(The puppy likes my roommate more than me ._.)

The sound of knocking quickly brought Larro out of his deep sleep.

This better be good, I'm exhausted.

"I'm coming!" He grumbled as he got up out of bed, then slid his hand into his boxers to scratch a little.

The knocking got louder as he approached the main entryway, making the headache behind his eyes pulse. When he swung the door open, his hand paused in his boxers and he raised his eyebrows.

"Uh. What can I do for you, officers?" He asked, then quickly remembered his hand and took it out of his underwear.

Maybe I should make them shake it. Not like the cops are ever near me for good reasons.

"We're looking for a boy named Arron." One of them said, his face clearly pinch with disgust.

You guys really have to say that? One of the officers was a bloodhound and the other was a German shepherd. They should have easily been able to smell the kid in his apartment.

"Why, might I ask, are you looking for him?" Larro replied nonchalantly.

They both narrowed their eyes at him before getting in his face with two growls.

"Because, Larro, Marcus told us we would find his kid with you, though that's no surprise. I suppose you want to go back to prison for awhile, huh?" The German shepherd shifter said.

Larro gave a deep growl in response, just barely keeping his teeth from showing.

"I only have the kid because he nearly killed it. Ask the doctor at the hospital, I'm the one who saved his life." He said harshly.

Both cops seemed to think what he'd said was hilarious because he swore that they sounded like his own species when they laughed out loud.

"Sure. The infamous kitten murderer actually saved one? Yeah, right. We all know the only reason you only got four years for it was because of your dad's money." The bloodhound shifter said.

Larro was about to snarl a response when he heard quiet footsteps coming up behind him.

Shit.

Giving a frustrated sigh, he turned to see a sleepy Arron rubbing his left eye as he came to a stop nearby. He really didn't want to give him up to the cops, but the look on his face told him that he had heard what was said and things were starting to click into place.

"You?" He rasped, sleep still heavy in his voice.

Larro's lips pursed as he waited for the hate. That's what he always got from people who found out about his past. He would hate him. The one kid he actually thought he could do something for, even if just for a little while, was now going to hate him.

The bloodhound cop snickered and knelt down, reaching out a hand to Arron like he was some baby who needed coaxing to do anything.

Moron.

"Come're, kiddo." The guy said in a disturbingly high pitched voice.

Arron eyed the officers with a slightly offended glare. I approve, they're assholes. When he got closer to Larro his attention refocused to his eyes. Instantly, Larro dropped his gaze, silently admiring to whatever he thought he'd done.

"Larro?" He asked cautiously.

"He killed seven cheetah kittens five years ago. It's extremely dangerous to be around him. Let us take you back home." The German shepherd cop said.

Arron stared at them all as he thought silently for a moment, then said something Larro definitely didn't expect. "What were the circumstances?"

He actually cares?

"Per the report, he was walking down the sidewalk as a birthday party for a young cheetah boy was going on at the park. His instincts took over when the kittens started playing tag and he shifted into his hyena form and killed seven before the parents could hurt him enough to make him run off. He only spent four years in jail for it because his father is rich and has some serious connections."

Arron's beautiful golden eyes rose once more to his as Larro tried to blink back tears. He knew that he did something terrible and he hadn't even deserved the time he'd gotten to have with Arron, so he wasn't going to even try to persuade him to stay. Instead, he gave a shaky sigh and turned to walk away. "You should go with them."

His shoulders hunched as he headed into the kitchen around the corner. Definitely going to need some serious alcohol for this shit. He was just digging through the fridge for a few cans of beer when a pair of arms gently wrapped around his waist.

What the?

Straightening, Larro glanced under his arm to see those same bright gold eyes looking up at him, but they were shiny with a sheen of tears that he would do anything to keep from sliding down his cheeks.

"Hey hun, you need to go with the nice officers." He said, his voice a whisper as he carefully turned in Arron's arms and scooped him up into a strong hug. It meant so much that he actually hugged him back, and that he could hear his adorable purr starting up.

He's the best kid ever.

"I don't want to." Arron said, his words hushed where he had buried his face against Larro's neck.

"I'm a murderer. I won't argue the truth. Please, go with them." He nearly begged.

"...but they'll take me back to him." Arron replied shakily.

Those words had Larro hugging him a little tighter as they sank in. He knew that's exactly where they would take him. They didn't believe that Marcus had hurt his kid and they wouldn't listen to him even if he had told them to let the kid go back to his mother, because she wasn't on his chip as his biological mother. The whole situation was just unfair to Arron and his mom.

"Aren't you afraid of me, Arron?" He asked.

Arron leaned back and lifted his eyes as he pursed his lips.

"Yes, but you never hurt me."

Larro felt his lips quiver at his words, but he ended up just shaking his head.

"Come on, let's go talk to the officers."

He knew that Arron didn't want to when he snuggled back into his arms, but he couldn't just leave them standing on the doorstep. Especially the stupid German shepherd. Darn dog would never leave without finishing what it came to start.

With a fake smile plastered on his face, Larro walked around the corner and back up to the door with Arron in his arms.

"It would seem like he doesn't want to go back to Marcus." He said as he came to a stop before the threshold of his apartment door.

The bloodhound's eyes narrowed on him as he quickly growled out. "You must have convinced him to say he wanted to stay with you."

Larro actually laughed at that.

"Right. Because those big floppy ears of yours didn't pick up any of the shit we said, eh?"

The man growled at his jab, but both of them knew that they couldn't come into his apartment without a warrant. Which they obviously didn't have since they hadn't served it yet.

"Arron? Do you want to stay with this man, even though he has killed so many children?" The German shepherd shifter asked bluntly.

Larro could feel the stress radiating from Arorn as he tried to hide in his arms. He had no doubt that his kitten would be coming out soon.

"Yes... please leave us alone." He replied after a moment.

The cops looked at each other, then glared at Larro.

"We'll be back, murderer." One of them snarled.

With a smirk, Larro rolled his eyes and winked at the cocky shepherd.

"I'll be waiting, love."

As soon as he heard their patrol car drive away he set Arron down and grinned. He was so proud of him! He actually gave a damn about how he'd changed instead of just judging his terrible mistake.

Kneeling down in front of him, Larro smiled honestly.

"What do you say we get the hell out of here and get you back home?" He asked.

Arron matched his grin with one of his own mischievous ones.

"Yeah!"

"Hey! We want to come!"

Huh?

Larro looked behind himself as Pask crooned at them from the sofa in the living room. Tayn gave a snort, but he was in his hyena form and hardly ever talked when in his human one, anyway.

"You both are such moochers." Larro grumbled.

Pask cackled and shoved Tayn's hyena off the sofa, earning himself a nip before they both began tumbling around the living room floor in their flea-bag forms. Dorks.

His attention switched to Arron when he felt him hesitantly tug on his arm.

"Um..."

When he didn't continue, Larro smiled again and patted the kid's lopsided mohawk.

"You can talk to me, kid. I promise I won't bite."

He shuffled his feet a little while biting at his bottom lip, but after a moment of just listening to the two hyenas wrestling in the other room, he finally managed to speak his mind.

"Why did you kill those kittens? How did it happen?" He asked quietly.

Alright, this is my chance to tell him how it really happened. Without the cops trying to make me look like the devil in hyena form.

Larro calmly sat down where they stood so that was leaning against the wall, and Arron, now in his adorable kitten form from the shift he'd seen coming, hopped his way into his lap and circled a few times until he was situated comfortably.

So damn adorable.

Right, story.

"Okay. To start things off, this town is kind of low scale. I'm sure you've noticed that this isn't the best neighborhood. Well, I grew up in a pretty shitty place, with parents that were too busy smoking and shooting up to raise me. I did my best on my own, but without much interaction with them I was never taught how to control my animal, and as it grew, its instincts began to take more and more strength to fight. The incident happened after my parents had forgotten to buy food for the week, so I was living on crackers, onions, and tap water.

My hyene needed meat, craved it, but there was literally nothing. I even tried going to the homeless shelter to get fed but I was shooed away and called greedy. They knew my parents were extremely well off, so they thought that I just wanted to laugh at people who weren't doing as well. My parents blew every scent they could on drugs. So, needless to say, on the way home from the shelter I was walking down the street and my hyena was trying to push its way out to find it's own food. I ended up finally losing control when I saw the kittens running around.

They were such easy targets. Easy food. I had wanted food so badly. Just some meat from the homeless shelter to keep the animal in my head at bay."

Larro hadn't realized that he'd been crying until he felt a rough little tongue lapping at his face. It felt like a weight was lifting off of his chest when Arron began to nuzzle against his face and purr loudly. Very slowly, he allowed his arms to wrap around the little kitten's body and hugged him to his chest. His hyena cackled in his mind as he nuzzled Arron right back, seeking the comfort that he'd been searching for for years.

He didn't judge him for his mistake all those years ago. He trusted him for who he was now. In jail he had gone through so much training to gain control of his animal side. For four straight years he'd gone to therapy and learned to manage its hunger so that he would never be a danger to others again.

He knew that he didn't deserve to think in such a way, but that was the time he had realized that he wanted a kid of his own. He wanted to take care of someone and help them through their life. To make it so much better than his own one had been. Maybe one day he'd be able to find someone who accepted him enough to be willing to start a family. Even adopting would make him the happiest man in the world, but he had a bad record and would forever, so that made that option extremely hard.

I really just want someone to call me dad and look up at me with happiness and trust. Not hunger and hatred.

Okay, dad. Arron replied quietly.

Wait a second. Had he just talked to me in my mind? That's impossible if his kitten doesn't see me as...

Larro's heart constricted in his chest, forcing him to a take a few deep breaths as he hugged Arron a tiny bit tighter.

He sees me as family.