Natural Affinity

Publicity

"I don't understand what you don't like about him, he seems perfectly normal!"

    After visiting Fred and being dropped off at home, Joana decided to confront Zyon about his behavior during that time. Even though she was preoccupied with her questions, she could see that the coyote was tense. She understood that he was worried about what would happen with the human around, but the way he stared at him was a bit much. He sighed as his ears fell flat, his legs dangling off the edge of the black bed.

"I know that, it's just...", he paused for a moment, "Something doesn't feel right about him, you know? It's like..something's just probing me constantly and I can't shake it off. I know you think he's safe, but I can't shake the feeling that..he might hurt you or someone else."

Joana's eyes widened at that, her heart skipping a beat. She knew the coyote could be difficult at times, but underneath the hard shell was a caring male. It was that personality that made her fall in love with him. His eyes may seem hardened to some, but she could see a light inside them- a gentle light that wanted to envelop everything it held dear. That was what worried Zyon: not the mystery behind Fred, but the unknown danger that everyone could be in.

She got up and stepped closer to him, cupping his cheek with a hand and causing him to look her in the eyes.

"I know you care a lot about others, but I'm sure everything will be okay.", she said gently, "Just look at me! I was right beside the tablet when it blew, and I'm spotless. So is everyone else. If it were caused by someone, I'm sure they would've wanted at least some furries to get hurt- Fred included, but we don't have to worry about that. I still have to help find out how the tablet got him here and how it can send him back, so until then all we can do is wait."

He was frozen for a second, but perked up with a small smile. He chuckled lightly as he rested his head on the fox's shoulder.

"Did I ever mention how much I love you?"

"Yes, a lot."

~~*~~

Weeks passed after Fred's unexpected arrival to Bovington, and things progressed slowly. The investigation into the tablet was still going with few leads. Even with the new information the human gave, they couldn't activate it. They even called in those with special abilities, but they still found no luck.

Meanwhile, the boy grew accustomed to living with Jack and Tom. They all got along very well, and even grew closer to one another. Tom was able to click perfectly with him, as they were both teenagers and had similar interests. Fred had a few moments where he was apprehensive, but found himself slowly breaking out of his shell thanks to the bears. He started to think of Jack as a special uncle, as the stories about his past made him interested in the world he was in. It made him wonder about the world outside the house he had to stay in, but part of him was scared of how the public would react.

Whether fortunate or not, that time approached.

~~*~~

"Y-you what?"

The air inside the large office was tense and uneasy. C had called Jack and told him to bring Fred to his office. He didn't explain why, but the bear had a few ideas for what it was. Tom was already at school, so this only left the two. When the reason for their being called was revealed, however, the human did a double take in order to keep his heart at normal pace.

"I'm planning on revealing you to the public in a press conference.", the coyote said in his usual tone of unnerving neutrality.

The boy shook slightly as his mind conflicted what emotion to feel. On one side, he was excited because he may finally be able to go out and explore instead of staying inside. On the flip side, he was terrified- and not just because of the reaction. C said press conference, and the word "press" automatically meant "news". The amount of attention he could get from it... The things that would be said.

He stopped after a few seconds and sighed, "What if... I mean, they might..ugh.", he groaned to himself in frustration.

"You're worried about their reaction, aren't you?", Jack asked, getting a small nod. He honestly couldn't blame Fred for feeling that way, as the media had a rather skewed reputation. The internet also had it's downs- mostly with drama. C got up from his chair and walked over to the boy, placing a hand on his head and making him look up. The coyote's eyes changed, holding a gentleness in them instead of the stoic stone.

"Don't worry.", he said gently, "I'll make sure they know you're harmless. I won't say anything about Jack, though, since you still need to stay somewhere."

Fred was silent for a moment, not expecting such a thing to be said by C. If anything, Jack would be one to say it, maybe even Lex! C, however, was different. When he first looked into his eyes, he saw a dominance. It was different from Hector, as the husky's body language could reveal that easily. In comparison, the coyote's body language told very little. He always seemed firm in posture, which made sense seeing that he was chief of the OSI. Still, it was a shock to see him act so kind. The boy smiled, despite that. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

~~*~~

He was wrong, he was very wrong!

The boy watched from behind a curtain as C addressed a large crowd of furries, all of them either having a notepad or a camera. The coyote was standing behind a podium with a mic. His legs felt like gelatin as his heart raced. Jack was with him, but was unsure of how to approach the situation.

"I can't do this... I just can't!", the human said as he paced back and forth erratically.

The bear finally decided to speak, "I think you-"

"How am I supposed to go out there when I'm such a nervous wreck?"

"Fred-"

"I don't know if I can survive this!"

He jolted when his arms were forced to his sides and his body was turned. He looked up to see Jack looking down at him sternly, making him flinch involuntarily. His eyes softened and he spoke in a gentle tone.

"It'll be alright. I'm here for you, and so is Tom. If things don't go well, then that's that. It's no use stressing over what's inevitable."

The boy was silent for a moment, but smiled as he finally calmed down. He couldn't get out of it, so it was best to just face it and take what was coming to him. Jack smiled as well and ruffled the boy's hair, making him chuckle a bit. It wasn't long before C explained the museum incident, which was Fred's signal to go out.

As soon as he passed the curtain, the room exploded into flashes and questions. The boy was at least able to move his gaze from the cameras so as to not damage his eyes. Now he knew how celebrities feel like when they're hounded by paparazzi. After the chatter died down, a number of questions were asked, mostly concerning human culture and how they acted. The reporters were polite and didn't push too far. Everything seemed to go really well, and Fred was happy for that.