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Travis laid on his bed, thinking about everything that happened earlier. He felt so conflicted inside, not sure if he said the right things back there. The things Duke said gave him a lot of things to reconsider. Sure they both walked away from the college with much less than they had before but as far as Travis knew, he had more to fall back on. For so long he thought that Duke just threw his future away because he stopped caring and eventually dragged him down as well. But after hearing the weasel's words he soon learned the truth behind what he mistook as laziness. Looking back it was clear to see that Duke was depressed, not having any drive to even go to his classes. The only thing Duke put energy into were the things he did with Travis, something that clicked within the ferret's mind.

He tried to imagine himself walking alone through the big city knowing that he was all alone. There wasn't a home to return to and no one to fall back on when times got rough. The idea of that made Travis shudder. He wondered what Duke was doing at the time that he returned home with his stuff and he was explaining what happened to his folks and Gideon too. On top of that he felt a strange aura of guilt finally knowing why Duke was disowned by his father. It wasn't the weasel's fault that they had fallen in love. If anything he should have been a supportive father like his own dad was.

Travis gave a quiet sigh, still feeling conflicted. He knew that it only made sense to be mad about being lied to but he couldn't bring himself to be as mad as he thought he could be. Instead the ferret was left feeling upset that Duke was stealing behind his back but oddly touched at why Duke was doing it. It was clear to Travis that Duke wasn't stealing just for the sake of taking things that didn't belong to him. It also wasn't just to simply line his pockets either. It was for that Duke was stealing and he was using that money accordingly; buying groceries that were needed and going out on an extravagant night on the town.

His mind drifted back to the day and it brought a warm feeling to his entire being. It truly was the best day of his life and it was all made possible thanks to Duke. Even after learning that the night out was used with stolen money, Travis' opinion on the day didn't change at all. From the park, to the shop, the movie they watched and the dinner they ate together. It was like a scene from a romance movie in the ferret's eyes. With the truth revealed, Travis still couldn't bring himself to look at Duke as some petty thief. He could only see Duke the way he was in college, as some snarky and charming weasel. When they were in bed together he could see the many scars and faded wounds littering the weasel's torso but it didn't subtract Duke's looks in the ferret's eyes.

There was a nagging feeling in his mind, a feeling that he should be angry about everything that happened. He was upset about Duke stealing and being lied to. But when he confronted the weasel about it seemd that Duke had told him the complete truth. He could hear the emotion in Duke's voice along with the pained look in his eyes, somehow knowing that he wasn't being lied to. But that didn't make the conflict within himself any better.

The words he said towards Duke were ones that he now regretted. The ones he most regretted were him telling Duke to take responsibility. He was just angry hearing Duke saying things about himself that weren't true. But how was a kid that flunked out of college and left alone in the big city supposed to take responsibility? There was no doubt in Travis' mind that Duke was scared to death when it finally set in that it was just him and the streets of Zootopia. He imagined himself in Duke's place, knowing his home wasn't an option and the only person he could look to was walking away from him; not knowing whether you would even see him ever again because of what you did. Just thinking about it made Travis' stomach lurch. Sometimes he was too nervous to ask for extra ketchup, he could imagine having to attempt survival every night in the alleys.

What should I do? Travis fretted to himself. I should go talk to him and apologize.

With a small heave the ferret rolled out of bed and walked to the door, opening it and entering the hallway. All the while he was thinking of what he was going to say to Duke. What was the best way to go about after you just yelled at one another? How would Duke take seeing him just walk back into the living room?

He soon got an answer, finding no one there. He looked over at the kitchen and didn't see Duke there either. Backtracking a bit, Travis saw that the bathroom door was open and there was no one in there either. Feeling his heart sinking, Travis hurried through the living room towards the door. But he stopped himself, turning around to grab his bike. He had no idea where Duke was but he was determined to find him.

As quickly as he could Travis jumped on his bike and pedaled. While the bike was rolling on the sidewalk he was thankful that there was hardly anyone in his way. There was no telling for how long Duke was gone or far away he was now. His breathing was labored and his chest was burning just thinking about where Duke could be. The sky above was a mix of pink and orange, signaling the upcoming sunset. Travis knew for a fact there was no way he would be able to find Duke when it became dark out.

He frantically looked around as he made it to the crosswalk. It gave him a moment to catch his breath and collect his thoughts. He forced himself to think of where the weasel would go at a time like this. They just had a fight and there was no doubt that Duke wanted to be alone now... The answer came to him and it made Travis gasp.

That old house, of course! As soon as the traffic light changed Travis pedaled his bike across the street towards the park.

It was the fastest route towards that alley and house that he was sure Duke was hiding away in. With labored breathing and an aching in his legs, Travis continued to pedal as hard as he could. With another cut across the street the outer gate of the park was in sight. He made it to the sidewalk and rode alongside the black metal gate until he reached the entrance. With a sharp turn to the left the ferret entered the park and looked around, letting the bike glide on its own.

The street lamps were illuminated, lighting the way down the main concrete path. Around Travis were many animals walking and talking about various things. But in his haste none of them registered at all in the ferret's eyes. None of them were who he was looking for. Nearing the fountain, Duke stopped and looked around the expanse of the park. All around him were more mammals just going about their evening and living their lives. Travis turned around towards one of the benches in the east corner of the park. Scanning the area his eyes fell on a short, brown mammal sitting on the bench with their head hung low.

Without hesitation, Travis hopped on his bike, pedaling past the fountain and towards that lone bench. As he neared he could see the mammal that was clearly Duke lift his head. The weasel's ears flicked in surprise but he remained right where he was.

"Duke! Duke, there you are," Travis panted as he braked hard on his bike and quickly stepped off. The look on Duke's muzzle made him pause for a moment and frown. "I didn't know you left so I went looking for ya. I...want to apologize. What I said back there wasn't right."

A small sigh came from Duke and he stood up from the bench, his gaze still lowered. "Trav, you shouldn't be apologizing. I'm the one who lied." He couldn't bring himself to look the ferret in the eyes. Why Travis actively sought him out, the weasel didn't know.

"I still want you to come back home with me," Travis whined, shaking his head.

"Why, Trav?" Duke growled. He wanted nothing more than to be left alone and think about all the terrible things he had done and how that only ruined things for him. But with Travis standing there in front of him, his eyes boring into the weasel's soul, it only made him want to do as Travis said and return to the apartment with him.

A small noise came from Travis as he stomped his paw on the ground. "Because, Duke. I love you and I wanna help you."

"You shouldn't want to help me," Duke argued. "I can't change, Travis. I'm always gonna be this way."

Travis' ears lowered and he stepped away from his bike. Duke watched as the ferret sat down on the bench and looked back up at him. Despite what he was feeling inside, Duke sat down beside Travis.

"I know you can change, Duke." Travis said in a soft tone, placing his paw on the weasel's shoulder. "It's just not gonna happen in one day. It might take some time but I'll be there for you every step of the way. But you're gonna have to be honest with me, Duke."

"I...I will..." They were words that Duke not only said to Travis but also to himself.

I'm gonna do it this time. For Travis and myself.

With the moon high overhead and street lamps lighting their path, Duke held on to Travis as he pedaled them both back home. Both were thinking about what they would do from now on. What they would do for their own future as well as each other. Travis was determined to help Duke on the right path and Duke was equally determined to be there for Travis and give him what he needed. That same desire he had to take care of the sweet ferret back in college did not diminish a bit. The thought of being able to take all of Travis' worries away brought a smile to his muzzle.

With a small sight he looked around and the night life whizzing past them. The lamps and street signs lit their way and the cool breeze of the night made Duke only press closer to Travis' warm fur. He could hear the ferret grunting and panting as he pushed the bike forwards. Travis was eager to get them back home, afraid that if stopped Duke would hop off and disappear again. He was still a bit upset about being lied to but it pales in comparison to how Travis felt thinking of Duke just up and leaving him. There was no way he was going to lose Duke over another fight. This time Travis decided to stay and work things out. As he felt Duke clinging to his back he wondered if things could have been like this much sooner.

"Hey, Trav." Duke said as they stopped at a crosswalk.

"Yeah?" the ferret asked, looking back at him.

"Thanks for, y'know...Being someone who actually cares about me," Duke murmured, feeling his muzzle heat up.

"I'll always care about you. No matter what. Now let's get home okay?" Travis reassured, his eyes sparkling from the glow of all the nearby lights.

With a small nod and the light changing they were soon off again, back towards the apartment. The whole way they talked about whatever they could: the moon, stars, the buildings and even the cracks in the concrete. Their words became smiles and those smiles became laughter. Even when they made it back to the complex the weasel and ferret talked about whatever came to mind. It was how they assured one another that they were together in this. Now and always.

"Closing time, boys!" Gideon called as he stepped out of the kitchen.

"Already?" Travis wondered aloud, but looking out the bakery's window showed him just how late it had got. The sky above was already a fusion of orange and pink. He tilted his head, figuring the day just got away from him.

"Time flies," Gideon chuckled, disappearing into the kitchen once again.

"Sure does," Duke chuckled, as he began to check the cases for any unsold goods. Travis just shook his head and opened the register to count the day's profit. Things were looking up for the small shop as they were having a steady stream of customers coming in lately. He chalked that up to Duke's advertising ideas. If anyone knew how to get a sale it was Duke Weaselton.

He had joined them about two months ago. It took Travis some time to convince Gideon to hire the formerly shifty weasel but Duke was happy to be hired and was eager to prove himself to the fox. After working there for a whole month Duke was the one to comment on the amount of customers they were getting a day. He had an idea on how they could get more, something Gideon wasn't too sure about. But to both the fox and ferret's surprise Duke's idea was simply putting more stock into advertising and even having a special promotion for customers every once in a while.

Now they are getting more sales and regulars than ever before. Gideon was quick to express his gratitude and put the past grievances between him and the weasel to rest. It was certainly difficult at first but Duke soon turned out to be a hard worker with a talent for engaging with the customers. Travis was a bit jealous at first but more so he was grateful that he didn't have to make awkward conversation as often. Duke's charms and tactic of buttering up the customers proved fruitful and Gideon was soon surprised to find that they were running out of cookies, buns and pies.

"It was a good one today, huh?" Duke asked as he counted everything that was left.

"Y-yeah, it was," Travis agreed, trying to keep count with the money. It was much more than usual and Travis was careful to get the exact amount. From what he wrote down in the books, the bakery was on the rise in both profit and popularity.

"How's it lookin' out there, Duke?" Gideon called from the kitchen.

"There's only two pies, four rolls and all the cookies are gone!" Duke answered, raising his voice over the clanking of pans and dishware.

"Th-that's even better than yesterday. They're gonna clean us out pretty soon," the fox laughed as he continued to wash up.

Travis managed to count the money and made a quick note of it, feeling excited to write it down in the records. They really were on roll lately and it only seemed they were gaining more popularity with time. Duke assured him that it was only the beginning and that both excited and terrified Travis.

Duke watched as Travis went off to put the day's profit away. He was left alone to clean up the front counter and as he did his thoughts drifted to how far he had come. There was doubt in his mind when Travis brought him to the bakery. At first it seemed that his prediction was correct as Gideon was at first completely against the idea. But after a long bout of convincing the fox soon gave in but assured Duke that he would start out on thin ice. Those words stuck with him and it made it difficult for him to actually do the job. Duke was so focused on proving to Gideon that he was trustworthy that it made him make the simplest of mistakes and constantly forget things.

Through all of it Travis never held those things against the ferret and assured him that things would fall in place soon; Travis soon explained that when he started out in the bakery he was just as bad or maybe even worse. He told a story about when he first started out he was too afraid to even talk to the customers. But with some time and some words from Gideon he eventually managed to get slightly better. Duke was thankful for the story, especially the amusing ending. Travis assured the weasel that no matter what, he would still be there. From then on Duke focused less on Gideon's warning and more on doing better for the sake of him and Travis. Soon enough he got into the swing of things and at first stepped in when it seemed Travis or Gideon needed some help. Some time after that Duke figured the customers that walked up to one of his bootleg stands and the ones that stepped into the bakery weren't different at all. Using his charm and experience of swaying the customer's mind he brought more sales than usual that day.

Not long after that Gideon approached Duke with an apology for being so harsh towards him and Duke apologized for what he did to the fox's shop. They agreed to a fresh start between one another. To Duke's surprise he found that they had much in common, just like he did with Travis. It seemed that they were all horrid in their own ways back in the day. But now under the roof of the bakery they were just three mammals trying to become better than they once were.

Once Gideon was done with the kitchen, Travis had put away the money and wrote it down in the records, and Duke had cleaned up the front they were all set to leave. Gideon took one of the pies and two rolls, leaving the other pie and two rolls for the smaller mammals. They said their goodbyes outside of the locked shop before Gideon and the mustelids went their separate ways.

Duke and Travis walked side by side. The ferret held onto his bike while Duke carried all the desserts. With the sun still a ways from setting they agreed to do what they always did when they had something to eat after work. After a walk across the street and another turn at the corner the duo arrived at the park. Their usual spot was still open, the bench that Duke first sat on as he waited for Travis. It was a special place for them and it was the bench they always sought out. When they sat on the bench it just made everything better in both their eyes.

Travis leaned his bike against the bench and sat beside the weasel. Duke grinned and opened the box to the pie and rolls were held.

"Oh, I love this kind," Travis beamed, taking one of them.

"Cinnamon and almond?" Duke asked. "Huh. I never knew. Luckily for me, I'm a huge fan of blackberry pie."

The two talked and giggled to one another as they enjoyed the treats and the glow from the setting sun. It was a part of the day Duke especially grew to love, knowing that he would go home with his best friend and the ferret he never stopped loving.

They were soon finished with their snacks and the only thing left for them to do was watch other mammals enjoy their evening in the park.

"You wanna head home?" Travis asked, giving a small tilt of his head.

"How about we just stay here a little longer?" Duke asked, wrapping his arm around his boyfriend. Together they watched the sun set and the lamps bordering the walkways flicker to life. A content sigh came from Duke as he could feel Travis pressing close to him. Just like the weasel, Travis was content to sit on the bench and watch the fading glow of the sun.