Clearly, Felix's wrists warrant as thorough an examination as his palms. The cub, legs shaking with the effort, tries to hoist itself fully into his hands; quickly, Felix flattens them on the ground to make things easier.
Very carefully, Felix eases himself up. The cub -- which almost, but not quite, fits neatly into his cupped hands -- lifts its head with a startled squeak, trying to turn a circle as it leaves the ground.
"Shhh," Felix whispers again, with another small and soothing smile. He brings it close to his chest. "It's okay."
To Kaya, not much louder: "Maybe we could take them back to the bar. Somebody could help there."
But their mother's not here, and they are, and there's got to be somebody in Milliways who knows how to take care of baby foxes. Felix opens his mouth, on the verge of saying that aloud, then closes it, trying to figure out a nicer way to voice his thoughts.
"We could look for their mom first," he suggests. "On the way th -- "
The last word dissolves into a squeak of his own as the other cub pokes its nose down the front of his T-shirt.
Apparently, whatever the fox finds there is simply fascinating. Fascinating enough, in fact, for it to scrabble about as it dives all the way inside his shirt.
Felix's squeaks abruptly turn into yelps.
...And laughter, because good lords, that TICKLES.
Felix wraps both arms around the squirmy lump, still laughing helplessly as he tries to coax it out of his shirt (or, if nothing else, try to stop it from going any further down his shirt). "Out," he wheezes, "c'mon -- "
The lump surges back up toward the collar, and a second later, the cub's head reemerges. Felix gasps a breath, grinning, as the two stare at one another.
Then the cub leans in and licks Felix's nose, snuggling more firmly against him.
Felix looks down at the cub. Content, for now, she yawns hugely and tucks her head against Felix's neck.
"Um." He thinks, absently reaching to stroke her fur again. "Sometimes if I'm kind of thinking about the bar, it'll show up when I open a door. We could try that?"
It isn't really sinking in for Felix, either. Somehow, he always manages to get back to Milliways; even if it's a long time between visits, like a week or two, a door always turns up in the end. He's got faith it'll work out.
He scans the street. They're in a part of town with a few scattered restaurants and cafés. Maybe they should just go back home, but...a door's a door, right? So, determinedly, he starts off toward the nearest one.
(And if they were getting strange looks before, they're garnering even stranger ones now that they have two fox cubs in tow.)
They halt outside a restaurant. Felix cranes his neck back to look up at the sign; then, with a look of great concentration, he shuts his eyes and carefully, carefully, nudges it open.
In the distance, the Observation Window rewinds, and Felix opens his eyes. His whole face brightens.
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"They're so tiny."
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Clearly, Felix's wrists warrant as thorough an examination as his palms. The cub, legs shaking with the effort, tries to hoist itself fully into his hands; quickly, Felix flattens them on the ground to make things easier.
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The cub in her lap tries to climb up her front, sniffing at her shirt.
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"Shhh," Felix whispers again, with another small and soothing smile. He brings it close to his chest. "It's okay."
To Kaya, not much louder: "Maybe we could take them back to the bar. Somebody could help there."
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Her head's bowed over the cub in her lap. She's stroking its rust-colored fur, head to tail, over and over.
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"We could look for their mom first," he suggests. "On the way th -- "
The last word dissolves into a squeak of his own as the other cub pokes its nose down the front of his T-shirt.
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Felix's squeaks abruptly turn into yelps.
...And laughter, because good lords, that TICKLES.
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"No no," she tells it through her giggles, "you stay put."
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The lump surges back up toward the collar, and a second later, the cub's head reemerges. Felix gasps a breath, grinning, as the two stare at one another.
Then the cub leans in and licks Felix's nose, snuggling more firmly against him.
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The cub on her lap yips again, wagging its brush of a tail.
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He hasn't stopped smiling, though.
"Good boy," he murmurs, and carefully settles a hand on the fox's head, giving its ears a gentle rub. A beat passes. "Or, um, girl."
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A pause.
"Can we take them to the bar? Maybe find someplace to keep them?"
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"Have you ever gotten there on purpose?"
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"...I've only ever gotten there once."
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"Oh."
Oops.
Felix looks down at the cub. Content, for now, she yawns hugely and tucks her head against Felix's neck.
"Um." He thinks, absently reaching to stroke her fur again. "Sometimes if I'm kind of thinking about the bar, it'll show up when I open a door. We could try that?"
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It isn't really sinking in that he may not be able to get them back there.
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He scans the street. They're in a part of town with a few scattered restaurants and cafés. Maybe they should just go back home, but...a door's a door, right? So, determinedly, he starts off toward the nearest one.
(And if they were getting strange looks before, they're garnering even stranger ones now that they have two fox cubs in tow.)
They halt outside a restaurant. Felix cranes his neck back to look up at the sign; then, with a look of great concentration, he shuts his eyes and carefully, carefully, nudges it open.
In the distance, the Observation Window rewinds, and Felix opens his eyes. His whole face brightens.
"It worked!"