Chapter Text
He held the stuffed fox plushie tightly in his arms, peeking behind the open front door. Papa and dad were busy, having disappeared into the large shack that he was sure held all the farming equipment that his dads used for the farm. He wouldn’t know, he wasn’t allowed in there without papa or dad with him. Fundy frowned, tail drooping to the ground, ears pressed to the top of his head. He wanted to play with papa and dad, but they’d told him to play with his plushie - which he had named Fungi - instead. He huffed, turning away from the front door and stumbling deeper into the quiet and empty house. He stopped by the stairs, thinking whether he should stay in the living room or go upstairs to his room. Maybe he could hide somewhere and surprise his dads.
Fundy turned towards the kitchen, giggling to himself at the thought of hiding in one of the cupboards. Dad liked to cook, so maybe he could surprise dad when he got back to make lunch. He began to head to the kitchen, humming a tune that his dad liked to do whenever he was happy. Fundy liked it when dad was happy, it made papa happy too. On his way to the kitchen, he had to pass through the small main hallway, meaning that he needed to go past the door to the basement too. Fundy shivered, pausing at the door, plushie dropping to the floor while he stared up in awe. Papa and Dad told him never to go down there… but it was a perfect hiding spot!
He looked back, ears straining to hear any noise that would show that his dads had come into the house. The silence greeted him. He snickered, low and fox-like, before reaching up towards the shiny (Fundy liked shiny things!) doorknob. He turned it, the door creaking open, the horrid stench of dust and something old coming up from the basement. With the door finally open, he gazed down at the stairs that led deep into darkness. He whimpered, it was too dark down there!
But it was perfect! He took a deep breath, crouching low to the ground before slowly descending into the basement. The horrible scent grew stronger, making his eyes tear up, little coughs coming out of him in short bursts. He placed a hand against his nose, breathing through his mouth. That way he couldn’t smell it! He kept his other hand pressed against the wall, the wooden walls of the farmhouse turning into rough stone the further he went into the basement.
After a few minutes, he reached the bottom. He let out a yip, tail wagging behind him in excitement. He’d never been inside the basement before. He looked around, eyes adjusting to the dark, happy to find that his eyes were working as they should. Dad said that he had the ability to see in the dark, but he hadn’t been sure since he’d never been in complete darkness before…
Papa and dad always hung small lanterns around the house at night.
He looked around, eyes settling on the black curtain that blocked the rest of the basement. He reached out a hand, dust dancing across his skin. He sniffled before gently pulling up the curtain. It was heavy and made of rough cloth that rubbed against the palm of his hand in a manner that he found to be very uncomfortable. He managed to lift enough of it to grant him a small access at the bottom. He quickly squeezed himself through the gap before the curtain could drop down.
He gawked at the long hallway of doors. There was a small table at the end of the hall, but Fundy didn’t want to look at that yet, too amazed by the many doors that lined the walls beside him. He glanced at them, fingers reaching towards rusty metal that groaned beneath his touch. The first door didn’t have a handle on it, but it did have a lock where Fundy was sure a key could fit into. What was weird were the barred windows on every door. He couldn’t really look into them, being too short (papa said he’d grow tall like dad someday!). He huffed, biting the inside of his cheek before turning to the other doors. Just like the first door, all of them didn’t have a handle, just a keyhole. He crossed his arms across his chest, this wasn’t a very good hiding place at all!
His nose scrunched up, tail drooping against the ground before he remembered that there was one thing that he hadn’t checked yet. Fundy turned towards the table, quickly scampering towards it that he ended up tripping on the way. He felt knee bump into the concrete ground, pain blossoming across his skin, but Fundy tried to ignore it. He wasn’t hurt! It was just a little bump! He huffed, slowly walking to the table. The closer he got to it, he noticed the box resting on top of the table. His eyes widened, giggling and clapping his hands together. “Oooohhhh, a secret!”
His fingers curled around the box, frowning when he was unable to lift it. He glanced at the carvings, tracing with his finger the many red lines that decorated the box’s exterior. He’d never seen something like it before. Fundy’s eyes widened when he realized that there wasn’t a lock of sorts on the box. He could open the box! He let out an excited squeal. His fingers found the edge of the cover, dipping into the small crevice that would help him open the box. With his tail wagging behind him, he slowly tried to push the box open. It was heavy, heavier than the curtain and heavier than anything he’s ever tried to lift before. He gritted his teeth, clawless hands gripping and pushing upwards. The box finally budged open. Fundy let out a happy yip, trying to peek inside. But before he could see what was inside, a hand reached out to snap the box close.
He whined, stomping his foot. He glanced over at papa who was clutching at his chest. Fundy frowned, feeling bad when he noticed the panicked look in his papa’s face. Did Fundy put that look there? His papa wrapped an arm around his shoulders, directing him away from the box. He glanced back, disappointed that he hadn’t seen what was inside. He really wanted to see what was inside. His ears and tail drooped down in shame, eyes turning towards his papa. “Papa…?”
“Fundy, what did papa and dad tell you about the basement?”
“That… that I’m not allowed to go into the basement…” He whimpered, hugging his tail closer to himself. Papa had crouched down in front of him, a hand reaching to clasp him by the shoulder. He tilted his head, resting it against his papa’s hand. His papa’s lips quirked up, but he stopped before a smile could appear on his face. Fundy bit the inside of his cheek, turning his gaze towards the floor. His papa wasn’t smiling. He felt tears pool at the corner of his eyes. He’d made his papa upset. Fundy felt hot tears run down his cheeks, hiccupping when little sobs began to break through his previous fear. The hand moved away. “Papa… Papa are you mad at me?”
“No. Papa is not mad, Papa is just disappointed.” The hand came back, cupping his cheek. Fundy leaned into the touch, a thumb brushing away his tears while his papa reached out to pull him closer. Papa held him in his arms, the silence bearing on Fundy’s ears. He liked it when dad hummed… but dad wasn’t with them. His papa waited for him to calm down, warm arms wrapping around him. Fundy curled into the embrace, burying his face against his papa’s clothes. He could feel his papa’s head resting on top of his, a hand running up and down his back. After the sobs had died down, his papa adjusted his hold, lifting Fundy up and into his arms. He rested his head on his papa’s shoulder, his crying fit had exhausted him. He had been scared… scared that his papa was mad at him… “It’s dark down here… did you get hurt anywhere at all, honey?”
He sniffled, pointing down at his knee. His papa looked down, a frown appearing on his face. Fundy wasn’t sure if his papa could see in the dark, if his eyes were also special, but he could see the large gash against his own skin. He whined, not unused to such pain. He was very clumsy, that’s what papa and dad told him. His papa held him closer, turning to leave the basement before pausing right in front of the heavy dark curtains. Fundy looked up at him, watching with wide and curious eyes. His papa had reached inside one of his jacket pockets, bringing out一 “Fungi!”
His papa finally smiled, easily pulling the curtain away to make a path for them to leave. Fundy held the plushie in his arms, content and completely forgetting the secret he had wanted to see just a few minutes ago. They began to ascend the stairs, his papa reaching to ruffle a hand through his hair. He yipped happily, feeling slightly bashful when his papa pulled away and there were bits of dirt that clung to his palm. His papa pushed open the door, fresh air filling Fundy’s lungs the moment they left the basement. His papa turned to close the door, murmuring to himself so fast that Fundy wasn’t able to hear what it was that he had said. His papa carried him to the kitchen, where his Dad was already waiting. His dad looked nervous, pacing the length of the room before his dad’s eyes settled on him. “Was he in the basement? George, did he see一”
“He didn’t.” His papa placed him on one of the chairs, ruffling his hair before turning towards his dad. His dad winced, eyes scrunching close before backing off towards the stove. His papa sat down beside him, both hands reaching to hold his. Fundy let his papa hold them, knowing that he still did a bad thing. His papa gently held his hands, a smile appearing on his face despite the visible worry in his eyes. “Fundy, papa and dad don’t want you entering the basement again, okay? It’s very dusty down there, and the doors are very old, they could collapse on you.”
“We just don’t want to hurt yourself, my little champion.” He looked up, his dad placing a piping hot meal in front of him on the table. His dad leaned closer, petting his ears before scratching behind them. Fundy grinned, tail wagging excitedly. He liked being scratched behind the ears. It made him feel really happy. “Do you promise papa and dad never to go down there again?”
“I promise!”
His papa smiled, letting go of his hands.
His dad chuckled, “Let’s have lunch then.”
George glared at his husband from across the room, their son happily playing outside.
“I told you to always make sure that the basement door is always locked!”
“I forgot…”
He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
At least Fundy didn’t see what was inside.