Monica binked as she saw Matt at her office. Normally he visited the orphanage once per week so she was expecting to see him the next week, not the next day. Another difficult to ignore thing was the crutch that he was holding in his hands. It wasn't hard to figure out for whom that brand new crutch was male bunny was smiling but looked more timid and reserved. Monica put her documents to the side and got comfortable in her chair.
"Hello. I would like to donate a crutch for Kyle." He said with almost overacted enthusiasm.
That caught Monica off guard. Why did he want so hard to show how eager he was? She didn't answer right away and was studying Matt's muzzle. Despite smiling he had a tired look.
"Hello." She said slowly, slightly worried about her friend. She pushed that thought to the side and looked at the crutch. "You can't do that."
"But…" Matt tried to defend his point but stopped as soon as he saw a smile on Monica's face and furrowed his brow.
"I meant it literally. You can't donate equipment to a specific kit. If that would be possible someone could donate a chainsaw to a kit and we know how that would end." She giggled. "You can only donate to the orphanage and we can assign it to him. However you also shouldn't do it"
"OK, it made sense but you lost me again."
"First of all there is a chance that as soon as it will end up in the inventory, another orphanage will request to have it. As we established, Kyle isn't classified as a kit in need. It's just a quality of life improvement for him so other kits would have a priority over him." She pointed at the crutch. "Also you have bought the wrong kind of crutch for him. I hope that you have a receipt and can exchange it. I will show you which one you should get."
"It is the right one." Matt clenched his paws around the crutch with serious expression. The white bunny was reaching for her phone but stopped. She expected him to be embarrassed about his mistake but he seemed to be fully aware of what he had bought. Monica sighed softly
"Matt, we won't get funding for physical therapy for him. It doesn't matter how much you wish for it." She made an apologetic smile. It was sweet how much he wanted to help that fox.
"I know but I can keep an eye on him while I visit him and give him a few pointers to improve his mobility and strength. I don't know enough to get him walking on his own. However I should be able to get him walking with a crutch." Matt sounded hopeful.
This time, it was Monica who got serious. She furrowed her brow. "Matt, what are you doing?"
"I am trying to help him." Matt's nose twitched nervously
"You are offering to visit Kyle every week for at least a few months." She looked dead in the eyes.
"I have been visiting the orphanage every week for the last few months."
"Exactly, the orphanage. Haven't you noticed that we try to put you with different kits each time." She didn't doubt his dedication but it wasn't about that.
"I don't see how that's relevant." Matt's voice shook a little. He could already figure out what was coming next.
"Only prospective parents are visiting the same kits every week. We both know that you are not going to adopt him."
"That is not entirely true. The therapist would visit him regularly." He held the crutch closer to his chest
"Yes but they would keep it professional so the kit would know the difference. I am pretty sure that you smashed through those boundaries on your first visit and continued to do so each time. You can't take that back." Monica sighed. "You will break his heart when you will stop visiting."
Matt's mouth suddenly got really dry. "I won't stop visiting him!"
"Do you really think that you will be able to visit him and potential kits for you to adopt at the same time? What will happen when you will finally get your kits? You will have to focus on them." Monica tried to be a realist.
She had been working in the orphanage for a long time. Many times she had to temper mammals' expectations about getting kits easily and quickly. They were often unaware how long and tedious the adoption process was. She was there to guide them through it and offer support. That often meant being just honest about the whole process. She never had that kind of talk with Matt. He had known right away what he could expect in his situation. It was bizarre to see him acting so irrational.
"It'll take years for me to be matched with any kits. Litters that small are just too rare. In that time I'll be able to get him adopted or at least find him a good foster home." Matt said eagerly. Monica heard the same hope in his voice that most unprepared adoptive parents had.
"You know that he'll be moved to a new orphanage in a few months, right? It was never a permanent place for him to stay." The female bunny smiled sadly.
She had never enjoyed that moment when hope turned into a shock. She hadn't expected to experience that with Matt. His ears dropped right away and his nose was twitching like crazy. His mouth hung open and he was unable to make a sound. He was able to visit the orphanage so often because it was close to his work and home. He would never be able to do it if the kit would be moved to a different part of the city.
"Can you keep him?" He asked weakly
"He is a trouble maker and a fox. Management wants to get rid of him as soon as possible." She saw a despair on Matt's muzzle. She looked through the window at bunny kits playing outside and added. "But maybe if he would start behaving we could keep him little longer."
Matt's face lit up and nodded eagerly. He knew that it was a long shot but it was always something. The female bunny kept watching kits interacting with prospective parents on the playground. She knew that Kyle had low chances to ever experience that. She wasn't a gambling mammal but she had a difficult decision to make.
She should discourage Matt from visiting Kyle so often. It was a standard procedure. It would prevent Kyle from getting too attached to Matt. Young kits take separation really badly and they didn't want to put more stress on them. However Kyle was a special case. In her honest opinion he was unadoptable. Foxes had a low adoption rate and on top of that he was already 7 years old, disabled and his record showed that he is a scratcher and troublemaker. Matt was probably the first and last mammal that would take any interest in him.
So the question was. Should she give the fox a few months, maybe years of happiness which will be followed by a heartache? Or should she let him experience the loneliness that he is already used to? As cruel as it sounded, the second option was the better one.
She looked back at Matt. Part of the problems was that not many social workers wanted to represent an 'unpopular' species. Unadopted kits would reflect badly on their record. Matt clearly didn't care about it. He wanted to do anything in his power to help Kyle. Maybe that would be enough to give the boy a chance at a better life.
"Just give it to him." She smiled softly. "If anyone asks about it I will just say that I forgot to update our inventory."
Matt's ears shot up and he smiled from ear to ear. "Thank you! Is he in his room?"
"Yes."
"I will see you around, bye" Matt said and quickly left the room.
She sat there motionless for a few seconds before she pulled Kyle's file up on her computer. She had read it again and sighed when she finished. For the sake of that kit she hoped that she had made the right decision.
"Matt is a planner, he probably can find a way to at least place Kyle in a good foster home." She said quietly to herself trying to justify her choice.
"""
Matt stood in front of an already familiar door. He took a few deep breaths to calm down his racing heart and knocked. He heard some commotion inside but he was already familiar with it..
"Hey Kyle! It's Matt. Can I come in?" The bunny said full of enthusiasm. Matt waited for a few seconds giving the boy a chance to analyze the situation.
"Yes?" He heard a quiet childish voice of the fox.
Matt opened the door and the first thing that he had noticed was the fox's head peeking from under the bed. His fur was a mess as always. Kyle's big icy blue eyes shined in the dark room. Kyle preferred to have curtains at least partly pulled over his window. He furrowed his brow and looked confused. Matt closed the door behind him and smiled.
"I decided to visit you earlier. I hope that you don't mind." He said calmly.
Kyle seemed as if he was making sure that it was really Matt before coming out from under the bed. The boy casually walked on all fours in front of the bunny. Their last play session convinced him that there was nothing wrong in walking on all fours. All three tennis balls were scattered around the room. He had played on his own. The kit's movements still weren't well coordinated but he was slowly getting there. Matt could only imagine how often he forced himself to walk on two legs or just didn't move at all. The boy's mobility was clearly lacking. However they would change that. Matt sat cross legged on the floor so Kyle would feel more comfortable while approaching him.
"I've brought you something." Matt kept the crutch in his paws. The bunny smiled to encourage Kyle to get closer. "It'll help you walk up right."
The fox folded his ears against his head and stopped. Matt furrowed his brow as he watched Kyle's reaction. Why didn't he want to get any closer?
"Would you like to try it?" The bunny extended his arm with the crutch towards the boy. "It's really easy to use."
Kyle looked at the crutch and backed away. He put his tail between his legs and shook his head. Kyle was a cautious kid but it wouldn't explain his reaction. The fox wasn't scared, just really uncomfortable. Matt needed a different approach. He stood up and extended the crutch so it would fit his size.
He put the crutch on the ground and walked with it. The bunny didn't need that much support so it looked fine walking with it. He looked at the fox who didn't move from his spot.
"I know that it's a new thing but you should try it. You've tried playing with me and it was fun. It'll help you to learn how to walk on your own." The bunny gave Kyle his best encouraging smile.
It didn't work. The boy was nervously shifting his weight from paw to paw, swaying softly. It was about more than just not wanting to try the new thing out. The bunny had to get to the bottom of it. Kyle didn't like to talk so he wouldn't give Matt the answer on his own. Matt sighed and sat down on the floor. The bunny placed the crutch to the side and relaxed as if he was about to tell a story.
"You might not believe it but I used to spend a lot of time outside when I was a kit." He smiled warmly at the fox who was confused by the change of the topic. "I know! What a shocker. In my defence, things like the internet and cable tv weren't widely available yet. Could you imagine only having a half an hour cartoon once per day?"
That question made him wonder how much access to cartoons kits at the orphanage have. They had a tv room and playrooms. From what he knew Kyle prefered staying in his room. He probably hadn't watched too many cartoons but had enjoyed watching cartoons with Matt.
"My family owns a farm in Bunnyburrow. It's such a lovely farming town. So I've spent most of my time with my littermates running around the farm. Have you ever seen an area with almost no houses, just fields?" Kyle got interested. His body relaxed and he sat on the floor. The fox shook his head. Matt expected that the boy had never been outside of the city.
"One day we decided to try walking on the wooden fence to see who had the best balance. It was great fun until I fell. We hadn't noticed that there was a rock in the grass near the fence. My foot slammed into it and I broke it." Kyle winced at that. "It wasn't that bad. It could have been much worse."
"I needed to rest my leg for a few days. I mostly stayed in bed, reading books. I was getting restless in bed and very eager to get outside again. However with my broken foot I couldn't walk properly so my parents got me a crutch. I wasn't able to run with other kits but I could hang out with them outside." Matt looked at the crutch next to him. "I was using it until I was able to walk on my own."
The bunny smiled at Kyle. "It's only meant to help you until you'll be able to walk on your own. Think about it. You wouldn't have to worry about walking through the open space when using it."
Kyle mostly leaned against walls to be able to walk up right. Matt had seen the fox walking without support. So far it always ended up with the boy falling down and having a panic attack because he wasn't able to get up. Kyle didn't want to be seen on all fours in public. It was a small miracle that he allowed Matt to see him like that.
"With it you wouldn't have to worry about falling down. You will be able to explore on your own. Also you'll be faster because you wouldn't have to worry about balance as much." Matt picked up the crutch once again and held in front of him for Kyle to inspect.
The fox didn't move. His icy blue eyes traveled from the crutch to the bunny's muzzle and back. The boy's posture was more relaxed and he seemed to consider the offer.
"I know that it looks rather boring but it's the only one that I've been able to get. I've bought permanent markers so we can color it together." Matt hoped that it would make a grey forearm crutch more appealing.
Matt waited for any kind of response from Kyle. After a few seconds of deliberating, the fox looked away. "I don't want it."
Matt wasn't able to hide a flash of disappointment on his muzzle but kept smiling. He got Kyle to talk and he needed to strike the iron while it was hot. He hoped that the chatty mood would last long enough.
"Can you tell me why?"
Kyle lowered his head and kept looking away. He was shutting down again and Matt needed to do something fast. It could be a problem specific to foxes that the bunny wasn't aware of.
"Do you like playing catch with me?" The kit quickly turned his head towards Matt and nodded eagerly.
"Do you remember how unsuccessful our first try was?" The fox gave the bunny a slow small nod.
"You've promised to tell me about things that you don't like. I want to help you but I might not know about things that are obvious to you. Please tell me what is wrong so we can have fun together." Matt lowered his ears and tried to mimic the boy's closed up posture hoping that it would make it easier for him to open up.
Kyle looked at the tennis balls scattered around the room. His tail wagged softly when he remembered how much fun they had. It stopped when his eyes went back to the crutch. The fox nervously bit his lower lip with his fangs showing. Matt's heart beat faster but was able to stop himself from squeaking.
"Other kits don't use it. They will make fun of me." Kyle finally said with a dejected voice.
The bunny first instinct was to tell the kit that he shouldn't worry about it. However he didn't want to dismiss Kyle's worries. The bunny couldn't imagine how much courage it required from the kit to admit that. Kyle trusted him and Matt needed to show him that it was a well placed trust. The bunny smiled softly.
"Yeah, sadly some of them will do that. Kits can be mean but that shouldn't discourage you from trying to get better. It's only a step on the way for you to walk on your own." Matt knew that it didn't provide a lot of comfort to the fox. No kit wanted to hear that his fears were real.
"I try to remember that what mammals say about you says more about them than it says about you." Kyle just nodded sadly and seemed really defeated.
Matt wasn't sure what to do. He wanted Kyle to use the crutch but didn't want to lie to the boy to achieve it. Kyle most of his life was the odd mammal out. The kit didn't want to add another source of potential ridicule. Matt knew how cruel kits could be. They made fun of his glasses all the time when he was in school. Matt's ears shot up and he sat straight. It was so sudden that it spooked Kyle and made him jump back.
"Sorry." The bunny froze in place so Kyle could see that everything was fine. The kit's eyes looked around the room trying to find a potential danger. He relaxed when he made sure that it was all right.
"I will be right back." Matt stood up and ran out of the room.
With a fast pace he got to his car which was parked next to the orphanage. The bunny opened the glove compartment and pulled out his glasses. He kept them there in case something would happen to his contact lenses. Matt was panting when he got back to Kyle's room. He stopped in front of the door and knocked.
"It's Matt again. Can I come in?" Matt was out of breath but sounded excited.
"Yes." Soft curious voice said from behind the door.
Matt went in and sat on the floor in front of the kit. The bunny was catching his breath as he put the glasses in front of him so Kyle could check them out. Glasses weren't very common and we're mostly associated with older mammals. It was one of the reasons why he switched to contact lenses after moving to zootopia. It wasn't anything to be ashamed of but he had a lot of bad memories of kits teasing him because of wearing glasses.
"I have bad eyes. That means that I don't see as well as other mammals. I need glasses to see properly." The bunny pointed to them on the floor. "You can check them out."
Kyle was really interested in the new item. They were simple square glasses with black frames. As Kyle got closer Matt opened them up and presented them to Kyle. "Would you like to try them on?"
Kyle nodded and Matt slowly placed them on the fox's muzzle. Arms of the glasses hugged the boy's head, keeping them in place. Matt and Kyle were similar sizes so the glasses fit nicely.
"Wow! That is so weird." Kyle said as he was looking around the distorted room.
The fox looked really cute and it would be a real shame not to capture it. The bunny pulled out his phone and took a few pictures as Kyle was looking at his paw through the glasses or looked around the room.
"You look great in them!" Matt said with a smile which made Kyle wag his tail.
"Ok I know that it is fun but we need to take them off. It's bad for your eyes to use glasses that aren't meant for you." Matt gently took back the glasses and Kyle watched them curiously.
"How do they work?"
"It's like a looking glass but smaller. Glass inside of them has a special shape that matches my problem. I see the world weirdly and when I add the weirdness of glasses to it, everything becomes normal." Matt kept glasses close to Kyle's face so he could inspect the shape of lenses. The boy nodded eagerly but almost right away furrowed his brow and looked at the bunny.
"Why are you not using them now?"
"Because I am using contact lenses. They work like glasses but they are on my eyes." Matt faced away from Kyle and pulled one of the lenses out.
Taking off a contact lens wasn't the most pleasant thing to see. He didn't want the kit to be gross out by it. He rested it in the paw and showed it to the kit where the boy could see the small translucent dome shape.
"Wow! That is so cool."
"Yeah they are great. Because of them no one can tell that I have this problem. I've been using them since I moved to Zootopia. I was teased a lot because I wore glasses because not many young mammals wear them. I really needed them. I was different so they thought that it was a good reason to make fun of me." Kyle folded his ears against his head. The fox knew too well what it was like.
"I've a proposition for you. If you'll use the crutch, I'll use my glasses. I'll keep doing it for as long as you'll need your crutch. That way you won't be the only different mammal around." The bunny smiled and turned back again to pull out the other contact lens. He took a tissue out of his pocket and placed both lenses on it. He wrapped them up and placed them on the floor. Matt put the glasses on his head with a smile.
"If you agree you can break them." Matt pointed to the tissue. Kyle's eyes went wide as he looked at the bunny in glasses.
"They'll make fun of you." Kyle said with a shocked expression on his muzzle.
"Yeah some mammals will but I can deal with it." Matt shrugged. "We just need things to help us. It's not bad."
The fox looked at the tissue like it was a bomb. He didn't know what to do.
"Don't worry. They are not that expensive. I can always get new ones. So I won't be stuck with glasses if that is what you are worrying about. It is the same with you. You can always stop using the crutch." Matt smiled softly.
Kyle looked at Matt to make sure that the bunny wasn't joking. The boy's tail wagged nervously as he carefully stepped on the tissue. The fox felt plastic lenses bending under his paws. Kyle looked up as if he was expecting to be yelled at but it didn't happen. Matt just took the tissue and unwrapped it to show the boy bent pieces of plastic. With a beaming smile the bunny tossed them into the bin.
