"Sorry that I can't stay any longer," Liam said as he grabbed his bag.

"Don't worry, I understand. You helped plenty enough." Matt smiled.

The table went back to its original place after Liam finished his work for the day. Kyle was sitting on the floor with a coloring book in front of him on a coffee table. After eating together, the kit decided to move his stuff to the living room. Liam reached down and stroked Kyle's head.

"It was nice meeting you." The hyena said with a smile. The kit looked up and wagged his tail. Then Liam turned to Matt. "If you need any more help, just call me."

"I will." Matt gently punched Liam's hip. "Now, go or you will be late."

"Right."

The bunny escorted the hyena to the door and when the doors closed, Matt slumped against the wall. Did it make him a bad friend that he so badly wanted Liam to leave? It was so exhausting to keep up his cheerful facade. His eyelids were so heavy and the room was spinning. It was the best that he could do for Liam's help. He couldn't let the hyena know how tired he was. His friend was too kind and would go to the office or his apartment to finish his workday. It would further mess up Liam's schedule and potentially cause him to be late for dinner with his family.

The clock on the wall told him that he had a few hours until Bob would visit him. The social worker had texted him the time. Matt would much more prefer a phone call. From the tone of the voice, he could suspect what he was in for. The uncertainty was making the visit more stressful.

It took a lot of willpower to push himself off the wall and slowly make his way back to the living room. The bunny just crashed on the couch. The fabric felt so soft against his cheek and he had a perfect view of the fox. Kyle looked very concerned and Matt's heart ached because of that. The bunny was the reason why the kit was worried.

"It's ok buddy. I'll just take a quick nap and I'll feel better. Wake me up if you need anything ok?"

His consciousness was slipping from him and he was fighting to stay awake. He needed to know that Kyle would be fine. Matt was biting the inside of his cheek, hoping that the pain would give him a few more seconds of being awake. The last thing that he saw was Kyle nodding.

Ding! Dong!

The bunny groaned and turned to the other side. Something was off. He wasn't in his bed. His eyes shot open as he quickly got up. Did he oversleep? Matt didn't remember turning off his alarm. He looked around the room. Kyle wasn't there. His pencils and coloring book were also missing. On his way to the front door, he peeked into the boy's room and saw him on the bed looking fine.

Ding! Dong!

Matt passed by the mirror in the hallway and stopped. He looked horrible. Would Bob judge him based on that? He tried his best to smooth the fur on his cheeks making it look at least somewhat presentable. He couldn't take too long because the raccoon would think that something was wrong. He opened the door and faced an angry-looking sheep and an unsure hare.

Matt's ears dropped as he faced his friends. "Hello."

"Hi, can we come in?" Tom asked.

Emma lifted her phone and took a photo. She tapped a few times on the screen and put the phone in her pocket. Without a word she got closer to Matt and poked him with her hoove.

"Why…" She was annoyed. "didn't you tell us about Kyle?"

"I'm sorry." Matt tried to shield himself from poking and moved back.

"I gave you space to come clean about it on your terms." She kept poking. "I wasn't expecting to learn about it from a company email after you took him home."

Tom closed the door behind them and looked around. The hare had visited Matt many times before but this time looked around carefully.

"It just happened, I didn't plan it!" Matt said with an unusually high tone.

"Rabbit… I don't care." She finally stopped her poking and folded her arms on her chest. It was only then that he noticed that she was carrying a bag with her. "You denied me the possibility of being a cool aunt for way too long. I don't care if it was just a day."

Matt blinked. "What?"

"Because of you, I don't know what he likes. I could have been better prepared if I knew ahead of time. There is a lot of work required to be considered a cool aunt. With all games and TV shows, kits have higher standards." She pushed the bag into his arms. "On such short notice, I could only go for some generic stuff that he would need."

Matt looked dumbfounded at the bag in his arms. He looked inside and saw a shampoo of foxes and a weird-looking brush with hooked teeth.

"I asked Liam and I'm pretty sure that you don't have proper shampoo and brush for a fox. I hate it when I have to use shampoo which doesn't help to remove the moisture from the fur. It can be so itchy. He has much thicker fur than you so you have to be mindful of that," She lifted her hooves to shush him when she saw the shock on the bunny's muzzle. "Liam didn't tell us anything. I figured it out a few days ago. You have an obvious tell when you are lying."

Matt stood still while Emma took another bag from Tom and pulled a stuffed fox from it. "Let's see the little guy first before we chat."

She walked past Matt towards the guest room and looked over her shoulder at Matt who was still processing what just happened. "Are you coming?"

Matt looked at an equally shocked Tom before he turned around and went after ewe. He gently knocked on the boy's door and opened it. Kyle was sitting on the bed and looked confused when he saw new mammals coming in.

"My friends Emma and Tom want to meet you."

Tom waved from the doorway when Emma pushed past them. "Hello! Oh, you are such a handsome boy! My name is Emma and it's nice to meet you."

Kyle's head turned between her and Matt looking for some guidance on the bunny's muzzle. Matt was smiling so the kit waved shyly to the ewe. Emma was one of the smallest species of sheep but it still made her around the size of an adult fox. She smiled softly as she handed Kyle a stuffed fox.

"It's a welcome home gift for you."

Kyle's eyes went wide and looked at Matt. The bunny nodded with a heavy heart. He didn't want to imagine the life that the boy had. A life that made him shocked whenever someone did something nice for him.

Kyle gently grabbed the plushy and hugged it. His big eyes shined.

"I heard that you had a tiring day so I will let you rest. Don't worry, you will see me a lot."

"That sounds rough." Tom finally said after Matt finished explaining what happened in the last few days.

"Now I can see what you mean that it just happened." Emma sipped her tea. "But it doesn't change the fact that you were hiding it from us."

"I…" Matt looked at his tea on the coffee table. His ears were down. He couldn't claim that he wanted it to be a surprise when Liam already knew about it and was helping. After everything that happened the bunny's reason seemed so shallow.

Emma's bright eyes dimmed. "Did you really think that we wouldn't like you taking care of a fox?"

Matt's head hung low as he was fidgeting with his paws. A silent confirmation made Emma put down her teacup and one clenched her hooves on her skirt. Tom leaned back and his ears draped over the couch. The hare barely said anything since they arrived. His untouched tea was resting on the coffee table as he looked at the ceiling and he was breathing deeply.

How could he apologize for something like that? 'I'm sorry that I assumed that you were horrible mammals.' Matt thought but it wasn't really true. He had never thought that even once, not about his friends or his family. There were cracks in his conviction that he was afraid to expose. The bunny hid his muzzle in his paws. He was afraid that a joke or badly placed comment could crumble that house of cards.

Tom closed his eyes, "I can't blame him. I would have told him that it was a bad idea."

Emma's hoove went to her muzzle as she looked at the hare with wide eyes."Tom!"

The hare pushed off the back of the couch and leaned forward. He checked to make sure that the door to Kyle's room was closed. "Maybe not about him helping the boy at the orphanage but I know how much work it takes to be a father. I would be against Matt fostering Kyle."

Matt bit his lip and was glad that he was hiding his face away from his friends. Emma glared at Tom. "Really? You have a problem with foxes."

"No," Tom lifted his paw and counted. "There are way too many differences between them, Matt is single, and with everything happening in Zootopia, being around Kyle could be dangerous. "

Emma's glare faltered. "That shouldn't matter."

"But it does." The hare reached out and placed his paw on Matt's shoulder. " And you have to make decisions that are right for you."

Matt lifted his head and looked at the hare for answers. He tried his best to follow the logic but it was a very long 24 hours.

"I can support your decision even if I would make a different one…" Tom's eyes wandered towards the kit's room before moving to the taser on Matt's belt. "You know Kyle the best and I have to hope that you know what you are doing… Just be careful."

It was a weird feeling to have Tom confirming Matt's suspicion and the hare having an air of wanting to help Matt with a mistake that he made. It wasn't malicious but rather pragmatic which Matt appreciated. The bunny had a similar chain of thoughts just a few days ago. Before he made an impulsive decision to foster the kit.

"I don't think that I am in danger around Kyle," Matt said confidently. In a storm of uncertainty, it was one solid rock that he was sure of.

"No one ever thinks that they are in danger until they already are," Tom said solemnly.

"Ok, that is pushing it a little," Emma said with a frown. "Kyle is a sweet kit."

"He can get sick regardless of whether he is sweet or not." Tom pointed out.

"I think that we have enough of this conversation. Let's change the topic." Matt put his paws up to stop them. "I ate a bug today."

Matt hoped for some shocked reactions but both of them looked very unimpressed.

The bunny was a little annoyed that his friends mocked him for trying predator food for the first time so late. It was supposed to be a big revelation. Apparently, all the cool kids in the city dare each other to do that in high school. Matt's annoyance was mostly overacted and he was happy that the topic lightened the mood. The bunny went on a long monologue about Kyle's dietary needs and preparing food for him with a big excited smile.

Emma smiled playfully. "Look at you. At college, you couldn't even get yourself a boyfriend and now you are a dad."

Matt's ears shot. "First of all, I'm just fostering Kyle. Second, it is not true. I've dated a few guys."

"Rabbit, I was your roommate. I saw your 'dating.'" She made air quotes. "You went on dates but that didn't count as dating. It never lasted more than a few dates and I've never seen you boxing."

Tom joined Emma with his own playful smile. "I have to agree with her. It doesn't count without playful punching."

She nodded eagerly. "I saw his dates doing it."

"I and my wife are doing it." Tom pointed out.

"You are both so immature. We just weren't right for each other. It happens." Matt grumbled.

"Don't worry you'll make up the lost time now that you have Kyle." Emma patted the bunny's back. "I can even kitsit him for you. I heard that single dads are in fashion right now."

Tom looked away avoiding Matt's eyes. "He's just fostering. But even with that, he wouldn't have much time for dating."

"You never know." She chimed in. "Someone would see him taking care of such a sweet boy and he would be smitten."

Tom looked at her and he was going to say something. His eyes quickly glanced at Matt and Kyle's door before he just gave up and sighed. "Yeah."

Matt was pacing around the room making sure that everything looked perfect. His friends left over an hour ago and he'd spent that time cleaning the apartment. The bunny looked at the clock every few seconds. The time slowed down to a crawl as he was waiting for Bob. The raccoon was already 5 minutes late. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Maybe he was late because the visit was not that important so it wasn't the highest priority. On the other paw, he could be making arrangements to take Kyle away.

Ding! Dong!

The bunny stumbled and quietly cursed under his breath. His heart was racing which considering the last 24 hours wasn't that unusual at that point. His paw shook as he opened the door and saw a tired raccoon.

"Good evening Mr. Ringtail," Matt said with an unsure smile. "Please come in."

Bob blinked slowly and sighed loudly. "Good evening Mr. Leaper." He walked in and looked around the apartment.

"Would you like some tea?" Matt said frozen in the spot next to the doors. He watched the social worker.

"No, I am fine." Bob looked back at the bunny. "So where can we fill the documentation?"

"Right!" Matt finally moved and led the raccoon to the dining table.

"Sit down." The raccoon said firmly and pulled documents from his briefcase. "Start filling them and I'll be right back."

The raccoon studied Matt's muzzle as he nodded nervously and without any questions. It was a good sign. The rabbit didn't argue about it or didn't go on a monologue about him being a good foster parent. Matt was absorbed filling out the document, so he didn't consider the social worker a threat, another good sign. As he moved away the bunny glanced at him before going back to the paperwork.

It was supposed to be a quick visit. He had filled many incident reports like that. Kits were just kits, they played and sometimes fell and needed to visit a doctor. He had filled many reports like that. He assumed that it would be the same with Matt after their conversation last night. The bunny was shaken and overreacted but he seemed to do everything right. At least Bob thought that until he got the report from the hospital.

Kyle got to the hospital a few hours after he ate the chocolate. It got so bad that Kyle had to stay overnight for observation and that was very worrying. The bunny seemed nice, he passed all background checks and psych evaluation but Kyle was Matt's first foster child. There was no record of how he interacted with kits at his own house. One of his friends said that the bunny was a great babysitter but it was different.

Bob had no issue spotting the icy-blue eyes of the fox looking at him from his room. The door was ajarred and the raccoon could see the kit sitting on the bed hugging a stuffed fox. The social worker smiled softly and walked in while closing the doors behind him. The room was simple but it had all things needed for a kit. It lacked a personality but it was probably by design. That it could be easily converted to the kit's liking.

"Wow, kid. Your new room is nice." The raccoon sat in the chair near the desk, leaving a comfortable space between them. He spotted a few coloring books open on the desk. "Do you like it?"

The fox looked at him with his ears folded and hugged the toy tighter. He couldn't blame the boy. Bob visited him whenever something big would happen and most of the time he wasn't bringing good news. Kyle slowly looked around and shrugged. The kit wasn't glancing at the closed door and just focused on the raccoon.

"I agree. It's too early to tell." Bob picked one of the coloring books and showed it to Kyle. "Those are nice pictures. Did you color them today?"

The picture had a lot of bright colors and was evenly filled. The kit's ear got up and he nodded. So the visit wasn't that distressing and he wasn't worried about Matt's reaction after getting back home. Bob could even smell the scent of mealworms so the bunny was going outside of his comfort zone for the kit. So where did those hours come from?

"It's good that you are doing so well. Yesterday must have been scary but Matt took good care of you." Bob looked at Kyle whose ears dropped again.

There was an awkward silence in the room. Bob painted the bunny in a good light, hoping that it would make Kyle open up about what happened but it seemed to be a bust.

"Did he tell you to go to your room when you told him that your belly was hurting?" The social worker probed?"

Kyle shook his head. "He called the hospital."

So Matt reacted right away when he learned about the issue. "Were you scared to tell him?"

Kyle looked away and shrugged. So there was something there and the social worker needed an answer. "Did he shout at you?"

Kyle's eyes went wide. "No! I… I didn't want to bother him."

Before Bob could answer the doors opened and Matt rushed in. The bunny didn't spare the raccoon a glace, just went straight to Kyle and hugged him. The stuffed fox was squished between them and the kit froze. Bob stood up ready to pull Matt off Kyle if he had to. But then the fox shyly returned the surprise hug.

Bob clicked his tongue and shook his head. Bunnies and their long ears. He had a few more questions for the kit but it felt as if he already got his answers.

Matt pulled away from the hug and looked at Kyle with a serious expression. "You can tell me anything. Any problem that you have and I'll always listen to you and I'll help you. It'll never bother me so don't hesitate to tell me anything. I'm sorry that you thought that you shouldn't tell me that your belly was hurting."

There was a slight shifting in of Kyle's eyes as he was switching his focus between Matt's eyes for a few seconds. There were no lies in any of Matt's words. A soft shy smile grew on the boy's muzzle and a small nod soon followed. "Ok."

It always warmed Bob's heart when one of his kits got a moment like that. When they realized that someone cared for them. The raccoon did his best to take care of them but he was more like a manager when kits needed emotional support. Matt and Kyle would be fine. They had a few kinks to iron out but it felt like nothing compared to the work that the bunny already did.

It was a good moment to check on Matt's paperwork. They needed to hug out all that happened recently and it would feel less awkward without the social worker watching them. When Matt finally joined Bob at the table, the raccoon already filled his part of the documentation.

"You're great with him," Bob said. "I was half expecting some kind of disaster."

Matt stroked his ears nervously. "Thanks?"

"Just don't fuck it up." The raccoon's expression softened. "It may not look like much but he likes you. Don't disappoint him. I don't think that he can handle that."

"I won't"

"Good." Bob handed Matt one copy of the document and put the other one in his briefcase. "I'll get going. It has been a long day for me too. We all need some rest. I'll call you when I visit you again."

Matt had a weird mixture of shock, relief, and happiness on his muzzle. "We'll be happy to see you again."

"It's not like you have a choice." Bob grinned. "And just in case you're planning to overdo it again. It's the end of a school year already and you don't need to admit Kyle to a school for those few days. He already got all his grades so he can enjoy a few days longer vacation this year."

Matt got stiff in his seat. "Good to know."

Bob narrowed his eyes. "Did you plan to find him a school for those few days?"

"Education is important," Matt said sheepishly.