Fox Life

Kyro smiled at Iris, his heart filled with warmth he couldn't describe. He had known he missed her from the way he couldn't stop thinking about whether she was okay no matter what he was doing, but he didn't know just how much.     

To see her rush into his arms the moment she saw him was a delight, but his heart also grew heavy at the thought that he'd actually left her alone. It was for a good reason, but…     

She got distracted by the two little mammals and he watched as she said hi to Lucy while introducing him to Mila, the weasel girl. Kyro wasn't aware about how she had gotten to being in the hotel room, but it didn't matter much. He could ask about it later, once Iris calmed down.     

It was a shock to hear her story, especially when it wasn't on any records. His hired detective couldn't catch any wind of it, and Gale's people faced the same problem. No normal hospital had been involved in taking care of Iris during her sickness.     

But it wasn't a dead end. He took out his phone and sent a message to Gale. No one visiting Iris was normal if she'd been taken to some experimental place, but then there was her aunt. How did she get to visit? And why had she never spoken a word of it to Iris, keeping her in the dark?     

Iris called him to introduce Mila to him, and Kyro went down on one knee next to the pet carrier. All he saw was a baby weasel staring up at him, but it was surprisingly calm and well-behaved, unlike what common knowledge told him.     

Lucy demanded to be let out, and Kyro opened the carrier. Like a true king, Lucy didn't give any of them a second glance before making a quick survey of the surroundings and jumping on the bed for a quick nap. Even if the world ended, one could trust him to not care one bit.     

"He's amazing," Iris said with a laugh, standing up to look at Lucy with his eyes already closed. The little weasel girl tried to follow after him, but she was too small to get up the bed. After running around it a couple times, she ran back to Iris and began chattering. Her voice was somewhat lower than Kyro expected, but it only added to its demanding nature.     

"Do you actually understand her?" Kyro asked, watching as Iris lifted the girl to put her on the bed where she could go and disturb Lucy.     

"What?" Iris looked back at him with surprise. She laughed then. "Not at all."     

They went to the living room and sat down on the sofa. Iris caught him up on all that had happened to her during the week, and he shared the few boring details of his week. It was unnecessary for her to know that he could be said to have bailed on Gale.     

It wasn't as bad as that, but close. He was a little reluctant to check on his phone in case Gale had replied. That conversation wasn't going to be nice.     

They turned on TV for background noise while speaking, and soon Iris began to nod off. Kyro let her rest on his shoulder, watching as her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, to the point that she could no longer blink them open again.     

"I'm sorry," he murmured, brushing a stray hair from her face.     

She looked peaceful when she rested, but he knew better than to believe that. The amount of things she had went through was astounding, and yet she had managed to remain herself. It was unbelievable how she could do that.     

With a sigh, he kissed her on the forehead and shifted to pick her up. She'd have a sore back and neck if she slept like that, so he lifted her up to bring her to the bedroom.     

Her eyes opened from the movement, and she looked at him with a clouded gaze. "What are you doing?" she asked softly.     

"Sleep," he murmured and swiftly took her to the bedroom. There, he saw Lucy having jumped on a chair and the little weasel running around it like a dog around a tree. She was even making noises at the cat.     

After placing down Iris and covering her up with a blanket, Kyro caught the weasel girl. She hissed at him, ready to bite, but he pulled his fingers out of her reach. "Be quiet," he told her. "Iris is sleeping, so no noise. Understood?"     

The girl stared at him, then tried to bite him again. Kyro shook his head at her and brought her out of the room. "Be quiet or I'll put you in the cat's box, understood?" he said, pointing at Lucy's carrier for emphasis. The weasel frowned at him, but it didn't go scratch at the door after being released.     

Calling it a small victory, Kyro took out his phone. He didn't want that conversation, but it was better to just get it done. As expected, his screen was flashing with a message of only two words: Call me.     

When he dialed the number, he couldn't even say a greeting before Gale spoke up. "Where do you want to be buried? Be swift or I'll decide for you."     

"I very much like being alive," Kyro said while falling back on the sofa. He was about to turn off the TV when he saw the little weasel girl watching it with interest. It was showing some foreign movie though, so Kyro changed the channel to something more appropriate for a child.     

"Not an option," Gale told him, his voice so cold it could freeze the sun. "I've already bought flowers and candles for you. The noose is ready too."     

"Murder is illegal."     

"Not unless you get caught. I've got a perfect hole to hide your body."     

Kyro sighed, feeling like the conversation was going nowhere. "I didn't do anything that bad. I can work from here as well."     

"Like hell you can," Gale spit at him, no longer even bothering to hide his fury. "I created that diversion about you going to China for a business deal to give you time to stabilize everything here from the shadows, not to run off after that girl. I fucking told you she was fine."     

Physically maybe, but not mentally. How could Kyro leave Iris to deal with everything by herself? Human minds were even more fragile than their bodies.     

"I can work from here," Kyro repeated his argument. "And you know why I did it. Don't act daft. Dioscuri is fine." For the moment it was true, but he was going to make sure it stayed that way. "I didn't abandon you nor our work. Stop acting like a scorned lover."     

If Gale was in the same room, Kyro was certain that he'd get punched for those words. Probably even pummeled into a pulp, since Gale was a better fighter than him. But luckily for him, an ocean was separating them. If it was anything less than that, Kyro would have already started to worry for his safety.     

"You know what? Go to hell. Throw all I did to the wind if you want. I don't care anymore."     

He cut off the call after that, and Kyro closed his eyes for a second, hiding the emotions swirling within them. He didn't want to have to choose between his friend with Dioscuri and Iris which represented his personal life. Why was it impossible to keep both of them?     

Life was forcing him to make a decision, but he didn't like any of his options. All of them required him to let go of something he wasn't willing.