Duke grit his fangs, holding onto the box holding him up. He could hear a satisfied groan behind him and a warmth spreading through his body. “Heh. Best hundred you ever spent, huh?” Duke asked, looking back at the ram tucking himself back in his pants. He didn’t say anything, just nodding and turning to walk away, leaving the weasel by himself in the alleyway. That was the third guy that had taken up his offer that day. His body felt more than worn out, especially his backside. This is the plan he came up with to get the cash he needed fast. Sure it wasn’t exactly decent but in the weasel’s eyes his decency was thrown away a long time ago. He was often put in tough spots where he needed quick cash and it became clear that offering some tail offered the most cash upfront and the best results. He just wished the next guy that came to see him would be overcompensating. He grabbed the money the ram gave him. Two hundred with an extra fifty for agreeing to make a fantasy a reality. Duke gathered it and stuffed it in the wooden box that he used to support himself. He was thankful that the alley he set up shop in was mostly out of view, with high thick gates not easy to see through. Luckily for the weasel he knew a guy that would get the word out of his business offer. It was only 11 AM and he endured 3 guys and collected three hundred and fifty bucks. It seemed like a lot but for the way he wanted to treat Travis he knew that it wouldn’t last after two nights. The weasel needed more. Now all he had to do was sit around and wait for the next customer to show up, something he was more than happy to do. Closing his eyes Duke thought about how impressed and happy Travis would be when taken to a good restaurant and maybe even a great gift. That would make all of this worth it, just to see Travis’ happy face. To hear the gasp of shock when he saw him cleaned up with new clothes. And the look of shock at a gift bought just for him. The chance to treat Travis how he should always be treated gave Duke the motivation to do this. He was feeling much better from the break his body was getting. But Duke didn’t feel like moving, instead the weasel enjoyed the moment of comfort before it would be interrupted by another pushy guy thinking with his other head. But he knew how to deal with them… Looking around the alleyway Duke couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. He had no idea why in particular but being laid up in an alleyway struck him as pleasantly familiar, giving him a nostalgic and warm feeling. Letting out a sigh Duke sat up and looked around the cramped alley filled with discarded, rusty items pilling up against the building sides. Those objects, much bigger than himself, gave him privacy from the outside world. From the waist down the weasel wore nothing, feeling the sun and light fall breeze coming together, bringing him to a comfortable state. A yawn escaped his lips but Duke stretched it away. He had a job to do and he had to be ready for the next lucky guys that snuck past the rusted gate and around the piles of decaying junk. As far as he was concerned it couldn’t get more romantic than that… A clank was heard, making the weasel’s ear twitch. [i]Alright, Duke. It’s showtime…[/i] Laying back on the box, Duke made sure to make a display of himself so that the new patrons could see what was in store for them. More clanking could be heard, coming closer and closer as they weaved around the junk blocking the way. Two gray ears came into view and out stepped a small lemur about the size of Duke himself. He seemed rather nervous, eyes darting from side to side. More clanking was heard and through the rusted metal lumbered a short, round brown bear. “This the place?” the bear asked, looking around the area. “I think so...” the lemur also looked around. It was clear to see that they had yet to notice Duke’s presence. A problem he quickly corrected with a whistle. Both mammal’s attention were drawn to him laying atop the box. “Now we're talkin’,” the bear rushed forwards, stepping around the junk towards the weasel. “I knew this was it.” “Hey… Wait for me,” the lemur followed behind, also stepping around various items. “Looking for a good time?” Duke gave the bear a smirk and wink. The bear’s eyes were glued to him. The lemur looked as well but his eyes still darted back and forth. “Sure are,” the bear grinned as well. He reached into the back of his pocket, fishing a bit. Reeling it back he revealed a pair of hundred dollar bills. “Will this be enough for the both of us?” Duke eyed the money and gave the bear a kind smile. “Sure thing. Whatever you want.” “Come on, Phil!” the bear urged the lemur forward. The smaller mammal rushed forwards. Being picked up by the bear and placed on the crate in front of Duke. “You know what to do.” The lemur nodded and nervously undid the buckle on his belt. The bear did the same to his own belt, already unveiling himself. Duke was generous enough to have some supplies on stand by. The bear eyed them, grabbing a bottle of lubricant. The lemur had exposed himself, having something rather impressive to the weasel. The bear took a dollop of the clear slippery liquid and applied it to the lemur. The small mammal gave a whimpering moan. He handed the bottle to the lemur and the bigger mammal used it on himself and pressed his paw against Duke. The weasel prepared himself for whatever the boys had in store for him. A couple of months ago he would have been enjoying himself immensely but now he just went through the motions. He was in it purely for the money. Even hearing the fevered grunts and pants of the lemur above him and the bear behind the lemur, his mind couldn’t help but be elsewhere. All he could think about was Travis and the next time he would see him. The thought of making things right would get him through it all. Hours later the sore weasel stumbled into the rundown building he called home. He couldn’t feel his legs and crashed right on the couch. Laying on his stomach, the weasel flipped the stack of cash he acquired throughout the day. Even though Duke knew that he would most likely be aching all day tomorrow but he thought it was all worth it. This was it. He could finally do it. His second chance was here. Closing his eyes and picturing the ferret in his head, Duke almost couldn’t wait. [center]***[/center] Duke groaned to himself, still unable to do it after pacing around the dorm all morning. He and Travis had become an item in late September; in the following months both of them had grown even closer. Travis still helped him with his classes and kept the place mostly in order. To show how much he appreciated it Duke would take it upon himself to take the ferret places to eat or just walk around and see the sights. Of course they still had their secret nights of misdeeds done for quick cash, nights that Duke got to see a whole other side of Travis. It was now December, three whole months they spent with each other. They were also three of the most blissful months Duke ever had. Even cramming for exams and extensive projects wasn’t that bad with the knowledge that his favorite guy in the world was right next to him. But with December came the break for the holidays, the campus was buzzing with talk of being able to go home and see their families again. Usually Duke would be excited to see them as well but there was a major problem. He had yet to tell his dad and step mother of his relationship with the ferret. Travis was the complete opposite, more than willing to tell his parents about the two of them. They even took a train ride back to Bunnyburrow so the weasel could meet them properly. Duke enjoyed meeting them and experiencing the simplicity of the farming county. As the name suggested, there was quite the population of bunnies. Travis led him around places that he would spend his time. The places that stuck out the most were the creek and the corn fields, locations that held special significance to the blackfoot. On the train ride back to Zootopia Duke told Travis of how his own parents were and how they would react. Travis was patient with him, encouraging the weasel to do it when he was ready. But how could he be ready? Travis’ parents were so kind and simple. They loved their son when he was born, when he was a delinquent, when he came out and when he wanted to go to college even if they all knew it would be a financial strain. The weasel’s own parents were the exact opposite. Old fashioned, business oriented and wealthy from decades of investing. Even though Duke had an attraction to both guys and girls he kept the former a secret. All those late night flings that he spent with partners of the same gender were kept a secret. Gripping the flip phone in his paw, all he had to do was dial the number. But for some reason he felt frozen, unable to act on his own will. His mind couldn’t help but ask what they would say. Even before something like this his father was never impressed by anything Duke did. Even when his grades were good and he went out of his way to gain new skills. Anytime Duke felt pride in himself and his achievements his father was not far behind to brush it all off, claiming that he did the same when he was younger than Duke and even did it better. Nothing ever seemed to satisfy the older mustelid. Not even his mother did. He left her for the younger mongoose who became Duke’s step mother. He hated her. Seeing her as nothing but some useless floozy who did nothing but spend his dad’s money on her fur and new clothes every other week. It was a little bit after she and his dad got married that Duke’s grades began to slip for the first time. Word quickly got back to their household, his dad unleashing his fury upon the younger weasel. His claim was always that Duke was “wasting their money”. But at that point his angry words fell on deaf ears, Duke lost all respect for his dad. He remembered the day he first met his step mother. She was in his parents’ bedroom, assisting his dad’s affair. A week later he threw Duke’s mother out on the street and married the mongoose only a few weeks later… Taking a deep breath Duke forced his digits to press the keys, hearing the tones of the call being made. His chest was thumping in his ears, almost blocking out the sounds of the phone. “Hello?” a female voice spoke on the other end. “Hey, Lucy. Uh, is Dad there?”, the weasel forced himself to ask. “Uh, how are you by the way?” “Oh, I’m just fine. Thank you for asking, Dukey. Your father and I just came back from a cruise. Oh it was magical- Oh, I’m sorry. Hold on while I get Robin.” Duke let go of the breath he was holding, thankful of the conversation being over. He knew that Lucy wasn’t a bad person, she was pretty nice and genuinely seemed to be interested in his happenings. But he couldn’t fully accept her as a step mother, not while knowing just how she came into his life. Even though she was one of the reasons his parents split up he was still kind and respectful towards her. “It’s been a while since you’ve called. You need something?” the stern voice of Robin Weaselton echoed in his son’s ears. “N-no. I don’t need anything. Everything’s just fine here...” the young weasel quickly retracted. “Hmm… Good. I guess this is about the holidays, huh? You’ll be coming back?” “Yeah, I will. And… I met someone. I wanna bring them to meet you and Lucy,” Duke started, feeling his guts twisting. “Well, that’s good to hear. By the time you graduate you might be ready to settle down… Who’s the lucky girl we’ll be meeting?” Duke found himself paralyzed by the pleasant tone in his father’s voice; he was rarely ever pleased or impressed with anything that happened in his son’s life. How could he just spill the beans and crush the mood like that? But it was something he had to do. It wasn’t fair to Travis to just pretend that they weren’t together. “No, Dad. It's not a girl… It’s a guy. His name is Travis,” Duke admitted. He wasn’t exactly sure what kind of reaction he was expecting from his dad. But what he got was nothing. Just silence. And that made the twisting feeling within him only intensify. “Duke…” his father’s voice finally sounded through the phone. “Y-yes?” “Don’t come back home-” with those cold words the call was cut off. Duke felt like the entire dorm around him was spinning, faster and faster. He knew that something like this could happen but it still hurt him. Everything Duke had done was to make him proud, just for once he wanted his dad to be proud of him. That’s the reason why he did everything he did up to this point. It was the reason he applied to college, a family tradition. But if he was disowned then what was the point of it now?