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"Clawhauser!"

Benjamin Clawhauser, the rotund cheetah dispatcher of Precint 1 in Zootopia, jumped from his seat --dropping the hardcover copy of the Gazelle biography he was reading in the process-- as the voice of Police Chief Bogo rang out sharply from the intercom on his desk.

He took a quick breath before depressing the button on the small machine. "Y-yes, Chief Bogo?"

"I need to see you in my office after your shift ends."

"Aaawww, but Chiiiiieeeeeeffffff," he whined, "tonight is mine and Mikey's date night!"

"Stop complaining, Clawhauser," the bassy voice rumbled, "it shouldn't take too long. Just be there!"

Ben sighed to himself. "Yes Sir," he said solemnly.

He sat back down and opened his book once more as the clock ticked closer and closer to the end of his shift, but the words swam in front of his eyes. He was too nervous to read. Did he do something wrong? Was he in trouble? Would Mike be mad at him for being late for their special night?

Before he knew it it was 6 o'clock, and just like clockwork he could see his boyfriend walking towards him across the uncharacteristically empty reception area from his temporary desk down in records with a smile on his scarred, sweet face. His uniform, already tight before the shooting a couple months ago, was practically skin tight now. Thanks to the inactivity caused by his injury, Mike had lost some of his muscle and had replaced it with extra pudge, something the country cop was extremely sensitive about despite the cheetah expressing just as much physical interest in him as before. As he came closer and closer the dispatcher felt his nerves grow. To think, usually he was ecstatic when their shifts lined up like they did today. Bogo really couldn't have chosen a worse time for a meeting.

"Hey, Benny," he said in his charming drawl as he reached the desk, "ready ta head off home?"

"Hey Mikey, um, about that, the Chief said he wanted to see me after my shift. Sorry."

Mike leaned against the wide desk and laid his large paw on top of the chubby spotted one already resting there. "Nuthin' ta be sorry fer, baby, Ah'll jus' wait fer ya."

"Chief said he didn't know how long it would be so why don't you go ahead and go and I'll catch up when I can. I'll pick up dinner too while I'm at it."

"Well, if'n yer sure."

"I'm sure, I'll see you later, sweetie."

The grey-furred wolf took a quick look around to make sure no one was looking their direction and, gently cupping his boyfriend's double chin in one hand, leaned across the desk and planted a juicy kiss on the cheetah's lips. Benjamin closed his eyes and savored the lips pressed against his, the kiss making his heart flutter in his chest like it always did when Mike kissed him.

Their lips parted and Mike threw a sly wink at the cheetah. "See ya, kitty."

Benjamin sat back down and watched the wolf turn and walk towards the front entrance, a fist against his chubby cheek holding his head up as he glared lustfully at his adorable retreating butt. He waited until Mike had completely left the building before standing back up and, making sure to grab his book and phone, made his way up the stairs to Chief Bogo's office.

Upon reaching his boss' door he took a deep breath to calm himself and tapped gently on the glass.

"Stop that infernal knocking and come in, Clawhauser!"

The cheetah jumped and quickly twisted the knob, letting himself in. He immediately saw Chief Bogo in his usual spot slumped behind his desk, but sitting across from him was a middle-aged honey badger he didn't recognize. He shut the door behind him.

"Have a seat. Do you know Dr. Goldblum?"

Benjamin gasped, "No Sir, but I've heard alot about you! Nice to finally meet you," he said as he shook the smaller, hunched mammal's hand. "No doubt you have, hopefully Michael has had only good things to say."

"Sorta," he said, sitting down. It was required for any officer who'd been the victim of a violent assault to complete 5 hours of therapy with the badger psychiatrist before returning to active duty; so far Mike had sat through four 1-hour sessions, but he seemed to be putting off the last hour.

"Howlard is actually the reason I've asked you here, the doctor would like to voice some concerns," the massive water buffalo said," and while I put little stock into this sort of thing I must say I share his view on this. Surely you've noticed how moody and short-tempered he's been."

The cheetah sighed and nodded, looking down at his lap. While Mike had never once snapped at him, he'd witnessed instances where others had been on the receiving end of an outburst.

"Benjamin," Goldblum started, "has Michael ever told you about his father?"

The sad, concerned look that was on Clawhauser's face melted away and was replaced with something the Chief had never seen there before; contempt.

"Yes he has," the cheetah replied coldly. His personality was such that he didn't truly 'hate' anyone, but if there was any mammal he immensely disliked, it was Mike's father.

"I thought he might've, but answer this, has he ever mentioned his mother to you?"

Ben was about to automatically answer 'yes' but stopped. Thinking back, he actually couldn't remember a time the wolf's mother was brought up.

"No Sir, I don't think so," he said finally.

"I thought not, and there's very good reason for that. You see, during our last session he suddenly recalled a memory he'd pushed way back deep in his subconscious, and I believe it's the cause of his recent behavioural change!"

"Really? What is it?"

"Well, it's a rather sad tale, I'm afraid to say. She was involved in a traffic accident on the way to pick up a 7-year-old Mike from school and she died en route to the hospital."

"Gracious, that's awful," Ben said softly, his hands clutched to his chest.

"What's awful is what happened later, after the funeral. His father was drunk at the wake, and it's important to note that this is the first time Michael can remember his father drinking, and started ranting in front of all assembled. He said directly to Michael's face it was his fault she was gone."

The cheetah sat in stunned silence, hands clasped over his mouth in shock. "Cheese and crackers, what kind of monster could say something like that to his own son?!"

"It's disturbing, I know, and I believe this one moment is where all of Michael's problems stem from. He loved his mother dearly, his mother died and was told it was his fault, ergo he believes anything he cares about will be taken away, and what's more, he believes that's what he deserves. Punishment for 'causing' his mother's death, you see."

Dr. Goldblum took his glasses and polished the lens on his sleeve before continuing. "The snapping, the mood swings, the bursts of anger; it's my opinion he's doing all of this intentionally, albeit subconsciously, to push everything away in hopes it will hurt less when it all goes away."

All three mammal sat for several moments in silence, Bogo looking down at his hands behind his desk and Ben hugging himself tightly fighting back tears. How? How could he not know his boyfriend was going through all of this? He took a deep breath, swallowing the empathetic sobs that wanted to come out, and asked, "So, um, so what do I do to help him?"

The badger tented his fingers in front of him, "Well, there is one thing. I suggested to Michael he needed to confront his father and gain closure, but he steadfastly refused. Stormed out of my office, as a matter of fact."

At this he leaned over the arm of his seat toward the chubby cat, "One thing that has remained as a constant in his life is his deep love for you, so deep he'd clearly die for you, so it stands to reason he'd do just about anything you would ask of him. Do you think you could convince him to take a few days to visit and speak to his father? The Chief here has already kindly agreed to set some days aside for him."

"But isn't that a little...manipulative," Benjamin asked.

The psychiatrist shrugged, "Perhaps, but it is for his own good."

The chubby cheetah sat in silence, digesting all the information he'd been fed for several minutes before finally speaking up. "I'll do my best, but on one condition. I want to go with him."

"No, Clawhauser," Bogo spoke up, "we can't afford your absence here right now."

"Sir, please, if I can convince him to do as you ask and he goes alone I won't be able to stop worrying about him! I'd be useless to you like that and you know it!"

The water buffalo closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, letting out a snort of frustration. "Yes, that's true. Fine, you can go, but I expect you both to be back here the absolute SECOND he's over this, do you understand?!"

Benjamin lept from his chair, clumsily knocking over the piece of furniture in the process, and threw a hasty salute. "Sure thing Chief, thank you Chief, I'll get him there and back ASAP, maybe even as soon as possible!"

"Good, now GET OUT!" *************************************************************************** Benjamin Clawhauser stood outside the door of the apartment he and Mike shared and fished his key out of his pocket with his free hand -- his other arm was loaded down with two sacks filled to their brims with chicken sandwiches from their favorite fast food place. He'd also stopped by a bakery and bought a dozen of Mike's favorite oatmeal cookies...just in case the wolf was upset by what the Chief had asked Ben to do. He didn't think his boyfriend would actually be mad at him, persay, but he did fear Mike might view it as a betrayal of his trust.

He let himself in and was surprised to find the place completely quiet, not even music playing. He set the food down on the kitchen table and was about to check the bedroom when he noticed Mike asleep and gently snoring on the couch! He hadn't really been sleeping at night all that well, another side effect of the events of the past month, and had gotten into the unfortunate habit of nodding off during the day or early in the evening like now. He hadn't even changed out of his police blues, only unbuttoned the shirt to expose his still broad though slightly doughier-than-before chest and belly. Despite his earlier internal turmoil he couldn't help but feel a stirring in his pants at his lover's exposed torso and his big, broad paws propped up on the arm of the couch closest to where Ben stood, the cute pink paw and toe-pads practically calling his name.

Mike didn't really care much for having his paws played with, certainly not as much as Ben liked it, but he enjoyed it enough to not mind allowing the chubby cat access to his rougher pads, and that's exactly how the cheetah decided he wanted to wake the grey-furred wolf. He eased himself down onto his knees close to the edge of the couch and began tenderly kissing all over the pads and toes of the cute feet in front of him. He dragged his tongue up from his heels to the base of his toes, smiling at the sleepy chuckles and slowly wiggling toes as he passed over ticklish spots. He lightly stroked up and down the tops of his paws with his fingertips as he lapped and kissed the soles, and that's when the wolf finally awoke.

"Mmm, Benny," Mike questioned sleepily.

"Yep, it's me," he replied, walking on his knees over to the front of the couch so he was kneeling next to the wolf's upper body. He tenderly kissed the circular scar from his bullet wound right under his left pec and settled a chubby hand on his belly.

Mike rubbed his eyes with the butts of his hands, then laid both of them on top of the cheetah's spotted paw. "Sorry, guess Ah nodded off."

"That's ok, Mikey, I managed to have some fun anyway!"

The grey-furred cop chuckled, still able to feel the licking sensations on his paws, "So ya did. What'd the Chief want?"

Benjamin's cheeks burned a bright red. He'd been so distracted by the gorgeous pair of paws he'd caught sight of he'd totally forgotten about the Chief and the doctor!

"Oh, well, um," he started, eyes darting anywhere that wasn't Mike's face, "it wasn't just the Chief, Dr. Goldblum was there, too."

The cute, drowsy half-smile melted from the wolf's face, replaced by the tight lips that signalled irritation. "So they couldn't'a jus' left well enuff alone, huh?! Had ta rope you into it! Well save yer breath, Benny, Ah ain't doin' it!"

"But Mikey," he said, setting both hands on his boyfriend's shoulders and looking him square in the eye, "after hearing what the doctor had to say I really think it's a good idea! I love you, and I'll support you no matter what you decide to do, I just want you to be OK and I think getting some closure on this would help."

He watched the wolf's expression soften and his eyes sink down. "Ah...," he started, stopping for a moment and closing his eyes,"...Ah don't think Ah can do it. Ah'm scared ta face'im."

Clawhauser, with a surprising nimbleness, climbed up, straddling the wolf, and leaned down so their noses where almost touching. "You don't have to be scared, Mikey, I'll be right there behind you!"

"Whaddya mean," he asked, eyebrow cocked quizzically.

"I asked Chief Bogo if I could have some time to go with you as moral support and he said yes!"

The wolf raised his hands until he was lightly holding the cheetah's round, chubby cheeks, "Ya don' have ta do that."

"I don't think I 'have' to, I want to. I love you, and I'll always be there to hold you hand when you need it." His heart melted seeing that his words touched his fellow officer.

Mike gently pulled his boyfriend's face down until their lips locked into an amorous, heavy kiss.

"What did Ah ever do ta deserve ya," the wolf said, panting, upon breaking the kiss.

Ben nibbled softly on Mike's neck, making him moan. "You were just your sweet, wonderful self," he said between gentle bites.

The cheetah spread his boyfriend's shirt open wider and dragged his tongue slowly back and forth over his pink right nipple. Mike's eyes closed in pleasure, his claws digging into Ben's back every time his teeth gnashed lightly on the sensitive nub. The portly cop stopped momentarily to pull his own blue uniform shirt off and throw it on the ground next to the couch, exposing his rotund, spotted torso, and immediately went back to work, switching back and forth between the grey-furred wolf's pert nipples.

"Oh Kitty," the wolf moaned, scratching the back of Benjamin's neck, "yer too good ta me, baby."

The obese cat just giggled as he proceeded to kiss a line down over Mikey's recently-larger belly, unbuckling and unbuttoning his uniform pants. He tugged them down, releasing the bright red, 8" wolfcock from its fabric prison and took all of it into his mouth in one go, dragging a deep gasp quickly followed by yelping moans from the grey lupine. With the same shocking nimbleness as before he unfastened and kicked off his own pants and, still with his lover's cock in his mouth, spun around so he was in the 69 position.

Mike stared up lustfully at the thick 6" cock that was dripping precum onto his face. He took a firm grip of the cat's wide hips and pulled down until mouth was stuffed with the erect cheetah meat. He allowed himself a chuckle of satisfaction upon both hearing and feeling Ben mewling around his own member as he rubbed the underside of the cat's cock firmly with his tongue.

The apartment was quiet except for muffled moans and wet squishing sounds as Mike thrust up into the hot feline maw and Ben thrust down into the canine maw below him. The wolf squeezed and kneaded the large spotted ass above him. He could tell Ben was close and he wasn't far behind, so he decided to push the big cat over the edge. The rotund cheetah growled and roared around the cock in his mouth as a finger entered his tailhole and teased his prostate. Claws dug into the wolf's grey thighs as wave after wave of hot semen spilled into his greedy mouth and down his throat. The combination of salty flavor overtaking his tastebuds and the dull pain of his boyfriend's nails sent Mike over just a few moments later, howling as his balls' contents were quickly swallowed with gusto.

They laid that way for a short time, panting heavily --Mike more so than Ben as the cheetah's relaxed body on top of him somewhat limited his ability to draw a full breath-- before the big feline lifted himself up and off the wolf.

"Such a bad wolfy...," Ben said with mock severity, alluding to the sudden and surprising prostate massage.

"An' ya wouldn't have it any other way."

Giggling, the cheetah resumed his former position on his knees by the couch and kissed Mike deeply again. "Of course I wouldn't! I love you, Mikey!"

"Ah love ya too, Benny." **************************************************************************** They left for Lupeton the very next day. A few details --like renting a car since Mike had sold his upon arriving in the city and making sure there were replacements covering for them at the station-- still had to be taken care of that morning, so they weren't able to leave on the 6-hour drive south until the afternoon. Since Ben had grown up in a teeming metropolis with an incredibly reliable transit system he'd never actually learned to drive, so it was up to the wolf to get them there and back. Mike didn't mind though, and honestly he'd forgotten how much he enjoyed driving through the countryside. He especially didn't mind as it allowed him to observe the animated reactions of his boyfriend, who'd never been outside Zootopia, to all the natural landscapes. It was a constant commentary of 'wow what a pretty field' or 'the light through the trees is so cool' or 'O-M-Goodness look at the sun reflected in that pond,' and it was just so cute the buff wolf felt that beautiful warm feeling of love bloom larger and larger inside his chest.

That gorgeous warmth, however, didn't last. Mike started feeling nervous the first time 'Lupeton' showed up on a sign when they were still around 90 miles away, and it just grew more and more with every additional mile. Ben did his best to comfort the wolf, laying his head on his should and a chubby paw on his muscular thigh, and it helped stop him from completely losing his nerve and turning the car around. They'd entered into a hilly area, green grassy bluffs and valleys all around.

"Hey Benny," the wolf said suddenly, "ya ready ta git yer first view of ma home town?"

"Of course I'm ready," he answered excitedly, "I've always been curious about what it looks like!"

"Welp, yer gonna see it soon as we crest this next ridge."

And see it he did! As soon as they got to the top Ben looked down and saw the town of Lupeton nestled snuggly in a basin laid out before him despite the poor light of evening. It was just as small as Mike had said, the entire thing didn't even seem to be the size of Zootopia's City Central. It was divided right down the middle by a fair-sized river, a weathered and somewhat rusted trestle bridge connecting the two sides. The portion of the town on the north bank was clearly the commercial and industrial area, loomed over by the massive smoke-belching chimneys of what Ben assumed was the steel plant Mike had worked at before joining the Academy, while the south bank was mostly houses and apartments, many of which had obviously seen better days. Overall, the entire town appeared to have seen better days.

"Wow, it's, um, nice! Very...homey," Ben said, trying to think of something nice to say about such a worn-down, depressing-looking place.

"Ya don't gotta try an' complamant tha place on ma account, Ah ain't never been a fan'a it."

Ben smiled and kissed the side of Mike's thick neck. "Ok good, because I was having trouble thinking of anything else to say. So what's the plan?" The wolf shifted slightly and wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's shoulder while keeping the other on the wheel. "Welp, we'll be comin' up on 'Lupeton Arms' in jus' a couple miles, it's a real hole but it's tha only hotel around so we bed down there fer tha night. Tomarraw we see ma dad an' dependin' on how that goes we'll either stay anotha night there and head out day after or we'll head back ta Zootopia tomarraw. Sound like a plan?"

"Close enough to one," the cheetah giggled.

Just a few short minutes later they pulled into the cracked parking lot of the only motel for miles. The cheetah elected to stay inside the car while Mike procured them a room, and after watching the wolf's backside as he walked away --like he always did-- towards the lobby, Ben settled back and got a real good look at where they were staying. He desperately hoped it looked better on the inside than it did on the outside. Even the tacky pink neon of the flickering sign couldn't hide the ugliness of the tiny, one-floor main building and it's stretch of 12 rooms.

Mike came back out a few minutes later holding an old-fashioned metal key with a red plastic fob, a white #1 printed on it, attached. He opened the driver's side door and settled back in, backing up and moving the car into the parking spot directly in front of the first room. He turned the ignition off and, grabbing their bags, they both walked up to the door. He inserted the key in the door, a hideous shade of dark green, and it opened with a creak.

The wolf flicked the small, stuffy room's light on, and Ben was pleasantly surprised to see it wasn't that bad. Hopelessly tacky and outdated, every wall covered in faux wood paneling and the carpet the same awful green of the door, but it at least seemed clean. The cheetah set his bag on top of a small rounded table in front of the window and sat on the bed, bouncing on it a little to test it out. It was smaller than they were both use to, a double instead of their queen at home, but it seemed comfortable enough.

Mike stood in front of him and took his chubby cheeks in his hands, leaning over to plant a kiss on his forehead, making the big feline giggle sweetly.

"Ah know this ain't what yer use ta, but Ah hope it ain't too terr'ble. Ah really appreciate ya comin' with me, there's no way Ah could ever do this on ma own. Ah don't know how Ah can ever pay ya back, Kitty."

Ben lightly gripped the wolf's hips and rested his head against his belly. "You don't have to repay anything, Wolfy, I love you and I'd do anything for you. Plus I know you'd do the same for me with no hesitation."

"I love ya too, Kitty."

The big wolf sat down on the creaky bed next to the portly feline. "Ah'm jus' so dang nervous, Ben. Ah ain't spoken ta tha man in a few years, an' we didn't leave thangs on a good note, ya know?"

The cheetah thought for a minute then quickly and excitedly scooted up to the top of the bed, his back propped against the wall. "Lay your head on my lap," he said, patting his meaty thigh.

Mike cocked his head quizzically, but did it anyway, stretching out full on his back. Once he was situated Ben began the task of comforting his boyfriend, rubbing his temples, stroking his ears, and running his claws through his perpetually-messy headfur.

"Everything's going to be ok, baby," the cheetah said softly as his chubby fingers went about their job. He could feel the tension melting from the wolf's body, and he couldn't help but smile contently to himself as he heard pleased, pleasurable noises --if a wolf could purr, that's what it would be-- emanate from the back of his throat. It wasn't too long after that happy relaxed sound was replaced with gentle quiet snores. Ben leaned over and lightly kissed the sleeping lupine's forehead and settled back against the wall again, closing his eyes.

"Night night, Wolfy." ****************************************************************************** Mike and Ben sat in their rented car across the street from a tiny house, more of a hovel than a house really, where they'd been for almost half an hour while the wolf worked his courage up. The home in question was a wreck; overgrown lawn the size of a postage stamp, large chunks of the vinyl siding missing, paint chipped and peeled to the point where there was more uncovered wood than painted. A light rain had started to fall, beating a quiet but steady tattoo on the fiberglass roof of the vehicle.

Ben noticed the wolf had started slowly nodding his head, something he usually did when he was psyching himself up, and knew it wouldn't be long until he was ready.

Sure enough, just a couple minutes later he broke through the soundtrack of rain. "Ah think Ah'm ready."

"Ok, sweetie. I'm right behind you."

They got out of the car and jogged across the pot hole-covered street and over the heavily cracked driveway to the relative dryness of the porch. Ben leaned over, hands on knees, panting from the jog, Mike rubbing his back as he regained his breath. He finally stood back up straight, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Y'ok baby?"

"I *pant* am now."

"Ok, Ah'm gonna do it."

The wolf's hand visibly shook as he extended a fist toward the door. He gave it 5 sharp knocks and prepared himself for what might happen once it opened. Both mammals' jaws dropped in shock, however, once the door opened to reveal an elderly female sheep.

"Hello," she said in a shaky voice, "can I help you boys?"

"Oh, sorry to bother you ma'am," Ben said, recovering before the wolf could, "we were looking for a Randy Howlard."

The old sheep rubbed her chin and hummed in thought. "Randy Howlard, hmm? If I'm not mistaken I believe he stays at the halfway house over on Pack Ave."

"O-oh, o-ok ma'am, th-thanks you, s-s-sorry ta bother ya."

They turned to leave, going a bit slower through the rain than before, and went back to the car.

"Welp, Ah weren't expectin' that."

"No! Do you know where this other place is she was talking about?"

"Ah do, it's kinda tha rough part'a town. Ah don't know why he'd be livin' over thar."

Ben bit back the 'this whole town looks like the rough part of town' comment that almost passed his lips, realizing at the last minute how mean it sounded.

"Only one way to find out...if you still want to do it, of course."

Instead of answering verbally, the wolf leaned over and planted a firm kiss on his lips. While the cheetah sat there with his head spinning trying to recover, Mike turned over the ignition and headed down towards Pack Ave.

The halfway house in question was just on the other side of the river, well away from the houses on the residential side, and seemed to be in just as bad a state of disrepair as Mike's old house. They pulled up and parked, walking up to the front door and knocking. A rough-looking young lion opened it.

"What up," he asked, throwing a suspicious look at the couple.

"Ah'm lookin' fer Randy Howlard," the wolf answered, looking him straight in the eye, unwavering.

The young feline gave a nod of approval and stepped to the side, saying, "Up da stairs, third on da right."

Mike nodded thanks and he and Ben walked through a small, dimly-lit foyer to the stairs, mounting them and making the ascent casually. They reached the second-story landing and made the short walk to the third door on the right. 'R. Howlard' was written in Sharpie on a piece of paper tacked next to the door. A quick look around confirmed a similar nametag by every door. Mike didn't bother to stop and think, he jumped in with both feet and rapt three sharp knocks on the door.

They heard heavy, stomping footsteps and an annoyed voice rang out, "Dang it, Leon, Ah told ya Ah'd git ta it when Ah ca...."

The wolf that came to the door stopped midsentence upon seeing who was standing there. Ben felt his jaw drop. The wolf who'd opened the door was obviously older, and years of drinking had clearly taken a toll on his body, but the resemblance was truly uncanny!

"M-michael?"

"Y-yeah Daddy, it's me."

The older wolf then did something that surprised the two other mammals immensely; he darted forward and pulled his son into a tight, almost crushing embrace.

"Oh Michael, Ah can't believe yer here! Please, come on in! It ain't much, but it's 'bout all Ah got left!"

He lead them into his room, the furniture consisting of only a sofa-couch, a couple of chairs, a tiny table, and an old-fashioned wood panelled TV, but it was what he saw on the walls that really surprised Ben. There were several newspaper articles from the Zootopia Gazette in frames hung up, all of them about Mike! One read 'Hero Cop Risked Life for Fellow Officer' and featured both his and Mike's official Academy graduation photos in their dress blues.

Another read 'Hero Cop Receives Commendation from Mayor' and showed the wolf shaking hands with the recently reinstated Mayor Lionhart. Ben smiled despite the situation he currently found himself in. He remember that day vividly. It was just a few days after Mike had been released from the hospital and he still had to carry a small air tank in a satchel over his shoulder. He'd been so nervous his hands were shaking furiously and he'd been constantly taking hits from the tank, but he managed to swallow his fear and mount the steps up the front of City Hall and accept the plaque that had been made in his honor. That plaque was currently residing in the bottom drawer of a dresser, the wolf being far too humble a guy to ever display it.

They were lead over to the couch and took a seat while Randy grabbed a chair and pulled it close by. Mike introduced Randy and Benjamin before the older wolf sat down and started talking a mile a minute.

"Ah just can't believe yer here, Micheal! Ah gotta tell ya, son, it almost killed me hearin' what'ad happened to ya, but in a strange way it helped me realize what's important.

"Ma drinkin' had got way outta control, ta tha point where Ah lost ma job and tha house, that's why Ah'm in this hole. But then hearin' 'bout ya, well, Ah ain't had a drop since then an' Ah been goin' ta AA meetin's almost e'ery day."

He placed a hand on his son's knees and leaned in closer. "Ah wanted ta come see ya in tha hospital so bad, but Ah wanted ta get a few months o' sobriety under ma belt so ya'd know Ah was serious 'bout it."

Mike cleared his throat nervously. "Well, Ah appreciate that, an' Ah'm glad ya stopped drinkin'. That bein' said, Ah got some things Ah need ta say."

Randy hung his head sadly. "Ah know ya do, son. Ah gotta tell ya, losin' yer Ma like we did, it broke me inside. Broke me so bad Ah gave up on e'erythin', even you, an' ya didn't deserve that an' 'tweren't yer fault. It was all me. Ah'm so proud o' tha man ya become, no matter what ya do and, ah, who ya love," he said, nodding towards the chubby cheetah.

He reached a hand out and, with a tenderness Mike didn't know he was capable of, touched the scar above his eye. "When Ah think 'bout tha things Ah said ta ya, what Ah done ta ya, Ah'm so ashamed o' maself. Son, Ah know Ah don't deserve it, an' Ah wouldn't blame ya at all fer hatin' me, but d'ya think there's any way ya could e'er...fergive me?"

Looking into his father's eyes, wet with sincerity and regret, on the verge of pouring tears, Mike could finally see the man his mother must've fallen in love with. He took a deep breath and made the single most important decision of his life; he chose to let all his animosity go.

"Daddy, Ah fergive ya." **************************************************************************** "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you, Mikey?"

It was the next day, the sky burning bright with unfiltered sunlight in the clear blue. They'd spent all the day before in Mike's father's room, catching up and really getting to know one another again late into the night before retiring back to their motel room where they spent the next few hours having the most intense sex of their young lives. Waking up that morning Ben noticed a cheerfulness in the wolf that he'd never seen before, and he even seemed to be standing taller and with more confidence. They were set to leave when Mike told him there was one more thing he needed to do before they left for Zootopia and that it wouldn't take much time. He drove them to where he needed to be and unbuckled his seatbelt, leaving the engine running so the cheetah could use the A/C and radio while he waited.

"Naw, baby, Ah gotta do this on ma own," he said, leaning across the gap between the seats to plant a soft kiss on Ben's lips before climbing out of the car. "Be right back," he said before closing the door and walking through the rows.

He came to a spot several yards away from where he parked and smiled. "Hey Mama," he said, brushing some dead leaves from the top of the tombstone, "sorry Ah ain't been ta see ya in while, thang've been kinda crazy since tha last time Ah saw ya. Been real busy with work, then Ah got injured. Don't worry, Ah'm fine, but it's been keepin' me down fer a little while. Ah even managed ta patch things up with Daddy! Ah mean, it's gonna be a long road ta rebuild that relationship, but Ah'm hopeful, an' Ah feel better'n Ah've felt in a long time.

"But enough'a all that, what Ah really wanna tell ya 'bout is Ah got me a live-in boyfriend! His name's Ben an' he works with me at tha precinct. Ah really think ya'd like'im, Mama, he's tha sweetest guy Ah ever met."

He sighed. "Honestly Mama, Ah don't know what ya'd really think 'bout yer baby boy bein' gay, but Ah'd like ta think ya'd at least be ok with tha fact Ah'm with someone who makes me happier than Ah ever been. He's ma reason ta get up in tha mornin', an' he's tha last thing Ah ever wanna see when Ah fall alseep e'ery night."

He settled down on his haunches and placed his hand against the face of the stone marker. "Ah jus' wannted ta fill ya in on what's been happenin'. Ah don't know when tha next time Ah'll be able ta see ya'll be, but Ah love ya an' miss ya e'eryday. Bye Mama."

He slowly got back up from his position and walked back into the car, opening the door and taking his seat behind the wheel. He looked over at the cheetah beside him and smiled, setting his hand on the thick thigh.

"Ah love ya, Kitty."

"I love you too, Wolfy."

They bridged the gap between seats with the kiss that followed.

"Let's go home."