Heart of Patchwork

Chapter 18: Final Decision

The next morning, Kitsune woke up- Chris's arms still wrapped around her. She sighed, snuggling more into his chest. She never liked getting out of bed. But today she seemed to like it even less- what with the upcoming meeting with her brother.

Before too long, Chris woke up as well. He ran his hand through her hair. "Good morning, dear.." He sleepily greeted, yawning. "Did you sleep alright?" He asked.

"Morning, Chris. And good, thank you. Then again, I always sleep a lot better when you're around." The redhead smiled, giggling a little as Chris gave her a small peck on the forehead. "That's always good to hear." The taller male smiled, sitting upright in bed.

"Come on.. Let's go eat. We..." He paused, sighing. He clearly wasn't looking forward to seeing Mike again.

"We have a long day ahead of us."

---

Morning came and went, and the afternoon time had arrived. Kitsune stood in a park- alongside with Chris, Norman, and Lily. Lily seemed to be a bit anxious, but was very good at keeping it under wraps. Kitsune, on the other hand, not so much.

She folded her arms, hands gripping onto her sleeves as they shook slightly. She struggled to keep her breathing from becoming unsteady. Sweat dripped down her face out of anxiety. Chris quickly noticed and gently rubbed her back, trying to soothe her a little. "Breathe, dear... You're going to be alright..." He said.

"He's right. No matter what happens, we're NOT gonna let him hurt you." Norman stated. "Y-Yeah! We got your back!" Lily said.

Kitsune smiled a little, calming down a little. "T-Thanks, guys... I-I really appreciate you being here..." She stuttered. "Oh, it's no trouble at all, darling. Anything to make sure you were safe." Chris remarked, ruffling her hair.

"Here he comes..." Lily pointed out, noticing as Mike was approaching them all. Chris narrowed his eyes, pulling Kitsune closer to him. Before too long, Mike stood in front of them.

"Alright... So Kit... What's your choice?" He immediately asked. "Your family? Or a bunch of strangers?"

Glancing between her boyfriend and her sort-of parents, Kitsune nodded subtly to herself. With as much confidence as she could muster, she turned back to Mike. "I... I want to stay with them!" She stated.

"Really now?" Mike asked. "You heard what she said. She said she wants to stay here." Chris remarked, folding his arms.

With a slight glare, Mike sighed. "Alright, fine. She's an adult, she can make her own choices. She might just run away from you too." He nonchalantly remarked, turning and walking off.

"Yeah, I have my doubts about that." Norman muttered. "As do I." Chris stated, kissing Kitsune's head. "I'm very proud of you, you know. I know that wasn't very easy for you." He commented.

"We all are!" Lily chirped, giving the redhead a hug. "I don't think we have to worry about him again. Though, I'm guessing getting the cops involved is still on the table?" Norman questioned, looking up at Chris.

"Oh, most certainly. Say what you will, I refuse to let him get away with this." Chris remarked, before looking to Kitsune. "Kitsune, could you come with me, please? I wanted to ask you something- in private." He said.

"Yeah, of course." Kitsune nodded, taking his hand. As they started walking away, Chris couldn't help but to hear Lily's next words. "I never expected him to take something like that so seriously.." She said.

Chris smirked a little, although it was somewhat less confident than usual. It was more so one that seemed forced in a way, as though talking about Kitsune's trauma brought up unpleasant memories. "I have my reasons for being so... serious about this.." He glanced over at her.

"Let's just say- I have personal reasons regarding my absolute abhorrence towards abusive family members."

---

Before long, Chris and Kitsune had arrived at a park. They sat on a bench together, Chris wrapping an arm around the redhead's waist. Kitsune nuzzled into the crook of his neck, perfectly content. That's when she remembered- he said he had something to tell her.

"Oh- Chris, you said you wanted to tell me something, right? What was it?" She asked, genuinely curious.

"Ah, right. Thank you for reminding me." Chris remarked, releasing her a little. "Right, so... I've been putting a lot, and I mean a lot of thought into this... And I've been thinking... I know I've said that I enjoy having you around, which is very much true. And... These past few weeks, I also realized... I enjoy sharing a house with you." He started.

"So, I suppose what I'm saying is... Or, sorry, what I'm ASKING is..." He looked over at her, moving her hair out of his face. "Would you like to move in with me?" He asked.

Kitsune paused, processing the question. Once it set in, she grinned- hugging him tightly. "Yeah, of course!" She chirped. Chris smiled, hugging her back.

The day went from bad to good- and it would surely stay good for a very long time.