"Dear god, Fox! Could you give me a little warning before you destroy the bathroom with your anus!" Noah yelled as he fumbled out of it with his arm over his nose, then ran to his room.

What's an anus?

Henry glanced at him over the newspaper he was reading while alternately sipping coffee on the sofa.

"You are my fuzzy hero."

Why thank you, Fox noted as he licked a paw.

Noah walked out of his room a few moments later, fully dressed, even though he'd said he was going to take a shower.

"Sorry Henry, but that one's yours. You're used to animal poop, right?" Noah joked, clearly a little embarrassed about passing off the pick-up duty to the other man.

Henry simply shrugged as he folded his paper and set it on the coffee table, then leaned back on the sofa with a raised eyebrow directed at Noah.

"I can be persuaded."

Fox rolled his eyes as Noah's face started to redden. The guy didn't hesitate for long, though. The moment he straddled Henry's lap, even while in his work suitcoat and pants, Fox stood up from his bed of blankets and started for the doggy door to the backyard.

And this is where I take my leave. That's not a movie I want to hear or watch.

Unfortunately, he couldn't turn off his sensitive hearing and caught an uncomfortable amount of their heated make out session before he could get out of range.

I'm not sure how a conversation about my poop ended with that, and I don't want to know.

Dropping down onto the sidewalk, Fox headed toward the park. It was quite busy since the temperature was finally at a decent he-didn't-care degree. Little kids ran about in the grass and on the playground equipment with mother's and father's noses in their phones.

And this is how children get bitten by foxes.

Huffing, he made sure to keep his distance from any prying eyes as he made his way across the street and toward a nice shaded copse of trees. It was one of his old hangout areas and usually had a decent population of rats in the underbrush, even during winter months.

Maybe I can catch myself a snack before heading back.

He began to circle some of the trees with his nose to the ground, sifting through the scents around him.

"Thas the dog that bited me, Amo!"

Flicking an ear, Fox glanced over his shoulder with a bland expression. It quickly morphed to one of surprise when cigarette man walked up to him with the little she-devil that had harassed him to the point of getting bitten before.

Get that mean child away from me. I don't want to restart this story.

Fox gave out a warning growl as he let his hackles rise, but while cigarette man looked unperturbed, he did move the little girl behind him before getting any closer.

"You were the one that bit my niece?" he asked, his eyes narrowing as his voice deepened with growing anger.

It would be you. My luck just never runs out, he thought sarcastically as he started backing up, intent on not getting caught a second time.

The man sighed and looked over his shoulder, then shouted for someone. A few minutes later a young woman with her attention still mainly focused on a cell phone walked over and reached down for the little girl.

Great parenting.

Cigarette man watched as the woman continued to try and find the girl's hand, yet the little girl wasn't even reaching up to grasp her mother's. Sighing, he grabbed the phone between his fingers and turned it off, then offered it back.

"I was mad at him for biting Mana the first time, but now I can see that it wasn't his fault."

The woman scowled at him, then, seemingly registering what cigarette man had said, looked toward Fox.

"It was you who left me with that doctor's bill!" she yelled as she ran forward and prepared to kick him.

Fox was just turning to dart away when his form suddenly shifted. At that exact second strong arms wrapped around him and lifted him up. The person holding him jerked abruptly right afterward, then hopped a few steps as he hissed, making Fox think that he'd taken the kick for him.

"Good, he's changed! Let's take him down to the police station, Amo," the woman yelled as cigarette man carefully wrapped his too-large trench-coat around Fox's naked body, blocking out most of the light chill from the air on his bare skin. He then shifted his body a bit, making it easier to hold him in his arms as he turned to address the woman.

"Maya, take Mana back to play or go home. I'm not taking him to the police. You never watch her, so I'm not surprised that she had gotten bitten. She learned her lesson and didn't get close to him again. You should just leave it at that."

The woman sounded furious as she started yelling too much stuff at the man for Fox to bother following. He was already overloaded with being so close to someone who wasn't Noah or Henry. It also didn't help that he was practically helpless in his human form, so even if he struggled to get free, he would probably just make an even bigger fool out of himself.

The strong scent of cigarettes on the man's clothing didn't help matters, either. The smell burned his nose, but he didn't dare try to stick his head up above the man's coat collar. He wouldn't put it past the woman to try and hit him again if he did.

"You don't even know him! Why are you trying to help that little shit?" the woman yelled, honestly making Fox wonder the same thing as he glanced up at the man who briefly stared down at him as he contemplated his sister's question.

When he looked back up at her, he shrugged one shoulder and grinned. "Because you're being a bitch and it was your fault that your daughter got hurt to begin with. Own it and move on, you are being a terrible example for Mana," cigarette man said before turning and walking away.

The woman yelled after him, but once her voice faded from Fox's human ears, he tried to climb up a bit higher so that he could actually see where they were going, but...

Darn these useless hands.

He still had trouble using his thumbs correctly.

"Hang on a second, I got you," the man said before pausing and shifting his hands around a bit beneath Fox. He was about to growl a warning, since he already wasn't happy with being carried, but he was abruptly hefted up higher, putting just his head and the very top of his shoulders above the heavy coat.

"Better?" the man asked as he started walking again.

Fox looked around eagerly, making notes of where he was going. He knew the city well, so it wasn't hard to figure out where he was and the direction they were headed.

"You aren't much of a talker, are you, kid?"

I'm not a talker at all.

"Do you want me to call your friend again to come get you?" he asked, making Fox hesitate.

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.