I love you all so much ^_^ I really do~!
I received some amazing fanart for this story from xXNelisa and Zero-Kiryu-kun (on DeviantArt~ just search 'Nekoroma'~). You guys are Prussia level Awesome~!
This chapter is ... sad ... and kind of weird o.o but I felt like putting it in there ... so enjoy~
NekoRoma
Chapter Thirteen: Stella 'Vargas'
Lovino grabbed the new zip up hoodie he'd been given and walked outside with Antonio. The Spaniard locked up and they left. The last time Lovino had been at the building where Antonio worked was when he'd been given to Antonio and he'd only seen it through the bars of the cage. Not to mention, he'd been so young, he'd barely remembered much.
Antonio clocked in and sat down at the front desk, "There's a chair over there you can sit in if you want. If you want something from the break room, just ask, I'll get it for you~"
After a bit of exploring the lobby and staring down at the old magazines, Lovino grew bored and sat down on Antonio's desk. He spotted the time and frowned, only having killed an hour.
Antonio was busy answering calls for the trainers and vet and taking down appointments.
"What do you even do here?" Lovino asked, leaning back on the desk, ignoring the strong urge to lay across the desk and beg for a belly rub. He was supposed to be acting human!
"I just take down Ludwig's, Gil's, Kiku's and Dr. Williams' appointments and make sure they get them," he smiled, "And when clients come in, I send them back. This is a vet/obedience school for animals, you know? Ludwig mostly trains dogs, but he trains cats to do things they are supposed to do but don't, like use the litter box. He even trains a few birds, but that's usually Gilbert's job."
Speaking of … Lovino thought bitterly, "Yo, Toni! And Romano, nice seeing you again. West here already?"
"Yeah, reason why you're late this time, Gil?" Antonio laughed, clocking his friend in.
Gilbert nodded, "Had to get this little guy all boxed up again." he held up a cat carrier, "West needs you to cat sit again. He's going out for a conference again."
Antonio looked at the carrier and smiled, seeing Feliciano poking his head up to the bars and meowing softly.
Lovino perked up and looked back at the man he'd been trying to ignore, "Feli!" he jumped off the desk and walked over the Gilbert, grabbing the carrier.
Gilbert raised his brow, "You said he was allergic to cats. And how does he know about this one?" Antonio bit his lip and shrugged, "I guess he's over it? And I'd love to watch Feli for you guys~!"
Lovino twisted open the carrier and reached in to pull out his brother. It was odd for him to be holding a cat when not long ago, he was one. Not long ago, he'd also been scampering across the floor chasing Feliciano around.
He hugged Feliciano close, confusing the cat.
'Ve-meow? Who are you?' he meowed. Lovino's eyes snapped open. Gilbert said a few things to Antonio and then left.
"Feli?"
'Ve-meow! You know my name! You must be a friend!' the cat perked up and licked Lovino's cheek, 'You smell familiar! Like Toni's house! And my brother! You smell like my brother!'
Lovino smiled, "It is me, Feli~! I'm Lovino!"
The cat tilted his head, 'It's like this human understands me! Ve-meow! Lovino?'
"Yeah! I'm human now!" he ignored his brother's stupidity.
Antonio peered over the desk and smiled, "You can talk to cats?"
Lovino shrugged, "Those cats that followed Herakles into the room … I couldn't understand them … maybe it's just because Feliciano is my brother …" he pushed the carrier with his feet to behind the desk and carried Feliciano in his arms as he sat back on the edge of the desk.
"But anyway, yeah it's me Feli!"
'How? That's so cool! I wanna be human, too! How did you become human?' the cat meowed, walking up Lovino's chest to look him in the eyes.
"Made a wish on a star. Woke up and was part human, part cat. It's actually annoying being human …" Feliciano clung to every word his brother said.
'Ve-meow! Wait until I tell Savino! Oh that's right! I got to see mama and a few of our siblings the other day when Luddy had to train them!' Feliciano wagged his tail. Only his brother would be stupid enough to be a cat and still wag his tail like a dog when he was happy. It must have been all those dogs he lived with.
"You … got to see mama …?" he asked, sadly. Feliciano meowed in response and began spinning the tale on hanging out with their brothers and sister.
Antonio saw the saddened expression on Lovino's face and gently touched his arm, "You okay?"
"Feliciano got to see mama … and Savino … and our other brothers and sister … I miss them …" he barely had a few memories of the loving tabby cat who had given birth to them. He remembered being curled up among five other kittens, one being Feliciano. Another memory of getting a loving bath from his mama … his mama being taken away. He'd mewled in agony for his mama to come back to him and his siblings, but she didn't. Then he was separated from his sister. Then his brother, Savino, then his other two brothers until all that was left was him and Feliciano.
He tried to cling to his final brother, not wanting to leave his side. Then he was taken away. At least he had still been able to see Feliciano. Tears rolled down his cheeks and Feliciano licked his cheeks, wanting him to be happy again.
'Ve-meow … I'm so sorry, brother! I didn't mean to make you cry!' Feliciano mewed softly, 'Mama is supposed to be coming by today … to visit the vet …'
Lovino shuddered at the mention of the vet. The man was gentle, but those needles … he shuddered again, "Really?"
Feliciano nodded.
Lovino smiled, "She's supposed to be here again today! I'm going to get to see mama!" he jumped up happily and swung his brother around, not caring that Feliciano was freaking out and digging his claws into Lovino's arms to keep from flying off.
He set Feliciano down and blushed in embarrassment. Antonio was smiling, "That's wonderful~!"
The former cat nodded and crossed his arms, "Yeah …" he sat down and let his brother run around the lobby for a minute before the cat crawled into the carrier for a nap. Lovino kicked his legs, still embarrassed from his behavior, and stinging from where his brother had clawed him, "How did you even put up with that shit?" Lovino hissed, running his fingers over the scratches.
He went to lick the wounds, but Antonio stopped him, "I knew that you were just being you~ besides, this helps …" he opened the drawer and pulled out some tube and squeezed the clearish gel onto his fingers and covered the scratches up, "feeling better?"
Lovino blushed and nodded, "Yeah …" he pulled his sleeves down and licked his lips and began kicking his legs again. Several people came in, one for the vet, but wasn't his mama, and two for their appointments with Ludwig.
Finally, the doors opened and the woman walked in with a cat carrier. Lovino bit his lip, hopeful.
"Stella for her overnight stay with Dr. Williams." the woman muttered. Antonio nodded and tapped into the computer, "Just in time. I'll take her back there, okay?"
The woman nodded, "See you later, Stella. Be a good girl for mommy!" she waved and left the lobby. Lovino hopped from the desk again and peered into the cage. An old tabby cat peered up at him lazily.
He opened the cage, tears brimming his eyes, "Mama?"
She blinked and sniffed his hand. Feliciano leaped up onto the desk, 'Mama!' he meowed, 'It's Lovi~! You remember him, right? Ve-meow~!'
Stella turned from her cat child to Lovino and blinked again, 'Lovino?' Lovino pulled her carefully from the carrier and held her close, "Mama …" he whispered.
She meowed softly, 'My baby … your scent … it is you~!' she began licking his cheeks, lovingly. He smiled, remembering those fond few weeks when she bathed him while he was still a little kitten.
He sat down in the chair, while she continued to clean his face. Feliciano curled up on his lap as well and began purring.
Antonio smiled softly, yet sadly. It made him miss his mother back in Spain. Maybe he would call her during his lunch break.
"Lovi … I … I really hate to tear this up, but she's here to go back to the vet …" Antonio whispered, knowing he would probably get scolded by the vet … Mike … or Mark … for not bringing her back sooner.
Lovino glared, "No … I wanna stay with my mama …" he nuzzled against her fur, glaring at Antonio while she continued licking his cheek.
"I'm sorry … but she has to go … we'll visit her again in a little bit before we leave, okay? And she'll be here in the morning when I come in for work tomorrow."
"You're bringing me again tomorrow?" Lovino asked.
Antonio nodded, "I can't leave you at home like that can I? You have to have lunch and you'd probably get bored."
Lovino nodded and looked down at his mother. She'd stopped bathing her son's face and had curled up in his lap around Feliciano, occasionally looking up at her human son and giving him a loving look.
He smiled and rubbed his hand down his back, "Okay, but I want to visit her before we leave, you got that?"
Antonio nodded.
"You have to go now, mama …"
'I know, bambino …' she licked his hand as he lifted her into his arms.
Lovino tilted his head, having heard that word from one of those movies he'd watched, "You speak Italian?"
'My original owners brought me over from Italy a long time ago, Lovino … they abandoned me a few weeks before you and your brothers and sister were born …' she mewed as he carried her to her carrier.
Lovino laughed sadly, "So that explains my accent …" he kissed her head and let her walk into her carrier, "I'll see you in a little bit, okay mama?"
'Sì, bambino, ti voglio bene, …' she curled up, giving her son one last look, 'You may look different, but you're still the beautiful kitten I had.'
"I love you, mama …" he whispered, closing the carrier for Antonio to take back to the vet. He bit his lip and walked back over to the chair, where Feliciano was laying, looking sad.
'Brother?' Feliciano mewed.
"Yeah, Feli?"
'Are you going to cry? 'cause if you cry, I'll cry and I don't want you to be sad …' Feliciano crawled into Lovino's lap. Lovino frowned, feeling his heart constrict, but he willed the tears away.
"No, I'm not going to cry, jerk!" he frowned, earning an odd look from a woman and her daughter, whom just walked in with their poodle.
He offered a smile, but looked away and mindlessly petted his brother's back, trying to get over the embarrassment of the woman and child catching him yelling at a cat.
sad, no? just a bunch of mindless fluff o.o and weirdness ... lol
EDIT: Thank you Loudres Vargas-Beilschmidt for the 'I love you' correction in Italian ^_^
~Lady Pyrien