Can't You Hear Can't You Hear the Thunder

Story by Gruffy on SoFurry

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#42 of Hockey Hunk Season 2

It's time for Rory to get to taste some juicy, thick, meat.



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Hehhey, and welcome to the Hockey Hunk!

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Cheerio!

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Cobb continued to make a surprisingly great amount of noise while doing his cooking, which I hoped to be a distraction enough to keep him from hearing everything I was saying to Victor. I turned towards the Dobie in the armchair next to me, and gave him a quick smile. Victor's eyes seemed to be smiling behind his specs, even if his muzzle was still somewhat stern, probably due to the overdose of Cobb we'd both been having ever since I arrived. Hell, he'd been having it for the past two weeks straight! Damn...

"Hope you don't mind that I got you the same gift I got for Cobb," I spoke quickly, not wanting to draw Cobb's attention away from his sauce making. "I really wanted to get you something but I didn't really know what would be suitable so..."

Victor chuffed and tapped the leather armrest with his paw.

"It's great," he smiled. "It's good and practical, I already told you."

My ears flicked tentatively, and my tail tapped a beat against my ankle, along to the course of my nervous thoughts.

"As long as it didn't give the wrong message or something..." I mused.

Victor flicked his tall ear sharply and snuffled.

"You're doing great," the Dobie rumbled, grinning now at me. "With both of us."

My tail jumped with glee at the compliment, and I gave Victor a relieved smile, glad that I had not yet caused the ruin of yet another evening. It still smarted to think about my last encounter with Victor and how awkward it had ended up being for a while, before we sorted that out, and I did not want to have an encore performance of that kind. And that was just my recent dose of Victor-drama...the rest...I could've spent the whole night moping about all of that, and completely spoil my mood for the evening that was so far proceeding smoothly enough. As long as I would keep my muzzle shut from saying anything that might provoke Cobb into unleashing yet another round of embarrassment at Victor, I would be fine. Never mind the ribbing on me.

"Okay," I said.

Victor winked.

"I'll put all that into use in the morning, I think," he grinned. "And maybe tomorrow, you can help me try out that shower gel..."

My ears flopped backwards momentarily with surprise upon hearing the suggestive words slip out from Victor's muzzle that was split in a leer that reminded me quite the lot of his brother. I gave a quick glance at the apron-wearing Dobie behind the counter, hoping against hope that he hadn't heard what Victor just said to me. Then my eyes returned to Victor, who was still smiling, and watching me.

"Relax," he thrummed the armrest with his fingerpads. "It's fine."

A sudden loud bang made my whole body tense and jump, sending my nerves into a moment of a flurry-like action upon the surprise noise. My paws slapped down on the armrests and I twisted, turning instinctually towards the source of the sound. What I saw was Cobb straightening himself up, standing in front of the oven, which was obviously also the source of the earlier strange slam. The Dobie instantly noticed that I was looking, and smiled goofily.

"Heheh, the door is a bit stiff," he waved his paw in the air as if demonstrating his earlier banging action, "It needs a good whack sometimes, or maybe a bit of oil."

Victor chortled.

"Or maybe you just aren't gentle enough with it!" the Dobie commented. "It's really simple, you just have to pull the handle down and that's it, I showed you a dozen times!"

Cobb grabbed a towel from the kitchen counter and waved it at us while smiling madly.

"Whatever, the pont neuf potatoes are looking really nice and should be ready about the same time as the Wellingtons," he continued while rubbing his paws on the towel, even though they didn't seem to be either wet or dirty to begin with. "Won't be long. Gee, I am starving!"

"Even after that huge hamburger you had before?" Victor sniped from my side.

Cobb's ears made a quick flapping action while he put the towel away and moved back to oversee his cooking, keeping his eyes on us, however.

"Shopping always makes me really hungry," he replied. "Can't help it. And it was a long way to that place what you call it...Stepford Center and back."

"You could have gone to the supermarket two blocks down, like I always do," Victor noted.

I gave the Dobie a quick look. I was surprised that he was suddenly challenging everything Cobb said, something that didn't seem to be the best idea considering that the Cobb was all too eager to latch onto anything we might do or say ,and now Victor was intentionally giving him more. I doubted that such a small amount of heckling could have any effect on the bigger than life Dobie, though, but then again, I wasn't Cobb's brother, I wouldn't know just what his limits were, and just how many special tricks and strategies Victor might be hiding in the sleeves of his arm-licking shirt.

Hmmm, arms...

Cobb's spatula made a strange metallic sound, scraping against the sides of his cauldron of a saucepan that was emitting a garlic scent. The Dobie rumbled and chuckled.

"I'm on a holiday! I want to do things differently, and go to exotic new places!" Cobb mused.

Victor rubbed his muzzle with his paw and made a deep sound, straight from the chest, grumbling.

"Suit yourself," he shrugged.

"Well I did go to this gents clothing shop there but they weren't stocking hot pants in my size so it was a bit of a bust, "Cobb declared cheerfully.

My eyes widened at the outrageousness of the comment, combined with the idea of trying to stuff all that Cobb into some very tight shorts. Or Victor, for that matter...they did...compare, after all.

"Maybe some more wine," I rumbled to myself and hurried to pick my glass back into my paw and take a quick distracting sip.

"Rory!!!"

There we go again.

Hope you don't mind that the Sacher cake I have for desert is from the baker's, I've never made that pastry and I didn't want to bomb it and ruin the dinner!" Cobb just wouldn't let go, it seemed.

I gave him a very polite, if genuinely surprised smile, and a nod, too.

"That's thoughtful of you, Cobb, that's nice!"

Cobb beamed.

"My man Victor likes chocolate so much and I thought that some really nice chocolate cake would be the best bet!" the Dobie rumbled. "Hope you've got a sweet tooth, Rory!"

Well...

"I'll look forward to it," I said.

"Yaaay!" Cobb whooped.

"We won't be able to move after we've eaten all that," Victor commented by me, drawing my eyes to him again from the attention-seeking Dobie in the kitchen.

I chuckled.

"Might not be so bad," I replied, smiling at my canine companion, "It's been a while since I had a really big, good home-cooked meal."

"How come?" Victor asked.

"Too lazy," I chuckled flippantly. "It's all to easy too easy to come home and just quickly make something before I collapse onto the couch and only get up for the bathroom or the bed when it's time to get to sleep."

Victor chuckled.

"Hear, hear," the Dobie rumbled happily. "We've all been there."

Looking at Cobb in the middle of his fervent gourmet meal making, I wasn't so sure whether he'd been there.

"Yeah," I smiled. "In bed, too."

Victor's ears perked curiously as I took my turn to slip out a suggestive remark, but the smile that spread over his lips didn't seem to be at all minding the fact that I had been bold enough to do so even under the vigilant Cobb surveillance. He seemed to be too busy with his pans for the moment, which gave me another chance at teasing Victor.

It wasn't difficult to flick the tip of my tail over across my calf, so that from this angle, Cobb would have no chance of seeing that I was actually tickling Victor's ankle with it, while looking at the very same Dobie with a small smile remaining on my wine-slick lips.

Victor's eyes seemed to gleam a little when he murred and made a subtle tilt with his leg, responding my indirect touch with one of his own, by accepting mine. A jolt of erotic warmth coursed down my spine and made a soft 'pop' inside my belly, resulting in an added warmth there, lingering around my loins. It wouldn't have taken much to get me going properly, oh no, just a little bit more of this flirt play and I would've been hot and heavy, but under the circumstances, I appreciated what was there. It didn't help that Victor looked very kissable at the moment, too, in the relatively dim light of the living room, with that silky shirt and attentive eyes and...

"Ohhh yes!"

And Cobb.

I saw Victor's chest fall with a deep exhalation while both of us turned to face in the direction of the kitchen, where Cobb was it again, this time, it looked, halfway crawled into the oven, out of which he picked up a tray holding something that looked much like a loaf of bread. A rush of warm scent hit my nose, mixing that of a bakery with the subtle scent of cooking fat and meat, and some spices. Every one of them would have been enough to make my maw water on their own, but their combination was irresistible. I was surprised my belly didn't grumble.

Cobb closed the door of the oven with another mighty bang and then stood over the mystery object he had just placed on the counter, rubbing his oven mitten-covered paws together with obvious delight. He was licking his lips.

"Oh, my, my, look at that," the Dobie drooled verbally, eyeing the food he had made, "such a juicy, thick piece of meat..."

Victor snorted.

"Do you want us to come over to the table yet?" I asked, both wanting to be polite and anxious to get a taste.

Cobb pulled off his mittens and dropped them down on the counter next to the steaming hunk of sirloin and moved back over to the stove to check on his various pots and pans.

"Have to let it settle for a few more minutes, but you're always free to come over and get some bread and butter to get your appetites going!"

My stomach purred in agreement to that, but Cobb simply couldn't do anything without drama, it seems, because in the next instant, he was suddenly moving very fast in the relatively small space of the kitchen.

"Shit, the bread! Hold on..." he wheezed.

Victor chuffed by me and began to get up.

"Let's go, Rory. Don't forget your wine."

I gave him a quick nod and picked up my wine glass from its safe place on the floor. Though, I must admit that I took my time in getting up, if only to catch an extra glimpse on the sight of the Dobie walking, from the back... that is, with an unobstructed view for my very own and curious cat eyes. I was probably purring a little for that, too while I trailed Victor over to the dining area, where the table set for three awaited. My eyes jumped along the silvery utensils, plates, glasses and napkins, all set in an orderly fashion that rivaled any nice restaurant I'd been to. Maybe Cobb had used a ruler.

"Bread, bread, bread..." the Cobb was making a lot of noise opening and closing kitchen cabinets.

I stopped at the end of the table and looked at the setting in front of me. There were two plates laid for the side of the table that was overlooked by a window with the curtains drawn over it, and a solitary plate was on the other side. A pitcher of water and two candlesticks with tall white candles filled most of the center part of the table.

This all meant that two furs were obviously expected to sit next to one another, while the third wheel got to sit on the other side, but who that would be...hmm...I wasn't so sure whether this was a not so subtle attempt by Cobb to make sure that I would be sitting next to Victor, while he had a perfect vantage point on the opposite side. Or, maybe it was possible that for politeness' sake, as the guest, I was expected to sit on my own on the other side, so that both of the Holdens could converse with me with ease and...

Victor squeezed himself between the dining table and the counter and sat down on the window side, putting his glass down as he put him rump down on the black wooden chair.

"Come on," he gave a meaningful look for the seat next to himself.

"Butter...BUTTER..."

My tail made a backflip as I nodded and quickly pulled a chair for myself, to settle myself down next to Victor. All else be damned.

"Hmmm...basket...basket..."

"Under the knife drawer," Victor spoke, sounding bored. "And bring the matches too, they're on top of the hood."

"Thanks!"

"BANG!" the cabinet door said.

I adjusted the chair to a comfortable distance and laid one paw daintily down on the table, while I folded my other arm across my lap, and generally made myself presentable and tried to look comfortable. It was somewhat difficult to relax, with Cobb rushing around and looking like he might collide with something at any second. My quick glimpse at Victor told me that he wasn't too amused either.

"So," I tapped my fingers on the table to draw Victor's attention, "did you lay this down or did Cobb do this too?"

Victor flicked an amused ear at me and nodded.

"Yeah, I laid the table," he said, "and vacuumed the place, and dusted, and ironed and aired."

I smiled at the idea of Victor using a fluffy housewife duster all over the apartment, and felt instantly better.

"Everything's shipshape," I mused.

"Here we go!"

Cobb approached like a runaway train, with his ears flicked down for extra aerodynamics, it seemed, with his paws extended out in front of him and holding objects in them. He placed a small basket containing crisp-looking thin slices of bread and a plate containing some bright-colored butter and a knife onto the center of the table, still smiling madly. A small rattling box fell by Victor's paw.

"Here you go!" the Dobie panted. "Some nice bread and some real butter to get those juices flowing! Hope you like it, Rory!"

"Thanks," Victor rumbled, eyeing the starters with mild interest.

I looked into the beaming eyes of the Dobie in front of me and smiled, hoping that my words would be enough to feed his gigantic expectations.

"Thank you, Cobb, it does look nice," I said.

"Yay!" Cobb smacked his paws together loudly. "Enjoy!"

He sauntered away, stub of a tail flicking rapidly. Victor cleared his throat and nudged the breadbasket against my wrist.

"Here, you start."

"Thanks."

Victor placed the basket by me and proceeded to light the candles, while I gingerly picked one of the slices from the basket and placed it onto my small plate. It wasn't warm, the bread, but it felt spongy and very fresh, and its scent told me much the same, which was only adding to the famished sensation slowly growing inside my Rory-tummy. Victor followed suite and after the application of a sliver of butter, I actually had some food in front of me for the first time during this strange family dinner date, and I couldn't wait anymore. I took a bite on my bread and chewed, slowly, religiously, enjoying the taste flowing over my tongue. It might've been simple cuisine, but it was nice, and the chewing sounds from Victor told me that he was enjoying his own bite, too.

"You boys doing okay there?" Cobb hollered from behind the kitchen counter.

"Hmmhmphh" I answered with a nod, one mimicked by Victor, too, mildly.

"Great!" Cobb declared. "I'll just go and get changed and then its party time!"

Cobb untied the cords holding the apron closed and then tossed it casually to the side, to reveal his broad shoulders and his thick torso in its perfect visual glory. It was odd to look at him, being...slightly like Victor, but then, also not much like Victor at all. Their bodies were differently shaped, his arms weren't as thick as Victor's, he was more sleek, as much as that was possible when you were so big to begin with, but it simply was...not quite the same. I didn't get to enjoy the sights for too long while Cobb streaked into what I presumed to be his room. The door, of course, closed with a terrible bang that almost rattled the wine glasses on the dining table.

I shook my head quietly.

"Does he ever calm down?" I asked, turning to look at a somber Victor sitting me.

Victor scratched the side of his muzzle and shrugged. Both of the gestures highlighted the beefiness of his arm, and made me want to run my paw over it. Badly.

My sheath agreed.

"Not really. This is pretty much his standard, whenever he's having fun."

I gave a quick look at the steaming food waiting all so close on the kitchen counter, and then nodded at Victor.

"I...see."

Victor extended his paws in front of him and cracked his knuckles before putting his paws down in a more relaxed state.

"He's loving all the excitement and food and planning and getting to spend time with you."

My brow quirked.

"He really likes me that much after...what, five minutes of knowing me?" I asked Victor, dubious of the Dobie's affections for me after such a brief acquaintance....and definitely not based on meeting me on my best behavior.

"He wants to like you," Victor replied cryptically.

I nodded quickly, swallowing the last piece of my latest bite of bread, and licked my lips afterwards to catch any crumbs that might have gotten stuck to them. I shook my head a little and smiled broadly.

"Oh," I mused, considering a sip of wine to flush my palate.

"His mind works in mysterious ways."

I chuckled.

"MYYYY POOOOKERFACE SHE'S GOT GOT NOBOOOOODY..."

My ears flicked with surprise at the singing coursing from behind the closed door of the guest room. I didn't have to wait for long for the appearance of the fur the voice belonged to, since at the same moment, the door was opened and Cobb emerged, now dressed in a white collared shirt. He was still tugging on one cuff while he walked with quick strides across the room and into the kitchen, humming along to the tune.

"Let's see to those potatoes!" Cobb hollered, mostly to himself, I guessed, as he grabbed his mittens from the counter and disappeared into a crouch.

"Yeah, don't let Rory starve here!" Victor noted with a snuffle.

"Po-po-po-po-potatoes po-po-po-po-potatoes..." echoed from behind the counter.

Even more delicious scents filled the already fragrant air of the apartment when Cobb placed a trayful of specially prepared potatoes onto a corner of the kitchen counter. He was rumbling now, obviously pleased with the sight of the food he had made, and his ears kept flicking along to that invisible rhythm they kept onto.

"Oh, mama!" Cobb leered to himself. "Pass over the plates, would you, Victor?"

"Sure," the Dobie replied, already on the move to pick his plate and place it onto the counter that was well within his paw's reach, followed by my plate as well, and then Cobb's.

"Alright!" Cobb yelped, almost making me yelp, too.

Why did he have to speak so loudly?

"So, ladies and gentlemen...hehe...all gents here but guess you don't mind that, eh?" Cobb went on his merry way. "We'll be having a classic Beef Wellington alá Cobb ala MasterChef, with duxelles, pont neuf potatoes, white wine sauce and some parsnip fluid gel ala Cobb. Yaaay!"

We simply watched while Cobb pulled out a huge-looking carving knife and began to cut thick slices out of the strange golden-colored lump on the table. It was quite the flurry of knives and spoons, with Cobb filling the plates at remarkable speed, I had to admit, before they were passed on, once again by Victor, back to us, the hungry diners, waiting on the table. My maw positively and freely watered at the sight of the rosy meat rolled into the golden sheath, resting on my plate and surrounded with at least two different kinds of sauces and accompanied by a large, garlic-scented potato. It really did all look very credible, and most of all, delicious. I was starting to wonder when was the last time I'd felt that hungry.

Cobb hauled himself over too and sat down on the opposite side of the table from me, and immediately fixed his big, curious eyes upon me. I felt like I was on the spot and felt a moderate heat touch upon my cheeks at the sudden attention. I wasn't sure what he was looking for, but I knew that he was trying to find it from me.

"Right now," Cobb rubbed his paws together once before he grabbed the open bottle of wine on the table and poured himself a glass. "I think a toast would be in order now!"

Victor snuffled.

"Really now?" he gave his brother a pointed look that was more than enough to make me feel once again that I was caught between these two and whatever subtle game of power they played against each other.

Cobb put the bottle down and then raised his glass in a toast.

"Definitely," he smirked at his brother before clearing his throat, with his paw in a fist over his muzzle and all, for the gesture. "Ahem..."

I took hold of my own glass, wanting to be polite, and Victor did the same, albeit more slowly, appearing lazy to follow his brother's suggestion.

"So...I toast for this mighty good dinner, for this amazing week I've got to spend with my handsome and eligible bachelor of a brother Victor..." Cobb started, sounding as serious as to start sounding not serious, "and of course for the fact that my new friend Rory could make it here tonight!"

My blush deepened, hidden within my golden cheeks. I gave Victor a quick look and saw that his forehead was in the process of furrowing, for reasons I did not have to guess. I knew that I had to act quickly before Victor's mood plummeted, and thus, I lifted my glass a little bit higher, and cleared my own throat.

"Thank you, Jacob, that was very nicely said of you," I said, "I am very glad to be here, and I am glad of the welcome I have received."

Cobb grinned and shot a glance at his brother.

"He's so polite!" Cobb grinned. "Cheers for that!"

All three of us took sips from our respective glasses, Cobb the biggest out of them, I measured quickly after the glasses were back on the table, and he also wasn't shy to wipe his muzzle on the back of his paw afterwards and smack his lips.

"Hmmm," he rumbled.

"Thank you for the food, Cobb," Victor added, after a moment.

Cobb grinned toothily.

"Thanks, Terry."

Victor's ears flicked sharply and drew a curious look from me, passing between the two brothers. Victor noticed me looking quickly enough, too, for he soon leaned back on his chair and rumbled, still watching me in return, openly.

"Terry, from Terrence, that's what my grandmother likes calling me, because my grandfather was Terrence, and so does Cobb, when he wants to get on my nerves," he hissed out the final word of his statement, much to Cobb's chuckling amusement.

The brother Dobie picked up his fork and pierced the potato on his plate with it before he picked up the knife and began to cut a small piece out of his hot treat.

"Only because I love you, brother," the Dobie flicked an amused ear in Victor's direction.

"Ha," Victor snorted.

I decided that it was as good time as any to actually begin to eat, and picked up my utensils from their places on either side of my plate, and dug into a corner of the Beef Wellington dominating my plate with its majestic deliciousness. The sirloin glistened with its own juices, sending whiffs of pure, primal, predatory craving into my feline tastebuds, always ready to dig into some tender meat. I could not take the torture for very much longer.

"Do you have any embarrassing nicknames, Rory?" Cobb's voice cut through my consciousness even faster than my knife could get into the sirloin.

I almost froze. To my own credit, I didn't freeze, but kept my paws moving, despite the question and the staring attention, and the sound of Victor's warning grumble in my left ear, while my other flicked in surprise in the direction of the Cobb.

"Sometimes my female colleagues call me studmuffin," I replied, resolutely. "If you must know."

Victor made a strange sound, and so did Cobb, whose eyes widened a little, and his maw opened, first to make an odd sound, then his brow quirked, and then he let out a loud, deep, barking laugh that made my neck furs bristle uncomfortably. He slapped the table in a rattling manner and made another of those deep barks, shaking his head.

"Hahahahahahah," he laughed.

"Cobb...," Victor growled.

I quickly looked at Victor and shook my head minutely, trying to tell the Dobie that everything was alright. I could take it.

"Sorry," Cobb snuffled once he regained some use of his faculties, "it's just so funny..."

"Really?" I flicked an ear sharply at him.

"Yeah," Cobb shoveled a portion of his Beef Wellington into his muzzle and spoke through somewhat loud chewing action, which him sound even weirder than usual. "It's funny that you guys always get all the girls. It's not fair!"

Victor cleared his throat, breathing a wave of garlic-scented air in my direction as he did so. I snuffled softly.

"Well, maybe they want to feel close to a man who is sensitive, gentle, and listens to what the girls have to say, eh?" the Dobie suggested, wary eyes pointed at his brother through his glasses.

Cobb waved his fork at Victor and flicked his ears sharply.

"I'm a good listener," he replied, "Always listening to your dude troubles, too!"

Victor snorted.

"I never tell you about my dude worries."

Cobb pouted.

"I would listen if you had any," he spoke, with his eyes lingering on me for a considerable moment before they again fixed in their assumed target, the brother Dobie sitting by me.

I decided to distract myself and finally dug my teeth into a good, healthy forkful of the Beef Wellington, scooped up to my muzzle and placed there so that I could have a chance for at least one good bite at it before this dinner would descent into even further Cobb-created and Victor-aggravated chaos.

Has to be said, that meat was wonderful. It was tender, cooked well, not leathery at all, and the mushrooms in the concoction surrounding it were subtle, and carried the juices of the meat that had simmered inside its dough prison during the cooking process. It was fragrant and filled my nose with its aroma too, making me purr automatically. I wanted more.

"Gotta say though," that was Cobb, who else? "I've gotten laid once because of you guys. Got this chick who wouldn't go out with me unless I'd go to what that what you call it Brokeback Mountain with her at the movies, so I decided, what the hell, if my brother Victor can do it, I can do it."

My fork froze a few inches from my maw.

"Do what?" Victor spoke in a low voice, staring at Cobb.

"Well you know, watch at guys going at it and not feel grossed out," Cobb shrugged.

The logic in his statement was beyond any logic known to the mortal being, I was sure, but I also felt like Victor deserved to have some of the pressure taken away from him, and thus, I, the foolish cat, opened my muzzle.

"Well I don't close my eyes when there's a straight bed scene on TV, for example," I noted. "I just accept it as normal and let it be."

"Really, Cobb," Victor was speaking again now, "if we'd be at all grossed out by all the straight sex that's on TV, we couldn't watch anything."

Cobb rubbed his chin and frowned a little, thoughtfully.

"Yeah...yeah, I guess," he nodded, slowly, "sorry, brother, it's a bit difficult to think all of this stuff in reverse, sometimes."

Victor chuckled.

"You shouldn't trouble yourself so much with it, Cobb," the Dobie mused.

Cobb shook his head, accompanied by some flapping ear action.

"How else am I gonna be a tolerant fur if I don't think about it?" he suggested. "How else am I gonna become ungrossed if I don't actively try to ungross myself?"

"Maybe just let it be?" Victor huffed.

"Nothing ever got better by staying quiet and pretending it ain't exist," Cobb replied, passionate eyes upon his brother, and me, too. "Ain't that right, Rory?"

Damn...on the spot again...and with my muzzle half full with thick meat...it took almost embarrassingly long for me to be able to speak again. I took a sip of wine, too, to be sure that I was alright, before I finally let the words come.

"Well, you're right," I said, "Sometimes action is needed."

"Hear, hear!" Cobb waved his fork menacingly in the air over the table. "That's what I've been telling to Victor, too. Like the time when I took him to one of those pride parades. It was Victor who was spoilsport!"

I almost dropped my fork. I knew for sure that my jaw dropped, leaving my muzzle comically open, stuck as I stared between a flat-eared Victor and a greatly grinning Cobb. The brother Dobie caught me looking and winked.

"Yep!" he declared. "I wanted Victor to be able to freely express who he is and so I decided that we should go to a pride. With me at his side as a supporting and loving family member."

Victor didn't seem too amused by the prospect of attending such an event with a supporting and loving Cobb by his side. I didn't even know whether he'd even want to go to a pride in the first place! Amidst the nervous churning in my belly, I was also all too sure that I was going to hear the explanation sooner rather than later.

I knew that from the fact that he stopped cutting his sirloin and just...stared.

"What Cobb wants to say..." he spoke, eyes still at the leering Dobie before he turned to look at me instead, "...is that he thinks I was a spoilsport because I didn't approve of his plan to go to a gay pride dressed up as characters from Priscilla, Queen of the Desert."

Then, to my utter surprise, surprisingly enough that it even passed through the haze in my seriously WTF'ed mind, Victor simply turned his eyes to his plate and proceeded to cut his beef again, business as usual.

I sat there impersonating a pelican for a few more moments before a rough chuckle from Cobb brought me back into the land of the mad.

"I got it for Victor for Christmas on the year before and I thought that it might have been a nice touch," he mused.

I was speechless.

Cobb shrugged.

"Oh well, Victor didn't really want it after all, so I got us matching "I'M WITH THE FAG AND PROUD OF IT" and "I'M WITH THE HET AND PROUD OF IT" T-shirts and little rainbow flags and Aids pins and everything else they sold on that PFLAG website and off we went. But I won't tell you which of us got hit on more, because that's a family secret", he winked again before going for his wine again.

*

Hehhey!

Thank you for reading my story.

I had great fun writing, and thus I have great hopes that it amused you too. Don't hesitate to drop a comment if you have anything you want to say about the chapter or the story in general. Now that we're approaching the end of the season, reflections about the whole season are most welcome too.

Cheerio, see you soon!