You've Got To Be Kitten Me - Prinxiety + OC [COMPLETED]

Chapter Twenty-Three

It stopped raining about an hour later and it was only then that either of them realized how long they'd been outside. The sky was already turning dark, but to Virgil's surprise, stars actually began to poke through the darkness. Stars in the Kingdom of Nightmares weren't just white though. Some shone distinctively red or purple, illuminating the blackness of the sky as if it was covered in glitter. It was absolutely stunning, and he hadn't noticed it last night while walking around in cat form. 

"Whoa..." he breathed as they stepped out from under the gazebo. Namor looked at him curiously; they were still holding hands, but neither of them said anything of it. "The stars are just... they're really pretty here, which isn't what I'd expect from you know... nightmare land or whatever."

The dark prince nodded in agreement. "This kingdom is very different from what most people would expect," he said as he looked around them. "I hope that I am too..."

"Of course you are," the anxious Side said as they began walking back toward the castle. He squeezed his hand to remind him that he was in fact still holding it. Namor looked down at their hands again, disbelief still shimmering in his black and red eyes as he smiled. "I'll be honest... when I first got here, I was terrified of you, but that's mostly Deceit's fault. He knocked me out, of course I was scared, but now that I've gotten to know you I realize that you're like me."

He smiled breathlessly at him as he continued. "You hurt Thomas when you create nightmares, but you don't mean to, and with them he appreciates Roman's good dreams more" he recalled. "It's kind of like what I do. I try to protect him with my worrying and anxiety, but I end up hurting him."

"Yeah, I've come to terms with hurting Thomas with what I do, I can't help it and don't particularly enjoy it," Namor said quietly as they stopped at the steps that led back into the palace. He turned to him, looking down at their joined hands. "What I'm more concerned with is hurting you..."

Virgil looked at him in surprise, his eyes widening. "What do you mean?" he asked him softly.

"I just..." he tried, looking pained thinking about it. "When I give Thomas a nightmare... it makes him scared and paranoid... it makes you scared and paranoid and I'm sorry for that. I don't want to hurt you like that, but I do and I just-"

"Namor, it's okay," he told him soothingly. The dark prince didn't look convinced, so he swallowed and gathered his courage. "You wanna know a secret?"

He looked at him curiously, confusion painting his features. "When I get really anxious... um, the mind- it made me a coping mechanism for when I get overwhelmed," Virgil explained, stumbling over his words nervously. "I... uh, let me just show you..."

This was when he released his hand, taking a step back as he took a deep breath. Namor was looking at him with slight concern but a lot curiosity. The anxious Side focused on all his subconscious thoughts, feelings his breathing accelerate as he freaked himself out. He heard the dark prince gasp and move forward to help, but he backed away and felt himself black out. It was only for a moment and to Namor it looked like he fell backwards and there was a brief flash. He blinked and the flash was gone and a tiny kitten was sitting on the ground.

"Whoa..." he said, kneeling down as the kitten blinked open his eyes. Virgil stood up, trotting over to him with a swish of his tail. The dark prince recognized the purple pattern under his shimmering brown eyes. "Wait, are you... you're the cat that I was talking to last night."

The cat nodded, purring a little. "That's so crazy," Namor breathed, grinning a little as he reached out to scratch behind his ears. Virgil leaned into his touch, purring even more loudly under the gentle and warming touch. "So whenever you get really anxious, you turn into a kitten?"

He mewed and nodded in confirmation, backing away from him. With another brief flash, the darkly dressed Side was back, rubbing his arm and looking down bashfully. "S-So, my point was... you don't have to worry about hurting me," he said. "Whenever I get freaked out, I pass out and wake up as a cat... which saying out loud sounds really stupid, but it does help me and it keeps me from getting overwhelmed to the point of hurting Thomas or myself. You don't have to feel guilty."

Namor nodded a little, looking like he was a little relieved. "I've... I've never told anyone about the cat thing," Virgil admitted after a moment of silence between them. 

The dark prince blinked in surprise at this, hesitantly reaching forward to take his hand but stopping short. The anxious Side noticed, smiling sympathetically as he closed the distance and laced their fingers together again. Namor smiled enough to show his fangs, a faint red blush visible on his pale cheeks as they looked at each other. 

"I'm pretty tired, transforming like that's kinda exhausting when I force myself to do it," he murmured. "I'm going to head to bed okay? Thank you for today, it was really nice."

Namor nodded, still smiling even as he slowly released his hand. The anxious Side headed into the palace, looking back at him affectionately as he adjusted the purple scarf around his neck. He felt warm, understood, and like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders after finally telling someone about his secret. A peaceful sigh escaped his lips as he walked through the castle; it didn't last.

He heard a deep laugh echo around him, making him freeze up. The candles that illuminated the hallway suddenly went out. "N-Namor?" he called, as he began to shake as he turned around.

"Wrong," a chillingly familiar voice said. 

He gasped upon seeing a glowing yellow eye and then nothing.