?" They groaned, rubbing their face. Remus chittered as he laughed and pulled one paw out to pat the top of Virgil's hand. "Huh? What's up?" Virgil moved their head up to look at Remus more directly than down their nose. Remus patted Virgil's hand twice. "Oh. Three taps for 'yes'?" Virgil suggested a way to agree. Remus did so with his paw, looking at Virgil resolutely. "Sweet. Being alone Friday night seemed scary," Virgil reached up to ruffle Remus's neck fur.
"You don't care that I'm non-binary, right, Nox?" Virgil asked and Remus purred and licked Virgil's hand. He brushed his teeth recently so it shouldn't smell like hell from his dinner this time. Though Remus did like the word 'noxious', honestly. "Thanks," Virgil replied weakly. "I think more TV is in order unless you can grow hands to use a controller," Virgil suggested. Well, Remus could do that. Remus chattered humourously while Virgil reached for the remote. They probably wouldn't want a shirtless stranger who they just cussed at this afternoon showing up in their living room, though.
Remus wasn't even sure he could tell Virgil anymore. Remus wanted to. He was going to explain everything to Virgil at lunch. He wasn't so positive he should anymore. Though, wasn't this just pretending to be someone he's not again? He's never managed that. His mouth always got him in trouble. Well, as a cat it just comes out as meows. He didn't like dealing with moral quandaries. He just did what he chose most of the time, and he wanted to tell Virgil so Remus could hang out in person. But if Virgil didn't like Remus, that wasn't happening either way. Remus huffed through his nose in frustration.
"Is something wrong?" Virgil asked. Damnit, Virgil was so attentive. It was worth it for Virgil. He could still be himself. Just… himself as a cat. Remus put his paw on Virgil's hand and pushed it into his head. "Oh, more scritches, sure," Virgil chortled, and it shook Remus a little. Virgil's nail scratched the side of Remus's face and he relaxed.
Virgil loaded back up the TV show they were enjoying last night, backtracking three episodes that they must have slept through in the recently watched list. Remus flopped to his side again to see the TV and Virgil switched hands, running their thumb along Remus's other cheek, balancing things out. Virgil's touch was wonderful and his entire body hummed with heavy purring. Virgil sighed contentedly and turned their head to watch the TV while they pet him.
Remus wouldn't trade this for video games. He liked Virgil's hand resting on his back and the other slowly stroking his cheek. Sure, shooting stuff and stabbing people was fun, but Remus was a starved man at a physical affection buffet and he refused to stop going for seconds and thirds.
"I'm kind of craving salt. Can you get off? I need a snack," Virgil asked after an episode of contented silence. Remus jumped off of Virgil and stretched out in a slow waltz around the living room floor. Remus might have already started drifting to sleep since the last he remembered the witch was still in the human world and she was doing magic in the witch one right now.
Virgil got up and headed into the kitchen. Remus was kind of thirsty, so he followed Virgil and jumped up on the counter to get at the sink. He was trying to work the handle when Virgil pulled down a bowl and dispensed some water from the fridge into it. They put it down on the counter next to Remus and he was thankful because he couldn't figure out the sink.
"It's a push and not a lift, I know it's weird," Virgil demonstrated by pressing down on the lever. Water splashed out for a half-second before they released it. Oh. Remarkable show of human intelligence, there, Remus. "Tap water has tons of crap in it though, and your liver isn't exactly top tier. You can ask by pointing out the freezer door or something," Virgil pointed out and pulled a glass out from the cupboard to some water for themself and another bowl. Virgil poured some potato chips into the dish and put away the bag of chips again as Remus drank the water. Drinking as a cat was annoying.
Virgil took their drink and bowl of chips out of the kitchen while Remus was still struggling to get water. When Remus finished drinking, he walked back out to the living room with his tail and head high. Virgil was already reclining with the chips, and Remus hopped up on their lap. The whiff of the potato chips hit his face suddenly, and the smell was so tempting, Remus stole one right of the bowl with his teeth.
"Nox, no," Virgil huffed and moved for the chip Remus was failing to chew the stiff chip, so Remus put his paws over it to keep his stolen prize. Virgil pried the half-eaten chip out from under Remus's paws and chucked it in the garbage can. Remus glared at Virgil for their actions, but Virgil wasn't having it. They didn't back down and matched Remus's annoyed face. Remus didn't attempt another theft under that gaze. He rolled to his side against the couch to return to watching TV. "Sorry, salt is dangerous for you," Virgil's apology sounded genuine. Remus flicked his tail in consideration, but Virgil pet Remus's head a few times, and he no longer cared about glaring. They grabbed the mouse that had fallen on the floor and put it next to Remus's paw. Remus pulled it in to gnaw on the head, which was more fun than he thought it would be, and quickly forgave the potato chip theft.
Remus's standards for people were either incredibly low or he really liked Virgil to let them get away with chip-blocking him. Remus blinked and turned his head to Virgil, who was watching the TV and snacking on chips, looking excited about the show. Shit. Virgil was cute. When did Virgil get cute? Remus could have sworn he had some kind of crush on Patton. When the fuck did this happen? No wonder it was so easy to forgive Virgil.
"What? Do I have chips on my face?" Virgil asked, patting around their face. Remus mewed and turned back to the screen. Virgil wiped off their face with a tissue out of the corner of Remus's eye.
Remus knew he was a disaster gay in that he was a disaster and a gay, but he didn't know he was a gay disaster. Well, you learn something new every day. Remus had developed a small crush on a person who thought Remus was a cat. He had a great understanding of unrequited crushes from Patton, but honestly, this took things to a whole other level. And why did Remus suddenly crave cookies?
Oh, shit, the fight on screen was getting intense. Virgil tensed up under him. No one in real life could take a direct hit from electricity like that. How did they survive? Well, there was nothing to do about Remus's fun new crush that wasn't verging on bestiality, and Remus wasn't interested in that. Right? Right. Remus tapped his paw on the mouse toy. But he could watch Virgil's favourite show and get intermittent pets, and that was amazing as it is.
"Isn't she so cool?" Virgil sighed after the witch saved the human world from some kind of demon virus outbreak a few episodes later. Virgil yawned, which made Remus yawn too. "I want to go change for bed," Virgil pet Remus's head and rubbed his neck with their thumb.
Remus enjoyed it for a moment before he jumped off of Virgil up to the top of the couch. He stretched out once more, his eyes following Virgil to the bedroom. Remus wandered into the bathroom while he had the chance. He washed his face while he was at it, since there was still some chip residue left, and walked out as Virgil exited the room.
"… Do I want to know?" Virgil looked confused and headed went to the restroom themself, dropping it right away. Remus heard the sink turn on before he returned to the couch, jumping up. The blanket pile tempted him in a way he didn't quite understand, and he was on top of it and digging in the blankets before he realized what he was doing. Remus stuck his head in the hole he pulled apart and dug in deeper. Remus heard Virgil laughing and tried to pull his head out, but it had gotten stuck between the folds. He pushed harder and popped his face out of the gap with a blanket hanging off of it. He looked around, feeling a little perplexed by being nearly defeated by linens, and Virgil was smiling and leaning on the back of the couch, watching it all go down.
"Feeling playful? I read online that cats play, then eat, then sleep. It's almost being a kid and feeling wired just before bed," Virgil stated with mild interest. How much cat research did Virgil do? Shit, Remus didn't know this much about cats and he was one. He probably needed to fix that. "So, in case you wanted to stay again, I got something to help," Virgil added offhandedly, reaching for the small table next to the couch.
A red dot appeared on the blankets. Remus was human under all this fur. He knew he could never catch the laser. He was perfectly aware—fuck, he couldn't pull his eyes off of it whenever it twitched. Remus shifted to watch it closer against his will. He knew he couldn't catch it, but at the same time… what if it was fun? Just to let instinct take over and chase the dot? Remus's paw moved and made the decision for him. He was chasing a red dot all over the living room, parkouring off the couch and leaping feet into the air to swat at it.
Virgil's laugh was better than Patton's and he hated thinking that, but it was. Patton's giggle was deeply comforting and caused him to feel safe. But Virgil's cackle was sharp, playful, and made him feel free. That's what Remus really wanted, in the end. Sometimes it felt like all Remus ever did was box himself in and play it safe. He wanted to be free to express himself, and Virgil's laugh helped him feel like that he could.
Their amusement rang through the apartment as he bounded off the wall again when Virgil switched the laser quickly from the wall to the floor. Acting on his instincts felt good, but Virgil's unrestrained laughter was pure euphoria. Remus was having the time of his fucking life. He chased the dot until he was too thirsty to go on, transitioning from bolting to glaring swats at it, panting for air.
"Looks like you're done. I'll get you a water refill and a bite," Virgil deposited the laser on the side table and headed to the kitchen. Remus took another few breaths before following them over and jumping up onto the counter to drink thirstily. Stupid cat tongue not delivering the water fast enough. "I've never made salmon before, but the one I ate was good. So I hope this one is okay," Virgil pulled out a tinfoil package from the refrigerator and pulled apart the meat with a fork before presenting it to Remus.
It was roughly two ounces of salmon with a few peas. It was weirdly wet looking. Virgil probably put it in the fridge before it cooled off entirely. But Remus took a nibble, anyway. He wasn't normally a fan of fish, but this was fantastic. After the first bite, he realized how fucking hungry he was after all that running around like a maniac and ate feverishly.
"Woah, Nox, don't choke," Virgil pet Remus's back once and he slowed down. Whoops. Virgil breathed a sigh of relief and dispensed themself a glass of water. There wasn't much food here, but it was plenty for Remus at cat size. He finished everything in short order and let Virgil clean off his face before he had some more water. Eating cleanly as a cat was hard. Not that Remus had any idea how to be dainty in the first place.
Virgil picked up their cup of water and headed into the bedroom. Remus hopped down to the floor to follow. He stuck right behind Virgil as they pushed the door open to their room. Remus hadn't realized this before, but the apartment was somewhat… barren? It was more normal in the living room. But there weren't many decorations, nothing on the walls, no pictures of Virgil's family or art or anything. It was cozy with the nice couch and the blankets piled up distracted from the blank walls, though, even if it was stark.
The bed had just as many blankets and their room as messy as Remus's would be if Remus's mom would let him get away with it. They had thrown their uniform blazer over the top of the dresser, there was a minefield of dirty clothes, and Virgil already had three abandoned cups of water on the nightstand. It wasn't filthy or anything; the carpets smelled fine and there was barely any dust built up, even on the stuff at Remus's eye height. It just looked unattended to. Virgil themself was, so maybe they just gave up trying when their dad didn't show up on Wednesday.
Virgil pushed aside the old cups to place the new one and fished for their phone charger cable. Remus hopped up on the bed to watch them. At this height, Remus could see stacks of books piled on a small bookshelf. Virgil also had a very nice computer setup. They had lots of things to do around the room, which was good since they were alone here. Remus yawned painfully wide.
There was absolutely something to that play-eat-nap thing. His eyes were already feeling drowsy. Virgil shifted to lie down on the mattress, kicked at the blankets before pulling them up over their chest. Remus wasn't sure where Virgil wanted him. This was Virgil's bed, and it felt very distinct from passing out together on the couch. It was more intimate, somehow. He sat and looked at Virgil expectantly while they settled in, feeling unsure.
"What, now you're shy?" Virgil patted their rib cage and Remus yawned one more before padding across the sheets and up onto Virgil's torso. Remus laid down and lowered his head to Virgil's chest. Virgil moved to pet him, which restarted the purr motor. Virgil made a satisfied noise in their throat and closed their eyes. They dropped their head on the pillow with a small bounce of impact on the firm surface.
Virgil's fingers gilded languidly across his fur with extra pressure, which was deeply comforting. Remus kept purring heavily and watched Virgil yawn. They covered their mouth and flopped their hand to slide under the blanket. Remus still felt content even without the nice even strokes, though, and purred himself to sleep as Virgil's chest rose and fell.