26 Her Name (11)

Only once Iris' teeth were in Kyro's left ear did her mind catch up to her body. Instantly, she let go and backed away. But it wasn't fast enough. Kyro whirled around and caught her retreating body, lifting it up with little gentleness.

"What the hell was that?" he ground out. His hair was a mess, and his eyes were narrowed in repressed fury. No, that was his whole face. It was twisted with anger that was on the verge of bursting out.

For the first time, Iris saw a side of him that wasn't sweet and charming, and she didn't think she liked it. Her voice got stuck in her throat and came out in only soft whimpers.

He was holding her too tight, and there was such fury in his eyes, as if she'd killed his first born. For a moment, even she herself forgot why she'd done that, dreading the consequences. She was but a fragile little fox now, and if he was really angry…

The ringing of the alarm broke into her thoughts, and it revitalized her spirit. Her shock wore off and she began screaming again, her arms and legs flailing about as she tried to hit him.

'It's all your fault! I wouldn't have done that if you weren't acting a dead log over there! Care for your pets, you sleepy head! Look at my ears! And then think, I know it's hard, but try! How many times better than you do I hear, huh? And that thing has been going on there for five minutes already!'

Her sudden energy surprised the man a bit, and he finally noticed how closed up her ears were, and that he could barely hear her even as she screamed as loud as she could. It put him on the right track, and he turned the accursed alarm off.

Silence was like a blanket that enveloped Iris. She stilled, basking in the sudden euphoria of her ears no longer being assaulted by that abominable noise. She close to melted in the man's hands.

Kyro sighed and fell back on the bed. He hated mornings. No human should be forced to get up before their inner clock said so. It was pure torture.

His eyes threatened to close on him and bring him into sleep once more, but he knew it was too late for that. If he allowed himself a short nap now, he'd be late for work, and that wasn't an option. But damn, it was 5.30 am now. That was a whole half an hour before his waking time.

The little fox he had placed on his chest while he leaned on the backrest had curled up in a ball and was now enjoying the peace, clearly about to fall asleep again. Envy rose within Kyro. The devil bit him, forcing him awake, and now went to sleep to make him jealous? That was just way too cruel!

He reached out and caressed the little fox's head. This woke the fennec up and it opened one eye to look at him, but that was all. Or not. Moments later, a purr reached Kyro's ear. The sound was a lot more high-pitched than that of a cat, but he was coming to realize it meant the same thing.

A smile touched his lips. He couldn't remain angry at such a lovely creature, especially when he understood its stress. The loud noise must have set it on edge.

Not that it made his ear ache less. The bite hadn't drawn blood, but ears were sensitive, and the little fennec had bit him with all its force. He massaged the spot lightly, wincing at the uncomfortable sensation.

It seemed like some of his habits had to change if he wanted to keep a new pet. Lucy was somebody that required minimal care, besides the constant brushing of his fur to keep it free of tangles. Kyro's lifestyle had changed little after he came into the house.

But the fennec was here only for the third day, and it was already pushing him to his limit. He had few set rules in his house, but those that existed were iron bound. No one could infringe upon them.

The purring brought Kyro's attention back to the fox lounging on his chest, and he knew that something had to give. They couldn't live in peace without someone being the better person and giving the other way.

And for some reason he really doubted the fennec would take up this mantle. Judging by its reaction to the alarm this morning, Kyro was going to suffer attacks each morning if he didn't turn the sound off instantly.

"Why are you such a headache?" he asked, the memory of yesterday still fresh in his mind. Although it showed up to be nothing, he still remembered the terror he'd felt while searching every corner of the apartment and finding nothing. "I'll grow white hair in a month with you around."

The fennec opened its eyes and yawned, then fell back to sleep again.

Having lived with Lucy for eight years, Kyro knew when he was told he was being an idiot. His smile turned wry. The fox was learning from Lucy way too fast, and all the wrong things, too.