Something soft, damp, and warm brushed against skin Fox wasn't used to having. Hair tickled his forehead as it was brushed aside to make room for the cloth. It felt good, the coolness of the water whisking away some of the sweat that had built uncomfortably upon his skin. Yet, at the same time, it also sent off a thousand and one alarm bells in his head. He was clearly human, and unable to do much more than lie still while someone brushed something across his forehead.

The someone was the other issue.

Who... is there?

The voice that responded was a relief, but not the person he'd hoped for.

"Sorry, bud, but Noah had to go to work. We've managed to keep you out of the hospital, though they said that if you have any trouble after waking up that we have to bring you in."

There was a pause for a few moments before Fox felt the spot beside him depress with weight.

"Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?" Henry asked as he ran a finger softly against Fox's cheek.

Don't touch.

The man retracted his hand immediately, leaving silence until Fox decided to answer his question.

I'm not hungry.

A sigh was Henry's response, which honestly confused Fox.

"Are you sure I can't get you anything? I made that sushi in case you wanted some. There's also chocolate chip pancakes, waffles, and chicken."

On any other occasion, he'd be more than willing to make all of those things disappear, but his stomach just wasn't having even a thought of them.

"Can you open your eyes, by chance? Just for a few seconds?"

No.

He had no motivation to do so.

Another stretch of silence took over between the two until Fox felt the bed relax as Henry got up and walked out of the room. He contemplated going back to sleep, since his body was definitely exhausted, but then he heard something that had his tired heart racing.

Is that...

Fox could hear the man's chuckle from the other room.

I want it.

The sound of footsteps entering the room a moment later had Fox forcing his aching eyes open. Henry's form was blurry, but thankfully the man remained by the door until Fox could blink away the shadows.

"There's my little Noodle."

I don't belong to you.

Henry gave a quiet sigh, but the smile on his face had Fox rolling his eyes.

Ow. Darn headache was going full force.

"If you're okay with it, I'll carry you into the bathroom," Henry offered, but didn't approach.

Dear god, was he having a dilemma. He desperately wanted to be cooked... but he couldn't walk, or really move much at all, so he'd have to completely rely on Henry.

"We can wait for Noah to get home, if you'd like? He might have time if he's not forced to work too late," Henry offered.

The hot water was calling to him, but he desperately didn't want Henry around his human form. His fox was one thing. It could bite, claw, and do some decent damage... but his human? He doubted he could even nibble on the man's damn finger before being overpowered.

When is Noah coming home?

Henry glanced at the watch on his wrist and pursed his lips. "About seven hours, if they don't make him stay longer."

The sound of the water still running in the other room made Fox groan quietly as he turned his face into the pillow. He wanted to be cooked.

"Do you think that you could get there on your own?" Henry asked with a raised eyebrow, a hint of challenge in his voice that Fox crinkled his nose at.

He wasn't one for posturing... because he knew that he was better than pretty much any human. Although, Noah was beginning to inch up to even footing.

"Alright, I'll go drain the water and maybe Noah will be willing to cook you later," Henry said with a shrug as he began to turn away.

Wait!

Henry turned back around, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I have to turn the water off or it will overflow."

Fox somehow found enough strength to make his tired body sit up, but he couldn't walk in his human form, and probably didn't have the energy to even crawl. Instead, he did the only thing he could. He let out a quiet whine, making Henry's lips turn downward into an unsure frown.

"Hang on a minute. I have an idea."

Henry hurried to the bathroom to turn off the water, then darted past the bedroom toward the living room. He was gone for a few moments, then returned dragging most of the blankets Fox used on his dog bed that weren't electric.

What are you doing?

Tugging the blankets over beside the bed, Henry straightened them out a bit, then stood up with a nervous grin.

"I'll pull you to the bathroom, if you're comfortable with that mode of transportation?"

He didn't need to be asked twice. Fox literally fell out of the bed and onto the blankets, dragging part of the comforter from the bed with him.

"I'll take that as a yes," Henry said with a chuckle as he waited for Fox to get situated, then began to tug him toward the bathroom.

Fox was nearly wiggling with excitement, but couldn't help noticing Henry struggling... But I don't weigh a whole lot. Sure, he'd gained weight, but definitely not enough for a grown man to have trouble pulling him on some blankets.

"I don't know what he's been feeding you, but you might need a to go on a diet soon, Noodle," Henry teased as he got the blankets as close to the tub as he could, then stepped aside.

I'll gladly go on a diet... of more food, Fox replied as he hurried into the tub, his limbs flailing a bit as he got himself oriented in the high water. He could feel Henry's nervousness through their bond as he slipped under the surface, but thankfully he let Fox correct himself and resurface without interfering. It took all of his effort to keep from shaking his aching head to remove the water that had soaked his hair, though.

"Here."

Henry reached forward, offering a small towel. Fox took it without using his thumb and quickly swiped it across his face to remove a decent amount of the water running down it. After a few moments he let it drop to the floor, then leaned on the edge of the tub with his arms crossed, allowing him to settle his chin on them.

"Feeling a little better?" Henry asked as he sat down against the wall across from the toilet. His legs didn't quite fit in the area comfortably, but that wasn't Fox's problem. He could leave if he wanted.

"Sorry, can't do that, but I'll gladly give you your space and only help if you really need it," he said, earning a huff from Fox.

I'm not your problem. Why are you even bothering? I can take care of myself.

Leaning over, Henry reached up and scratched at the back of his head slightly, then leaned it back against the wall with a sigh before looking sideways at Fox.

"Because Noah cares about you."

Fox narrowed his eyes.

But you don't.

Shaking his head, Henry looked up at the ceiling as he replied, "I'm not a heartless person, but no, I don't care about you like Noah does. He worries about you. He's already called me twice today just to check on you."

Fox would have perked his ears up at the man's statement, if he'd been in his animal form right then.

You're jealous.

Fox felt Henry's annoyance at his response, but the man seemed to think better of replying based on just that emotion, and after a few moments it faded away.

"I really like him. Possibly even love him."

Well I like him to, Fox grumbled back, adding a quiet growl to the end of his thought.

He'd been serious, but Henry scoffed at his words and looked back toward him.

"What can you offer him, Fox? I have a nice house. A great, stable job. I can take care of him and love him."

Fox actually remained silent at that, unsure of what he could really say. He could eat Noah's food? Poop in his bathroom? Eat his pets? For the first time in years, he realized that he wasn't good enough to get something he wanted. Not by a long shot.

"Listen, kid, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset. I'm just frustrated and being an ass for it," Henry said as he pushed himself to his feet and walked out of the bathroom, disappearing down the hall and into the kitchen.

Fox waited quietly, his head throbbing a bit as he felt the heat from the bath crawl up into his cheeks and forehead. He could hear Henry messing around in the kitchen, but he didn't return, even as Fox felt his eyelids grow heavy.

"Hey!"

The loud shout woke him up, but he was too busy sputtering out water to focus on conversing. His gag reflex triggered after a second, but thankfully, there was nothing in his stomach to throw up but water. He settled down after a few tense minutes and a couple smacks on his back to help expel the last few coughs of warm water.

Blinking away tears, Fox realized that he was now out of the tub, kneeling on his hands and knees over the now-wet group of blankets.

"You with me, kid?"

Head hurts.

"No shit. You almost drowned. Let's not tell Noah that I had to kiss you to get you to spit up that water," Henry grumbled, making Fox's eyes jerk wide.

"Don't you look at me like that. I could have let you die and had no competition, but I'm not an asshole. Not that I see you as competition, though," he corrected, making Fox scowl.

"Whatcha gonna do, kid? Bite me? Pee on me?" Henry taunted as he leaned back against the wall, resting one hand on the floor for balance.

Fox was definitely considering his options, but then realized something. Instead of commenting something sarcastic right back, like he normally would, he just stared at the man in front of him. It was odd. Yes, he was annoyed that he'd touched him, and kissed him? Screw that... but, he hadn't done it for any other reason than to save his life.

"What? What's wrong?" Henry asked, leaning forward slightly, his head tilting slightly, as if trying to get a better look at him.

When he got a little too close, Fox let out a quiet warning growl and lowered his eyes to the damp blankets beneath him.

Thank you for saving me.

Henry jerked back in surprise... a bit too quickly, smacking into the wall. Rubbing the back of his head, he replied with a hint of confusion to his voice. "What did you say? I don't think I heard you right."

Rolling his eyes, Fox looked toward the open hallway door.

Of course you didn't. I don't talk.

Huffing, Henry leaned forward and poked Fox's forehead, pushing until he flopped over with a squeak of surprise. Before he could right his himself, Henry was up and walking out of the room again.

Fox was about to tell him to help him get back to the bedroom, but then he hesitated and licked his lips.

I'm a human right now. An adult, with two feet and two hands. My body works fine... it's just been so long since I've even bothered to try.

He looked down at his hands. Licking his lips again, he focused on moving his thumbs. It felt odd, but it didn't take him too long to get the hang of them. Henry's words played in his mind as he reached up to grab hold of the countertop. He wanted to stay in Noah's life, but right then, he was just a leech to the man. He offered nothing but took, and even expected, everything.

You were never someone who relied on humans.

Fox clenched his teeth and used all of his strength to pull himself up onto his feet. Just being so much higher and a bit overheated had him swaying immediately, but a strong hand on his upper arm easily steadied him and drew his attention upward.

"Don't overdo it, kid. You got cooked a bit too long so you're muscles are going to be weak for a bit, not to mention that you're already injured," Henry said as he nodded toward the damp blankets, indicating that Fox should sit down and let him pull him back to the room.

He honestly didn't want to. For the first time since he'd decided to take on his animal form full time, he actually wanted to walk on two feet instead of four. He was just looking back up at Henry to tell him that when he noticed the man offer him his other arm sideways.

Huh?

"Grab hold and I'll walk with you. You can use me to stay up," he offered, surprising Fox.

But you don't like me.

Henry shrugged and nudged Fox's chest with his arm, making him have to reach out and grab the man's proffered arm or risk falling over.

"And you don't like me, but I think you might be growing on me, slightly. Just don't get any ideas, because I'll be the one putting the ring on Noah's finger."

Fox pursed his lips and hesitantly reached for Henry's offered arm while looking the man straight in the eye.

I won't just sit on some blankets and let you steal what I want without trying. Even if I don't know a lot about liking someone, and I have no useful skills, yet, I can change.

Henry raised an eyebrow and grinned as he reached up with his other hand and mussed up Fox's damp hair.

"It's on then, little Noodle. Let's see what you've got."

Fox strengthened his grip on Henry's arm and took a shaky but determined step forward before straightening his shoulders and meeting the man's gaze.

"On," he rasped back in a near-silent whisper.