The automatic doors opened and Liam froze for a moment. The scent of fresh produce and prey animals hit his nose. He cautiously peered into the store and bit his lip. There wasn't a single mammal he could see that could match his size. He stood a head taller than even the goat security guard.

"I promise not to fall asleep while we're shopping." Matt cheerfully said.

Liam blinked. "What?"

Matt patted his backpack as they walked into the shop. "I might not be as big as you, but I can still take you down."

Liam smiled softly as he followed the bunny. It was such a small thing, but it made the inside of the shop feel so much safer. "I'm not sure if that counts when you need a taser to do so."

"I think it does." Matt rubbed his chin. "It's just called being resourceful."

The bunny grabbed a shopping basket and headed straight towards the predator section in the corner of the shop. Matt wanted to make it as quick as possible to let Liam get back to work.

Matt noticed they were able to move much faster through the store than normal. It might have been that the store was much quieter that morning, but he suspected animals were avoiding them. In either case, they quickly got to the frozen foods section.

Matt gestured to the freezers full of packaged meals and asked, "Are any of these good?"

"You've gotta be kidding me." Liam scoffed, "You aren't really gonna feed Kyle these frozen stand-by's?"

Matt's nose twitched. "I don't want to, but I don't know how to cook for him yet."

The hyena looked at the fox in his arms before he sighed and pulled out his phone. "Ok, that's it. I'm asking for a free day and I'm teaching you how to cook."

"Wait!" Matt put his paws up to stop him. "You don't have to do that."

"No. I don't. But I want to." The hyena started typing on his phone.

"I don't want you wasting a day off helping us… How about you work from my house? You can show me how to cook something for him, then work in the meantime and save your vacation day."

Liam stopped typing and his ears dropped. "I could do that, but are you sure? I didn't plan to stay that long around you."

"Of course, it's not a problem for me. I feel safe around you. And besides, I'll just wear my taser around, the same as I do at work. It won't be that much different." Matt smiled warmly. "I'm really fine having you around."

The hyena still felt the warmth on his side where the bunny fell asleep against him. Liam didn't doubt that Matt was comfortable having him around, but was Liam comfortable being around Matt? The bunny was right, it was similar to what they did at work, but if something happened no one could come to help. Could he risk it? At the corner of his eye, he noticed Kyle staring intently at him.

"Kyle's fine with having you around, too, right buddy?" The kit nodded in confirmation.

Liam sighed and put his phone back into his pocket. "Okay. We can do it your way. I'll show you something easy to make for Kyle."

"Great! Thank you so much." Matt jumped. "It's gonna be so much easier than learning from the internet. Are you good at cooking?"

Liam flinched and looked at the bunny with an amused expression as if that was a stupid question. "I'm a spotted hyena."

Matt's nose twitched. "That doesn't mean anything to me."

Liam smiled proudly and the bunny could swear that he grew an inch or two in height. "Food is our thing. Most of our traditions are focused on food. As a male spotted hyena, you would have a tough time finding a wife without knowing how to cook."

Matt tilted his ear. "Isn't that a little sexist?"

Liam furrowed his brow. "What? No. Spotted hyenas originate from an area of the world where there wasn't much food to go around. So there were rules about the order in which mammals in the tribe got to eat. Warriors ate first because they protected the tribe and got the food. In our case females were warriors. Then expecting mothers and children ate. And finally, adult males."

Matt's eyes went wide. "So males would've often gone hungry?"

Liam nodded but still kept smiling. "I'm sure that happened plenty, but they were also the ones preparing the food. The ladies trusted them with the food, and they worked for the good of the tribe. We're talking about ancient times of course. As time went on there was enough food to go around and the rules became a tradition. Most spotted hyenas still follow it."

"So... you always eat last?"

Liam giggled. "No, of course not. That would be weird. Now it's more about the first bite that you take during the meal. It's showing respect to your family. In general, there are a lot of rules about the eating order and food in our culture. There are also rules about changing the order, but they're very specific so I won't bore you with it. Now, let's get something for this little guy to eat."

Right away, Liam went to the fridge in the meat section and Matt didn't move a muscle. The hyena was browsing the selection when he noticed Matt frozen in the middle of the aisle. "Come here, I wanna show you what to look for. It's a shame that they only have the packaged stuff. Next time I'll take you to a predator shop. It doesn't look like their stuff is very good here, and they charge more for it."

Matt's breathing had quickened and he whispered out, "I can't."

Liam looked back at him again. "Come on. It's just meat."

"It was living before." The bunny's paws were cold.

"I hate to break it to you, but most things in this section were living at some point." Liam tried to be understanding, but to him it was part of life.

"Bugs don't have the same… consistency as mammals." Matt tried to rationalize his feelings.

"Look, I know it's tough, but this is the easiest way to get a nice, healthy meal for Kyle. If nothing else, think about efficiency. With meat, you can provide a good quality meal without too much work or learning on your part." The hyena eyed the packaged stuff. "At least, it'll be better quality than the packaged stuff."

"How could cooking meat be easy?" Matt asked in an accusatory tone.

"Well, it isn't. But they have sausages and sliced meat that you can put on sandwiches, and voila! You have a healthy meal for a predator." The hyena picked a package of sliced chicken meat. "It's already cooked, and this one has added spices so it'll taste better. It's better than what they put in those frozen meals, and you can start doing it right away."

Matt knew that Liam was right, but it didn't change the fact that it was just unsettling. He could do bugs. It was weird, but he killed annoying bugs at the house before. Birds were another story. Many mammals kept them as pets. The bunny knew that there was a difference between birds kept as pets and the ones meant for food, but it was still a freaky concept.

"You'll have to cross that bridge at some point." Liam said, "So why not do it when it's most beneficial for you?"

Matt didn't say anything, he just gulped as he started walking towards the fridge. The bunny moved slowly, afraid that any sudden movement would send him into panic mode. He focused on his breathing and tried to make it consistent. Liam smiled and held the package in front of the bunny for him to grab. With a shaky paw, Matt grabbed it and looked at it.

Inside there were thin chicken slices, ready to be put on a sandwich. The consistency reminded Matt that it was made of muscle, similar in build to mammal's muscle. The bunny looked at it as if it was a void in a fabric of space and time. Something unimaginable that his existence had to face. But the longer he looked at it, the more it made sense. He didn't like that he was holding it, but at the same time it didn't send him hyperventilating as he expected. It was something that Kyle needed so he couldn't allow himself the luxury of selfishly avoiding it. Matt tossed it into the basket.

"See it wasn't that bad." Liam gently patted the rabbit on the back. "Let me show you what you need to look out for when buying meat."

"Can… we do it another time? I'm not sure how much willpower I have today." Matt admitted. "Just get what we need for today."

"Ok." Liam nodded and rubbed bunny's back sympathetically. "You're doing a great job so far."

The hyena grabbed the package of sausages and put it in the basket and then moved away from the fridge towards the insect freezer.

"One of the easier things to make is soup with mealworms. Of course, the fresh ones are the best, but the frozen ones are fine. You just need to know how to cook them properly. It's mostly about timing. I'll show you." Liam grabbed a package of frozen grubs and tossed it into the basket. "Other bugs have their uses, but they're more complicated. That should be everything we need from the predator section. The rest are general things that you need for every soup and sandwich."

"""

"Welcome to my home." Matt said as they walked into his apartment. The bunny immediately went to the kitchen to set down the groceries.

"It's bigger than I expected." Liam said as he bounced Kyle in his arms.

"I bought an apartment for slightly bigger mammals." Matt said as he put the food away. "It took a while to adjust, but I was able to get a much better deal on the place."

Liam noticed the kitchen, like the rest of the apartment, was not made to scale for the bunny, but he appeared to be getting around just fine with the help of a step stool. Liam knelt down on one knee to set the boy on the floor.

"That's a nice tip. I'll remember that when I buy an apartment." Liam looked around the room. Despite everything being on the bigger side for a bunny, it was on the smaller side for a hyena. "So… Where should I set up my computer for work?"

"You can put the dining table in front of the couch and I'll get you some pillows so you can sit on the floor." Matt smiled sheepishly. "It's the best I can do."

The dining table was more like a coffee table for Liam, but it would be at the right height for him sitting down. The hyena shrugged. He had done school projects in much worse accommodations than that. Without much effort, he moved the coffee table out of the way and put the dinner table on his own. Liam pulled out his laptop and booted it up. He turned around to ask for those pillows and Kyle was in the same spot that he had left him, using the wall for support as he stood on two legs. Matt was next to the fox, smiling softly.

"It's alright. Liam wouldn't mind you walking on all fours." Matt pet the boy's head.

"Is everything all right?"

"Yes. Kyle is just a little shy when it comes to walking on all fours in front of other mammals." Matt's nose twitched. "Could you walk on all fours to show him that it's fine?"

Without any hesitation Liam dropped on all four and slowly walked towards Kyle. His walking pattern looked similar to a canine but not as graceful as Kyle's.

"You don't have to worry about that around me." Liam smiled at the boy and wagged his tail.

"But you can do whatever you are comfortable with." Matt added. "I can bring your crutch if you want."

Kyle stared at the hyena with an uneasy feeling. Liam was nice but he had just met him. The fox looked at the ground and folded his ears. "Can I get the crutch?" Kyle said quietly.

"Of course!" Matt rubbed the boy's back before he rushed to Kyle's room to get it.

Liam lowered his head. It stung that Kyle wasn't comfortable around him but he couldn't blame the kit. It was easy to imagine what kind of problems he had with other kits because of that. The bunny came back with the crutch and handed it to Kyle. It was surprising how short it was. It wouldn't allow Kyle to stand straight but forced the kit into a weird leaning forward position.

"Just remember to keep your back straight, no arching your back." Matt stepped away giving Kyle the room to move around. "And tell me when you get tired."

It wasn't a comfortable situation with mammals looking at him but the kit nodded and took a couple of steps, getting the hang of it again. Kyle didn't have a lot of experience with the crutch but at the same time it wasn't that hard to figure out. He just needed to practice.

"Great job!" Matt cheered. It made Kyle smile shyly

Liam couldn't do much more for the kit and felt as if he was intruding on something personal between the two of them. He went back to his computer on all fours. If that would make Kyle feel more comfortable around him, Liam didn't mind walking on all fours around the apartment. He sat on the floor and checked his emails. Kyle was Matt's priority and the bunny would bring him the pillows when he had a little time.

"Are you tired? Do you need a nap?" Matt asked, but Kyle shook his head.

"I have some coloring books. Would you like to color them?" Kyle thought for a second before he nodded.

"Ok, let's go to your room and you can draw at your desk." Matt walked slowly so the kit could keep up with him.

Their speed wasn't the greatest but on the bright side, it left a lot of room for improvement. Matt helped Kyle to get on the chair and fetched coloring books and crayons. The kit picked the one with lizards and some of the pages were already filled. He sniffed the page and it had the same scent that he smelled on the bed.

Matt noticed it. "I kitsit my friend's kits sometimes and they also like coloring books. I'm sure that they won't mind you using it."

Kyle nodded and flipped the book until he got to an unused page. The fox grabbed a crayon and started to fill in the drawing.

"If you need anything I'll be in the living room with Liam." Kyle nodded without looking away from the page.

As soon as Matt closed the door to give the kit some privacy, his energy dipped. Matt tried to put on a brave face for Kyle but he was just exhausted. He went to his bedroom to grab spare pillows and his bag. The bunny dragged them to the living room. The hyena was already doing one of his tasks for that day. Matt bumped pillows against his side.

"Thanks." Liam said quickly as he put pillows in place.

Matt passed by the couch and grabbed the taser from it and fixed it to his belt. He didn't believe that he needed it but he wanted to be accommodating to his guest's needs. From his bag, Matt pulled out his computer and set it up on the opposite side of the table from Liam. The bunny brought the chair from the dining area and he grabbed Kyle's placement papers. He took photos of them which caused Liam to give him a curious look.

"I need to send it to the MR department so I can get my paternity leave." Matt explained.

"""

It took Matt over an hour to send all the documents and find a proper form on the site and fill it. Then it took another hour to be contacted by someone from the MR department to confirm all the information. At first, the lady was cautiously optimistic. Matt could feel that she was holding back her excitement.

When they went through all the documentation without any issue, it was like a dam bursting. The paternity leave was granted and she went on a long speech about how the company is proud to have someone like Matt working for them. Then there was a series of questions about which social policies at the company convinced him to work for them. She went through all of them and asked for Matt's feedback.

The bunny knew that it was a part of her job but with how tired he was, Matt wasn't really in the mood for that conversation. Matt mostly picked the company because they had very nice policies for single and foster parents. He admitted that much but then she started asking about what attracted someone like him to work for the company. That was an awkward conversation. He explained to her that he didn't plan to foster a fox kit and it just happened. She clearly wanted to hear something else but assured Matt that he has nothing to worry about and that he would be glad to learn how forward-thinking the company is. She informed his boss about the paternity leave and Matt was glad when he was finally able to hang up.

Matt went to the kitchen and grabbed a mug. "Would you like some tea?" The bunny shouted to the hyena in the living room.

"What?" Liam took off his headset.

"I'll be making tea. Would you like some?"

"Yes, thank you" Liam put on the headset again.

"Wait, was that Matt?" Emma asked at the conference call.

"Em… " Liam looked at the bunny in the kitchen

"It surely sounded like him." Tom chimed in. "Are you at his place?"

"Do you know what happened?" Owen asked. "His email didn't say a lot."

Liam paused for a minute and looked back at his computer. "I'm at his house and I know what happened but I think that Matt should tell you what happened when he is ready. I was just helping."

"Can you at least tell us if he's fine?" Emma asked. "His mother texted me that he is fine but didn't tell much more than that."

"He's fine. He was a little scared but it's over now."

"So why are you still at his house?" Owen asked.

"And why did he ask you for help?" Tom added. "No offense but he's known me and Emma much longer than you."

"I… I called him when he didn't show up in the morning and when he explained what happened I offered to help him. He still needs a little help with something but it isn't bad." Liam was scrambling. "You really should ask Matt, not me."

"So Kyle really is a fox." Emma said quietly.

"What?" All three guys said at the same time.

"Open your email. Mr. Parker sent a department-wide email congratulating Matt on interspecies fostering and that the company is happy to give him the paternity leave that he deserves." Emma sighed. "The only non-bunny kit that he came into contact with were hares and the fox. I assume that he would tell us right away if he was fostering hares."

"But didn't that fox scratch him? Is that safe? Especially now." Tom was worried.

"I'm sure he thought that through." Owen said.

"From the email about an emergency, it doesn't seem that way." Tom's concern grew with each word.

"I can't tell you much more." Liam's mouth got dry. "Can we just go back to work?"

"Guys, I don't think that Liam wants to talk about it. There is no point in making him uncomfortable. We'll talk about it later." Emma said confidently. "One last thing. Does he have a proper brush for fox fur?"

"I…" Liam wasn't sure what to say. He didn't want to confirm anything.

Emma sighed. "Let me try again. Does Matt have a proper brush for the kit or kits that he is fostering?"

"I don't think so." Liam said slowly. Since Matt was a bunny his brush would be good enough to use on a hare. In a way, he admitted that Matt wasn't fostering a hare.

"Ok. I think that we can get back to work." Emma said cheerfully.

It didn't take them too long to figure out the issue that they had in their program and they could go back to working on their own projects. Liam took off his headset and stretched. He blinked when Matt placed a bowl in front of him.

The bunny smiled sheepishly and his ears were red. "I don't have a big enough mug for you."

Liam laughed softly as he saw the tea in the bowl. "It's ok. It would be more surprising if you had one."

"Then I'll surprise you next time you visit."

"It's really forward of you to assume that I'll visit you again." Liam grinned.

"Come on. With me being on paternity leave you are not planning to visit me at least once." Matt's ears shot up and grabbed his phone. "That reminds me that I should send an email about it to the team."

Liam's ears dropped. "You don't have to. They already know."

Matt's eyes went wide. "Did you tell them?"

"No, Mr. Parker sent an email to the whole department congratulating you on your interspecies fostering." Liam looked apologetic. "At least he didn't mention Kyle's species."

Matt's jaw dropped. "He didn't have to do that!"

"Well, he did." Liam sighed. "Emma figured out that Kyle is a fox. I didn't confirm anything. The team took it well. Tom was worried but not much more than that."

Matt rubbed his forehead and sat on the couch. "I guess I won't have to worry about it anymore. I still should talk with them about it."

"It can wait. Don't force it if you aren't feeling it." Liam clapped his paws. "I know what will take your mind off it. I can take my break now and we can make soup for Kyle."

Matt groaned. "I'm not sure if that is better."

"Don't worry. It isn't as bad as you think. There are different types of grubs and I picked mealworms for you. They are one of the easiest. They have a mild taste so they fit well with everything."

Matt closed his eyes. It was the moment of truth and he had to power through it. Kyle needed protein in his diet and the bunny needed to learn how to prepare dishes like that. He pushed himself off the couch.

"Ok, let's do it."

Liam stood and wagged his tail. "It's going to be fun."

"You really like cooking." Matt smiled. Liam's good mood eased his mind a little.

The spotted hyena nodded. "Yes. I used to do that with my dad when I lived with my parents."

"I also helped around the kitchen but some of my siblings were more interested in cooking than me. I mostly learned how to cook when I went to college."

"How many siblings do you have?" Liam asked cheerfully.

"Only 14." Matt said casually and he was getting the pots ready.

Liam froze mid-step and slowly turned his head towards the bunny. "You have to be kidding."

Matt kept a casual tone. "No, it might be a big number when it comes to bunnies living in the city but it's average when it comes to the countryside."

Liam's mouth hung agape. "I always thought that it was a stereotype and that mammals were joking."

Matt smiled unphased by Liam's reaction. "Well, those stereotypes had to come from somewhere. My parents only went for MOTH."

"What moth?" Liam blinked confused.

Matt moved to get the ingredients out of the fridge. "Most couples decide ahead of time how many litters they want to have. It's a tradition for all kits in the same litter to have names starting with the same letter. It's also practical because it's easier to call the kits that you want. Some couples decide to go with an alphabet or shifted alphabet, others pick a word. My parents went with the word MOTH because they weren't sure how many kits they wanted. You can easily make MOTHER out of MOTH."

"So that means that you are the oldest, right?" Liam tried to figure out if he understood it correctly.

"Yes, my litter is the oldest. I technically have an older brother and younger sister in my litter. It's a difference of a few minutes."

"That has to be chaotic. My sister was driving me nuts sometimes and it was only the two of us." A soft smile appeared on Liam's muzzle.

"It wasn't that bad. Bunnies share the room for the first few years of their life and sleep in the same bed. So we were used to each other. There were a few years of breaks between each litter so it wasn't that chaotic. Some families can reach triple digits."

Liam stared at the bunny as he kept getting the food out of the fridge. There was not a hint of a smirk or a playfulness in the bunny's eyes. Liam's eyes widened. "You're serious."

"It isn't too common but it happens. I guess we like having big families." Matt glanced at his friend and his nose twitched. "Sorry if that weirded you out."

Liam quickly turned his head toward the rabbit and waved his paws. "No, no. I was just surprised."

"Ok." Matt studied the hyena's face for a moment before his gaze moved to the bag on the worktop. "And speaking of being weirded out. What should we do with the bugs?"

"Right!" Liam's head shot up and grabbed the bag. "Mealworms are kind of like noodles. You put them in boiling water for a few minutes and they are ready. You strain them and add them to the soup when you are serving it. Frying them is another option. In that situation, they taste like more crispy fries."

"That sounds easy."

"Because it is, you'll see. I'll make a spicy tomato soup." Liam moved toward the worktop and grabbed two pots. One for the soup and another for the mealworm.

"Let me help you with that." Matt moved but Liam put up his paw to stop him.

"Nah, I promised to cook for you. Also, you are too tired, you would be a hazard in the kitchen." Liam smiled warmly. "Let me do it for you."

Liam was already slicing and dicing the ingredients before Matt had a chance to say anything. The hyena was gently wagging his tail and it was such a delightful sight. He was focused but the smile on his muzzle was bright. It reminded Matt of those few times that he helped his mother in the kitchen. The pride and joy that she took in taking care of her family was the same. Matt felt as if he should have argued with the hyena, he was the host. But he didn't want to interrupt that heartwarming performance. Without a word, the bunny sat on the chair and just watched.

Matt knew how to cook, but it paled in comparison. The hyena was moving with a well-practiced precision and grace. He was using the biggest knives that the bunny owned but they were small in his paws. It didn't hinder him in any way, only made the spectacle that much more amazing. It wasn't long before the ingredients were boiling and he moved to the bag with the frozen worm and looked over the shoulder at the bunny. The scent of tomato soup was spreading through the apartment.

"Come closer and I'll show you what to do with them." Liam said.

Matt gulped, it was the moment of truth. Matt slid off the chair and got closer. His legs were shaking but he needed to do it. Liam opened the bag and pulled one mealworm out. It was a long, thin, and almost white bug. It was already partially unfrozen so when Liam moved his paw it wiggled like a noodle. Matt could see its head and tried his best not to get sick.

"When they are unfrozen they're bendy. Your goal when you cook them is to get them to be more firm. That is when you know that they are ready. But at the same time be careful not to overcook them. They are supposed to have firm outside and a softer inside." Liam said as he dumped the bugs into the boiling water. "It takes around 3-4 minutes for them to get to that point. You can feel it when you stir it. And look out for discolored bugs. They should have the same color so any that look different should be tossed out."

Liam dipped a spoon in and pulled out a dark brown bug to show to the bunny before tossing it out. Matt stared at the small creature different from the other one with disdain. But this time it was different. He didn't like it because it could make his fox sick and Matt couldn't allow it.

Matt looked at Liam expecting more instructions, but the hyena just went back to watching the pots. Matt blinked. "That's all?"

"Yes, I told you that it was easy." Liam made a toothy smile. "You will be able to do it on your own."

"I guess it shouldn't be a problem." Matt stroked his long ears deciding if he believed his own words.

The door squeaked as Kyle poked his head out of the room and was sniffing around. Matt motioned for the kit to get closer and smiled. The crutch made a knocking noise on the wooden floor as the boy was slowly walking towards them. Kyle had a look of intense concentration on his face as he tried to get the rhythm of walking down. Matt hoped that soon it would become second nature for the boy.

When Kyle was in the arms reach Matt rubbed the boy's back and smiled proudly. "Great job!"

Liam followed that with his own thumbs up. "You have great timing too. The soup is almost ready."

Kyle looked with big eyes as the hyena strained the bugs and got one on the spoon and brought it in front of Matt's muzzle.

"You should try it so you'll know how to tell when they are ready." Liam said casually, but then his ears dropped and he pulled the paw away. "Can you eat it?" Liam said, hoping that he didn't do something stupid.

Matt swallowed. For a moment he considered lying to the hyena. It would have made his life so much easier but he couldn't when he saw those worried eyes. "I… I can. But bunnies can't digest it properly. So I can… enjoy the taste but I would get malnourished just eating bugs and meat."

Liam's ears shot up. "That is great news! So you don't have to cook a separate meal for Kyle."

Matt looked at the hyena as if he grew a second head. "You can't expect me to eat meat."

Liam furrowed his brow. "Why not? You just said that you can. Under normal circumstances, it would be weird since you only get the taste out of it. But when you are cooking for Kyle you can just give him most of the meat and bugs out of the meal rather than making two separate meals."

"Yes, but…" Matt's mouth hung open. He wanted to argue why the hyena was wrong but he couldn't find a good argument. The bunny's eyes shifted from the bug to the hyena. "I don't like meat and bugs."

"Have you tried it?"

"Well… no… but bunnies shouldn't eat that." Matt's heart was racing.

"So you don't want to give it even a chance." Liam had a mischievous smile on his muzzle and looked at the boy. "I'm sure that Kyle will remember that when he'll be fussy about his food."

The bunny narrowed his eyes and tapped his foot. The most annoying part about the whole situation was the fact that Liam was right. He didn't have a good excuse for not wanting to eat it. A one bug wouldn't make him sick, and it would be a bad example for Kyle to not try it. Matt took the spoon from his friend.

The soup was bubbling on the stove as it was close to being ready. There was an odd scent in the kitchen coming from the boiled bugs but it wasn't unpleasant. It wasn't even that strong. Matt had half expected it to stink up his apartment. He didn't know a lot about cooking for predators and that was painfully clear after the last night. But Liam knew and believed that he would be fine.

The encouraging smile of the hyena was comforting. Liam wouldn't prank him after the night that he had. He did everything in his power to help the bunny. Matt took a deep breath and before he had any chance to change his mind, he put the mealworm into his mouth and started chewing on it.

The first thing that hit him was the texture. It was nothing that he had ever experienced before. He could feel the ridges on the grub's body and when he bit into it, the harder outside gave in revealing a softer inside. Matt shivered from the disgust and put his paw over his mouth to stop himself from spitting it out in front of Kyle. The bunny was skipping from one foot to another as if that bizarre dance was going to help him, bracing himself for what else he was going to taste next. He kept chewing and nothing more horrible came out of it. The taste was odd but at the same time mild. It didn't overpower the bunny and before he knew it, Matt swallowed it.

"So what do you think?" Liam asked.

"It was… okay." Matt gulped. "And I'm not sure if that makes it more or less disturbing because of that."

"It's normal for me," Liam shrugged. "And it can be convenient for you."

Liam turned around and opened a few kitchen cabinets to find soup bowls. They were rather small for the hyena. In two bowls he put a few spoons of mealworms and filled the rest with the tomato soup. The one without grubs was standing to the side.

"I'll get the table ready." Matt said and rushed to the living room thankful that he had something to take his mind off what he ate. The bunny moved laptops and all devices to the couch and brought another chair for Kyle and smiled at the fox. "Sit down and I'll bring you your soup."

Kyle's eyes followed Matt as he moved around the apartment. The look of disbelief and confusion covered his muzzle which made Matt stop. "Is everything alright?"

Kyle narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the side, looking even more confused. The boy nodded slowly and made his way to the table. Matt tilted one of his ears wondering what that was about. He helped Kyle sit on the chair while Liam was carrying bowls to the table. Matt sat on another chair and took his spot on the floor.

Matt's ears lowered when he saw how small the bowl was compared to the hyena's body, "Sorry that I can't be more accomodating."

"You weren't expecting a bigger guest," Liam waved his paw dismissively and grabbed a small spoon. "Also I'm having dinner with my family today so a smaller meal works perfectly."

"I'll do better next time." Matt said with determination.

"I'm sure you will." Liam said with a beautiful smile.

"But for now, let's dig in before it gets cold." Matt tasted the soup for the first time.

It was amazing. The sweetness of the tomatoes was balanced perfectly with the hotness of added spices. The ingredients seemed to melt in his mouth. Matt looked at the hyena to compliment him and was met with wide eyes and a frozen expression. They stared awkwardly at each other and were saved by the sound of Kyle's spoon hitting the bowl. Both adults looked at the fox who was smiling and eating the soup. It melted the shock from Liam's muzzle and replaced it with a soft smile.

"Do you like it?" The hyena asked.

Kyle looked at Liam with a bright smile and nodded eagerly. Both Liam and Kyle wagged their tails. The hyena followed the kit's example and ate his soup.

"I'm sorry. Bunnies don't care about the order." Matt pushed his glasses up on his forehead so he could rub his eyes. "I'm tired but that isn't an excuse."

"Don't worry about it." Liam said with an awkward smile. "I'm used to eating with other species."

"But I did something wrong." Matt's ears dropped.

"In case there are no ladies at the table, the cub should have the first bite, followed by the one who prepared the meal, and other guys after that. But you aren't hyenas so it shouldn't matter." Liam shrugged. "I just started overthinking which exception would let you take the first bite."

"But it mattered to you. So I'm still sorry and I'll remember for the next time," Matt said with a tender smile.

"Ok, thanks" Liam pointed with his nose to the soup. "Now eat or I'll think that you don't like it."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. It's great." Matt's eyes shined and dug into his soup.

"The version with mealworms is even better." Liam teased.

"Baby steps. I ate a mealworm. The full meal is later down the line."

"I'll make a predator out of you." Liam laughed softly.

"In that case, we need to document the progress."

Without thinking too much. Matt pulled out his phone and took a selfie while they were eating. The bunny looked at it. Liam had a goofy wide-eyed expression because the photo was taken by surprise. But undeniably the best thing about that photo was seeing Kyle happy and enjoying his soup with them.