Virgil could admit that he and his dad were close, but he wasn't as close to him as he was when he was younger. He'd always told him everything. There were no secrets that his father didn't know too, and there was nothing he felt uncomfortable with talking to him about. The fact that he'd been adopted changed nothing about their relationship; Patton Valentine was a single man who wanted to be a father, and Virgil Black was a five-year-old orphaned emo who wanted a home. They clicked and twelve years later, here they were. The two of them were close, but emphasis on the word 'were'.

Ever since he reached high school, Virgil found that he and his father were growing a little distant. He didn't really want to distance himself from him, but it was subconsciously happening, and his father, being as loving and accepting as he was, didn't want to stop it if it was what his son wanted.

It warmed his heart to know that his father cared so much about him that he'd let him pull away if it made him more comfortable. It also hurt to see the barely hidden pain behind his eyes when he headed toward his room with hardly a word to him.

He wanted to fix it, and he had an idea.

One Saturday afternoon, Virgil exited his room with his purple combat boots on his feet. He forced himself not to hesitate as he walked toward the living room, hearing the sounds of the TV that his father was watching. It sounded like a Disney movie, but he couldn't make out which one.

He cleared his throat as he stood in the entryway of the room. Patton looked up, smiling warmly at him. "Hey kiddo! Whatcha need?"

"Uh, I need to go down to the mall," he said, looking down at his feet. His father opened his mouth to give him permission to use the car but he held up a hand to stop him. "And I was kinda hoping you'd come with?"

Silence fell between them, but Virgil could see the way his father's eyes widened and lit up. He stood from his spot on the couch, turning off the TV. "Of course!"

He swallowed in relief as the two of them headed toward the car. "So, what were you planning on getting?" his father asked, smiling at him as they pulled out of the driveway. "Are we heading to Hot Topic for a new look? Going to the Disney store to buy something for that boy you mentioned?"

Virgil flushed, and opened his mouth to contradict him, but he kept going. "Ooooooh, maybe you're going to Spencer's," Patton said with a knowing look his direction. "If that's the case kiddo, I can wait in the car-"

"Oh my god Dad!" he exclaimed, covering his bright red face as the man laughed. "That's not what we're going for."

He smiled and reached across to the passenger seat to ruffle his hair a little. "I know, I'm just teasing you, Virge," he said. The alternative boy managed to crack a smile, knowing that he should be thankful that his dad was so accepting and open to pretty much everything; even if said something was something that would usually be a private adventure.

They pulled into the parking lot of the mall about fifteen minutes later, and Virgil could feel his nerves building up. What if his father didn't like the idea? What if this was a mistake?

It's too late now, I already told him I'm not going to Hot Topic, he thought nervously. Okay, calm down, it's Patton, he'll love it.

"So where to kiddo?" his father asked as they entered the building.

Virgil didn't say anything, simply nodding for the man to follow him. He began walking toward the shop he was looking for. As the yellow and blue color scheme came into view, he could sense his father's confusion. The confusion cleared up when he stopped in front of Build-A-Bear Workshop and gave him a shy smile.

Patton questioning look turned to a bright enough smile to outshine the sun as he moved forward to hug his son tightly. The boy sighed in relief that he understood the gesture as he hugged him back.

"Come on, kiddo! This'll be fun!" he said as he pulled back and led the way into the store. "Gosh we haven't done this since your seventh birthday!"

"I know, that's why I wanted to do it," Virgil replied.

They head to the wall of possible bears, looking through each of them to decide which one they each wanted to make. He noticed his father eyeing a bright blue bear with rainbow cupcakes on it, smiling to himself. He looked over his options, considering.

"What about that one?" Patton said, coming up beside him.

He followed his pointing finger to see a black cat bear with purple accents. It wasn't like the other cat bears, the ones with the silky fur that got matted after a few months, but more like fluffy, like the tiger bear. Virgil felt himself smile as he picked up a skin of it.

The two of them made their way over to the stuffing station, where they (Virgil somewhat reluctantly) did the ritual for putting the heart in. Once they were stuffed, they "cleaned" them at the cleaning station and then began to pick out clothes.

"Oh my gosh! This is so cute!" his father exclaimed as he picked up a little apron and chef's hat. "What are you gonna put on your kitty cat?"

"If I can find a hoodie," he mumbled, looking carefully along the rows of accessories and clothing. "I want something that won't get in the way too much when I hug it, you know? And also something that matches my aesthetic."

Patton nodded and picked up a dark purple hoodie, showing it to him. He looked at it and smiled, nodding as he took it from him. "Perfect."

"Now to name them and check out!" his father said, leading the way to the naming station. "I think I'll name mine Sugar!"

Virgil looked down at his black and purple cat, getting an idea. "Aubergine."

"Oh! That's a fancy shade of purple, right?" he asked as he typed it in. The emo boy nodded, smiling to himself. "Isn't that also in that disco song you like?"

He sighed and facepalmed; at least he was trying. "Panic! At The Disco, Dad. It's Panic! At The Disco," he corrected, smiling a little.

"Yeah, that one!" Patton exclaimed.

They took their birth certificates from the machine and headed to check out line. After waiting a couple minutes, they stepped up to the counter. "Afternoon gentlemen!"

Virgil's head snapped up at the voice, feeling embarrassment crawl up his neck as his eyes landed on the boy behind the cash register. "I-I didn't know you worked here," he stuttered out, feeling as though he wanted to disappear. "Oh my god..."

"Good afternoon to you as well, Roman," his father said, ignoring his comment as he smiled warmly at the boy.

The princely boy smiled as he rung up the two plushies, flashing Virgil a look as he did so. He covered his face, feeling it turn bright red. "Do you want these in boxes, sir?" he asked.

"No thank you, we'll just carry them," Patton said, handing the cat to his son. "This is yours!"

"Thanks," he managed, squeezing it tightly as he tried to calm his nerves and anxiety. "Come on, let's go-"

His father was a cunning man though sometimes. "We're just having a father-son day out," he explained to the cashier. Roman nodded in understanding, smiling toward the embarrassed emo. "We used to do this when he was a kid but somethings you just can't outgrow!"

"Totally understandable," he replied. "Have a great day you two! I'll see you at school, Virgil!"

He nodded with a little affirmative noise and then hurried out of the store, pulling his father by the arm as he ducked his head. "Oh my god that was so embarrassing!" he exclaimed once they got away. He looked sadly down at Aubergine the Cat. "He's going to think I'm so lame."

"Aw come on, Virge! He thought it was adorable!" his father said, bumping his shoulder affectionately with his own. "I saw the way he was looking at you, he thinks you're cute as hell! Excuse my language."

At this, the emo boy couldn't help but smile, hugging the cat as he looked at his day gratefully. "Thanks Dad."

"Any time kiddo," he returned. "You sure you don't want to go to Spencer's or anything?"

His face flushed again as he groaned. "Dad!"

"Just playing, but you know it's totally normal to want to-"

"We are not having this conversation!" Virgil squeaked, burying his bright red face into his stuffed animal.

Patton just laughed as they continued their walk through the mall, both of them feeling better than either of them had felt around each other in quite some time.