A SILENT HOWL [Bigby/F!Reader]

[03]

"Fuckin' hell— I'm telling ya the truth!"

Tossing aside the stained metal rod, Bigby glares at the Toad. Across both of them rested [F/n], who's ears carefully picked apart every comment.

[F/n] had her hand planted on her hip, eyes narrowed at the toad. The slight irritation doesn't go unnoticed on her face as she shook her head disapprovingly.

"Hearing both of you bitch at each other is giving me a migraine."

Toad holds his tongue. Peering at the door leading to his son's room, Toad nods out a defeated sigh.

The sheriff kneels besides a shattered lamp, he picks at the pieces, dropping a few back down. Hearing the clattering sound, [F/n] takes a few steps towards him as he fiddled about with the glass.

His eyes track over the evidence of the quarrel, then back to Bigby.

"These story have made no sense." Bigby begins, tossing the piece back on the ground as he stood back up. "You didn't cut yourself on the poker. You didn't forget your keys. You wanna tell me what's going on?"

There was no hiding it.

Toad junior peers out his room and emerges alone, door creaking, which temporarily grabs everyone's attention. The kid stumbles over to hug his dad for comfort, whimpering quietly. Toad runs a hand over the back of his head nervously.

Reeling it back, it's apparent he'd also suffer injuries. Proving so by revealing the crimson liquid that stained his fingers.

"You're... Bleeding." [F/n] mumbles.

"Take off the hat." Bigby orders, seeing as Toad complies almost shameful at the fact.

The fox fished for something underneath her cloak. [F/n]'s hand emerges out with a handkerchief. Applying it to his head, Toad accepts the fabric and presses it gently against his own wound.

Toad takes a seat on an upside-down crate of milk.

"It was that... butcher, a Tweedle. Dum or Dee, you gotta strip 'em down to their johnnies before you can tell which is which." He spat angrily, his lips creased downward. "He comes bargin' in, screaming 'bout something the Woodsman had, or thought he had... I don't know. He tore up the place, beat me up when I said I didn't have it."

Toad points his glare at Bigby. "And if you had come when I asked you too, maybe he wouldn'ta had the nerve to strong arm me boy." His tone was fierce, justifiably.

There's a brief pause. The sheriff looks over at the Fox, arms crossed. "I thought you ran here when I went to Lawrence's."

"I did, I'm here am I not?" [E/c] eyes roll. Bigby's brows furrowed angrily as he shifted his figure in her direction. [F/n] sighs exaggeratedly. "Well unlike you sheriff I couldn't exactly catch a cab. When I got here he was already gone." She huffed.

Toad's expression scrunches, lids turning to a slight glare.

"The fuck do ya' think a fox is gonna do? It's always the fuckin' same with you, isn't it, Bigby? If I'm in trouble, need help, if I call 'bout somethin' you always take the live long day to get here! What if he'd done somethin' worse, aye?" Toad asked. "I'm tired of feelin' trivial, mate. A lot of us are."

"What was he looking for?"

Another moment in silence passes when Toad breaks his anger, replacing it with concern.

"I 'ave no idea. I would've told you— I wanted to, really I did. But he said if word o' this ever got back to him, if he ever thought you knew, he'd come back an' kill my boy. I even tried giving the bastard her coat."