Among the stars, Chapter 1: Part 2
Zain called the still fuming Mikee into the kitchen, and asked him to get the dishes and silverware out and set the table to take his mind off of his video games. The smell of freshly cooked food has a way of changing the disposition of even the most churlish person, and Zain's cooking was no different. The still rather glum-looking Matt, and even the exasperated Mikee's ears both perked up, their muzzles watering as the intoxicating aromas of baking focaccia bread and earthy, spicy stew washed over them. Never one to stay in an ill mood for more than a few minutes Mikee turned on the radio, and began capering about, setting the table and dancing in rhythm to the smooth jazz. Passersby might have noted what an odd scene it was; Zain in his apron, Mikee weaving past him performing what looked to be a fusion of Salsa and Tango, and the normally stoic Matt rapping his paws on the table and laughing at the antics of Mikee. It's pretty amazing, Zain thought as he cast his new roomates a side-long glance, how quickly these two have become such good friends.Maybe I could tell them about... no... I don't think they'd understand. Zain snapped out of his reverie, having realized that Mikee had ended his dance, and somehow managed to set the table without breaking a thing. "Dinner is served, gentlemen!" Zain said, his own stomach rumbling. "So what is this stuff, anyway?" Mikee asked, his eyes opened curiously as he tried to examine the contents of the crock pot. He was used to things like pizza, shakes, fast food, and the like, and the exotic aroma escaping from the pot Zain held was at the same time mysterious and intoxicating. "For zee monsieur, ve 'av le focaccia bread, et ma grand-mère cuit à l'étouffée." Zain said, trying his best at a French accent. "Um... so bread and soup?" Mikee asked, giggling at the sudden French lesson. "Yeah pretty much, it's my grandmother's recipe, I hope you like spicy things." before Zain even finished talking, Mikee had blown on his spoonful of stew and jammed a rather absurd amount of bread in his mouth. "Thith ith ruly gud" was all he could manage to say around the mouthful of food. Zain and Matt both laughed at Mikee, who apparently hadn't properly appreciated how piquant Zain's cooking could be, and appeared to now be trying to swallow everything at once while simultaneously pouring large quantities of water in his mouth as he did so, with marginal success-as he was now giggling at himself as well. The boys managed to talk about their first week of school around mouthfuls of food, Matt complained at length about how he was going to be a gym teacher, so why should he have to take an English class? Mikee added that as an apiring Engineer, he didn't need to know Shakespeare. They all laughed about their various quirky teachers, who seemed to be wholly ignorant that clothing styles changed from decade to decade. Mikee told them both about another skunk named Jane Reijland from his Engineering class, who he was convinced that he would marry by the end of the semester. Matt asked whether or not he could be the best lion in their wedding, though Mikee seemed to miss the light sarcasm.
Zain was on the verge of telling them both about the boy from his Astronomy class who had so captured his imagination, filling his own waking thoughts with endless amorphous daydreams that wouldn't leave him alone (though when he thought about it, he didn't really want them to). Before that first day in class, he had considered himself a completely average (if a bit eccentric) straight fox. He had always been more willing to admit than his friends that he found this or that guy attractive, but the reality of dating one had never really occurred to him. Guys were, well... guys. Loud, outspoken, sports-loving and hypermasculine, either that or the opposite extreme of gay ones that fell within their own world of stereotypes. But he didn't seem like that; although it was kind of hard to tell, having only seem him a few times, and hearing him speak when his name was called for attendance. It doesn't matter that he's a guy... right? He wondered to himself. He had no idea how the dating world went when it came to guys. Even his few relationships in highschool had pretty much fallen into his lap, with the girl approaching him, saying that she thought he was cute, and everything had sort of just followed from there. He decided he should keep his musings to himself, he didn't know how Matt or Mikee felt about gay people, or bisexual people, or... well, whatever he was. As if to confirm his suspicions about himself, the night was again filled with white fur that blanketed and comforted him, and that marvelous set of eyes again searching his soul with their sublime serenity.