Fox (mxm) (Rever series 1)

Fox 20

He had intended to go back after a meal and some relaxing, but Henry and Noah had been quite preoccupied when he'd left, and Noah had still had a while before he had to go to work...

Fox shook his head before resting it against the man's black shirt and shivering. The man immediately wrapped him tighter in his coat, inciting a quiet growl that had him chuckling in response. 

"Sorry, but it's the only way I can keep you warm unless you plan to shift back anytime soon." 

I plan to, yes. Can I? Evidently not. 

They walked about two blocks before he ducked into a busy restaurant. The amount of noise inside, as well as the eyes suddenly shifting to him, had Fox ducking back into the man's coat with a long growl. 

"It will only be a second," cigarette man said as he walked a few steps and said something Fox didn't care to listen to. 

A minute later and they were back outside, drawing Fox back out of the man's coat to glance around. 

"Just picking up some dinner I had ordered earlier." 

I like dinner. 

As if on cue, Fox's stomach rumbled. 

"Don't worry, I added an order for you."

I'll accept it as gratitude for not biting you. 

"I swear you're sassing me, but you won't talk," cigarette man said as he sat down, then got Fox a bit more situated in his lap and made sure that his coat was snuggly around them both. 

The man stared down at him for several long moments, but for once, Fox was more worried about other things. He wasn't a fan of crowded places and was actually glad for the coat around him as he glared at anyone who dared to inch closer to them while they were coming and going. 

"I take it you don't like people very much, considering the looks you're giving everyone."

A plus. You get a gold star. 

"How old are you? You look to be around sixteen or seventeen, but if you prefer being a fox the majority of the time, I'm sure that can skew how your human looks."

Glancing up, Fox tilted his head, curious as to how the man had come up with such an idea. He was correct, but it seemed like an odd way to guess his age. Winters hadn't been kind to his growth over the years. 

"Was I actually right? Do you prefer to be a fox over your human self?" he asked with a curious smile. 

Seeing no issue in answering, for once, Fox gave a slight nod. 

The simple response had cigarette man's face lighting up with a relieved, wide smile. He was about to say something else when a young lady walked out of the restaurant with a large take-out bag. 

"Here you go, Amo, thanks for stopping by. See you tomorrow for your shift," she said as she handed him the bag once he was standing again. 

"Thanks Jen, see you tomorrow." 

They were soon on their way again, with Fox's attention mainly focused on the large bag of food that had his nose sniffing the air repeatedly. 

Thankfully, they didn't have much farther to go until they stopped in front of a medium sized house. There was an electronic keypad on the door, and after setting down the food and pressing a few quick buttons, he had the door open and was stepping inside after grabbing their food again. 

"Hey dad, I'm home!" he yelled as he nudged the door shut with his booted foot before walking over to the sofa and gently setting Fox down. 

It didn't take Fox much time to get down from the furniture and crawl over to the farthest corner away from the man. He did appreciate his help at the park, but that had been way too much physical contact. Add to that fact that he was now in a stranger's house... 

"Do I smell Bella's chicken?" a new voice asked as an older man walked in with a long white cane, the tip covered with a bit of red. 

It swung from side to side, making Fox bristle and growl quietly in his corner. He knew that it was necessary for blind people, but it still unsettled him. 

The man stopped as he heard Fox's warnings and glanced in his direction. His eyes clearly didn't see anything, because the man returned his attention toward his approaching son a moment later. 

"Did you bring home a stray dog again, son?" 

Cigarette man chuckled and helped guide his dad to the couch, then disappeared for a second before returning from the kitchen with the man's take-out meal on a plate. After giving him a fork and setting the plate on his lap, cigarette man straightened and looked over at Fox. 

"He's a shifter. The one that had bitten Mana for trying to grab him, in fact." 

His father paused mid-bite of chicken as he looked in Fox's direction again. 

"Is that so? I know that Maya is my daughter, but she has never been attentive in watching over little Mana. I swear you take care of her daughter more than she does. I do hope that nothing bad came of the situation. It is nice to meet you, young man." 

When Fox just growled again, cigarette man shook his head with a grin as he started back toward the kitchen. 

"He's not the most trusting. He prefers to stay as a fox instead of human."

Fox hesitantly slunk along the wall until he was at the entrance to the kitchen. It looked a little more cluttered than Noah's, and the appliances definitely weren't as shiny, but what did he care? It was the food area and he liked food. 

"Here you go, kid. I hope you like it. It's one of my favorite dishes from work," the man said as he set a plate down in front of Fox, then offered him a fork. 

Instead of reaching for it, Fox scrambled backward a few feet. He wanted to growl again, but bit back the sound at the last second. The guy wasn't being mean, but he was very unsettled with two new people around him. 

"Hey son, could he possibly be like your friend?" the older man asked before taking another bite of his food. 

Fox's own meal was left alone, his stomach suddenly not liking the smell. Thankfully, he hadn't eaten anything else all day, so there wasn't anything in his stomach to chance vomiting. 

"That's actually what I was thinking. I'll give him a call once he's out of class later," cigarette man said before walking out of the kitchen and disappearing down a hall on the opposite side of the one his father had appeared from. 

He was back after a minute with an armful of blankets and a pillow, which he set down in the corner farthest away from everything else in the room. Fox didn't hesitate to follow him, then scramble beneath as many blankets as he could, ignoring the pillow. 

"I had a feeling you were a bit overwhelmed. Sorry for stressing you out so much. I'll put your food away for now. Just let me know if you want it later." 

Fox sighed beneath the blankets as he finally started to calm down. He'd been so distracted with everything that he hadn't realized how stressed he'd been. He was still really hungry, but he was used to not eating, especially if it would just be thrown up, anyways. Thankfully, the blankets were soft and didn't smell like cigarettes, but they also didn't smell like Noah... or even Henry. 

Overwhelmed but exhausted, Fox blinked back a few tears, then relented and let himself cry quietly until he fell asleep.