Art by  cooner!

* * *

"Is everything okay, Damon?" Venti asked, leaning back against the kitchen counter.

Damon shrugged, stirring the spaghetti sauce slowly. He didn't look at the jackal as he spoke. "Everything's fine, Venti."

"No it's not. Every time you get upset with me you get all quiet."

Another shrug. "I'm usually quiet."

"You also go monotone on me."

"I'm just paying attention to the cooking," Damon kept his eyes on the sauce. "You don't want me to burn it, right?" He'd not been stirring it for a minute.

"You also don't make eye contact when you're upset with me."

Damon closed his eyes, then put the spoon on the paper towel. "You've been spending a lot of time with Singa."

Venti nodded, folding his arms across his unclothed chest. "He's just a friend, Damon. I'm not doing anything with him. He's only been helping me job hunt."

"I know, but...you two were dating."

"For only three weeks. We've been going out for six months now."

"They cut your hours down to almost nothing." Damon picked the spoon up again.

"Put the spoon down, Damon."

Damon stiffened, the spoon hovering between the paper towel and the sauce pot.

"Please, Damon. Let's talk this out." Venti moved over to Damon, placing his hands on the bear's shoulders, slowly running his clawtips lightly through the fur.

"I'm sorry--"

"There's nothing to be sorry about, honey bear."

"No, Venti. Let me finish. I'm sorry, but I need a break."

Venti let his hands fallaway from Damon's shoulders, the feeling slowly draining away from his fingers. "A break? From what?"

"From us, Venti. I thought I could handle this. You posing for your webcam audience, you hanging out with Singa all the time, but I can't do it anymore." He turned to face Venti, eyes on the floor.

"Are you crying?" The numbness made its way to Venti's arms, then his neck, then his face. "Are you crying because you're breaking up with me?"

"We're not breaking up, I just need to find out how to deal with this."

"You might've tried talking, Damon."

Damon winced as Venti left the apartment, the soft click of the door echoing in his ears.

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