I Got You

A Mr. Peabody and Sherman Short Story.

Author's Note: This story is my theory of why Mr. Peabody stayed single and seems not having any interest of finding love. This story will consist of two or three chapters, and this one is mostly a prologue.

Reviews are appreciated!

Chapter 1

Why weren't You Married?

Sherman Peabody practically knew every ins and outs of his dad. If there was something that he didn't know, the redhead would always raise a question, and Mr. Peabody would answer it gladly, with too many details perhaps.

But there was a single question that had never been given a satisfying explanation by the father. The burning question that had been bugging the sixteen year-old boy for almost ten years. Every time the boy had brought that up, Mr. Peabody would always dodge it, or try to come up with a different subject. Even when he did answer, the responses would always be one-liners and didn't really satisfy the boy's curiosity.

Was Mr. Peabody happy? The boy had never seen his dad with another woman for his entire life. Heck he had never seen his father getting more intimate than colleague relationship with anyone other than the boy, let alone a girlfriend, or a wife. Why he kept restraining himself? Why he never tried to find love?

"Why weren't you married?"

Peabody halted his clacking of silverware as he glanced at his red-headed inquirer sitting in front of him. "I thought we were over this Sherman, I'm not seeing anyone right now..." the beagle answered with his overused response, before taking another bite of his plate of steak.

That was when Sherman decided to make his move. There was no turning back after he back talked to his father.

"Maybe the fact that you haven't seen anyone for the past sixteen years really deserves an explanation." Sherman stated with a tone slightly raised higher than Peabody's.

"Sherman..." Peabody set his fork and knife down. "You know better than to raise your voice when you talk to father..." He gazed sternly to his son.

"Well you might as well answer me." Sherman said confidently. Despite his heart kept telling him that he almost went out of the limit, he refused to stop. "Why weren't you married?"

"What is with you today Sherman?" Peabody raised his voice in order to gain power over his son. "You are not the type of kid who answered to his father, I raised you better than that..." He seemed to succeed in gaining control, because now, Sherman was cowered back to his seat with fear written all over his face. "If you want an explanation, well, I haven't seen a dog that is my type. Not that I expect another talking genius beagle to be my wife. In fact, I'm okay to be married with an ordinary dog. It's just... just that I haven't fallen in love with anyone that I met. Peabody explained.

"Well, why don't you try...?" Sherman mumbled.

"Try what?" The beagle raised an eyebrow.

"Try to find the one you love." Sherman added. "How could you want to find a dog you'll love if you never have talked to a single one in your entire life."

"Why are you suddenly being very interested in my personal life?" Peabody asked sternly. His son already meddled with something he shouldn't, it was best for the dog to establish some lines. "Since when you have become a love expert? I don't see you do any better than me..."

"Well, I... I basically knew you my entire life and it's just seem unfair that you have something that you hide from me. Is it wrong for a kid to get to know his father better?" The redhead used his best sad emotion that was usually irresistible to his father as he said that.

"Don't give me that look," the father stated harshly, somewhat still angered. "You've been keeping secrets from me too."

"How about you tell why you never try to find a girlfriend, and then I'll tell you one of my biggest secret?" Sherman bargained.

"What? Did you make a girl pregnant?" Peabody inquired sarcastically.

"No..." Sherman answered.

"Then I have nothing to worry about." Peabody turned his concentration back to the meal as he took another bite.

"Aww, please tell me dad..." Sherman groaned.

Peabody looked down to his dinner before continuing. "I said that I'm not seeing anyone right now, I'll let you know when I find one. But I think that I can manage to spend the rest of my life without finding anyone..."

"Aren't you lonely?"

"I got you..." Peabody's blood started to raise at Sherman's consecutive questions.

"Are you happy living like this?"

"I'll be happier if you stop bombarding me with all of these questions."

"Don't you want to have any Peabody puppies? I would really love to have puppy brothers and sisters."

"Again! I already got you, do you have any idea how hard it is to raise you alone?" The pissed off beagle took another munch of his steak viciously. "Please Sherman, I'm trying to have a quiet dinner–"

"You are gay, aren't you?"

Peabody chocked as he heard that out of the blue question. Sherman rushed to get him a glass of water which the dog gladly took. After recovering, the beagle shot a glare with his jade-green eyes. That was the time when Sherman realized that he had gone too far.

"What kind of thoughts makes you think of that Sherman?!" Peabody stated as he coughed once more.

"Well it's... it's just popped in my head," Sherman answered with a voice riddled in fear. "You are a middle-aged guy who refuses to get married for many... ridiculous reasons." Sherman just blurted out words without thinking.

"I see..." Peabody slide his half-eaten plate away from him. "Thanks for making me lose my appetite." With that, the white dog took off from the dining room. And Sherman just sat there, silently surprised.

"You've done it again Sherman." the sixteen year-old mumbled out loud.

After cleaning up what was left in the kitchen, the redhead did his homework for the night and watched some TV, while his father sat in the living room bar, drinking some kind of concoction in a completely unresponsive manner. Sherman felt really terrible after the event and his heart kept asking until when his dad would stop being mad at him. His personal record was a week and two days of silent treatment for smashing a computer with a baseball.

After hours of mindlessly flicking through the channels, wishing that his father would somehow recognize that it was beyond the boy's curfew and scold him, he finally gave up, turned the TV off and walked to his bedroom.

But as he passed through the mini bar, he looked at Mr. Peabody who was stirring the tall glass of liquor absentmindedly with his finger.

"Mr. Peabody, your steak is in the fridge in case you're hungry..." Sherman started the sentence with the softest tone he could manage to use.

"Sure thing boy..." Peabody replied, not bothering to look at his asker.

"Well, I'm going to bed, can you read something for me?" Sherman added, hoping that the father would forget that the redhead hadn't been tucked in bed since he was eleven."

"You're too old for bedtime stories..." The beagle answered with a hiccup.

"Okay then... Good night Mr. Peabody." Sherman walked to the hall with disappointment in his mind. But after he walked three steps, the guilty feeling started to swell up.

"Mr. Peabody I'm sorry for accusing you to be gay earlier." Sherman walked as fast as he could to the mini bar and sat on a tall chair next to Peabody. "But becoming really mad about it shouldn't be necessary."

"Sherman? " Peabody, reeked of liquor, turned his face to meet his son. The dog's glasses was skewed far from its usual location and his bowtie was undone. His eyes were in a deep red as if he was... crying? Mr. Peabody never cried. He should be a knight in a shining armor with a heart stronger than steel. That talk alone had crumbled the dog to some kind of an alien that wasn't him. "What do you want to drink? I could mix you up a nice scotch if you're interested."

Before the father could reach to the other side of the bar, the boy already grabbed the dog by the shoulders and motioned him to sit down and look at the boy. The glasses were also put on its proper place. The green eyes seemed to be glancing at something far, as if he was losing grip with the reality. The dog might be drinking more than he should, not even Sherman had seen him doozier than now.

"Let's start..." Sherman started with a gulp. "It's... okay to be gay."

Peabody didn't respond, he just took another sip of whatever he was drinking.

"I promise that I won't be embarrassed of you, and I won't tell anyone." Sherman added, despite of the lack of expression, Sherman knew that his dad was listening.

"Sherman, I'm not gay." After a quick pause, the beagle stated clearly, it was nothing like the Peabody who offered his sixteen year-old son scotch a minute ago. His green eyes regained focus as the time passed, as if the dog could just command his body to be sober in a mere second.

"You know Mr. Peab, denying just makes it more obvi–"

"Seriously Sherman, I'm not."

"Well then. How come you can be so angry about it...?" Sherman inquired.

"It's not about the gay part, I know that it's just your common misconception of feeble deductions." Peabody finally explained after he took another sip. "It's more on the... 'ridiculous reasons' part."

"Well what is the reason? Do you admit that you are awkward around girls?" Sherman guessed with a small chuckle. "I guess that it could be ridiculous..."

"What if your wife and kids got killed in front of your eyes, would it be ridiculous?" Peabody sternly cried with a mean glare shot to his boy, who quickly lost his smile. Sherman couldn't believe what he just heard.

"Wh... What?" Sherman stammered. For years he thought that he knew his father by heart, but it seemed that there were plenty more to be discovered.

"I was married! And was expecting puppies!" Peabody put his drink down and folded his arms in anger. Sherman could tell that his father was beyond furious by the tone.

"I... I am so sorry..." the sixteen year-old whimpered. His didn't dare to look at his father's set of eyes. "But how? Why?"

"Sherman, you will never be too old for another bedtime story... right?"