Fox was awake in three seconds flat when he heard the sound of a key being inserted into the front door. He was snug up against cigarette man on the couch, both of them having clearly moved around quite a bit.

Amos had his head on the armrest with one arm draped over Fox's side. Thankfully, there was a blanket between them, and he didn't even really mind at that moment since Owen was finally there!

The second the door opened his body shifted and he bolted from Amos' loose hold.

Owen! I tried to wait for you but I fell asleep but I woke up when I heard you coming in!

He bounded over to the other man, just barely holding himself back from climbing his pant-leg. Instead, he danced around on his paws, spinning in circles and swishing his tail every few seconds as he tried to contain his excitement.

Can you pet me? I came over to see you. I've been working on my shifting but I'm too excited to get a hold of my human side. But I can do it later for you. Amos helped me. He's not terrible.

"I feel like your mind is going a mile a minute, buddy. Give me just a few moments and I'd be glad to give you some attention," Owen said with a tired smile as he carefully set his backpack and another slightly larger duffle bag down near the sofa.

Fox followed him, his body nearly vibrating as he paced around the area.

"Trying to take my fox from me, mm?" Amos mumbled, his voice deep with sleep as he slowly opened his eyes halfway.

Owen shook his head and dropped down onto the couch, ignoring Amos' feet as he nudged them a bit farther back so he had room.

"I don't know. I think he prefers me," Owen said as he finally gestured for Fox to join him.

In a blur of fluffy fur, Fox did so immediately. He knew that Owen's own fox was watching through his eyes, though, so he did scale his greeting back as much as he could manage.

"You're a squirmy thing for having just woken up. Miss me that much?" he asked as he wrapped Fox in a tight hug, then began stroking his head gently as Fox rested his chin on the young man's shoulder, taking in his scent.

Amos finally decided to sit up, but it took him a bit since he just kept flopping back over with a tired groan. When he did manage to stay upright, it put him partially behind Owen, after a bit of intentional maneuvering, allowing him to drop his forehead onto the man's other shoulder.

"Interesting sandwich we've got going here," Owen mused, though Fox could tell that he wasn't too much of a fan of Amos's arms wrapping around his middle.

There was a tired chuckle from Amos as he relented and leaned back.

"You really don't want this guy, Fox. He's way too dominant and tends to nip when he doesn't get his way," he teased as Owen grumbled at him over his shoulder.

"I wouldn't bite you so often if you didn't try to annoy my fox. You know darn well he'll never be submissive, especially with his vision problem."

Amos smirked like the brat Fox was figuring him out to be, then flopped back over... but not before grabbing Owen around the middle again and dragging him down with him. Fox, obviously, had to come along for the ride since he was already being held, even tighter now, against Owen's chest.

The man's actions put Owen on the inside of the couch, but as an angry growl started to grow from the slightly smaller man's chest, Amos quickly flipped them both so that Owen was comfortably lying on top of his chest.

"You're going to squish him, you jerk," Owen grumbled as he made sure to shift around a bit so that Fox wasn't pressed between them both like a sandwich.

Fox squirmed to get a bit more comfortable, eventually having to get out of Owen's arms and settle on the part of the armrest that Amos didn't have his head on.

Good thing I'm a compact fox.

He had many years of tough winters to thank for that, but after living with Henry and Noah for a while, he'd definitely been packing on some much needed weight.

"How were your classes, Owe? Any giving you trouble?" Amos said, a hint of sleep in his voice, but definitive focus, too. He really did seem to care about the question he was asking, and its forthcoming answer.

Owen yawned and finally relaxed against Amos' chest, his added weight seemingly not bothering the other guy at all.

"Calc two is kind of beating me up, but I'm slowly getting through it. It's taken a lot more of my time than I'd wanted it to, though," Owen replied as he closed his eyes.

Fox leaned forward, his nose just barely unable to reach Owen's hair. He wasn't paying attention when he felt something press against the side of his own muzzle, though, and jumped a bit... backward right off the sofa.

He flopped to the floor with an awkward bark-squeak. After landing, his gaze immediately jerked upward, only to see two pairs of eyes staring down at him. One was curious and a bit confused, while the other was humorous and playful.

You butthead! I didn't say you could kiss me.

"Sorry, I forgot to mention that this guy likes to steal attention whenever he can. Guess he startled you," Owen said, clearly only needing a minute to read the situation after glancing sideways and seeing his friend trying to hold back a smile... and failing.

Fox was about to start a monologue about personal space, and that the only things he ever wanted close to his face was food and his own asshole during cleaning time, when his stomach grumbled loudly and he glanced down at it.

"It's a bit late, but I guess we can have dinner? How does grilled cheese sound?" Owen asked as he got himself up and headed for the kitchen, quickly followed by Amos.

Fox mentally shrugged and stored away his chastising words for Amos later, when he could shift to his human form again... and speak well enough to be understood.

Yeah. Just gonna get over it. Maybe I'll just nip him next time he tries that.

Fox hurried into the kitchen and hopped up onto the counter, only to feel a glare on him not a second later. Owen was staring at him and Fox quickly connected the dots and hopped off the counter.

Okay. My bad.

Owen nodded and got busy making sandwiches on the stove with Amos handing him slices of cheese and pickles.

Fox had had grilled cheese as a kid plenty of times, and Noah had made it for him a few times... but pickles?

"Do you mind? I can make yours without, but it's actually quite good with them melted into the cheese," Owen said as he flipped one sandwich.

The sizzling sound as it cooked in a thin layer of butter had Fox drooling.

I'm good with anything. Pickles, mice, feral cats. I'm not picky.

Owen shook his head, smiling as if he'd heard his thoughts. Fox really wished that he could, but so far he was getting nothing from the other man, and Owen was clearly not hearing anything for him, either. It was rare to connect in such a way, anyway, so his hopes weren't too high. He was still surprised that he could talk to Noah and Henry while in fox form.

By the time Fox finished contemplating things internally Amos was kneeling in front of him, but a few feet away.

"I remembered from last time not to spook you. Got your food, Fox," he said as he set the plate down with two grilled cheese sandwiches on it. One clearly had some pickles melted into the cheese while the other was plain.

"We just decided to give you both, and if you don't like the one with pickles one of us will eat it for you," he said.

Makes sense.

Fox tried the odd one first, his curiosity taking over as he pawed at the sandwich.

This... actually tastes pretty good.

He finished the first half pretty easily, but he was having a bit of trouble getting the other part into his mouth. He was being a bit too aggressive with it, unintentionally nipping off tiny pieces instead of actually grabbing hold of the sandwich.

"Here," Amos said, drawing Fox's attention upward before the man dared to reach forward.

Fox pinned his ears, but he knew that Amos wouldn't just eat his food. The man didn't seem like the type to joke with him in that kind of way, at least. As soon as Amos leveled the sandwich with his mouth, Fox tilted his head and nibbled at it, but then lifted a paw and set it on top of Amos' hand, nudging it down the slightest bit before leaning forward and taking a big bite. He left his paw on the man's hand, using it as leverage and to make sure that he kept it right where it was.

"Wow, he's got you whipped already," Owen said with a smirk.

Fox was going to mentally comment as he leaned in for another bite, but then he was suddenly on his human knees, his teeth tugging off a much smaller bite of sandwich than he'd intended.

"Well hello there," Amos teased with a devilish smile.

Fox quickly sat back, swallowing the bite of sandwich as he put his hands partially between his legs to keep his balance.

Owen quickly walked over and leaned down with his arms open, enticing Fox to reach up so that the man could help him to his feet. It was much easier to get up since he'd practiced with Amos earlier, allowing him to stand on his own after just a few moments balancing.

"Wow. Look at you," Owen said with a surprised smile.

Amos lifted an eyebrow as he stood up slowly.

"Definitely looking," he said, earning a smack to the back of his head from Owen.

"Oh come on, Owe. He's adorable," Amos said as he walked over and picked up the boxers Fox had jumped out of earlier when he'd shifted when Owen had come home.

"Here bud," he said as he knelt down and held the boxers so that Fox could carefully step into them.

Owen stayed close in case he lost his balance, but Fox proudly managed the task without any issue, and he eagerly accepted the hug he got as praise.

"You've definitely been practicing. Good job, Fox," Owen said before leaning back but keeping his hands on Fox's shoulders to allow him to really look at him.

"I'm guessing that you didn't change on purpose?" he asked, getting a shake from Fox's head in response.

"Is jus' haptend tis' dime," Fox replied, trying hard to make sure his words were understandable.

Amos hopped on the balls of his feet a little, clearly overly excited about something that Fox didn't understand.

"He's so damn cute! I just want to squeeze him!" Amos said before hurrying to the kitchen and getting busy doing, who knows what.

Fox watched him go, then returned his attention to a smiling Owen.

"Own smiling am hapty," Fox thought out loud.

He didn't mean to say it, but he didn't mind that he had. He wanted Owen to know that him being happy made him happy.

"I have to agree, you are really cute," Owen said as he walked over to his bag, gesturing with a nod for Fox to follow.

He managed to do so without falling, though he did trip a little on one step, but managed to recover well enough without assistance. Owen stood up by the time he got there, then held up a soft-looking dark green sweater.

"Can you lift your arms up a little over your head for me, please?" he asked, making Fox immediately do as asked.

The sweater settled over him easily, just a bit bigger than what might normally fit him.

"Staking your claim already, huh?" Amos said, drawing their attention as he leaned against the doorjamb of the kitchen, his arms crossed with an eyebrow raised.

Owen chuckled and dropped down onto the sofa, bringing Fox's attention back to him.

"Your scent is already all over him, mister. I think it's only fair that he smells like me a bit, too. Besides my fox likes the idea," he said, making Fox smile. He definitely didn't mind the other man's scent on him. Amos' wasn't bad, either, especially since he hadn't smoked in a while.

When Owen patted the sofa Fox sat immediately. Amos walked over and picked up Fox's plate of remaining food and brought it over, taking the seat right next to Fox.

"Here, you want to finish it, right?" he asked as he lifted the last piece up to Fox's lips.

Fox quickly but gently grasped Amos' hand with both of his own as he worked on eating the last sandwich half, then licked a few crumbs from the man's fingers before Owen's hand suddenly appeared, covering his mouth right as his tongue was about to dart out again.

"We need to work on some etiquette I think," he noted before removing his hand after Amos retracted his so that he could lick his own fingers with a smirk.

He seemed to focus after a moment, however, and nodded.

"Yeah. As much as I love his naivety, I don't want to take advantage, even if by random chance that he does something he doesn't understand. We'll have to work on some stuff," he said before yawning.

"I think it's bed time, though. I'm guessing that you're staying, Owe? My dad is out of town for a bit if you both just want to stay with me in my room."

Fox was up in seconds, definitely tired and ready for some sleep. Especially if Owen was going to stay with him. After a quick stop in the bathroom where Owen and Amos brushed their teeth with their own brushes, Amos provided a new one for Fox. He was hesitant, especially considering the strong scent of the toothpaste they put on it, but once Owen rinsed off the majority of it, he grudgingly let him carefully scratch at his teeth... for a whole five seconds.

"We'll work on that, too," he said as he grabbed a small cup that he left there to rinse out his mouth and filled it, then lifted it to Fox's lips.

"Take a big sip, then swish it around your mouth and spit in the sink like we did," he said.

Fox eyed him but did as told. It was weird, since he'd never really had to move water around his mouth in such a way, but he did manage to complete the task without too much effort.

"Good job," Owen praised as Amos mussed up his hair a bit, then they all walked out of the bathroom.

Amos was in bed first, taking the far side before Owen climbed in as far from the other man as he could get without falling off.

Fox tilted his head, staring at the two in the darkness.

"Owen doesn't like to cuddle much, but if you like it, I'm more than willing to provide as much body heat as you'd like, Fox," Amos offered, drawing a quiet snort from Owen as the other man scooted a tiny bit closer.

Honestly, Fox didn't mind either way. Amos had helped him out quite a bit, though, and if all he wanted in return was to be a bit closer, he didn't mind. As long as there was no restraining.

Carefully, Fox climbed into the bed and beneath the blankets. He took his time scooting closer to Amos, and thankfully the man read his body language well and didn't try to hug him at all. He even turned his back to him, allowing Fox to press his own clothed one against the man's. It was actually quite comfortable being close to someone else in such a way... though still a bit confusing to his mind since he was definitely not used to being around others.

He started to drift off fairly quickly, only waking up once when he felt something brush against his bangs. Owen's scent tickled his nose before he opened one eye to see that the man had moved again. His hand was what had brushed against his hair. It was the only part of him really close, but Fox didn't mind. He would have gotten closer, himself, but Amos had said that the man wasn't much into being near others while sleeping, and he could respect that. He wasn't sure if he liked it yet, either.

"Got nighd," he whispered quietly before closing his eye again.

He felt one more faint brush against his forehead before finally falling asleep.