The Fox sat on the edge of the bed in a different room - smaller, more intimate, still decorated in Cruel's signature red and bck. He was completely naked, smoking a cigarette from a silver case she'd offered him, feeling simultaneously satisfied and deeply embarrassed.
The papers sat on the nightstand, forgotten.
*What the hell did I just do?*
Cruel had been... efficient. Professional. And absolutely everything they said about her. The "Dog Whisperer" reputation was well-earned.
Movement outside the window caught his eye. He looked up and saw Eugene Gingersnap walking down the street below, smoking his own cigarette, completely rexed.
Their eyes met through the window.
Genji grinned, raised his cigarette in a mock salute, and *winked*.
The Fox shot to his feet, ready to chase, ready to finally—
The door opened. Cruel stood there, completely naked, looking amused.
"Going somewhere, darling?"
The Fox looked at her. Looked at the window where Genji had already disappeared around the corner. Looked at the papers on the nightstand. Looked at himself - naked, compromised, outpyed at every single turn.
"Fuck it," he said quietly.
He sat back down on the bed.
Cruel's smile was knowing. She crossed the room and settled beside him, her body warm against his.
"Smart man," she said, taking the cigarette from his fingers and taking a drag herself. "Some people, darling, you just can't catch by running after them. You have to be... smarter."
The Fox stared at the ceiling, thinking about Jell-O and ninjas and Eugene Gingersnap's smug face.
Then he reached for his phone on the nightstand and opened his contacts.
**Sis**
He typed: *I need your help. I'll expin everything. Please.*
He hit send.
Cruel leaned against him, reading over his shoulder. "Calling in reinforcements?"
"Something like that."
"Good." She handed him back the cigarette. "Because that boy's not going to stop running. And you, darling, need a new strategy."
The Fox took a long drag and nodded.
She was absolutely right.
