Homebound

Chapter 1: New Job

The next morning, Kitsune slowly awoke from her deep sleep. She blinked open her eyes, yawning a bit as her eyes adjusted to the light in the room. She glanced around the room, remembering where she was. She couldn't help but smile. It was really sweet of Chris to let her stay here with him, and she was very grateful.

A soft knock on the door snapped her out of her thoughts. "Kitsune? Are you awake?" Chris called through the door. "Yeah, you can come in!" Kitsune responded, sitting upright.

Once he heard the confirmation, Chris walked into the room and sat down beside her. "Morning Chris." The redhead greeted him, the smile never leaving her face. "Good morning, dear. Did you sleep well?' Chris asked, giving her the usual gentle smile that she so adored.

"Yeah, the best I've slept in a while. Thank god it's Saturday, heh." Kitsune nodded. "I'm glad to hear it. I'll get breakfast started, so feel free to come down whenever you'd like." Chris said, ruffling her hair as he stood up.

"Oh, Chris, I could help if you want. I wouldn't mind." The redhead offered, getting out of bed. "If you'd like to, I certainly wouldn't mind. I appreciate it." Chris responded, making Kitsune smile.

"Alright! I'll get dressed, and I'll be right down!" She stated, clasping her hands together. Her taller friend chuckled a bit, finding her enthusiasm adorable. "Alright then, I'll see you downstairs." He remarked.

Kitsune walked over to her bags, as she hadn't unpacked yet. She dug through the bags, looking for a new outfit to wear for the day. Picking up an adorable white sundress with a black rose under the left strap, she laid it on the bed before discarding her nightclothes. After putting on the knee-length dress, she searched more through her bags- taking out some white anklets and matching white flats before slipping them onto her feet.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she gave a satisfied nod. With a smile, she began walking to the door; humming a happy tune that was stuck in her head. Before she could reach the doorknob, however, she heard her phone buzz. Turning her head, she looked at her phone- which was resting on the nightstand.

Humming out of curiosity, she walked over and picked up her phone- sitting on the bed. Upon unlocking it, she immediately checked her messages. Upon seeing the new message, she felt her heart sink. It was her mother. With a bit of hesitation, she read it over.

"Kitsune, you're fired. I didn't want to do this, but seeing how you clearly don't care about this business, I'm letting you go. But I'm sure you wanted this anyway. Have fun with your newfound independence. Hopefully your senses come back to you."

Kitsune's hand shook as tears pooled in her eyes. Her breathing became quick and uneven. She was fired? What was she to do now? Getting a job with flexible work hours would be hard- especially in this day and age.

She felt her throat tighten, suddenly finding it a bit difficult to breathe. Her hands shook more and more as tears streamed down her face. She laid on her side, burying her face into her hands- letting out faint sobs. Her sobbing only made her shortness of breath worse, as she was already on the verge of hyperventilating.

She wasn't sure how long she was in that position, but it was apparently long enough for Chris to realize that something might've been wrong. She hadn't even heard him come in. "Kitsune, are you-" Chris cut himself off, seeing his shorter friend having a panic attack on her bed.

He speed-walked over, sitting next to her and holding her up a little. "It's ok, it's alright... I've got you..." He tried to soothe her, running his hand through her hair. Kitsune gripped onto his vest, quivering. "Deep breaths, darling... It'll be ok..." Chris whispered to her, rubbing her back as she leaned her head against his chest. His heartbeat was audible, allowing Kitsune to calm down a little.

"Just focus on my voice and my heartbeat, alright? It's going to be ok, just breathe." He said, helping her even out her breathing- occasionally gently squeezing her shoulder out of reassurance. After a few more minutes, Kitsune had finally settled down. She sighed softly, slumping over and resting her head on his lap.

"Feel any better?" Chris asked, rubbing her back. "Yeah, a bit... I haven't had a panic attack in a while... Can't say I missed them, heh..." The redhead tried to lighten the mood.

'In a while? So she's had panic attacks for? That's... worrying...' Chris thought. He could worry about that later, though. For now, he had to get to the bottom of what caused this particular panic attack. "If I may ask, dear... What... happened?" He asked.

With a deep breath, Kitsune sat up. "My... My mom texted me... S-She fired me, and... I guess I broke down..." She explained. "I-I don't know what I'm gonna do- I have to pay my phone bill soon.." She added.

Chris hummed a bit, getting an idea. "If you don't mind me making a suggestion, darling..." He spoke up, getting Kitsune's attention. "How would you like to work at the antique shop with me?" He offered.

Kitsune's eyes lit up a little, half out of surprise, and half out of hopefulness. "R-Really? You'd let me?" She asked. Chris smiled, ruffling her hair. "Yes, of course! If you're up for it of course." He remarked.

Kitsune eagerly nodded. "Y-Yeah, sure! I'd love to!" She chirped. "Then it's settled- you're hired. Later in the day, we'll go to the antique shop. Sound good?" Chris asked, Kitsune nodding once again.

"Wonderful." Chris said, before glancing down at the dress on his friend. "Hmm.. Your outfit is really beautiful, but it's missing something... One moment, please." He remarked, standing up and walking out of the room.

Kitsune waited patiently, albeit somewhat confused. He said her outfit was missing something. What could he mean by that?

After a moment, Chris came back- some type of accessory in his hand. Sitting back down in front of Kitsune, he pushed a bit of hair out of her face and held it to the side of his head. Kitsune was somewhat thankful at how focused he was on whatever it was he was doing, as her face was quite a bit red from the close contact. She never told anyone about it, but she had quite a big crush on him. And the current situation she was in was most definitely NOT helping.

"Aaaaand... Done. Perfect." Chris finally said, smiling as he gestured to the mirror in the room. "Have a look." He said. Humming in curiosity, Kitsune stood up and walked over to the looking glass. In her hair was a black rose hairpin.

"Do you like it?" Chris asked. Kitsune nodded, turning around as she smiled at him. "Yes, a lot! Thank you!" She chirped. Chris smiled, standing up. "I'm glad. Anyways, come along." He started.

"You and I have quite the day ahead of us."