Addicted Struggle

A Story by Vlad

Vinzent watched as his now ex-boyfriend slammed the door and left, probably for good this time. Angry, hurt and frustrated from the huge fight they just had and the fact their close relationship had just ended he turned and went to his bedroom. Adrenalin was still flowing through his body and his paws slightly shook from shock and anger as he went to a big floor to ceiling book case with ornate woodwork.

He got a very ornate carved wood box and opened it up. Inside was an array of drugs, his so called "fun box" as he sometimes referred to it. He ran a fingertip over the array of bottles and vials filled with illicit drugs. He wanted something, anything to kill the emotional pain and anguish. Something to burn the memories away and make him forget who he was. Something that would blast him into a vague state of existence so he wouldn't have to deal with his troubles or the world.

He picked up a baggie half filled with heroin and picked up a clean syringe. He prepared some of the drug and sucked it into the syringe with eager eyes. With a fast jabbing motion inserted it into a vein in his arm. Before he pressed the plunger he looked closely at it and suddenly an overwhelming sense of terror set in. He stared down at it in horror as his mind began racing faster and faster.

It was his fault. All of it was. The fight, the break up, the fact he just lost someone he loved, the fact he was growing apart from his father, the addiction, everything. He had no one to blame but himself. He pulled it from his arm and laid it on the lid of the box. He watched as a small drop of blood oozed from where the needle had been before he got to his shaky legs. He went to his bathroom as the terror began to ramp up. He stripped naked and stared at himself in the mirror.

His skin hung on his frame, his fur had long since lost it's shine and luster, his eyes were dull and his tail wasn't as bushy or full as it once was. He looked sickly and thin. He ran a paw though his chest fur and felt his racing heart as he stared at his weak, pathetic looking body. "Dear god..." He looked much older than he should.

He went back into his room to see a bottle of pills next to the box. He stared down at it as he realized that he was a drug addict. He had abused drugs, hard drugs. Pain killers, uppers, downers, muscle relaxers, cold drugs, ecstasy, heroin and even things he didn't even know.

All of them made him into something he wasn't. They turned the friendly, business minded fox into a angry, irritable monster with a hair trigger that lashed out at anyone and everyone. He piled everything back into the box and closed it before he shoved it away and climbed into bed. The soft silk sheets against his nude body were slightly comforting as he continued to think about everything that was flooding into his mind.

The drugs, the way he acted, the fact that he insulted the homeland of his boyfriend and his lifestyle made him so ashamed of himself it was physically painful. Deep in the pit of his stomach was a dull churning feeling that wouldn't go away. It was his fault. That kept repeating over and over in his mind as he finally admitted that was an addict.

He curled up in a tight ball as tight as his body would allow and cried. His body lurched with sobs as he clenched his fists as tight as he could. It was all gone. His friends, his passion for life, the one fur whom he loved more than anyone in the entire world, all of it. All he had was a box of drugs and those weren't going to hug him him and hold him as they told him how much they loved and cared about him.

He had nothing but his drug raged body that was beginning to fall apart. He tried in vain to silence his mind and sleep but his thoughts kept throwing things at him like "Just pop one, it'll make it all go away." and "All it takes is just one dose and you'll sleep wonderfully, go on SHOOT UP!" But he refused to give in.

"NO! NO MORE! NOT NOW, NOT EVER!" Screamed out the fox into the darkness of the night. "YOU WILL NOT WIN ANYMORE!" He shivered and shuddered under the blankets and cried until he was so exhausted he couldn't even move anymore. He just laid still slowly breathing until his body finally gave up and let him pass out.

He awoke an hour later in a ice cold sweat. He grabbed a near by tissue since his nose had started to run. He felt sick to his stomach and ached all over. A deep ache in his muscles and bones that just wouldn't go away no matter what position he was in. Worst of all though was the craving. He had felt it earlier but now it was much worse.

A gnawing, burning desire for drugs. Anything and everything his body and mind didn't care it just wanted drugs and a lot of them, more than he could handle. He curled up in a tight ball and tried to force it from his mind with every ounce of strength he had but it just wasn't going to work. No matter how hard he tried it just got worse and worse.

Finally he had to come to terms with something, he wasn't going to be able to do this by himself. He had passed the point of no return in that regard the first time he had used heroin. He sat up in bed softly crying to himself as he realized that he was going to need to go to a rehabilitation clinic. Rehab. There was no denying it, he was only in the beginning stages of withdrawal since he hadn't taken it earlier and he was already a mess.

He pushed his blankets back and nearly collapsed to the floor when he stood. He was getting weak from lack of sleep and not eating anything. He made his way back to the bathroom where he struggled to get his clothes back on to his sickly body before going back out into his room. He got one bag and packed it with a few changes of clothes and his mobile phone charger.

He then got another bag and dumped the not so fun box into it so they would know everything that he had been on over the years and what he was on now. The next problem the fox had to tackle was how to get there. He knew where he had to go, the Brookhaven Psychiatric Research Center had a drug rehab wing that was the best in Old World but the problem was Brookhaven was north of Empire City by quite a ways.

No taxi would travel that far and he was clearly in no condition to be driving. Calling Vlad was certainly out of the question as was calling his father. He figured he would be beyond furious. He briefly thought about reaching out to Rheinhardt. The hyena would probably do it but it would filter back to his father way too fast. He sat next to his bags and sobbed into his paws. Now that he admitted everything to himself and wanted to get help he had no way to get there.

He was beginning to consider taking a dose of heroin since it would allow himself to drive there but in the end he flatly refused to do it. He turned to the phone book to try to find some way to get there and after browsing the yellow pages all he could find that would go that far were limo services and that would cost quite a large amount of money.

Finally he called the facility at Brookhaven hoping hey would have advice for him. "Brookhaven Psychiatric Research Facility main office, how may I help you?" He stared at his phone a moment before working up the nerve. "Uh, hi. I'm uh..." He trailed off prompting the fur on the other end to say "It's okay, you don't need to be shy. We've seen and heard it all and we keep it in very strict confidentiality."

He took a deep breath. "I need to enter the drug rehab program but I've run out of options on how to get there." He heard them typing. "Okay, I'm sure we can work something out. Have you recently used?" He glanced at the box containing the drugs. "Twenty four hours ago I used heroin, forty eight hours ago I used a muscle relaxer but I've been on way more over the years. I'm entering withdrawal or else I'd drive myself..."

The other fur had a concerned tone. "I'd strongly advise you to NOT get behind the wheel of a vehicle sir. We can send someone to pick you up and bring you to the facility so you may enter the rehabilitation program but it will be an added cost." Vinzent sighed softly. "Then I'll gladly pay. This needs to stop and I cannot do it alone..."

The fur was quick to reassure him. "We'll be more than happy to help you sir. All I need is your name, age, species and location." He blew his nose since it was getting a bit worse. "Vinzent Zotkins, I'm twenty five and I'm a red fox. I live at the Rock River Tower, I'll be in the lobby." After a short spell of typing sounds she spoke up. "Okay Mr. Zotkins someone will be on the way soon, I hope the best for you on your journey to sobriety."

He quietly thanked her and laid down on his couch for awhile since it would be at least two hours before they even got to Empire City's limits. The time passed by in a vague state as he soon found himself in the lobby waiting for whom ever it was that was going to take him to a place that would hopefully help him get well.

It wasn't too long before a white van stopped out front. An older wolf came in and looked around. Once his eyes settled on a sickly looking red fox with two bags he quietly approached them. "Would you happen to be Vinzent?" He looked up with tired, bloodshot eyes. "Yeah..." The wolf stuck out his paw. "Hi there, I'm Tom. I'm here to take you to Brookhaven."

He grabbed his bags and got up with a wince. He was getting more and more sore by the minute now that pain killers weren't flooding his system. He put his stuff in the side door and climbed into the front seat with a tired sigh. "You might as well lean the seat back and try to get some rest on the ride there." Vinzent silently nodded as he tipped it back a bit but watched the drive though the cool afternoon air.

Eventually after the nondescript nature of the highway got boring he leaned back a bit further and fell asleep for a short while. He had awoke as they were entering Brookhaven so he got to see the approach to the place. He had seen it before but never truly appreciated the size of the place. The main building was seven stories tall and had two massive wings off either side of the main building. There were several other buildings scattered around it's grounds including the infamous building for the so called "Criminally Insane" that had razor wire around it.

Vinzent on the other hand was going to a much more happy place than that. The drug rehabilitation section was on one end of the east wing. It was separated from the rest of the building by security doors that were locked to prevent anyone from wandering away. The van pulled to a stop by a set of doors and it seemed as if they were waiting for him.

Two furs in white doctor's coats came out to assist him. "Are you okay to walk?" He shrugged and winced. "I think so. God, I ache all over. Muscles, bones, it all hurts so much." A lynx put a paw on his shoulder and arm to help out step down from the van. "That's going to happen I'm afraid, all part of everything leaving your system."

Vinzent sighed. "Figures..." A muscle in his arm twitched rather suddenly. "That's going to happen too." He groaned. "I'm going to twitch?" The lynx nodded. "I'm afraid so. This way, we'll get you started on the detox part of things. I'm not going to lie to you, it's going to be a rough ride." Vinzent silently nodded knowing it was going to be a hard ride.

They brought him in and directly to a room. The quiet cat with the Lynx set his bags down inside the door. "The smaller one has all of my drugs to show what I've been on and for them to be destroyed." They quickly took it back as the lynx nodded. "I'll look it over and in a few moments I'll be back to give you some pills that will help flush everything from your system. Try to make yourself as comfortable as possible."

He laid down on the bed with a deep sigh. "Here we go." A short while later the pure white cat came back and gave him a cup of pills and a small glass of water. "Take these and try to get some rest the best you can." He swallowed them with ease and curled up under the blankets as he shivered a bit. "I got myself into this and I can get back out. I know I can."

He needed to reassure himself as a few muscles twitched again as a wave of coldness sunk into his body. As much as he tried he could go to sleep. He pushed back the blankets as he realized he was getting quite warm and that the shivering was probably just twitching from the withdrawal process taking the claws of addiction out of him.

A nurse came to check on him after an unknown amount of time had passed. He was feeling drowsy and in a strange vague state. "How are you feeling Mr. Zotkins?" He shifted weakly to face the voice. "Everything hurts, I can't sleep. It's so hot in here too..." She nodded with a sad expression. "I'm sorry sir there's nothing we can do about that."He struggled to nod and let himself go limp once more. A short while later he either went to sleep or passed out.

He awoke sometime late at night and rolled over to get out of bed only to fall to the floor in weakness. He crawled to the bathroom to throw up a bit harder than he thought he would. He could see a bit of blood before he flushed it all away and fell back against the bathtub wishing he wasn't so weak. He couldn't remember when he last ate and for a split second wanted something to take the edge off. That snapped him back to reality as he silently swore at himself and reminded himself that's what got him there.

It was a struggle but he made it back to his bed and felt a strange coolness as he got in. He realized the sheets were soaked in sweat. It was gross but there was nothing he could do for his energy was gone. As hey lay staring up at the ceiling the room moved a bit in a few rolling waves before he slipped away.

While Vinzent was seeking help for his troubles Vlad was full of self loathing. He was at his building at the Harpertown port but hadn't bothered to open for business that day. He leaned back in the chair at his desk staring at a picture of Vinzent and himself. In the background was Vinzent's helicopter and Vlad had his arm around him.

They were both smiling, laughing and having a great time. It was a picture of happier times and he missed them dearly. He snuffed back tears as he looked at the blue haired fox. He had loved him deeply and part of him still did. He reached out to put the picture back with a few others and got up to go down stairs at the port. It was a nice, sunny day with clear skies. The perfect kind of day to be outside to enjoy it but without his fox by his side it was far from perfect.

Vlad had his suspicions about Vinzent's habits but never said anything because it would just upset and anger the fox but now he wished he had confronted him. It was obvious something was wrong as his appearance slowly degraded and he became more and more confrontational and easy to anger. It was right then that a thought struck Vlad. He might be able to salvage their relationship if he had an intervention.

Involving Molotov wasn't something Vlad wanted to do so he was going to confront him solo the first time and if he couldn't get though to him then he'd consider going to his father. With out another moment's hesitation he went to go find him. Both his car and truck were at the penthouse but he wasn't answering the call button.

Thinking it wouldn't work he tried his elevator code anyway only to find it did still work. He had never given his key back so he went inside looking for the fox but the place was empty. Bothered by this he went to the Swift Fox Shipping offices but he wasn't there either.

He caught one of the work foremen and borderline interrogated him. "Where's the boss?" They had an uneasy look. "Uh, he's out right now can I take a message?" Vlad frowned. "Cut the bullshit. Where is he?" He looked around for assistance but Vlad grabbed his shirt. "SPILL IT." They swallowed hard. "I don't know for sure he just said he was going to be out of town for a while and never said where. He just said he was going someplace to get his life in order, that's it I swear!"

That really bothered him since it was so vague so he decided it was time to involve another fur. Still not wanting to get Molotov involved in case he was to blame for things he called the only other fur who could really help, Rheinhardt.

Over in Midtown Rheinhardt was slowly becoming more and more frustrated as he kept racing against others in a game and not quite overtaking the car in first place. "Fuck this shit!" Shouted the hyena as he tossed the controller onto the coffee table. Molotov smirked. "Easy there ball of fire." He sighed as he checked his new text message.

He raised an eyebrow when Vlad wanted to meet him alone at his building. "Looks like I gotta go take care of something I'll be back in a bit." After sliding into his trademark trench coat he was soon off to Harpertown to meet with the other hyena.

After telling him everything Rheinhardt sighed. "Well that is quite the problem. Does the big guy know any of this?" Vlad shook his head. "I doubt it. I didn't say anything and I can't see Vinzent saying something to him. It just bothers me, what the hell did he mean and where did he go?"

Rheinhard sighed as he pulled his phone out. "Well it won't be hard to find him. Much like you for emergency purposes there's a locator in his phone that goes through the GPS system. Let's take a looksee and see where his phone is."

After a few moments it showed him his location on a map, the east side of a special place in Brookhaven. "Oh boy..." Vlad didn't like his reaction. "What? Where is he?!" Rheinhardt sighed. "Vlad I have no other choice than to turn to Molotov at this stage." Vlad's tone grew angry. "Tell me where he is." Rheinhardt shook his head. "Vlad you listen to me. Right now you'll do more harm than good. I'll keep you up to date but for now just go home and relax. Once I am positive he is safe I'll tell you okay? He's not in any serious trouble I can say that but just let me handle this for the time being. I know this pisses you off but deal with it."

He left before Vlad could mount an angry tirade at him. Once he got back to Midtown he went right to business. "We have a situation." Molotov didn't like how he had said it or his look. "What is it?" Rheinhardt sighed. "Vlad and Vinzent had a big fight and Vinzent dropped off the grid. He left some vague message at his office about going some place to get his life in order..."

Molotov was becoming a bit alarmed by what he was hearing. "Vlad went to talk to him and couldn't find him, both his vehicles are at his place so I used my phone to activate his locator..." He tossed it to him. "Oh god..." The big fox shook his head. "I'm going there. I need you to stay here and keep an eye on Vlad because god knows he isn't the most emotionally stable fur either."

Rheinhardt nodded. "Got it." Molotov grabbed a bag he kept packed in case he needed to leave in a hurry and left that moment for Brookhaven.

Back in the Brookhaven Vinzent was in a mild daze from the drugs, both illicit and detox. He knew the doctor and a nurse was in the room but couldn't make sense of what they were saying. Finally he saw a bowl and spoon on a tray that sat on a table near by. "Eat, food." is all that his brain could register so with assistance he got up and went over to sit at a small table and slowly fed himself a bland something from the bowl.

After it was gone he did feel a bit better so he laid down on the clean sheets they had changed as he ate. He could smell the fabric softener and snuggled down in them. He felt a little better and he clung to that fact.

Off in the reception area a big fox wasn't overly happy with what he was being told. "Why can't I see him? He's my son and I'm his father!" The nurse folded her ears back fearful of the big fox. "I'm sorry sir family can't see the patient while they are in detox. His chart states that no less than fifteen minutes ago he wasn't even coherent yet. Give him time, you can see him once he's moved to a residence room okay?" With an aggravated sigh he left to go back to his hotel room so he could try again tomorrow.

He was sitting in the hotel's cafe when he got a call from Rheinhardt. "How's it going?" The fox sighed. "I can't see him yet, I guess he's still pretty out of it. How's Vlad? Stable I hope." Rheinhardt laughed. "He's still mighty pissed I won't tell him anything but he's okay so far. I've been keeping a close eye on him from afar and tracking him pretty closely. So far the most interesting thing he's done is yell at a seagull before apologizing and giving it a french fry."

Molotov laughed a bit. "Yeah, he'll be fine. For now anyway but we both know he has a history of pretty serious depression so stay on him." Rheinhardt assured him he would and went back to his task. Vlad wasn't happy with either of them for keeping him in the dark but once Rheinhardt said he was in a secure location and promised him he was safe he reluctantly agreed to stop texting him non stop.

After a few more days of waking up, throwing up and going back to bed Vinzent woke up feeling much better than he had been. He still felt and looked terrible but he had control over his mind again and could weakly move about. He slid his footpaws onto the floor and went to open the blinds on a window. Much to his surprise the back side of the huge building was vastly different than it's front.

The front was all brickwork and all business. The back however was a huge fountain, benches, walking trails into a wooded area, it looked relaxing, happy and comfortable. He stood for what seemed like forever admiring it's beauty as the sun rose over the grounds. He turned when there was a soft knock to see the doctor. It was the same lynx that had been helping him the entire time.

He held out his paw. "It's high time I introduce myself. I'm Dr. Theodore Van Hoover, most just call me Dr. Hoover or just Hoover though." Vinzent nodded and shook his paw. "Vinzent Zotkins although I'm sure you knew that." He smiled. "Yes indeed I did. It's great to see you up and about though. I think we'll be moving you to a residence room today but first things first, hungry?"

Vinzent nodded. "Like you wouldn't believe." Hoover smiled. "Just remember to pace yourself and don't over do it." He followed him as he gestured. They walked though the halls to a open area that had a low wall separating things. On one side a few couches and several chairs were around a TV with carpet floors and on the other was a tile floor with a lot of round tables and chairs, clearly the cafeteria.

"We provide cigarettes if you wish to smoke them, the lesser of the evils for the furs here. The coffee station is usually going so that's always there too. The meals are three times a day at set times. Go grab some breakfast and I'll be back to show you to your room." Vinzent nodded and weakly went to get a tray with the usual breakfast foods.

He could see a lot of other furs staring at him as he went through the line. Several whispers and strange looks. At the end he was having a bit of trouble lifting the tray due to his weakness. "Here, I'll give you a hand with that." He turned to look at a tall fur in surprise. He was unlike anything he had seen before.

His torso was long, his ears were long and tapered to a point and were laid back at the moment. He seemed pretty well built too and had long black hair that hung to his shoulders. He watched the graphite grey colored fur lift his tray with one paw and move them over to a table in the corner. "Coffee?" Vinzent shyly nodded. "Yeah, sure..." He went and got them both some before sitting down.

All eyes were on the strange fur and the new guy as they ate. "To answer the questions you're afraid to ask I'm a Styrill, not a hybrid or mutation, yes we're aggressive and territorial, no I'm not going to harass you." Vinzent smiled a little. "Good to know."

They ate largely in silence with the strange Styrill creature making the occasional remark about the others. After taking his tray for him and refilling his coffee they stayed at the table while the others went off to do whatever. The Styrill broke the silence after a while. "You're Vlad's man aren't you?"

Vinzent looked at him in shock. "What?!" he smirked. "I recognize you from the pictures on his desk. He really likes the one of you two by the helicopter." Vinzent stared at him in shock and amazement. "That's why I helped you."

Vinzent stared in awe. "Who are you?" The Styrill lit a smoke before answering. "My name ain't real important but I go by Amp, stick to that since that's all furs know me by. I'm from the Lancer Colony of Styrills. I got hooked on some shit, mainly black tar heroin and cocaine. After an intervention from some friends my alpha decided to sent me here, the colony footed the bill luckily."

He took a sip of coffee and a drag from his smoke before he continued. "I met Vlad because he supplies the colony with those small gun things we use and a few other things. I used to hang out with him quite a bit during the day, guess you were always at work." Vinzent nodded as he studied the strange fur.

"What do you know about me?" Amp shrugged. "Not a lot. You're his boyfriend and apparently strung out on something. You look pretty rough so I'll hazard a guess that you're in the final stages of the whole withdrawal thing." Vinzent nodded. "Yeah, I was into a LOT of shit. Heroin landed me here finally."

Vinzent hesitated. "I don't know if we're together anymore..." He looked down at the table and sighed. "We had a huge fight and he walked out. I went to get fucked up and something happened. I stared down at a syringe in my arm and realized what I had done to myself. I was horrified. I stupidly tried to ride it out myself but eventually gave that up and came here..."

Amp nodded. "Wow, hardcore crash. What you experienced was called "the moment of clarity". You'll hear all about it in group therapy soon enough, trust me." After a few moments of quiet Amp spoke up. "If it was just a fight I doubt Vlad would leave you over it. He cares more about you than he does himself." He looked up at him to see him with a slight smile. "A few times he talked about how amazing it was to be with you and about all the stuff you'd do together. If anything this is just a bump in the road."

Vinzent sighed. "I hope your right..." He got up and patted his shoulder. "Hang in there, it'll all work out." He left as Hoover came over to speak with the fox. "Glad to see you're making friends already. I was going to put you with someone else but since you two seem to be hitting it off why don't I put you with..." he ran a finger down his clip board and stared at it strangely. "Uh, Amp. I'll have your bags moved to your room which is room 407. Any questions?"

Vinzent shook his head as he got up. "Good. If you ever do need anything at all feel free to always get in touch with me no matter the time, okay?" Vinzent nodded and thanked the friendly lynx as he got to his slightly shaky footpaws and headed for his room. Amp was there on his bed leaning against the wall with one leg up while the other rested flat. "Hey roomie..." Vinzent smiled as he sat on his bed.

"Hey. Just out of curiosity, why go by Amp? Hoover made a strange face when he saw your actual name on a clipboard." Amp laughed. "It's Víðarr. It's from Norse Mythology. Roughly translated it's "forest warrior" or something to that effect. I go by Amp because I like energy drinks and Amp is my favorite. Also my job within my colony is an electrician. Thus I became Amp because no one will ever pronounce Víðarr right." Vinzent smirked. "Amp is pretty cool..."

He slid his phone from his pocket and stared at it a moment before scrolling though the contact list. He stopped on Vlad thinking of calling the hyena to talk about what happened. He wanted to see if he was alright but at the last minute he lost his nerve too tried from it all to go though with it.

Around early afternoon a nurse came to their room. "Vinzent you have a visitor." He looked at her in a mixed expression. "Who is it?" She frowned. "They were quite firm that I don't tell you..." Vinzent sighed. "Fox or Hyena?" She hesitated. "Fox..." Vinzent groaned. "Figures..." Amp perked an ear. "Who is it?" Vinzent frowned as he got up. "Well since my brother lives in San Lucent I'm going to guess my Father."

Amp smiled a bit. "Good luck, I'll be here for you when you come back." He followed her though the halls back towards the front where he came to a room that was marked In Use. "They're waiting for you inside." He took a deep breath with his paw on the door knob before going inside. There he was, Vinzent's father Molotov.

Vinzent's ears went flat and he tucked his tail a little as he quietly closed the door and stood quietly looking at his father full of shame. To his surprise he wasn't angry or upset he just seemed disappointed. Nothing was said as the big fox went to his son and hugged him tightly. "I wish you would have come to me with this..."

Vinzent softly sighed and rested his chin on his shoulder as his father held him. "I was afraid you'd be really mad..." Now it was Molotov's turn to sigh. "I'm not mad at you at all Vinzent, just scared. I had no idea anything like this was going on let alone this bad. What were you on?" Vinzent hesitated as they parted to sit at a small couch. He got coffee from the little table near the door before leaning against the wall instead. "A lot of stuff..." Molotov gave him a look. "Such as...?"

Vinzent stared at the ground. "Ecstasy, muscle relaxers, pain killers, various uppers and downers, and..." He hesitated again. "Heroin which is what finally landed me here. Vlad and I had a big fight that was my fault. I went to get high and realized what I had done to myself, to everyone and was horrified. I came here on my own accord, I did this and I can fix it..."

When his father didn't say anything he looked up at him. There were tears in his eyes. He had never seen his father sad or down before let alone cry. It tore his heart out to see him like that. Vinzent looked away as his lip quivered but he couldn't fight it, he broke down and cried. Not long after that his father did too.

Molotov got up and tightly hugged his son. "Vinzent. I don't even know what to say. If things were getting rough you know you could have talked to me. I'm license away from an actual psychologist, you know that!" Vinzent snuffed back tears the best he could. "I know but I thought I could handle it. Only now do I see how stupid that was..."

Nothing was said for awhile as his father slowly rubbed a paw up and down his back. "Just know that I'm not mad at you at all, okay? I'm glad you came to get help and I'm glad you could admit you have a problem." Vinzent leaned against him exhausted from the emotional roller coaster and the withdrawal process.

"Have you spoken to Vlad at all?" Vinzent weakly shrugged. "I doubt he wants to talk to me..." Molotov smiled. "He does. He went looking for you and when you weren't home and both your cars were and your employees wouldn't tell him anything he became really scared. He turned to Rheinhardt for help because it's apparently "a hyena thing" and that led me here."

Vinzent was surprised to hear that. "I guess he isn't too mad at me then. I'll call him when I get the energy to do it. Hope he's okay..." Molotov chuckled a bit. "Rhein's keeping an eye on him." Vinzent smiled a bit. "Good..."

After chatting about more pleasant things Vinzent left to go back to his room. True to his word Amp was there. "Hey, everything okay?" Vinzent nodded as he sat on his bed. "Yeah, he's more scared and disappointed than anything which is understandable. Everything will work out with him at least."

Back in Harpertown Vlad stood holding his coffee cup staring at a seagull lazily flowing with the air currents above the harbor a moment before he left for a coffee shop. He was worried sick about Vinzent and angry that the other two wouldn't tell him anything and had been making that quite clear.

That evening as Molotov called Rheinhardt for an update he heard about Vlad's frustrations. "Well he's starting to get mega pissed we won't tell him anything." The big fox frowned. "I told Vinzent he was worried and he said he would call him when he got the energy."

Rheinhardt suppressed a yawn as he talked. "Yeah I think talking would do the both of them a world of good. I'm a bit concerned for him but I think he's dealing with it all the best he can given the situation."

Early the next morning as they were at breakfast Vinzent seemed distracted and lost in thought prompting Amp to ask "What's on your mind?" Vinzent stretched out a bit with a soft yawn. "I want to call him and talk about what happened but I just don't know. I can never tell how he's going to react." Amp nodded as he took a sip of coffee. "Well you said he came looking for you and you mentioned your father saying he was worried about you, seems like he'd like to hear from you."

Vinzent slowly nodded. "I think I'll try giving him a call after group this morning..." And with that he got up to down his daily pills and head to his next meeting.

Vlad had gotten a late start that morning and was sitting in his shop with coffee watching a little TV since he hadn't opened up yet. Just after he had gotten a refill his mobile rang showing it was a certain fox. "Vinzent! Oh my god are you okay? Where are you?" The fox looked at his phone in surprise. "They didn't tell you anything?"

Vlad made an unhappy sound. "No. Rheinhardt just said it wasn't his place and your father is about the last fur I've thought about calling...." Vinzent smirked a little at that. "I'm fine, everything is okay. After we fought I went to - go get high. I guess it all suddenly clicked and I realized what I had done and what I had become, an addict."

He paused and was met with silence. "I checked myself into the rehab program at the place in Brookhaven. I've been there since a day after the fight working to get clean and stay that way." Again he was met with a strange silence before Vlad said "Wow..." Vinzent leaned back on his bed as he replied. "Yeah..." After another moment of silence he spoke up. "Vlad I'm so sorry about everything. I knew it was stupid to even start this garbage and when I said all of that stuff I--"

Vlad cut him off. "Vinzent. It-it's okay. I'm not mad at you." He sat in surprise not sure if he really heard that right. "R-really?" Vlad had a smile in his voice as he replied. "Really." Vinzent felt himself relax as he let out a deep breath. "Are we still together?" Vlad smiled to himself as he replied "I sure hope so." Vinzent chuckled a bit. "I love you so much."

Vlad smiled wide as he looked at the pictures of them he kept at his desk. "I love you too silly fox." After a moment or so he said "I'd really like to see you." Vlad's heart jumped as it all sank in, he still had his fox after all. "I'd love to see you. What wing are you in?" Vinzent snuggled under his blanket as he told him. "Far east wing of the main building. Drug Rehabilitation is on the end of it."

Vlad got his keys and stuff together. "Do you need anything?" Vinzent thought about it. "Yeah actually could you stop by the penthouse and grab the carton of smokes and my Swift Fox lighter? They give out cigs here but they're really shitty. The packs don't even have a brand name on them."

Vlad laughed a little. "Sure, anything else?" Vinzent smirked. "Yeah, a sexy hyena tail for me to stare at." Vlad blushed and giggled. "Can do. See you soon." After hanging up Vinzent let out a squee and hugged his pillow, he still had his hyena boy toy.

As he pulled into the parking lot he became a little nervous. It had been a while since he had last seen him and he wasn't quite sure what kind of condition he would be in. Also he was a bit concerned about the other patients there but wasn't going to let that stop him from seeing his fox. After being checked though security he was soon on his way to see him for the first time in quite a while.

As he waited in a room with a table and coffee pot he hoped he was still going to be happy to see him. Vinzent made his way slowly though the halls nervous Vlad would be upset or otherwise unhappy with him despite the pleasant phone call. However as soon as the door opened and their eyes met it all changed.

Vinzent trotted over to him and grabbed him in a big hug. Vlad held him tightly as he smiled wide. He whispered into his ear "I still love you just as much as I ever have. I'm so proud of you for admitting it and getting help on your own." Vinzent squeezed him a bit tighter. "I love you too and I'm so glad I still have you."

After holding one another for quite a while they parted as Vinzent looked inside the black duffel bag on the table. "I put what you asked for in one of the bags from the shop, a little something to remind you of me and home..." Vinzent smiled and leaned to give him a quick kiss. "Thank you, that's really cool."

He grabbed a pack of smokes and his custom silver lighter that had an engraving of the Swift Fox Shipping logo on it. After taking a drag he let it out with a sigh. "Yeah, that's the stuff." Vlad smiled a bit as he grabbed a cup of coffee. "I can't believe they didn't tell you anything, god that pisses me off." Vlad gave him a look.

"It's not that big of a deal." Vinzent frowned. "I know how you are, you had to have been worried literally sick and mega pissed." Vlad looked off to the side. "Yeah, well maybe..." Vinzent smiled and rubbed a paw across his back. "Rheinhardt should have said something but he always has to be "that way" about everything. It wouldn't have hurt my father to say anything either..."

Vlad took a sip of his coffee. "Speaking of which how'd he take it?" Vinzent sighed as he tapped his smoke in an ashtray. "He was disappointed in me and hurt I didn't come to him for help. Otherwise he's just as supportive as you are and isn't mad or anything." Vlad nodded. "And Rheinhardt?" Vinzent shrugged. "Rhein hasn't really said anything to me but he's not really the type of guy to, probably doesn't know what to say."

Vlad smiled a bit as he slid his arm around him to hold him close. After putting out his smoke Vinzent snuggled against him. "I'm getting released in a week, I'd really like it if you picked me up." Vlad gave him a soft nuzzle. "Of course, I'd love to." Vlad sat down on a couch and pulled Vinzent on top of him holding him close.

As Vlad softly ran his paw up and down Vinzent's neck fur the fox softly murred. After sharing a quiet moment together Vinzent looked at the clock with a heavy sigh. "I have to get going..." Vlad gave him a tight hug and softly squeezed his rear as he gave him a kiss. "It won't be long and we'll be together again." Vinzent softly sighed. "I know. I'll see you again soon." As they parted ways Vinzent did his best not to tear up.

He badly wanted to stay with him and go home but knew he had to complete his program if he wanted to do things right. He went back to his room with the duffel bag and put it on his bed. With a soft sigh he ran his paw over it before lightly sniffing at it. The familiar scent of the gun oil Vlad used was on it which made him feel a bit better. He took his pack of smokes and lighter with him before heading to therapy.

As the next few days passed he had to bid goodbye to Amp as it was his time to leave. They exchanged contact info and hugged one another tightly before he left. Vinzent was sad to see him go but glad he was leaving clean and accomplished to go home to his colony.

Amp leaving wasn't the only change either. Vinzent had noticed changes within himself happening as well. One morning after he showered he stepped in front of the mirror with a towel around his waist and looked at himself. His fur had it's shine back and was more full and thick over his body. The exercises he had done with Amp had given him a layer of muscle over his body and he felt much different.

He was looking a lot better and felt better than he had in years. He slowly smiled at himself as the semi athletic looking fox in the mirror smiled back. For the first time in quite a while he got his styling gel and put his hair back into it's usual spiky mess of blue. He then slid into a tight black shirt and pants before looking into the mirror again.

He looked like he had several years ago back when he had first met Vlad. The same happy, business minded fox who liked to stay in shape and loved his boyfriend. He went down to his last breakfast at the facility since he was leaving that afternoon. After the usual breakfast he got a mug of coffee so he could relax in an easy chair with his smokes.

As he sat there slowly sipping his coffee he thought about all that had happened. The first time he had ever tried heroin was at the club. It was amazing and he had instantly wanted more but now he understood how it slowly destroyed his life and nearly ended it. He softly sighed as he thought about leaving. Before he went he was going to have an exit interview with Dr. Hoover.

At his request it would be done with Vlad at his side because he figured he was going to get some bad news. After all no one walks away from using heavy drugs unscathed. He got rid of his coffee mug and went to finish packing up. "Mr. Zotkins?" He turned to see a nurse. "They're ready for you."

He saw Vlad waiting for him outside Hoover's office. He slid his arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Let's get this over with..." They went inside and sat before him as he looked over some notes. He stood to shake paws with them both. "You must be Vlad? Nice to meet you, I'm Dr. Hoover." Vlad nodded to him as they waited to hear the news.

Finally he took his glasses off and leaned back in his chair. "I'll be quite frank since you like it better that way. You do have a degree of permanent damage to your system however I don't think it'll be anything too bad. You'll have to come in for check ups three times a month slowly moving to once a month so we can see how well you're healing and to offer support."

Vinzent nodded and tightly held Vlad's paw. "Is this going to effect my life very much?" Dr. Hoover sighed softly. "Not really, I don't believe it will. Just keep a healthy diet and keep up with the exercise however I do have to warn you. If you ever return to using there's a very high chance that it will result in your death."

Vinzent squeezed Vlad's paw. "I won't go back. Ever. I can't..." Vlad put his arm around him and hugged him. "That's good to hear Vinzent and I hope that is true. Also if you ever need an over the counter pain killer use paracetamol. I'd advice against ibuprofen due to the damage to your system and obviously you're not allowed to ever use a medical grade opiate as it could cause the addiction to return."

Vinzent slowly nodded. He softly smiled at the fox. "In all honesty Vinzent I think you're going to be just fine. You have supportive friends and family and a thriving business to take your mind off of things. You'll be fine." Vinzent thanked him for everything and went outside with Vlad carrying his bags.

"I could have carried those." Vlad smiled. "I know but so can I." As they were walking through the large parking lot Vinzent soon found what he was driving. "Oh for the love of god what is that?" Vlad smirked. "It's a UAZ-469. I sort of forgot I had one imported until it showed up." He walked around the military green jeep looking vehicle. "It's actually kinda cool. Jeeps suck but that looks a bit more rugged."

Vlad smiled at him as he put his bags in back. They climbed aboard and started their journey home. Vinzent softly sighed and leaned back in the seat. "I don't really want to go back to the penthouse. Sure I've lived there for so many years but all the memories of what's happened in that place. My drug use, my man whoring and former slutty acts, I just don't think I can live in that place anymore."

Vlad frowned and squeezed his paw. He opened his mouth but Vinzent cut him off. "No, its all true and you know it." Vlad sighed as he changed lanes. After a moment of silence he smiled a little. "Why don't you move in with me?" Vinzent looked over at him a bit surprised. "A-are you sure? I mean after what happened..."

Vlad smiled. "I'm sure. All of that is in the past now, it's behind us. I'd really like it if you moved in with me. I mean I just did buy a pretty good sized home on Pinewood road over off of Woodcrest. I'd love to share that and my life with you. I love you Vinzent."

He had tears in his eyes and a smile on his muzzle as he replied "I love you too Vlad and would love nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you."