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Fundy quickly arrived at the right door, he took a deep breath letting it out slowly. He took one more big breath before raising his arm, and knocking on the door once. Twice. He lifted his hand to knock again when the door opened, flooding the darkened hallway in light.
“I hate you!” Fundy screamed at Wilbur before stomping to his room slamming the door shut to his bedroom.
“Slam that door again and you won’t have one!” Wilbur threatened, knowing himself he never would take Fundy’s door. Wilbur counted to ten in his head before walking out of the kitchen and to his own room knowing he wouldn’t get any sleep tonight even if it was only 2 am. Fundy, an ever rebellious teenager had sneaked into the apartment the second time that week past curfew– midnight which was longer than Philza had ever allowed Will himself– knowing Fundy was still learning who he was and dealing with his mother’s death only a year ago at the same time, trying to cut the fox some slack however hard Fundy was making it for himself. Sitting on his bed Wilbur turns to the framed photo on the nightstand. Picking it up gently and rubbing the cheek of his now dead wife, sally. They were all so happy back then. It was taken only two years ago. Before this whole mess started–before the awful life ruining news. Wilbur sighed, placing the photo back down, closing his eyes wondering what Sally would do differently than him once again.
Wilbur sighed the alarm going off for the second time in Fundy’s room, Wilbur himself drinking coffee and making breakfast for Fundy. The alarm shuts off and a grumpy Fundy walks in blinking slowly, still tired from last night confirming Fundy didn’t get much sleep either. Both of them rarely get good sleep after a fight. Wilbur takes one more sip of his coffee as Fundy sits on a stool at the counter yawning. Wilbur slides him a plate of waffles, Fundy's favorite, a subtle apology until after school when Fundy gets home from the school bus. After Fundy finishes eating, Wilbur speaks up. “Hey champ, I have a few errands to run so if you’re ready in ten minutes you can skip the bus if you want and ride with me.” Fundy looks at Wilbur for a moment before nodding and heads to his room leaving the plate for Wilbur to place in the sink. Even if Fundy was mad at Wilbur no anger was worth being able to skip the bus in the morning.
Now a minute from the school Wilbur speaks for the first time in a while. “Hey, you know I love you right? You just scare me when you stay out so late.” Fundy grumbles saying nothing knowing how this song and dance went. So to Fundy’s shock when Wilbur says nothing more than a goodbye when Fundy gets out of the car a soft bye is returned from Fundy’s part. Wilbur smiles softly as he drives away knowing Fundy appreciated not being hounded at 6 in the morning anymore having learned from past mistakes. Wilbur drives around doing his errands he had planned and working from home until about 2:30 a half hour before Fundy gets out of school. He drives to the local store already knowing what he’ll buy. He has had his eyes on this soft salmon plush for days and finally decided today was the day to get it. He waves to the familiar employees, Niki and Puffy. He beelines for the plush paying for it with only minimal small talk in order to get home before Fundy.
Fundy walked into the apartment calling out for Wilbur, stopping when he noticed something on the counter. It was a small basket and covering the inside was a soft looking almost familiar blanket with a note on top that read as: Fundy, my little champion come find me when you're ready to talk. Curious he gently took the note and blanket off the top of the basket only to be met with a salmon plushy and his favorite and comfort foods. Tearing up he gently grabs the salmon plushy sniffing it, tears flowing harder when he realized it faintly smelled of his mom. Grabbing the blanket he realized. It was hers. Wrapping it around his shoulders and over his head pinning his ears back, he heads to his dad’s room plush still in his hands.
Fundy knocks in the door hearing a faint come in from Wilbur. Fundy enters, wiping his tears quickly, finding Wilbur reading in his bed a quick look at the TV it had the show the three of them used to watch together. He fully enters climbing into bed at Wilbur's side leaning into him heavily sniffling. Wilbur marks his page placing the book down gathering Fundy in his arms who begins to cry again. Wilbur softly smiles, wiping away Fundy’s tears. “Oh Fundy,” Wilbur starts before clearing his throat. “I miss her too.” Fundy looks up to Wilbur, who has small tears in his eyes too. The two watch the show reminiscing well into late hours. And in the morning if Wilbur calls Fundy out of school for a three day weekend who could blame him truly.
Wilbur and Fundy do not fight until a week later on a Tuesday. Fundy doesn't get home until 4 am the latest he has ever gotten home, reeking of alcohol no less is when Wilbur puts his foot down. He and Fundy yell at each other for at least an hour, Wilbur grounding Fundy for a month and removing his curfew now going only dropping off and picking up Fundy until he is no longer grounded. Wilbur sends a fuming Fundy to bed with a pain pill and a glass of water, angry himself when he heads to bed.
Wilbur never expected to wake up to a missing Fundy only two hours later however. After he catches his breath he looks around noticing howtrashedFundy’s room is. Looking around more he notices rather than being kidnapped- after all why wouldn’t they leave a ransom note- it looks like Fundy ran away. Wilbur rushes to his nightstand looking for his wallet noticing it missing completely. It was confirmed. Fundy ran away. After Wilbur calms down and can go without throwing up thinking about Fundy, his little champion, lost. He calls the police reporting Fundy as a runaway his baby ran away. Wilbur calls the school reporting what happened and calls out of work until further notice. And while Wilbur wants to immediately rush out and look for his son he knows better and has to eat and get dressed first.
Wilbur rushes out the door the second he can, getting in the car to look for Fundy. He first goes to Sally's grave not having been here since her birthday. Wilbur wasn’t sure to cry in relief or despair that Fundy wasn’t there. Wilbur looks for Fundy all week from sunrise to sundown. He was convinced he was going crazy as he kept looking everywhere for the fox, seeing a glimpse of Fundy in the corner of his eyes, only when he looked to find nothing there disappointed. It was after week two of looking when Niki called to remind Wilbur to take a shower and eat that she also reminded Wilbur about the fact he could trace the credit cards history as Wilbur never called to cancel the cards. After an hour long agony of a phone call Wilbur found out Fundy had gone nowhere and was supposedly still in town. However that didn't give Wilbur much hope as the city was huge, heck his neighborhood was around a hundred people with all the buildings being apartments.
It had been just about a month and a half and Wilbur had gotten really depressed and snappy, frustrated at his lack of progress. His work had called twice now threatening to fire him if he didn’t come back and yet, Wilbur didn’t care. He and Niki had gotten closer as she came about twice a week to check up on Wilbur and report if she saw anything. And while Wilbur didn’t have the best relationship with Philza, the man had been trying his best to be there for Wilbur. Philza had been calling Wilbur daily asking him questions about anything other than Fundy trying- and failing- to get Wilbur to think about something else. And while Wilbur had thought of it he couldn’t bring himself to drink alcohol, it was one of the things Sally had helped him quit about a year after Fundy was born and he couldn’t relapse knowing how disappointed she’d be. Yet every day it got harder. Wilbur barely slept anymore and Niki had interfered with being able to get Wilbur to sleep for the first time in almost a week. During this time Wilbur had been able to meet Puffy more and meet Puffy’s and Niki’s pets in an attempt to get Wilbur to stop searching for Fundy 24/7 in the early stages.
Fundy was so, so cold . He had been cold when his mom died. This was a whole new level of cold. World of cold. Once again Fundy wondered if running away was a smart choice. Fundy had been struggling to survive as a runaway in town let alone if he left. He couldn’t even bring himself to leave town, constantly running away when Wilbur almost found him hood down low on his head. He had planned to leave town the day he ran but couldn’t bring himself to. Now almost a month and some days later, he didn’t know as his sense of time was lost. Fundy was starving, realizing early on that if he used his dad’s credit card Wilbur would track him down quickly. Now Fundy was walking up his dad’s street head hung low. Fundy couldn’t do it.He admits defeat. He had tried so many times and yet, every time he would end up back here. Looking up to the street name he had been forced to memorize as a young kid. Fundy took a deep breath letting it out as a sigh, huffing the duffel bag higher on his shoulder, tail swishing in anxiety. He went into his dad’s apartment building knowing the way by heart.
Fundy quickly arrived at the right door, he took a deep breath letting it out slowly. He took one more big breath, releasing it again before raising his arm, and knocking on the door once. Twice. He lifted his hand to knock again when the door opened, flooding the darkened hallway in light. Wilbur stood there rumpled hair and all. Wilbur gasped before covering his mouth in shock, tears streaming down his face. Fundy waved awkwardly before clearing his throat. “Hey dad, I’m home.” Wilbur sobs harder before throwing his arms around Fundy crying “My little champion! He's back!”
Fundy laughs a little before leaning into his dad’s warm embrace muttering with tears running down his cheeks,“Yeah, yeah dad I'm home. For good this time”
“Oh my little champion-” Wilbur starts before pulling Fundy away from himself, anger in his face “don't you ever think of running off again mister!” pulling Fundy back into the bone crushing hug.
Fundy huffs before answering “Never dad, never again and I'm sorry for all the fights and i-” Wilbur hushes his son, leading him inside the apartment closing the door. Fundy looks down guilty that he’s the reason Wilbur is crying still.
“Now that you’re home there is so much to discuss” Wilbur murmurs “tomorrow. Starting tomorrow. Tonight? You and I are going to fall asleep together” Wilbur finishes. Fundy looks up smiling softly.
“I’d like that dad,” Fundy murmurs back.