#perspective series

“I do.” Logan said coldly, knowing he was meant to respond when addressed.

 Patton lit up when the tiny spoke. “And what would it be?” Patton asked again. He was loving this tiny already.

“I think it would be ill advised of me to share that information.” Logan responded, careful to avoid the ‘no’ word as he turned back to the human.

 Patton tilted his head. “Oh? And why is that?” He was happy to see the tiny talking but he did think it was weird that he didn’t want to say his name.

“Because then you might get the notion to become attached.” Logan explained. 

 Patton chuckled. “Well, it’s a little too late for that.”

Logan frowned, beginning to feel a sinking feeling in his chest. “...oh?”

 “Yep! I think I’ve decided.” Patton smiled down at the tiny. “I’ll be right back.” And with that, Patton went to go grab an employee to help get his tiny.

Logan paled, looking around at the rest of the tinies within his view, all looking as shocked as he felt. No one ever expected Logan to be sold, and frankly after spending so long in the security of these walls Logan found himself quite nervous to leave.

 Patton came back and pointed to Logan. “I’ll take this little guy, please.” The employee gave him a weird look but didn’t say anything. He just shrugged and opened the case to scoop Logan out and put him in a smaller cage.

“No-” Logan tried to protest, but the moment the word left his lips a slight electric shock was sent through his veins, causing him to be compliant as the worker wrapped his grimy hands around Logan’s form.

 Once Logan was in the cage and it was closed, the employee handed him over to Patton, who took it carefully. He grinned. “Thank you!” The employee nodded and let him to the register to pay. Patton set the cage down for a moment in order to take out his credit card. As soon as the transaction went through he looked down at the tiny. “You are now officially mine!” Patton said excitedly, picking up the cage and holding it close to his chest.

Logan shuddered at the implication. To be merchandise on display was degrading enough, but to be owned?

 Patton walked out to his car, putting the cage in the passenger seat while he buckled up. “Oh this is gonna be great! We’re going to have a lot of fun together!”

“Doubtful.” Logan muttered. This human seemed overwhelmingly bubbly, and Logan began to wonder if his role would be more equivalent to a toy than a pet.

 As Patton pulled out of the parking lot, he couldn’t help but wonder how Virgil’s search was going.

--------------------------------------

 Virgil entered the shelter with a small sigh. Maybe he should have just gone with Patton but, then again, the whole reason he chose the shelter was because he didn’t want some frilly, trained tiny or whatever. That wasn’t his thing. And the only place he would find one of those was here. At the tiny shelter.

 A worker led him into the back and Virgil started walking, scanning each tiny nervously. Geez, there were a lot more than he thought. How was he supposed to choose?

Roman, unlike most tinies was always eager to greet humans. He sized them up, hoping to find the ideal match. Not that Roman wanted to be owned, oh no- Roman was a free spirit. He longed to one day return to his borrower roots. That’s why he needed an easy target. Roman had actually been nearly successful on several occasions, but always after sneaking away from his owners something would go amiss and Roman would end up back here. No matter. Sooner or later, Roman knew he could succeed.

However, that would only be possible with a human who was negligent and easily manipulated. Looking at the emo nightmare that had just walked in, Roman could tell from the way his eyes shifted that he was neither.

 Virgil’s eyes wandered over to a strange looking tiny. He seemed to be wearing some sort of prince outfit, probably from a doll. He raised an eyebrow at him.

“What?” Roman scoffed. How dare the human judge him when he was dressed like that. “Move along, Jack Skellington.” Roman advised, waving him off.

 Virgil blinked, eyes going wide. “What did you just call me?” He asked, coming right up to the little cage the tiny was in.

“Jack Skellington.” Roman repeated, unafraid. “Because you look like a halloween nightmare spirit come to life.”

 Virgil stared at him for a moment before snorting. “Well, princey, you sure are creative.”

“I try.” Roman preened a bit, always grateful for a compliment before he remembered that he was meant to drive this human away. Curse his everlasting charm.

“But seriously, hit the road, Jack.” Roman pointed down the aisleway.

 Virgil smirked, leaning against the wall. “It’s Virgil, actually.” Virgil said. “And what are you gonna do about it if I don’t?”

“Ah…” Roman hadn’t considered that. “Well, I may not be able to make you leave, but I’m certainly not going anywhere with the likes of you so you might as well keep your hopes down.”

 Virgil raised an eyebrow. “You act like you have a say on whether or not I bring you home with me.” Virgil chuckled. “How cute.”

“What- you don’t want a borrower like me.” Roman sputtered, desperately trying to make himself sound unlikeable. “I’m a rebel, a firecracker. There’s a reason guys like me end up in the shelter, you know.”

 “I know you're trying to make yourself undesirable.” Virgil said. “But unfortunately, you just listed everything I was looking for in a tiny. Why do you think I came to the shelter in the first place?”

“D-did I say rebel?” Roman let out an awkward laugh. “I meant obedient! Well-mannered, quiet as a mouse even.”

 “Uh huh. Sorry, Princey, but I think I made my decision.” Virgil shrugged and walked off towards an employee.

“HEY!” Roman ran up to the front of the glass, pounding on it angrily. “YOU GET BACK HERE AND UN-LIKE ME RIGHT NOW!”

 Virgil did return, but he was not alone. An employee was there to happily maneuver the little cage out of its spot and hand it over to Virgil. Virgil raised the cage to his eyes, smirking. “Too late. We’re definitely gonna have some fun together.”

“I disagree wholeheartedly.” Roman crossed his arms, glaring defiantly back at his newest owner.

 “Yeah, we’ll see.” Virgil paid for Roman and then got into his car. Heading home. He wondered if Patton was already done with his little errand but that question was answered for him when he saw his car in their driveway. 

 “Looks like you get to meet my roommate today.” And his new pet. He wondered what kind of tiny Patton got.

“Oh, yippee. I’m so thrilled.” All of this Roman said with a deadpan expression, sulking at the bottom of his cage.

 “Don’t be like that. Besides, you’ll have a little friend too.” Virgil revealed, taking the cage and getting out of the car.

“What?” Roman perked up slightly at that. Another borrower could act as his partner in crime, making it twice as easy to escape. Although, Roman quickly dashed that hope as soon as he caught sight of the borrower in the other enclosure. It was trained, still collared up and everything. There was no way the humans would let such a precious pet out of their sight for more than a second.

 Patton perked up as he saw Virgil come home. “Virgil!” His eyes wandered to the cage. “You got one!”

 Virgil smirked. “Yep and I see you did too.” Virgil looked to the tiny still in it’s cage, putting his tiny’s cage next to it.

Logan looked over, eyes wide as he took in the appearance of his fellow borrower. He offered a wave of greeting, but the princely figure just scoffed and turned away from him.

 “Hey,” Virgil said, noticing this. “Princey, play nice.”

 Patton blinked. “Princey?” 

 Virgil looked at Patton. “Oh, it’s just a nickname. Because of his outfit.” He motioned to it. “He hasn’t told me his name yet. What about yours?”

 “Oh. Uh, not yet but I just got home so I haven’t really gotten the chance to talk to him.” Patton spoke.

“I still think providing my name is unnecessary.” Logan spoke up, his voice quiet in the presence of two humans.

“Hey look, we agree on something.” Roman smirked. Perhaps this other borrower was alright.

 “Well, we have to call you something.” Patton said with a small frown. “Wouldn’t you rather us call you by your own name?”

 Virgil shrugged. “Hey, if you want to be difficult, I’ll just keep calling you princey.”

“Well joke’s on you, because I happen to like that nickname.” Roman stuck out his tongue. 

 “Oh darn, guess I should come up with something else, then.” Virgil smirked. Patton chuckled at the two of them, seeing that they really were a good fit. He picked up Logan’s cage.

 “I’m gonna head to my room to bond with this little guy.” Patton announced and Virgil nodded. He thought for a moment, before picking up Roman’s cage again.

 “I think I’ll do the same.” He said.

“Oh, goodie.” Roman twirled his finger with an unamused expression.

Meanwhile, Logan was a bit more nervous in his reaction. What exactly did ‘bonding’ entail? Unlike Roman, who had experienced this song and dance before, Logan was brand new to the pet world and was not a fan of the uncertainties.

 Patton brought Logan to his room, setting the cage down on the desk and sitting down. He sent the tiny a comforting smile and he opened the door of the cage. “Come on out, little guy, I bet you feel all cooped up in there huh?”

“I have adequate leg room.” Logan shifted nervously on his feet, hesitant to come out. He did not like to be grabbed, but in a new environment Logan was unsure how to avoid such an outcome. Perhaps it was inevitable.

 Patton’s smile turned softer. “It’s okay, you don’t have to be nervous. Besides, it’s good to stretch your legs a little.” And Patton wanted to get a better look at him.

Logan supposed he would rather have the choice to walk himself, and knew that one way or another if the human wanted him out Logan would soon be leaving this cage. So, with hesitance, Logan stepped out onto the desk.

 Patton grinned. “There we go!” Patton looked the tiny over, eyes focusing on his neck. Patton blinked as he finally took notice of the thing, lifting his hand to touch it. “Oh! You already have a collar.” He smiled at the tiny. “Well, at least we don’t have to buy you a new one now.” 

Logan touched at it absent-mindedly with a scowl. “I think this collar is unnecessary.”

 “I think they’re pretty handy.” Patton said. “That way if you ever get lost, people know who to contact! Although, I’ll have to get a new tag for it. With all my information on it.” They could do that next time they went shopping. Which he was hoping to do with Virgil tomorrow anyway.

Logan wrinkled the thought of his bane of existence now serving a duel purpose of keeping him tied to a human owner as well. 

 “So! Can you tell me your name now?” Patton asked with a smile.

“I could.” Logan said carefully, watching the human for a reaction.

 “Great! Then what is it?” Patton asked, leaning forward in anticipation.

“It seems you would benefit greatly from learning my name.” Logan observed. “What motivation do I have to be inclined to share?”

 Patton frowned in confusion. “Wouldn’t it be nice to be called by your name?” 

“I suppose, but at this point it feels like I will be submitting my only leverage.” Logan was surprised to find himself admitting this aloud to a human.

 Patton’s eyebrows furrowed. “Your...leverage? Well, why would you need leverage?” His tiny sure was confusing.

“To gain a sense of control, as well as to possibly help manifest an understanding.” Logan explained. “Perhaps my name can be exchanged for a policy decision regarding how I am treated.”

 Patton blinked. “How you’re-oh kiddo, you don’t have to worry!” Now Patton understood. He felt sad that his little pet even thought that of him for a second but now he’ll set the record straight.

 “I promise, I’m not going to hurt you or anything. I’ve never been one to believe in those types of punishment. It’s just cruel, ya know?” Patton said.

“I certainly agree.” Logan gave Patton a suspicious look, trying to gauge if the human was telling the truth. It would certainly be foolhardy to trust an individual so easily. “Regardless, I can guarantee an issue will arise where we do not see eye to eye. For example, I am generally against the entrapment of borrowers, while you clearly view the issue in an abysmally positive light.”

 Patton blinked. “Uh, what?” His borrower was using a lot of big words that Patton wasn’t sure about. What did abysmally mean? 

“I think I should be free, and you think I should be in a cage.” Logan deadpanned, gesturing back to the enclosure.

 “Well...of course, kiddo.” Patton gave him a small, kind of confused, smile. “You’re domesticated. And it’s been proven that a borrowers life is longer than ever when they’re with a human.”

Logan looked to the side. Why could humans not comprehend that a longer live was not necessarily a better life? “Regardless, the idea of being another person’s belonging is rather distasteful.”

 Patton frowned. “I’m sorry kiddo, I don’t know what to yell ya.” He smiled. “But I can promise that I’ll take great care of you. We’ll be a small, happy family!”

“Very well then.” Logan sighed. It was indeed the way of the world, whether Logan enjoyed it or not. At least this human seemed malleable enough, and Logan might even be able to form a tolerable existence here for the time being.

 “Great!” Patton said, clapping his hands together. “Does that mean you’ll tell me your name now?” He asked, putting on the puppy dog eyes.

“N-ah, later.” Logan cringed, quickly changing his answer from ‘no’ as the collar gave a warning buzz.

 Patton pouted. “Pleeeeeeaaaaaase.” He wanted to know his pet’s name!

Logan quite literally could not say no to that face. “What do you intend to do if my name remains unshared?” Logan asked, curious.

 “Be sad.” Patton admitted. “But, I mean, I don’t know. I guess I would call you kiddo until the meantime? Little buddy? Things like that?”

Logan’s lip curled at the juvenile suggestions. 

 “You really aren’t going to tell me your name?” Patton asked, looking deflated.

Logan paused, considering the consequences of not sharing this piece of information. Finding the odds to be in his favor, Logan shook his head.

 “Oh.” Patton looked down. “Well, that’s fine. I get it. You’re in a new place and need to get used to everything. I just, I do need your name by tomorrow so we can get your new collar tag, okay?”

“Perhaps I wish to remain untagged.” Logan stuck out his nose defiantly.

 “Well, that’s just not safe. What if you got lost? I’d never find you again.” Patton said, shaking his head. He then stood up suddenly. “Alright, well, I’ll let you rest for a little bit while I go make up some dinner, okay?” 

Logan jumped, so startled by the human rising to his full height that he could only nod.

 Patton smiled and lifted his hand to gently nudge the borrower back towards the cage.

Logan quickly shied away from the touch, scurrying back into his enclosure. He certainly preferred his own two feet to being grabbed.

Xiaojun | invester

a wealthy social light from China’s mainland. Xiaojun’s family sit on very old money, rumors about royal blood tainted in their veins. Xiaojun was raised as a performer, and he will pay well for good entertainment. 

Hendery | double agent

a mole, digging into strange holes, be they rival gangs or bubbling rebellions. Hendery has worn many hats in his life, the faces of many men, but his natural charm always does him well. 

Yangyang | dectctive 

cleaver, is an understatement. Yangyang specializes in “reading” people. analyzing and calculating. Yang is often brought in when a situation needs someone who can see more than meets the eye. 

Shotaro | interrogator

don't let his babyface fool you, this kid is a force to be reckoned with. Shotaro knows how to get people to talk, be that a kind smile and playful disposition, or motivators far darker. 

Sungchan | body guard 

often paired with Chenle or Xiaojun, Sungchan was raised in the business. he's new to the group but he's very experienced. a quiet person by nature, his presants is calming for his alleys, and an omen for his enemies. 

Chenle | recruter 

another child from a wealthy Chinese family, Chenle was raised in a multi cultural world, and a bilingual household. he is a skilled diplomate, and useful at networking. however, he could be used as a bargaining chip, if kidnapped. 

Jisung | recruter 

Jisung comes from a background closer of Jeno and Jaemin. misfit orphan born with a drug problem from an addict mother. he grew up in and out of foster homes, and finally ran away when he was 14. he's much happier now, no longer a lost little boy, now a self confidant young man.

Roman just glared at him, clearly not as amused.

 Patton chuckled again. “Or, you could watch all the Disney movies I downloaded onto your phone while you were at the hospital.” Patton said with a grin, this time.

“Pat, you did that?” Instantly Roman’s face morphed into one of gratitude. “You are an angel, Pattoncake. The sweetest cherry to ever make it to the top of an ice cream sundae.”

 Patton blushed at the compliment, grin growing wider. “Aww, Roman! Honestly, it was the least I could do.” Patton glanced at Roman’s bedside clock. “Oh, but I really should head out. See ya later Ro!” And with that, Patton exited the apartment.

Roman did end up watching his phone for a while. That was when the hours seemed to pass easily. Unfortunately, his phone battery didn’t last forever, and he had foolishly left his charger on the other end of the room. Roman groaned, feeling far too exhausted to try using his crutches again. He had failed at it the first few times to the point where Patton just offered to help him. 

So instead, Roman spent much of his time trying to figure out things to do. He tried singing songs and telling himself stories, but soon his voice began to ache from constant use. Now Roman just sat staring at the ceiling, listening to the clock tick. 

Was this what purgatory felt like? Roman felt trapped in this bed, slowly losing his mind.

 Virgil peeked out from his entrance on the floor, eyes going to the bed. He sighed as he saw the human was back. Darn. And it had been so nice when he was gone those few days. He had been able to get an abundance of supplies with him being gone all day. In fact, he had been planning on getting the last of his items tonight, not realizing the human would be back.

 Though...maybe he could still get it. What he needed was on the human’s nightstand, right next to where the human was right now. But...if the human was asleep then maybe Virgil could do this. Besides, the human seemed injured and injured humans tended to sleep longer, didn’t they?

 Biting his lip and pulling together all his bravery, Virgil marched up to the nightstand and through his hook up. Once it caught, he started to climb. Just grab it and go. Simple enough. 

Roman froze, hearing a soft scraping sound off to his right.

... that was new.

Did his apartment have mice? But why did it sound like it was getting closer? Cringing, Roman turned his head, hoping he could at least catch a glimpse.

 Virgil pulled himself up, stretching as he stood up. Alright, now, where was it? He scanned the nightstand, wanting to grab it and go so he could get away from the human.

Roman’s eyes widened, hardly daring to breathe. Only in his wildest daydreams would Roman have imagined this would be the source of the noise. A miniature person, standing but a few feet away from himself. 

 Virgil made to step closer but paused. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and slowly, ever so slowly, Virgil looked up.

 Only to meet the human’s wide-eyed gaze. 

 Virgil stood, frozen in fear as his eyes widened to match the human’s.

“Who are you?” Roman asked quietly, slowly reaching out a hand as if to confirm this was real.

 Virgil backed away from the hand, almost falling off the edge as he ran out of nightstand. He had been so stupid. Why hadn’t he checked the human out more? Now, he was going to pay the price. He shut his eyes tight, waiting for the inevitable. 

Roman grunted, his fingertips just falling short of the tiny person. No matter how he strained, his arm couldn’t reach from the bed.

“You are real, right?” Roman asked, setting his hand down defeatedly on the nightstand surface. “I’m not crazy?”

 Virgil looked as the human spoke again. The hand laid there, unmoving and...unable to reach him. Oh, what a lucky break. “No, you’re crazy.” Was what Virgil said as he started inching his way towards his hook to get the heck out of there. He didn’t dare take a step closer to the human though, for the fear of being grabbed.

Roman grinned, too excited that the creature had spoken to feel offended. “This is wild. Who are you? Where’d you come from? Why’re you so small?”

 Virgil didn’t answer, looking around for his hook. Where was...oh. Virgil stood there, staring at his hook that was well within the human’s reach. Well, that was just great.

Roman caught the person’s gaze, spotting the fishing hook embedded near his hand. He reached over, plucking it up in his fingers. Roman brought it closer to himself, looking it over. It had a string attached to it and appeared to function like a mini grappling hook.

 Virgil blinked and then glared. “Hey! Give that back!” He almost stomped forward but stopped himself.

“Relax, I’m not going to break it.” Roman assured him. Getting an idea, Roman set the hook down on the nightstand nearest to himself.

 Virgil glared at the human. “Nice try.” He growled out.

“Oh come on, I’m not going to hurt you.” Roman assured him. He stuck out a finger, beckoning the tiny closer. 

 “Yeah, not taking that chance.” Virgil glanced at his hook but knew he couldn’t get it. Instead, he turned and started to climb down the nightstand without it.

“Wha-? Hey, where are you going?” Roman sat up further, trying to keep the person in his sights. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I’ll give it back for real this time.”

 “Yeah, like I’m gonna fall for that.” Virgil said out loud. When he reached the floor, Virgil wasted no time in jogging across the floor towards his exit.

“No tricks, I swear!” Roman called out, having lost sight of the tiny person. “...hello?” 

Roman groaned, realizing he was talking to the empty air again. Great, he blew it.

 As soon as Virgil got back into the walls, he fell to his knees. His body shook as he processed what had just happened. He...He had almost gotten caught. Just because he had been stupid and had forgotten to check to see if the human was really asleep. Those days he had gotten alone must have lowered his guard. Well, never again.

 He was just thankful that the human hadn’t been able to reach him. If he hadn’t been hurt and in bed, Virgil would have been...well, he wouldn’t have been able to go home, like he is now. 

 Still, it sucked that he lost his hook. It sucked even more, because he didn’t have any string to be able to make another one. Great, what was he gonna do now?

----------------------------------------------

 Patton hummed as he used the spare key to get into Roman’s apartment. He had a bag of groceries with him, having seen before that Roman barely had anything to cook with. “Roman! I’m back!” He called out. He set the groceries on the counter and went to Roman’s room.

 “You doing okay?”

Roman blinked, startled out of his thoughts when Patton returned later in the day. “What? Um, oh just dandy.” His hand clenched tighter around the hook, held under the blankets.

 “That’s good! I’m gonna get started on dinner. Anything you craving? I bought a bit of everything.” Patton said with a bright smile.

“Anything is fine for me.” Roman shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant.

 “Alright! Well, I’ll be right back.” Patton went back to the kitchen, looking through the food before deciding on making some green bean and tater tot casserole. 

Roman pulled out his hand, slowly uncurling his fingers and looking at the fish hook. He debated back and forth about telling Patton. Should he? Patton might think he was crazy, but he did have proof...sort of. Then again, Roman kind of liked the idea of keeping this a secret. His own little mystery to solve while stuck in bed. Besides, he could always tell Patton later, but he could never UN-tell Patton.

Thus decided, Roman tucked the hook underneath his pillow.

 It was about a half hour later when Patton brought up a steaming plate of food. Two, in fact, since he wanted to keep Roman company while he ate. “Here you go!” He handed the plate to Roman and then pulled out Roman’s desk chair to sit by his bedside as he ate his own.

 “So! Anything interesting happen?” Patton asked, despite knowing that probably nothing did. Roman was stuck in bed all day, after all.

“Oh, just a few little things.” Roman sniffed the aroma coming off his plate with a smile. “Mmm, Patton this smells delicious.”

 “Why thank you!” Patton grinned and then went to take a bite after blowing on it. He hummed. “So, did you want me to stay the night? Or are you okay here alone until morning?” Patton asked.

“I think I’ll be alright.” Roman said. “Besides, if I need anything I can just call you. Ooh, speaking of, could you move my phone charger closer? My phone died earlier and I can’t reach it.”

 “Oh, yeah, of course!” Patton set his plate aside and got up to hand Roman the charger. “There you go! Sorry, I should have thought of that before I left.” Patton said sheepishly.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” Roman waved him off. Honestly, if his phone had remained charged he might never have noticed the little man.

 Patton nodded, finishing up his plate. “Is there anything you need me to grab for you before I head back home for the night?” Patton asked, taking Roman’s plate after making sure he was done with it.

“No, I’m good.” Roman shook his head, giving Patton a sweet smile. “Thank you so much for all your help, Pat. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

 “Aww, of course Ro. You know I’m always here for ya!” Patton stood up, heading towards the door. “I’ll see ya in the morning! Get some rest!”

“Will do!” Roman waved goodbye. 

 Virgil couldn’t actually believe he was entertaining the thought. He had already been stupid once today, he couldn’t afford to be stupid again. But...well, it was the middle of the night now. The human had to be asleep, actually asleep, this time. Right? And maybe, if he came back so soon, it would be completely unexpected and the human wouldn’t be looking for him.

 Ugh, the only reason Virgil was entertaining the thought was because he wanted to get his hook back. He had already looked all over for supplies to make a replacement, but it seemed he was at a loss. And if he didn’t have his hook, it would be a lot harder to get around.

 Virgil started walking towards another one of his exits. If he...if he was going to do this. He had to be sure the human was asleep this time. Which meant getting a higher point of view. He slowly and carefully exited out of the wall and onto the human’s wooden dresser.

 His eyes scanned the room, landing on the human in bed.

Roman had his eyes closed, looking to all the world asleep. However, Roman was far from resting. His ears were focused in, trying to pick up any sign of the person’s return. He had no guarantee he’d see the little man again, but Roman certainly had to try.

 Okay, so it looked like the human was asleep this time. Good. But he still had to be careful. Virgil’s eyes went to the nightstand, the one he had been on before, and saw his hook laying there. Okay, his target was in sight...but how was he going to get to it. He was loath to get that close to the human again, but if he had to…

 Virgil couldn’t help as he started pacing, thinking up a plan.

There. Roman heard it, the soft pitter patter of tiny footsteps. He slowly opened his eyes, squinting in the darkness. His eyes widened, landing on the figure pacing back and forth on his dresser. Roman couldn’t help but grin at the sight of him.

 Maybe if he just went up and got it real quick, everything would be fine...of course, that was the same line of thought he had before, and look how that turned out. Virgil sighed, at this rate he was never going to get his hook back.

“...crap.” Roman cursed, dashing over the tree root and towards the brambles. He knew he had no hope of outrunning a cat, but the coverage slowed the beast down long enough that he might have a change. The creature kept meowling incessantly, swiping its paws into the bush of his most recent hiding place and breaking off some of the branches.

“Go away, you furball!” Roman screeched, dodging out of the way just in time as the claws came for him again. At this rate the whole neighborhood would be woken up. Why couldn’t Kitty of Hell just give up the chase? Time dragged on, Roman’s adrenaline soon beginning to fade as he sluggishly repeated his actions, his dodges getting slower. How long had they been at this game of cat and borrower? Minutes? Hours? It was hard to tell; all Roman knew, was that unless something changed soon, he very well might lose this time. 

Lost in his thoughts, Roman was too slow and felt a sudden agonizing sensation rip through his right half as those wretched claws cut his arm and side. He yelled, shouting off every borrower curse he knew in the feline’s face, adrenaline spiked back up and he pressed himself further into the brambles that only irritated his wounds further.

 The sound of faint shout caught a man’s attention and he shone his phone light near the base of a tree. It was there he saw a cat, eagerly pawing at something. As a few words reached the man’s ears, he could only assume the cat was after an escaped borrower. He had come across a few in his time. Especially since he was one to take nightly walks like this.

 He shooed away the cat before kneeling down and using his phone to see if it was in fact a borrower or not.

Roman tensed, raising a hand to block out the light and noticing the human peering down at him. The borrower groaned, knowing there was no use running in this state but still feeling absolutely pathetic. He had only been gone a number of hours and was already caught again because of a stupid alley cat.

 “Well, how did a little thing like you get all the way out here?” The man spoke, reaching out and grabbing the borrower in a gentle fist. He noticed the collar right away. “And looks like someone might be missing you.”

Roman just glared at him, hating how he knew that might even be true. No, no it wasn’t… Virgil would have noticed he was missing by now. He was probably furious with him and never wanted to see Roman again.

 “Welp, let’s get you to the shelter so they can contact your owner.” The man said. Technically, the shelter wasn’t open but there was always someone there to take any found borrowers. The man entered and handed the borrower over before tipping his hat and leaving. The woman at the front looked the borrower over, looking closely at the collar and putting it in her notes to call it in the morning.

 “Well, looks like you got into quite the fight.” The woman mused, noticing the injuries.

“It was a stray cat.” Roman grumbled, knowing the shelter’s process by now. Hopefully that mangy calico didn’t have any sort of disease.

 The woman hummed and took Roman into the back real quick. She wasn’t the resident vet so all she could do was wrap the injury up to the best of her ability. “There we go, hopefully that will last until morning.” She then took him into the main area and set him up in his own cage. “Alright, we’ll call your owner in the morning.” And with that, she left.

Roman sunk to the floor, putting his head between his knees. It didn’t matter. None of this mattered. He knew Virgil would react the same as the others, getting pissed over the phone and disowning him on the spot. Nobody wanted a borrower who slipped away, it was a breach of trust and too much trouble. More specifically, nobody wanted him.

Why hadn’t he just stayed put? Virgil had been right, Roman had a good thing going there. Even if it was just a few days, Roman had fun. Maybe it was because he got away so fast that Roman still held the human in such a positive light (humans were often nicer the first week or so), but somehow Roman knew that on the list of ‘owners he didn’t completely despise’ Virgil had somehow wriggled his way to the top.

Roman didn’t know how to feel about that, especially since he would likely never see Virgil again.

------------------------------------------------

 Patton came down the stairs bright and early to see Virgil passed out on the couch. He frowned and already knew what Virgil had been up to for most, if not all, night. He sighed and decided to let Virgil sleep as he went into the kitchen.

 However, that was when Virgil’s phone went off, jarring him awake. He blinked down at the unfamiliar number before answering it. “‘Lo?” He said, still tired.

 “Is this Virgil Storm?” The voice asked.

 “Yeah, this is him. What’s this about?” If this was another scam thing…

 “I am Holly Beckett of the Borrower Shelter here in town and a borrower by the name of Roman was just dropped off here last night.” Virgil shot up, suddenly wide awake.

 “You have Roman?” As soon as he got the confirmation, he was already putting on his shoes. “I’ll be right there!” He exclaimed, wasting no time as he hung up and grabbed his keys.

 Patton, hearing Virgil yell, had come out of the kitchen. “Roman was found?”

 Virgil nodded. “I’ll be back.” He said before rushing out the door.

 Virgil burst through the shelter door, going up to the front desk as he panted. “I’m...Virgil Storm. I’m here for Roman.” He said through breaths.

 “Of course, he’s in there in cage A7.” She handed him the keys and Virgil took them before going into the room. His eyes landed on the cage-and Roman-almost immediately.

 “Roman!”

Roman jolted, painfully torn from his existential musing by a very familiar voice. He blinked, looking up and trying to comprehend what he was seeing. Virgil was here? 

But… oh god, this was a horrible thing, right? Roman had never had to face the consequences of his actions before. Virgil must be furious with him if he came all this way. Was he going to beat him up or something? Would the shelter let him do that? Probably, if he hadn’t been officially disowned yet. In his fear Roman scooted back, clutching the traitorous tag that had gotten him into this mess. It was always better on the times when he was recaptured after he had removed the collar.

 “Oh my gosh, you’re here! You’re okay.” Virgil fiddled with the lock before opening the door and gently grabbing Roman. He briefly held him to his chest, just taking a moment to calm his nerves and tell himself that Roman is okay. He’s here and he’s safe.

Roman let out a tense gasp of air, cringing as his injuries were jostled. His mind felt like it was short-circuiting, trying to figure out just what game Virgil was playing. Was he acting nice for the shelter workers? Was… was he going to actually take Roman back?

Oh, Roman was definitely in trouble.

 Virgil pulled Roman away, looking him over. His eyes widened when he got a good look at the mess of bandages. “What happened?” He asked softly, hovering a finger over it.

Roman grimaced. Great- now Virgil was going to make fun of him for not being able to take on a cat of all things. Cats were quite a formidable foe, but humans often saw them as cute little furballs rather than the demons Roman knew.

“A...cat found me first.” Roman was hesitant to explain, confused about how soft Virgil’s concern was; the shelter workers weren’t going to hear him at that volume.

 Virgil’s eyes widened. “A cat.” Virgil hissed out. That wasn’t good, especially if it had been a stray. He probably needed to set up an appointment with a vet…

 “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of that. Get you properly bandaged and looked at. But first, we’re going home, okay?” Virgil said, voice still gentle. But as his panic was leaving him, a new emotion was growing bigger. Betrayal. Roman had lied after all...and Virgil was a bit upset over it.

 But he could deal with that later. Right now, he just wanted to focus on getting Roman home.

“Seriously?” Roman said incredulously, a wave of surprise and fear overcoming him all at once. This had never happened before. Roman didn’t have a plan for this, and that made him very, very nervous.

 Virgil looked down at Roman and remembered back to what he had been told. “I told you Roman. The cycle ends here, with me. We’re going home.” And having a nice, long talk, Virgil thought as he started out of the shelter, nodding at the woman in the front before he left.

Roman felt such conflicting feelings inside his chest, his face turning ashen. There was a small spark of something positive in him, a little light beam that couldn’t help but be amazed that Virgil had told the truth. Virgil wanted him…. Of course, the fact that Virgil most likely wanted him back now so that Virgil could kill him was putting a bit of a damper on Roman’s revelation. 

What would Virgil do? Take away his things? Make him play games the way he loathed? Toss him around and taunt him about all the secrets he had so foolishly spilled? How was he ever going to escape again? Virgil would certainly become the world’s strictest owner, keeping Roman on a short leash. Oh geez, what if he really did get a leash? Roman hated those more than he hated collars because they put a direct limit on his freedom. 

And then, suppose Roman did get free. The second he ended up back at the shelter, Virgil would be there to pick him up and punish him again. Over and over. He knew now that Virgil was just as stubborn as himself, and though the cycle of new owners might have ended… a new cycle might be beginning.

 Virgil was silent the rest of the way home, holding Roman against his chest. He pushed the door open and noticed Patton and Logan sat down eating breakfast. Patton perked up when he saw Roman in Virgil’s hands. “Oh Roman! I’m so glad you’re okay.” Patton said, smiling softly.

 “For the most part.” Virgil said. “He got a little roughed up by a cat before he was found but he’ll be fine.” He explained. Patton’s eyes widened.

 “Oh, you poor kiddo…” He couldn’t imagine how terrifying that must have been.

Logan felt his back muscles tense, observing the way Roman’s eyes darted around similar to a caged animal. It was certainly apparent Roman was not happy to be here, despite the fact that leaving seemed to have resulted in injury.

 “Yeah.” Virgil agreed. “I’m gonna go upstairs.” He looked down and noticed the full breakfast Patton had made. He bit his lip. “Uh, could you-”

 “I’ll save you two some, don’t worry.” Patton grinned and Virgil sent him a grateful one in return.

 “Thanks Pat.” And with that, he walked up the stairs. He stopped by the bathroom to grab the first aid kit and then to his room. He shut the door behind him before gently setting Roman down.

 “Alright, first things first.” Virgil opened up the kit. “Let’s fix up that wound a bit better.”

“I- it’s fine.” Roman lied, playing with the edge of the bandage.

 “Come on, Roman.” Virgil sighed. He cut up a piece of gauze and took out the lotion. “We need to make sure it doesn’t get infected.”

“Pretty sure if it’s going to be infected, it already is.” Roman almost attempted humor. “Cat claws aren’t exactly sanitary.”

 Virgil frowned. “We’ll have to schedule a vet visit then.” He said more to himself. He reached forward and gently started undoing the bandages already around Roman.

Roman shuddered. A vet appointment? He loathed the vet. It was always so demeaning, with the veterinarians just forcing him to do things instead of asking him to move himself. And whenever something was wrong the humans would just discuss it over his head like he wasn’t even there, not letting Roman have a say in his own health.

 Virgil discarded the old bandages before placing a dab of the ointment on his finger. “Okay, this might sting a little.” He warned before gently applying it to Roman’s side.

“Ow!” Roman jerked away from the touch with a hiss. “You said a little.”

 Virgil winced. “Sorry, sorry but I’ve gotten rub this in.” He said, doing just that. “There, now just gotta bandage you back up.” He took the gauze he cut up and started to wrap it around Roman.

Roman expected the bandages to be pulled taunt, a clear indicator of Virgil’s wrath. He sucked in his breath, preparing, and was surprised when the bandages were applied almost delicately. Clearly, whatever Virgil wanted with him, Roman still had to be in good health. Not exactly the brightest of thoughts.

 “All done.” Virgil said, taking his hands away. The bandages stayed in place and he then busied himself with putting everything away and closing the first aid kit. 

 He turned to look at Roman, a mixture of feelings coming up now that he was no longer distracted. He took in a deep breath. “Roman...we need to talk about this.”

Uh oh. Roman shifted on his feet, trying to decide if it was better or worse to look Virgil in the eye. He felt like a coward when he looked away so Roman forced himself to meet Virgil’s gaze, deciding that this was definitely worse. He tried to make out what was happening in the human’s head, but the eyes gave no hints.

 “I just...I don’t understand. I-I thought we were bonding. Having fun. Was that all just an act? Were you just lying to me? Was everything you told me a lie?” Virgil asked, his feelings rising with each question until he was pulling at his hair as he desperately looked at Roman for the answers.

“No!” Roman shrunk in on himself, feeling scared and guilty and confused. “No, I assure you, I was not lying. Wait, that’s a lie, because I was lying about the promising to not escape...obviously.”

 Well, Virgil was glad that everything else was true, like Roman’s past. But he still had questions. “...Why? I thought we were doing better. I thought…” Virgil ran a hand through his hair. “I thought we were getting along.”

“Well, ah, we… were, I suppose.” Roman rubbed the back of his neck. “In a way, at least. I was having fun, I’ll admit.”

 “Then why did you still escape.” Virgil asked softly. “I mean, do you know how worried I was! I got maybe an hour of sleep last night because I spend the whole night looking for you!” Virgil exclaimed a bit louder than he probably should have this close to the borrower.

Roman frowned, confused by this new piece of information. He had definitely escaped too early, then, if Virgil was so concerned. Roman hadn’t let the appeal of a new borrower wear off. 

“I told you, I don’t want a ‘not-so-bad’ experience.” Roman huffed, crossing his arms and trying to ignore the pit in his stomach.

 “Well then tell me what I can do to make it great. Tell me how I can be better. I want you to be happy here, Roman. I...I want you to like me.” Virgil admitted, looking away. 

“I know!” Roman snapped, channeling all his confusing emotions into anger as he watched Virgil mope. This, at least, felt familiar. “I know you do, I get it, you’re one of the rare humans who actually cares about what I think, but you still don’t care about anything that matters! I don’t care who it’s with, I don’t want to be caged!” 

Roman grabbed at the tag of his collar, frustrated tears coming to his eyes. “I don’t want to be collared! I don’t want to be owned! I’m my own person with my own life and I’m sick and tired of humans making my decisions for me for your own selfish wants.”

 Virgil flinched back, looking back at Roman with wide eyes. He felt his heart beat fast as he furrowed his eyebrows and took in everything that Roman said. His words struck a chord in him and Virgil realized that...maybe he had known all along? And he had just ignored it?

 Virgil didn’t know what was worse.

 “Roman...I…” His voice trailed off. He had no idea what to say to something like that. “I...didn’t know…” Virgil winced. Yeah, that was the absolute wrong thing to say.

“Stop it.” Roman scowled, gesturing wildly to all of Virgil. “Stop...that. Why are you sulking? Stop playing around. I know you must be absolutely furious with me, so- so stop playing the victim and just get mad already.”

 Now Virgil was even more confused. “Roman...I’m not mad. I won’t lie and say I’m not upset but-but…” Virgil’s eyes widened as he seemed to realize what Roman was thinking. “Roman, I’m not going to punish you.”

“What?” Roman squinted, his heart still racing and his stomach still feeling like a rock. What was happening? Roman didn’t understand why he was feeling all these conflicting emotions, and it only made him more frustrated. Despite not wanting to be punished, Roman couldn’t help but press further. “Why not? Why am I… why’d you take me back, then?”

 Virgil sighed. “Because I really do want you Roman. I want you to have a good life and I don’t trust anyone else to give it to you. What? Even after everything I said before, you still thought I wouldn’t come back for you?”

Roman took a shuddering breath, cautiously wrapping his arms around his meager frame. “I… I mean, you would have said anything to calm me down. I haven’t known you for long, and I myself was lying about running. I had no reason to trust you, and it’s easy to make those claims. It’s another thing to actually act on them.”

 “I...I guess you do have a good point.” Virgil furrowed his brows again, deep in thought. “I suppose we...did just meet each other, huh? And, I’ve been acting like all this is normal and everything when it really isn’t…” Virgil let out a long sigh.

“Wait, like what’s all normal?” Roman’s face scrunched up in confusion.

 “This. You, being here. Living here. Being...trapped here.” Virgil looked down and shifted in his seat. “Having to act like someone you aren’t and hide your feelings because you’re scared something will happen to you…” He was starting to understand where Roman was coming from.

Roman froze, so caught off guard that he could only utter a single word. “...what?”

 Virgil looked at Roman sadly. “You’re right. You didn’t know me before you were forced to live here. Just like with all your other...owners. You’ve been forced to listen to me because I’m so much bigger than you and the world we live in deemed you...deemed you as pets.” He looked Roman over, his eyes catching the collar around Roman’s neck and he barked out a humorless laugh. “I even collared you...like some animal…”

“Yes?” Roman glanced down at the collar, before raising an eyebrow at Virgil. Had the human gone mad? He seemed to be teetering on the edge of hysterical. “Are you gloating or something?”

 Virgil shook his head. “No...just having a mental breakdown, but it’s fine. I think I needed this.” He took in a deep breath. “Roman...do you want me to take the collar off of you?” He offered.

“Why?” Roman asked, looking the human up and down with a wary eye. For one, Roman was still concerned for Virgil’s mental state. But for another, Roman didn’t particularly like the idea of being taunted with freedom when he knew the collar would just come back on.