#fox monster

The first time your boyfriend had asked you out, you'd almost said no. You were coming home late from work and just needed some lunch meat from the local deli. It was raining and you had left your umbrella at home, making you soaked by the time you'd enter the deli. You were pissed, wet, and frankly didn't want to talk to anyone. However, of course, you were approached as you stood waiting for your turkey.

"Excuse me, I saw you while getting my dinner, and thought you were really pretty and I was wondering if you would like to come eat dinner with me? Tonight?"

You were a little taken back. You pulled your earbuds out and stared at him for a minute, processing his words. He was average height, and on the chubbier side. He had big fluffy ears poking out through his grayish brown hair. It was taking everything in you not to reach out and pet them. His tail was twitching and he held it nervously in his hands, fidgeting with it.

"Oh! Um...?"

Startled by your reaction he immediately backpedaled his words.

"I mean! Only if you want to! I don't want to push you into anything or make you feel obligated..."

His ears drooped lowly on his head and he released his tail. It curled limply behind his legs. He seemed sweet, if not a little pathetic. Something compelled you to agree to go on this date, even if it was just an excuse to get free food. Not like you were in any standing to turn down anything free. You barely scraped by as it was. He kicked lightly at the floor before he looked up to speak. You interrupted him before he could.

"I would love to! You are very handsome yourself."

You smiled and he blushed hard. He let out a small joyous laugh and nodded his head excitedly. He clambered to get out a crumpled receipt out of his pocket before handing it to you with a pen. You quickly jotted down your number and handed the paper back to him. His tail was whipping behind him as pocketed the receipt. As he started to bounce off, you caught him by the shoulder.

"Oh hey! what's your name by the way?"

His ears perked up and he gaped for a second at your words.

"Oh my god, I forgot to tell you my name. I'm so sorry! It's Tobi."

You giggled at his response before reassuring him it was fine. He turned and walked out the store with new founded energy. You grabbed the turkey you wanted and headed out the deli as well. It had gotten dark by the time you'd left, a lot darker. However, to your surprise it had stopped raining. It was a new moon tonight as well so there was no moonlight to guide you. You grumbled under your breath and started your long walk home.

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You fumbled with your keys and opened your door slowly. You flipped the light switch and walked into your small apartment. Everything is still as you left it. Dishes piled high next to the sink, old food left out on the stove, and a takeout box laying on the coffee table. With a massive sigh, you slunk off to the bathroom to shower off the damp smell of the rain and your ruined makeup. As you were washing out the shampoo from your hair, you heard a massive crash and a thud. You gasped and jumped out of the shower as quickly as you could without falling.

You wrap a towel tightly around your wet body and silently step out into the hall. Making your way into the living room, you see a half covered in old takeout food fox hybrid. He sputtered out apologies and raised what he seemed to be holding. The casserole dish was half broken and empty with the rest of the pieces laying on the floor next to him. You blinked for a second and processed what was happening.

"Tobi? What are you doing in my apartment?"

Still gripping the towel, you walked closer to him. His tail was curled between his legs and his ears flat against his head. He looked like he was about to cry. You smiled lightly at him as he faltered over his words.

"I was just- you know- dinner? The door- was unlocked? So I just came in? Is that not what you do?"

You giggled under your breath and shook your head. You put up your hand in a "wait there," motion and ran back to your room to throw some clothes on. By the time you came back, a significant portion of the food was cleaned up and Tobi was nowhere to be found. You looked around for a minute before hearing the water running in the bathroom followed by faint heavy cussing. You stepped towards the lamp near the couch and felt a wet slick penetrate your socks. You instantly jerked your feet away and looked down to see a sizable puddle of blood.

Your foot didn't hurt at all so you couldn't have your blood. You jolted towards the bathroom. You knocked on the door lightly, to not scare the poor fox anymore than he had been. Of course, you were a little unnerved by him entering your house uninvited but it genuinely seemed like he didn't know not to.

'Maybe fox traditions are different?'

You theorized in your head as you heard him stumble towards the bathroom door. With a low whine, he opened the door just enough to poke his head out and look at you with glossy wet eyes. You melted under his gaze and asked gently to be let in. He was half undressed with nothing more than his underwear on. His right foot raised slightly off the floor, a consistent dripping of blood coming from the bottom of it.

You motioned towards his foot with an empathic smile and he wiggled his way to sit on the toilet lid. You knelt down slowly in front of him, careful not to make any sudden movements. His ears twitched nervously and his tail flicked behind him.

“I just want to take a look, I promise to be gentle.”

You murmured softly, reaching for the first aid kit under the sink. As you dabbed gently around the wound with an alcohol wipe, he winced and let out a low whimper. The cut was deep but clean, it would heal without problems. You whispered a quick apology. His tail twitched in response, curling lightly around his thigh. You offered a soft smile as you worked, wrapping gauze carefully around his foot.

“I think you’ll be okay, but you’ll need to stay off it for a bit.”

He gave a small nod, the corners of his mouth tugging upward just slightly. He thanked you profusely as you cleaned up the mess of medical materials around you both. You waved it off as you dumbed the soiled wipes into the trash. Getting up, you dusted your hands off on your pajama pants and offered a hand towards him.