1 Prologue

~Virgil's POV~

I was sat on the couch on my phone, my legs crossed. Princey was next to me, sketching. Logan was on the other side of the couch, reading.

Patton popped up with something silver in his hand.

"Hey, kiddos and Logan! I found something in my room while I was cleaning. It's a laser pointer!" Patton said. My eyes widened and I tensed up.

'D-did he say... l-laser pointer...?' I thought. 'Don't turn it on!'

"Cool! Does it still work?" Princey asked.

'F you Princey... f you.'

"It should. I haven't checked." Patton said and pointed the laser at the ground. The laser just HAD to be red and addicting.

'Stay. Strong. Virgil! Cat instinct. Why? I can't take it...! The laser is just so mesmerizing!' I groaned.

I forgot all about my worries. My eyes followed the laser. I put down my phone on the armrest.

~Princey- I mean... Roman's POV~

I looked at Logan. He was looking at Patton, a small smile on his lips.

'He soooo likes Patton.' I thought.

I looked at Virgil. He wasn't on his phone. He didn't look bored. His eyes flickered across the floor. He was following the path of the laser. Virgil looked... like he was in a trance.

I got up from the couch. Virgil didn't even flinch. I walked to Patton.

"Hey, padre, can I see the laser pointer?" I asked.

"Oh, sure." He handed me the laser. I took it quickly, as to not let Virgil out of his trance.

I pointed the laser on the couch cushion Virgil was sitting on. His hand batted it. I let the laser slide slowly down the couch and on the floor in front of him. Virgil pounced on it.

'He's just like a cat!'

Patton and Logan watched, intrigued. Patton was trying hard not to squeal.

I pointed the laser a foot to the left. Virgil followed it on his hands and knees. He put his hand on the red spot. I twirled the laser around him. He twirled around fast and batted the spot. I lined the laser across the floor and he followed it quickly. I was surprised. I haven't seen a person run on hands and knees that fast. He used his feet to run faster. He pounced at the spot.

I trailed the laser right to my feet. He followed it and batted the spot. I turned the laser off.

~Virgil's POV~

The laser disappeared. Wait, where did it go!?

I was too confused to notice that Roman was in front of me. A hand petted my hair. My worried senses were back. Cat mode was off. I was even more confused at why I was on the floor and not the couch. I looked up and saw Princey smiling down at me.

'Oh... cat mode turned on. Oh f-'

"That was surprising, Virgil. Where did that come from?" Princey asked.

"Instinct on turned cat. I mean- Cat Instinct turned on." I stuttered and face-palmed. My words get switched when I'm around Princey.

"What's 'Cat Instinct'?" Princey asked. I was about to answer, but Logan answered first.

"Cat Instinct is when a person has cat-like abilities. They may hiss at people, scratch stuff, sit where no one else sits, purring, playing with cat toys or string or laser pointers, etc." Logan snapped his fingers and a string appeared. I glared at him. He put the string in front of me and teased me with it.

"I will get you for this..." I growled. My Cat Instinct turned on. My hands swatted at the string. I tried to get it. Logan tossed it on me and I panicked when it was on my hair.

"Cats panic when something other than a hand is touching them," Logan explained.

I bit the string and used my hands to toss it off me. I tensed, backed away from the string and hissed at it. My Cat Instinct turned off. I was confused again. I looked at the others and then the string that was next to me.

"Oh, for the love of-!" I cut myself off. I sat on the floor and didn't move.

"However... I cannot explain HOW he has this instinct." Logan sighed.

"It's simple. I'm Anxiety." I said and crossed my arms over my chest. They looked confused. I sighed, frustrated. "It depends on the person. But, some people with Anxiety, like for people to pet them like they're an animal. Some people also hiss at others at mear frustration. Some people also scratch stuff when they get nervous. Mostly pillows. Some people sit on things that are not chairs and no one would sit. Like a counter, a shelf, a table, etc. Finally, some people get mesmerized easily by stuff a cat would play with. Like a laser pointer, and a string."

I finally got off the floor and dusted myself off. I pulled my jacket sleeves down to cover my hands so I got sweater paws.

"So... you're basically a cat?" Patton finally asked. I thought for a moment and nodded.

"Yes, technically."

Patton's eyes shined as he squealed slash screamed. He hugged me really tight and started petting my hair. Oh no... he's going to trigger my purring.

"D-dad... p-please let go. You're hugging me... too... tight!" I gasped.

"Oh, sorry, kiddo." He let go of me. Finally...

"It's fine. Just don't play with my Cat Instinct a lot... it gets annoying." I said. They nodded.

I walked to the couch and picked up my phone and headphones. I sank out and into my room. I was about to play music when I heard someone knocked on my door. I opened the door and saw Princey. Strange... he doesn't normally knock on my door. Wait... is he blushing?

I will admit... he looks... somewhat handsome. I've had a crush on him for so long. I doubt he'll ever like me that way. I'm Anxiety. The bad guy, emo, dark, moody, sarcastic. The list can go on and on.

Princey looked at the ground. Then up at me. His face was so red.

"A-are you okay... Princey?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh! I'm fine. Just fine! No problem here. C-can I talk to you f-for a moment?"

He's stuttering. He never stutters. He's usually so over-confident.

"S-sure, Princey. Come on in. I g-guess." I open the door wider and step to the side. I closed the door when Princey came in and sat on my desk chair.

~Roman's POV~

Why am I so nervous? I haven't been this nervous before. I'm acting like Logan when Patton walks into the room. I can sense his feelings from a mile away. Patton also likes Logan. If they would just confess their love for each other, everything would be better.

I fiddled with my fingers and looked at Virgil. He was sitting on his bed, looking at me. He looked away when he realized I was looking at him. His face faintly turned red. He is so adorable...

I cleared my throat. I took a deep breath, got up from the chair, and walked over to where he was. He got up off the bed.

I smiled down at him. His face got redder. I took his hand in mine. Even though he had a sweater paws, I could feel his hand. Gentle and soft. His eyes flickered down and to my face. Then he avoided looking at me straight (gay) in the eyes.

"Look at me, Virgil," I said, softly. Virgil stopped looking around. His eyes were looking at my chest. I held his chin to look up at me. "There. Now, I'm going to tell you something. But, you might hate me."

I saw a flicker of hurt in his eyes.

"I could not have... loved you so much after today," I said. Virgil's eyes widened.

"W-w-what...?"

"I mean... I thought I loved you so much before today. But, you proved me wrong with your Cat Instinct. I love you so much more."

Virgil's eyes looked like they were going to explode into tears. His eyes watered so much. My eyes widened.

"W-wait... did I say something wrong? Do you not like me that way? I could go-"

"S-shut up."

"What?"

"I said shut up. You complete m-moron... I love you too." He muttered. "I don't e-even care a-about consent!"

I was going to ask him what that meant. But, he ended up kissing me. Oh... that's what he meant. I closed my eyes and melted into the kiss. His lips were soft and tasted like chocolate.

We pulled away when we needed oxygen. He looked at me, his face red. Pretty sure mine was too. He was actually smiling. I smiled too. He stopped smiling and started to look nervous. I frowned.

"Um... I don't know who is supposed to ask to be their boyfriend. So..." Virgil said.

"Oh! Either one of us. But mostly me. Will you be my boyfriend, Virgil?" I asked and held out a hand. He took it.

"Yes."

"Great! Can I call you something cute?" I asked.

"Sure?"

"Kitten!"

"W-what? Why t-that one?" Virgil stuttered.

"Because you remind me of a kitten. And you are the youngest and the smallest."

"F-fine. Also... another thing. C-can you... um... p-pet my hair?" He asked. I smiled.

"Of course, kitten! Anything for you."

"Don't call me 'kitten' in front of the others."

"How about mi amore?" I asked.

"What does that mean?"

"My love in Spanish. It also translates to 'Love Me' in Italian. But that just sounds too needy."

"Stop saying what Logan would say, dork. Just pet me and cuddle me so I can fall asleep. Hopefully, have no nightmares."

"Okay, mi amore."