Midge the Neko - Boyxboy -complete-

Chapter 4 -- Belief

Midge couldn't remember the last time he had slept so well.  He woke a few times during the night when he heard Scott walking through the house but the man never came for him or asked him for anything so Midge drifted back seamlessly to neverland.  When he awoke early that morning he stretched lazily, working out the kinks in his knees and back.

Once he was satisfied that he was the only one stirring, he slowly padded to the kitchen.  He hated to take more of Scott's food but he was hungry and he had been told to help himself.  He opened every drawer and every cabinet, peeking into boxes and shaking cans, feeling their weight in his hands and nibbling from most of the open containers.  He smelled each of the condiments in the fridge and stole a drink of cream from the carton.

Afterwards he went to the bathroom, using a washcloth to wipe himself down and using the new toothbrush Scott had left for him.  He played with the lights and ran his hands over the towels and rug.  Finally, before dressing, he examined the bruises and wounds sprinkled over his body.  The burn around his neck from his previous collar had faded mostly, only one side near the back still hurt.  His wrists were still raw and his hips bruised.  Other, more delicate areas were still aching, but nothing seemed to be getting worse.  Finally, he dressed, putting on his jeans and the black hoodie from last night.  He considered keeping Scott's t-shirt, but he had already taken so much.

Back in the living room he folded up his blankets neatly and made a pile on the floor, just where Scott had left them last night.  He looked out each of the windows, watching people and cars moving below.  He told himself over and over that he needed to leave but instead his eyes went to the remote.  Grabbing it, he sat down and pressed a few buttons, not at all surprised when nothing happened right away.

A moment later when he heard a knock at the door, he panicked, thinking he had done something wrong.  That smell though, it was the dog again.  He leapt off the couch and fled towards the bathroom just as Scott emerged from his room and headed down the hall, blocking the door.  He veered to the side, ran into Scott's room and buried himself under the blankets.

Scott looked left, then back into his bedroom, then back at the front door.  He padded over and opened the door once he saw that it was Kelly.

        "Are you okay??!!" she asked

"I'm fine, just woke up.  Um, can you hold on?  He just flew into my room so I should check on him."

        "And your valuables.  I'm going to make coffee."  She slipped out of her jacket, laying it over the chair, and went to work filling the coffee pot.

"Midge?" Scott asked softly, walking into his room.

"I am sorry, I tried to go in the bathroom but you were, and the dog was, the door" he mumbled quickly.

"Olaf's not here.  It's just Kelly."

"I smelled him" he said, refusing to come out.

"I promise it's just her.  Come see."  He pulled blankets to the side, trying to uncover Midge's face, or at least figure out which end was where.

Midge listened but couldn't hear a dog, and the scent wasn't as strong as it should have been if the beast was in the apartment.  Slowly he turned and tunneled his way back out of the blankets.

Scott's jaw dropped open and his mouth formed a huge 'O'.  Midge looked up at him with those huge green eyes but it was his ears that had captivated Scott's attention.  Somehow, during his burrowing, his hood had gotten pushed back and two cat ears stood at attention, one twitching to the left.  "You....... are those real?"

"Of course they are real."

"Can I touch them?  I mean, to see if they're real.  They can't be real.  They're really cool though."

"Of course.  Whatever you would like."  He tilted his head forward stiffly, he'd had too many people try to pull his ears off to not know what was coming.

Scott ran one fingertip along the edge of the twitching ear, feeling it flutter against him.  He ran his finger between them looking for a wire, or headband, or anything to explain how these were attached.  Finally he blew into one lightly, chuckling as Midge flinched and laughed.

"That tickles."

"You have cat ears."

"Yes."

"Because you're a Nero?"

"Neko.  Yes."

"We have GOT to show Kelly!"

"No, please?  Do not tell her, please?"

Scott looked into his eyes, dark with desperation.  "I'm sorry, I told her last night."

"No, you said I was odd and you were afraid I would drug you."

"How did you.... damn those ears.  Sorry, I didn't mean to be nasty.  I texted her when I went to bed."

"Oh.  Can you tell her you were wrong?  Tell her I am crazy, it is believable, you said so yourself."

Scott hated to lie and didn't know if he could to Kit, especially not when he was so freaked out at the moment.  "I'll do my best.  I'll get rid of her and then we can go out for breakfast, okay?"

"I think I should leave."

"No way.  Please, let me buy you a huge glass of milk and whatever you want to eat and then we can talk, okay?  I have GOT to know all about.... well, you."

Midge tried to take a few deep breaths but he could feel the hair on the back of his neck standing up.  His tail was twitching, uncomfortable being contained.  He'd had lots of 'talks' and they never, ever ended well for him.

"Midge?  Are you okay?  It's alright, really.  I promise."

Inspiration struck.  Yes, he would go to breakfast and eat, since it might be the last meal he'd see for awhile.  It would be easy to sneak away from the restaurant, and it was always easier to blend in where there were more people.  "Okay, I will go."