When Jackson saw Dan at the gym, the gym attendant looked worried. "Take notes!"

"Notes?" Dan looked at the concerned bull. "Really?"

"Really," Jack answered, solemnly nodding his head for emphasis.  "This ship is- hold on." he dug through the puddle of papers that never seemed absent from the gym's front desk. "Here." He retrieved a yellow folder from the middle of the pile and sat back in his chair, his 300-kilo bulk pressing the air out of it with a protesting whoosh.

From where he was standing, Dan could see that the papers the bull had printed out were covered in notations and highlights. Ken was right - Jack had done more research on this cruise than the passengers had. Holding the paper close to his face, the bull read with deliberate intensity. "The Star of the Heavens is world-renowned for its cuisine, and its reputation is well deserved."  He scanned past a few less-important sentences before continuing. "The foie gras was outstanding, and the river trout with capers and bearnaise was absolutely stellar. That's funny," he chuckled, looking up at Dan. "They're eating on a space cruiser, and they said..." He started to explain, but shook away the distraction. "Never mind. "

He found his place again, then traced a thick finger down to the review's conclusion. "Chef Emmanuel DuPert has a well-deserved reputation in the world of fine dining, and the food served on this ship far exceeded the expectations of even this jaded reviewer. "  He closed the folder and tossed it into the pile. "You guys are really lucky. I've been buying lottery tickets for years and I haven't won anything. Well," he corrected himself, "That's not really true. I won a hundred credits once. But you two won the best prize ever! You get to go out in space, and you get to eat everything you want for two whole weeks!"

Jack resumed his reading. "Go for the shows and the service, but stay for the food, which was out of this world." he chuckled to himself in amusement.  "Out of this world.  Right..."

"What's for dinner tonight?" Dan asked, breaking the bull's reverie.

"Seared scallops with morels in white wine sauce, served with a big green salad and a side of- heh, heh..." he chuckled, "scalloped potatoes.  Get it?" he looked at Dan hopefully. "Scalloped potatoes?"  

Dan groaned. "Please, don't quit cooking to take up comedy."  He glared at the bull with affectionate contempt. "It would do a disservice to both professions."  Jack's size and gruff looks made him intimidating, but he'd opened up to Dan in a way that made it difficult not to treat him like a younger member of their family.

Dan patted him on the shoulder on his way past and waited until he was well out of the bull's sight line before shaking his head.  Jack's first trip to the Chandel Club with Ken had been all that was necessary to turn him into a foodie.  Not that he was about to shun a trip through Happy Family's Asian buffet line,  but now that the bull knew what good food tasted like, he craved more.

Although Jack's finances weren't sufficient to support the appetites of a fledgling gourmand, they were sufficient at least for him to buy some varius-friendly knives and a few used cookbooks.  Since Dan's kitchen was far better equipped than his own, and since his boyfriend hadn't yet moved out of Dan and Bo's home and into his own place yet, Jack was more than happy to use his food and Dan's tools to feed them all.  And as Dan had pointed out to Bo, with Jack doing all the cooking, neither of them had had to touch a pot in weeks, leaving ample time for other, more pleasurable activities.

***

“Don't we have a weight limit?"  Bo asked, as he watched Dan put yet another armload of clothes on the bed.

“It's thirty kilos," Dan said, distractedly, as he picked up two tropical-print shirts, trying to decide between them.  With a frustrated sigh, he tossed both on the pile. “I'm not even halfway there, yet."

Bo raised an eyebrow.  “You will be when you add in your media player, your keyboard, the speakers for the cabin, not one but four power cells, and," he lifted up the grocery bag containing three plastic bottles of 'infant formula,' “all the liquor you're planning on smuggling on board."  

“Be careful with that!" Dan yelped, grabbing the bag out of Bo's hands and gently putting it back on the bed. “If those seals break I'll never get them closed again."

Bo chuckled. “Fine. If you go over the limit you can have some of my space."

Dan looked at Bo's side of the bed which, save for a grooming kit and a bathing suit,  was conspicuously empty.  “You'd better get started packing."

“Started?" Bo's eyebrow went back up. “I'm already finished!"

Dan stared at him for a moment before realizing that his partner was not joking. “Babe, we're going to be gone for thirteen days!  You can't wear the same shirt ten days in a row."

“Fine, fine," Bo walked into the closet, through the door Dan had widened to accommodate his shoulders.  He came out five seconds later holding a half-dozen casual shirts which he nonchalantly tossed on the pile, doubling its size. “Better?"

Dan gazed fondly at the other man. “You'd run around naked if I let you, wouldn't you?"

Bo held his arms out in front of them, displaying an expanse of glossy black and tan fur. “I haven't been naked since I was a fetus," he protested. “Even when I take off all my damned clothes, I'm still not naked."  For emphasis he bent over and pulled his shorts down to his ankles, then stood and held his arms out expressively. “See?  I'm still wearing a fur coat!"

Smirking, Dan stepped closer.  “Except for one part of you."

Bo followed Dan's eyes down to his crotch, where a bit of pink flesh was poking out of its furry home. He looked up and caught Dan's eyes. “Oops," he said, utterly without shame. Dan was coming closer, and Bo started to think that maybe they would be spending the afternoon engaged in a different sort of packing.

Dan gave Bo a quick peck on the lips, and Bo felt an increase in pressure on his sheath.  “That's better," Dan said, happily.  But then, to Bo's consternation, Dan backed away.

Belatedly, Bo realized that he was still feeling the pressure.  Looking down, he saw that Dan had covered his sheath with a red and white-striped sock.  “Sweet," Bo said appreciatively, examining his crotch as he waggled his hips back and forth. “I like it!" His sheath swayed obscenely back and forth, the sock waving on its end like a diver-down flag. He grabbed the stack of shirts he'd just brought out. “I guess I can put these back, now."

Dan pulled them out of his hands. “Sexy as hell, but...no." He plucked the sock off Bo's junk, and saw that there was more pink showing than when he'd put it on there.  And it was thicker, too.  He didn't resist when Bo pulled him close and nuzzled the top of his head, breathing in the scent of his mate's hair and feeding the feelings the smell brought forth into their shared link.  

Dan melted. Looking up at his best friend, Dan opened his mouth slightly to accept the kiss that Bo wanted very much to give.

The knocking on their front door caught both men by surprise.  “Ignore it," Bo said.

His curiosity piqued, Dan moved his head sideways and pressed the side of his face against Bo's furry cheek for a moment before pulling away.  

*regret*

“Don't go anywhere," Dan said, giving Bo a look that promised significant future reward as he moved toward the door.

Dan untucked his shirt and pulled it over his crotch to make himself socially acceptable before thumbing the door open. The person leaning against the outside of his house caught him by surprise.  “Jim?"

“Your message said something about finding some of my things?"  Jim arched an eyebrow in that way that Dan had always found so unattractive.  The expression hinted that the man behind it thought you were a bit of a dullard for not knowing something which was patently obvious to everyone else.

Dan did a small double-take. “Oh!  Your stuff.  Right." He backed up to clear the doorway.  “I was expecting to send it to you. Come on in."

Jim sauntered into Dan and Bo's house, looking around him for anything that might have changed since his departure. Since Dan preferred to decorate sparingly there really wasn't much to see, but Jim did notice an unfamiliar set of keys in the small, ceramic bowl by the door, and there was an odd odor in the air that had never been there before.

Awoken from her nap, Joy bounded out of the bedroom with no small amount of vigor, her small legs scrabbling for purchase against the slick wood floor.  She was excited when new people came into her domain, reliably embarrassing herself and her guardians with a flurry of licks and happy yips.  This time, though, she skidded to a halt just behind Dan.  Peering around his legs, she grumbled quietly, hair at the nape of her neck bristling at this new intruder.

Jim glanced at her with a brittle smile.  “Blaine said you were living with a furry," he said, casually.  “I didn't think it would be so...small."

Dan thought it odd for Jim to have contacted another of his past relationships, but the thought didn't affect him as negatively as it once would have.  He downgraded the comment from the hurtful jab that Jim had intended it to be, to an item of minor interest.  He chuckled good naturedly, not rising to the bait. “You apparently have better communication with him than I ever did."  

Jim pursed his lips, disappointed that his hook hadn't set. He wondered if Dan wasn't saying anything about his new partner because there was no new partner anymore.  Relationships with varii never lasted.  “I'm back in town for a few days, at least," he said, looking Dan over. “Probably longer."  He wondered how the man could sink so low that he was bedding furries, and whether he was ready to come out of the jungle and stop living with the natives.  “The job in Philly wasn't what I thought it was going to be."

“Mmm..." Dan hummed, noncommittally.  “That's too bad. You moving back to Central City, then?"

“Probably," Jim nodded, wondering to himself if Dan had just made an overture of sorts.  “We should get together for dinner, some time," he offered, to test the waters.

“Maybe," Dan turned to the guest bedroom. “I'll get your stuff."  

*distaste*

just stay in the bedroom

if you don't want to meet him

Dan thought to Bo, as he walked to the other room to retrieve the box of things Jim had left behind.  Oddly, Joy stayed behind, as if she did not trust him not to abscond with the family treasures.

Jim stared at the pup for a moment before walking back to the front window.  The motion was enough to set Joy off on a noisy barking fit, intent on alarming her alphas that this odd-smelling stranger was moving through their territory.

don't worry

i'll take care of her

Bo told Dan. He'd pulled on shorts and a loose fitting Hawaiian shirt which, unbuttoned, did a better job of accentuating his bulging muscles than it did of hiding them. He walked out to where Joy was standing, splay-legged, barking at the intruder, and scooped her up in one large handpaw.  “C'mon, pup," he rumbled, continuing past a goggle-eyed Jim on his way to the kitchen. “Nice try, dude," he said as he passed, not breaking stride or even looking at the man, “but he's totally into me."

Dan returned in time to see Bo disappear into the kitchen, still-grumbling puppy securely tucked under his beefy arm.  “Is that...him?" Jim asked, sounding nothing if not horrified.  He lowered his voice to a whisper. “He smells funny."

Dan laughed.  He didn't want to, it just came bubbling out.  He had thought he should maintain some sort of dignified bearing in front of his ex, but there was no way in hell that was going to happen.  At that moment, Jim seemed awfully small to Dan.  “Here you go," he said, handing the other man the box, “I need to get back to packing."

“Are you taking a trip, or something?" Jim said, craning his neck in a futile attempt to catch a glimpse into the kitchen before walking towards the front door.

“Yeah," Dan said. “We're going on a cruise tomorrow."

“Caribbean or Pacific?" Jim asked, sounding interested for the first time.

“Lunar."

Jim's eyes widened in surprise. He pointed toward the door that Bo had disappeared through. "With who, him?" Space cruises were the best way yet invented to waste one's wealth, and Jim was dying to go on one. “I know how much money you make, he must..." His eyes glazed over slightly as his focus shifted from Dan to Bo. "...he must be loaded." Maybe dating a varius wouldn't be so bad?  “Does he have a brother?"

“Nice to see you again," Dan said, an unsubtle hint that their conversation was at a close.

Jim's eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Was he the one you were seeing?"

Dan opened the door and smiled affably, thankful that he no longer had to interact with this unpleasant little man.  “Good bye, Jim."