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It was the week before "Out of this World" went on its off-season break. The cast and crew were high fiving and congratulating each other on another not-so-surprising, successful show that started a month ago. Klaus was shaking Johnny's hand, well the one that was occupied by Nooshy's, Clay was giving Ash a celebratory ride on his shoulder, and Porsha was chatting it up with Rosita and Gunter, all while Buster watched from a distance, a sad smile, reminiscent of the one h had that night one-year-ago, on his face.
"Oh dad," he whispered, whipping a tear from his eye, "now I really wish you could see this."
"Mr. Moon," a soft, but strong voice called from behind him, causing Buster to turn in time to see Suki walking toward him, a concerned look in her bespectacled eyes as she reached him.
"Yes Suki," Buster responded, his own concern growing as Suki got down on one knee to be as face-to-face with Buster as possible, "what's wrong?"
"I just wanted to touch base with you on a very…delicate matter."
At this point Buster was confused.
"And what matter is that?"
"It's Porsha," Suki simply said, wasting no time in getting to the point.
"While Mr. Crystal's arrest makes Porsha the sole beneficiary of his fortune and estate…she is still only seventeen, and under certain terms and agreements made by Mr. Crystal, can neither lay claim to his fortune, nor his industry, until she is eighteen. Plus…I talked to her, and these past few weeks of living by herself in that big penthouse have made her, for lack of a better word, lonely."
At that moment, Buster understood.
"I see," he said, his eyes cast to the floor as he entered deep into thought, tapping a knuckle against his lips as he processed what Suki just told him.
"So, what can you do for her?"
"The only thing I can do is make sure that all finances remain stable until Porsha can claim them. As for housing…I'm sorry but I can't accommodate her. And I can't stay at the penthouse 24-7. Plus, Johnny already has Nooshy staying at his father's garage, and Ash says she can't accommodate anyone either. And Mr. Calloway…well, he just isn't comfortable looking after someone when he's been alone for so long."
"That does put us in a pickle," Buster conceded, shrugging his shoulders as he spoke. For several minutes, the two business-mammals were bathed in silence, the only noise being the celebration taking place behind them. But after several more minutes, Suki saw Buster's face begin to contort in a massive, almost too enthusiastic smile.
"I got it!" he exclaimed, snapping his fingers at the idea he just had. And having known the Koala for over a month, Suki couldn't help but smile at the always optimistic marsupial. In fact, every time he looked at her with those big, cheerful blue eyes, she felt a flutter in her chest. And it was only when Suki noticed Buster snapping his fingers in her face did Suki realize she was staring at the Koala for a little longer than necessary.
"Earth to Suki," Buster called, making Suki glad that her bright range fur hid the blush that was creeping on her muzzle.
"Sorry," she said with a sheepish smile, "what was that?"
"I said Porsha can stay with me," Buster said, clearly not fazed by Suki's behavior.
"I got a spare bedroom that I never use, Porsha will have a 'guardian' of sorts looking after her. And once she's eighteen, she can do as she pleases."
"That's actually not a bad plan, and I can handle all the paperwork to make you her quote, unquote 'legal guardian,'" Suki said, mulling the thought over in her head, her nervous smile becoming more confident.
"I KNEW YOU'D LOVE IT!" Buster practically screamed, making Suki jump a little bit, only to chuckle as she shook her head, her short hair swaying with the motion. But just as she was about to stand, Buster placed his hand on her forearm. And while it was meant as a signal to stay for a moment, Suki couldn't help but still at the contact, some of her fur standing on end as she looked back at Buster, who motioned to her to bring her head closer to his.
"And one more thing you can do is…" and as Suki leaned in to listen to what Buster had to say, she quickly felt a new wave of admiration filling her as she listened to his instructions.
"Yeah," she said as pulled away, her long, silky tail wagging behind her, "I can do that."
And with that, Suki walked away. And as she reached the exit, she glanced over her shoulder just in time to see Buster call Porsha over. For a few minutes Suki watched as Buster talked to Porsha, and soon found herself laughing as she saw the teen pick up Buster to pull him not a big hug, a clear sign that he had told her of the arrangements he had made for her in the off-season.
Fast forward a week, and the bus holding the New Moon troupe, plus three new members, was just ten minutes away from the theater. And in all honesty, each original member was ready to sleep in their own beds for a change. The bus had left early that morning, and with a long trip ahead, each cast member passed the time in their own way.
Ash was fiddling around with chords of song she and Clay had started writing together. Gunter was helping Rosita and Norman look after the piglets, sometimes attempting to keep them from jumping out the window, all the while brainstorming ideas with Rosita on how to improve their parts in the show. Meena was facetiming with Alfonso. Nooshy was listening to music with Johnny, sharing his earbuds as she snuggled into his side, the gorilla draping his arm around her shoulders. And Miss Crawley, as usually, was trying to recovering her ever-elusive glass eye.
And at the back of the bus, Buster and Porsha, the koala gently petting the wolf's head, the teen having fallen asleep on the ride home. And as he continued to stroke Porsha surprisingly soft fur, he couldn't stop this strange feeling that was forming in his chest and the pit of his stomach. And the more he stared at the lovely wolf before him, the more that feeling grew, his soft smile turning into a loving, nurturing one. And it was at that moment that Buster new what it was.
Affection…Fatherly affection.
"Mr. Moon?" a tired voice sounded, causing Buster to stop in his actions as Porsha turned her head in his lap, a tired, half-lidded gaze meeting his.
"Hey kiddo," Buster cooed, his smile never leaving his face even as Porsha sat herself up, letting out a long yawn as she stretched out her limbs and back. After relieving the tension in her stiff body, Porsha looked at Buster, offering a soft smile of her own before looking out the window of the bus.
"So, how much longer Mr. Moon?"
"Not much longer…about ten minutes," Buster responded, patting her hand with his, the action resulting in Porsha taking his smaller hand into hers.
"And please, call me Buster."
Porsha sat there for a moment, her small somewhat falling a distant look appeared in her eyes, a clear sign to Buster that she was thinking something over. And after a solid minute of holding that look, Porsha looked back at Buster, almost hesitantly as she spoke.
"How about…Daddy? Y-y'know cause you're going to be like my dad, or something for a bit."
This caught Buster off guard, the Koala's attention turning to the others in the bus to see if anyone had heard. Luckily, everyone else was still minding their own business. And while Buster didn't mind if they heard, he was still a bit shocked by Porsha's suggestion. Looking back at the teen wolf, Buster could see her face fall at his silence, a clear sign that she was taking his reaction as rejection. And so, after taking a moment to mentally slap himself out of his stupor, Buster offered a smile o Porsha as he squeezed her hand.
"Whatever makes you happy kid."
And for the remainder of the trip, Porsha and Buster sat in silence, both just enjoying each other's company until the bus pulled into the bus station. And as the cast stepped off the bus, each went their own way. Meena's mother and grandparents greeted her to take her home, with Meena's mother becoming ecstatic when her daughter told her of her new boyfriend. Johnny's dad and his crew pulled up in their truck to take Nooshy and Johnny to their garage. Rosita and Norman got a cab to take them and the kids home, with Gunter deciding to walk back to his apartment, same as Ash.
"Goodnight Mr. Moon, Goodnight Porsha," Miss Crawley called, glass eye safely back in pace as she left for home.
"Goodnight Miss Crawley, pleasant dreams," Buster called, already making his way to the nearby cab terminal, with his luggage.
"Yeah, goodnight," Porsha enthusiastically called, wave her hand high above her head like an excited pup before following Buster with her own suitcase. And after securing a cab, the two enjoyed a relatively quick ride to the theater.
"Welp," Buster explained as he hoped out of the car, "Home Sweet Home."
As Buster went to pay the driver, Porsha stepped out of the cab, her eyes wide upon seeing the immaculate façade of the theater. She was even gob smacked at the amazing tall water tank full of bio-luminescent squid above the marquis sign.
"Okay Porsha," Buster eagerly said as he popped the trunk of the cab, "let's get you settled in."
The moment Porsha set foot in the main lobby of the theater, her moth dropped open in surprise, her eyes wide in wonder at the amazing furnishings of the room. And the theater itself left her speechless. Sure, it wasn't as large or immaculate as her father's, but like she said, she was so into vintage. And after leading her backstage and up the stairs that led to his office, Buster continued to lead her to another set of stairs. And to Porsha's delight, the top of the stairs led right into a cozy little living room, complete with a sofa, coffee table, and TV mounted on the wall. And adjacent to the living room was a small kitchen, clearly accommodated to Buster's size as evident by the various ladders and step stools.
"So this is the main living space," he proudly proclaimed to Porsha, "not too fancy, but it's enough for me."
With that, Buster led Porsha to a hallway beside the kitchen, the wolf taking one more moment to admire the cute space before following. After indicating a door that was his room, and another that was the bathroom, Buster came to a stop in front of one more door.
"And last but not least," he announced like the showman he was before sending the door flying open. At first hesitant to enter, Porsha soon found herself at a loss for words as she entered what would be her room for the time being. The first thing she noticed about the surprisingly spacious room was the bright wallpaper, which was the same stunning shade of blue that was in her room. The next thing was her own vanity, makeup and all sitting almost where she had last left it. And her bed, the twin mattress a far cry from her queen, was layered with her own sheets and pillows. And at the foot of the bed, her dresser and TV.
Porsha was truly speechless.
"Yeah," Buster began sheepishly upon notcing Porsha's reaction, "I had Suki have some of her people move some of your things and fix up the room while we were riding here. Just a little something to make it feel like home. I know it's not what your used to…"
"I LOVE IT!" Porsha squealed, shocking the Koala as she picked him up off the ground, holding him close as she danced around the room, her excitement moving to Buster as he found himself laughing at Porsha's reaction.
"ILOVEITILOVEITILOVEITILOVEIT!"
Porsha's revelry soon found both of them on her new bed, Buster letting out an "OOF!" as he rolled off of her chest. Moving himself so that he was sitting just beside the excited wolf, who after taking a few minutes to calm down and catch her breath, turned to Buster, who found himself on the receiving end of another, but much more tender hug as the wolf nuzzled her face into his chest, the embrace being gladly returned as Buster tenderly raked his fingers through the fur on Porsha's head.
"I love it," she whispered, tears of joy running down her cheeks as she held Buster close.
"Thank You Daddy."
Buster, after feeling those words hit harder than he ever thought possible, gently placed a tender kiss on Porsha's head, the girl letting out a soft moan of content as Buster continued to caress her head.
"Anytime Baby Girl."
At that moment, Buster swore to himself that he would be the father Porsha deserved.
And at that same moment, Porsha knew…she would be alright.