Fox Life

It showed up that there wasn't going to be any need for killing, at least not for now. Kyro reacted on instinct and extended his hands, catching Iris before she could hit the ground.

"What were you thinking?" he asked, holding her close to his heart that was picking up speed now that he realized what might have happened if he was a bit slower. "You're crazy."

Iris cooed at him, smiling inside. 'Here we go, you're certainly distracted now.' Her jump was on the crazy side, but Kyro was just a hand's reach away. How could he not catch her? It was almost impossible.

From her position in Kyro's hands, she smirked at Lucifer, who was standing nearby. The cat gave her a look that promised retribution and sauntered away. Satisfied, Iris returned her attention to Kyro.

He was currently holding her like some kind of treasure, afraid to let go. Was he really that scared by her jump?

"Crazy little thing," he murmured as he brought her to the bedroom. There, his eyes landed on the journal by the window and then moved to the shelves in the study. After this, it didn't take long for his expression to twist into something unsightly.

Iris cringed slightly, hiding her face. She had to agree that it looked like a mess, but what was she supposed to do throughout the day? He hadn't told her his computer password!

To her surprise, he didn't say anything, just gently put her down and went to return the books to their respective places. One after another, he put them all back, picking the journal last.

It had been left on the page with 'Destroy Burns Unlimited', and Iris watched like a hawk what expression Kyro would wear upon seeing it. Would he be sad? Angered? Pained? Get furious? There were so many options!

Yet he chose none of them. He just stared at the page for a bit, then shook his head and returned the journal to the study. No unneeded emotion crossed his face, but his mood dropped a lot. He sat down on his chair and just stared off into space, right hand propping his head up.

'Did that page remind him of the thing at work? Could it be his past is catching up to him and he might lose his job because of it?' Iris suddenly felt guilty. With her curiosity, did she bring back some unwelcome memories?

She came over and rubbed her head against his leg, apologizing. It wasn't her plan to do such a thing. She just wanted to learn a bit more about him, now that they were living together.

"It's nothing, don't worry," he said, patting her head lightly. It was such an off-hand action, Iris was ready to burst. She wasn't a child to be dismissed just like that. If this was her mistake, then she was going to correct it. Simple as that.

Later, they became enemies and all chance of civil interaction was lost. They didn't speak once, besides the few threats Frank whispered in passing while overcome with fury. And now he joined Kyro's company, hired by Sheila. Wh—

Something bumped into his leg. He looked down to see the fennec standing by his feet, a ball next to it. Did it want to play?

"Not now," he said. "Go play alone." He kicked the ball lightly so it rolled under the table.

The fennec rushed head over heels after the ball as if its life depended on it. Then, upon catching up, it tried to pick up the ball, but it was too large. The fox's mouth didn't open enough, and the fruitless attempts only pushed the ball away. After five unsuccessful tries, the little one simply clawed at the ball in fury.

It bounced to the side, and Kyro chuckled at the fennec. The little fox was sniffing its right paw, probably trying to figure out what had happened. Kyro didn't know if it had found anything, but it ran after the ball and smashed it with the right paw again.

This resulted in the ball bouncing again and rolling to the side, midway into the bedroom. The fox didn't hesitate to run after. Once it was close, it slowed down and circled the ball with the head to the ground and back legs straight. Was it going to pounce?

Yes, it was. The moment the ball was between Kyro and the fox, it pounced, grabbing for the ball with nails extended. But the ball was a slippery thing. The fox must have hit it with one paw before the other, for it rolled away, and the fox landed in a heap on the ground.

An indignant cry of outrage rang out through the room, and Kyro burst out laughing. What a silly creature this was. It had hit the ball itself, but was now complaining that it had ran away.

He stood up and went to the ball, rolling it toward the fox. "Here, here, it's coming for you." As if agreeing with his words that this thing was dangerous, the fox jumped to the side, running away. It hid under the bed, only its nose peeking out.