Chapter 3 has arrived!... 6 hours after I intended... because... I got distracted... playing Unturned. It's like DayZ, but with worse graphics and different gameplay. BUT IT'S FREE!... so feel free to check it out on Steam. XD

I really wish I can keep up with this one chapter a week thing... writing is hard... sorta... okay... maybe i'm busy doing other important things... that may or may not include video games... yeah... shut up... I know I'm hopeless...

Shout-out to Virgofox28 and zewing for being awsome people and reviewing. It really means a lot to me. :D Keep the reviews coming guys!

Fox: "So it looks like we have a fair bit of time before the author starts doing unspeakable things to us. Use this time to prepare yourself"

Wolf: "Eh... I think I'll be fine... You're probably the one being fucked anyway."

Fox: "Wut...OH I'M GONNA KILL THAT BASTARD"

Wolf: "Good luck on that... Don't you remember the contract you signed?"

Fox: "Huh? What contract?"

Wolf: *sniff* "How much vodka did he give you?!"

Fox: "Wait he gave me vodka? Whaaaat..."

Panther: "Hey guys! I got a role in this story!"

Fox & Wolf: *glares* "WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU WEARING?!"

Behind the scenes dialog seems funny for some reason. Deal with it. XD

Panther the Master Chef

"Oh, hello pup… do I want to know how you got my number?" came a rough voice.

"Your shrink gave it to me."

Fox heard some swearing and the sound of items falling on the floor. They sounded like the paper bags you get at department stores. Eventually Wolf spoke again.

"What did you want anyway?"

"I want answers"

"Well you're not getting them."

"Why?"

"I'm busy."

"With what?"

"I'm…uh…moving supplies back to Sargasso."

Fox could tell that the lupine was just using bullshit to cover up the fact that he went shopping at the mall, as the Sargasso Space Station was abandoned by Star Wolf recently. Last time Fox had checked, the station was completely empty. Not a single item was left, but the vulpine simply smiled, pretended not to know, and played along with it.

"Sure…moving things…sounds like fun…"

"Like you would know anything about it. It's not like you have to maintain a space station without help from anybody. Heck, the Cornerian government would bend backwards for you if you asked them to."

Fox, figuring that Wolf wouldn't be easily convinced, decided it best to end the conversation.

"Well, seeing as you're busy, I'll leave you to your obviously boring task of moving stuff. See you later."

Wolf gave a grunt in response before the line went dead. It was half an hour past noon, and Fox was hungry for lunch. There was news of some sort of chef contest that was supposed to start soon at Lylat's Cuisine, one of the most famous restaurants around. Fox decided that since he would be eating, he might as well enjoy a show while he was at it.

When he got to the entrance, he was immediately greeted by the host and given VIP seating right in front of where the contest was going to take place, much to Fox's delight. (More hero perks.) It was a very nice restaurant, but Fox didn't know very much about these kinds of places, so there could be places hundreds of times fancier and he would probably never know, or care. He knew that you ate at restaurants, and anything more than that was beyond him. After a couple minutes, the attendees got quiet, and the lights dimmed. The chefs started making an entrance. First came a male rhino, next a panda, then an avian, a husky, a female leopard, and of all people, Panther Caroso. They all wore funny looking white chef hats and white chef clothes. Panther, like Wolf, was a sight to behold outside a flight suit, and Fox had to stifle a laugh. Fox had just so happened to sit right in front of Panther's station, so when the feline finally walked over the two made awkward eye contact for a moment. It was mostly just Fox giving Panther a completely blank stare. So blank in fact, that when Panther waved his hand in front of Fox's face, there was no response, as if he had been frozen in time. Panther just shrugged and started preparing his station. Only after Panther broke eye contact did Fox escape the dazed stasis and return to reality. Fox then continued looking at Panther, and when they made eye contact again, the feline just smiled. He seemed like a rather decent guy when he wasn't trying to kill people.

There was an opening speech before the contest began. Fox wasn't exactly sure of the objectives, but not long after, food started appearing in front of him. The first round appeared to consist of some form or another of an appetizer. He tasted each of the six dishes in front of him. They all tasted amazing to him, as he couldn't really tell the difference anyway. However, he did notice that Panther's dish was the most visually appealing. The food was carefully arranged on the plate and adorned with a beautiful red rose. Upon further inspection, there were words written on the plate using some of the sauce that read:

"How is Krystal holding up?"

'Of course Panther would be interested in Krystal…' thought Fox as he started eating. Fox gave Panther an expression that read: "She's doing alright." Panther's dish was noticeably better than the others, and the judges seemed to agree, as he received a 9.5 out of 10, but the others weren't far behind, with the highest score being 9 and the lowest being 8.25. The next round was salad, and like last time, they were all amazing. Panther again included a rose with the dish, but this time, there was a folded piece of rice paper in the salad. When Fox opened it, it had some more text that read:

"More importantly, how are you holding up? You seem a bit off. Are you okay?"

Fox stopped dead and gave an intense stare at the note, food half chewed.

'Panther is worried about me? Looks like hell is freezing over…' thought the now confused vulpine.

Fox resumed chewing and looked up to see Panther giving an expression of genuine concern. It didn't look like he had any ulterior motives. Maybe he was actually inclined to be kind to people? That would certainly explain his fondness of cooking.

Fox gave a shrug, as the past couple of days had left him very confused and slightly doubting what he believed was reality. He didn't need Panther getting into his head as well. Panther returned an unconvinced look, but Fox tried to pretend that he didn't notice. The next dish of soup came with yet another note. Fox was quite tempted to eat the rice paper message without reading it, but urge gave into reason, and he opened it. It read:

"I can read you like an open book, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Seriously, you should watch a video of yourself sometime and take a look. I know something's up. We can talk after the contest, okay?"

Fox jumped a little at the message.

'So much for keeping Panther out of my thoughts…'

He eventually gave a hesitant nod toward Panther. He wasn't sure why he wasn't completely mortified at the subject of talking to someone who had tried to kill him and his team members, but he felt like he needed to talk to someone who wouldn't judge his thoughts and sugar coat everything. It also seemed less awkward than talking to his own teammates about sensitive topics, as they would probably think that something was wrong with Fox's head and send him to a mental ward. The rest of the dishes came without notes, but things were heating up between Panther and the husky, as they were currently tied in terms of points. Panther had forgotten a vital ingredient in the soup or something stupid like that, so he got penalized pretty hard. The husky was clearly irritated that the penalty hadn't put himself in the lead. Panther had his usual cool face with only the slightest bit of dissatisfaction with the current scores. Panther had this attitude of "I am a gentleman, and I will be a gentleman even if it kills me." At the end of the contest, the points were totaled up, and the husky had beat Panther by two points. However, the judges were still debating about bonus points. Panther was eventually awarded for cleanest workstation, cleanest garments, having least amount of wasted materials, most visually appealing dishes, and showing the most gracious professionalism out of all the contestants. After the final totaling, Panther had beaten the husky by a mere quarter point. He gave a graceful bow to the audience and judges before receiving his trophy. The onlookers applauded excitedly at the declaration of a winner. They gave the closing speech, which talked about the importance of not only rebuilding Lylat's cities, but also its culture. After a couple more handshakes, the event was officially over, and the attendees slowly left the restaurant. The judges left and the event organizers began the process of cleaning up as the room started emptying. The other chefs left with less-than-happy faces at being beaten. Panther eventually motioned Fox to follow him before retiring to one of the rooms in the back. Fox sat down on a sofa and waited for Panther to say something.

"So what is it that's bothering you?"

Fox thought for a minute before answering. "I guess it's just that so much has happened recently. Everything's different now."

Panther continued his inquiring. "Are you more bothered by the change you see in the physical world around you, or the change you see in people?"

"In people I guess… I mean… I never expected you to be an award winning chef…"

"To be honest, neither did I, but I had always wanted to. People don't truly change, they just bend to circumstance. If outside stresses are too strong or last too long, they may stay bent, but they can also be brought back with opposite stresses. When I was fifteen, I had aspired to be the best chef in Lylat, but my plans were cut short. There was a murder at the cooking school I attended. Whoever committed the crime must have really disliked me, as that person planted fake evidence in my room, including the bloody butcher's knife used in the crime. I was put on many false charges and sentenced to life in prison. I ran away, broken and lost. Eventually I ran across Wolf, and he seemed to sympathize with me, so he helped me get back on my feet. Granted, I was eventually doing illegal activities, but it was infinitely better than living in a jail cell for the rest of my life. After the Aparoid War, I was given a chance to start over, and now I'm living out my aspirations."

Fox sat there speechless. He had never given a thought about how the members of team Star Wolf had even ended up where they were. He had always assumed they were just villains who decided to team up. Eventually he spoke up. "I just thought that the bad guys were always bad from the beginning."

"Some are and some aren't. People like Pigma Dengar and Andrew Oikonny fall under that category. That fucker Pigma was only concerned with his own benefit. Andrew had evil intentions close to those of his uncle Andross. Wolf, Leon and I, however, were just there due to circumstance. You've heard my story already. Leon had his own reasons for joining, but I'm not sure of what they would be. You'll have to ask him yourself. Wolf on the other hand-"

Fox cut in. "I know Wolf's story, because I'm pretty much at fault for causing it…"

"Yeah I know. He's told me. He's also told me his half of the story. But if I relay that to you, that cruel bastard will personally come after me to cut off my tongue and balls, so I'm keeping my mouth shut."

"Why doesn't he want you to tell me?"

"Uh…reasons…"

"Right…got it…but…I just feel absolutely terrible for what I did, and I can't really forgive myself for it."

At this Panther sat down next to Fox and gave him a warm hug. Fox's face displayed an expression that was somewhere between wonder and horror, but it quickly mellowed out to one of embarrassment. At least they were alone in the room. Panther played an act of fake innocence and stuck out his tongue like there was absolutely nothing wrong with what he did. Fox contemplated asking about Wolf like he did with the shrink, but he decided that another, less awkward time would be more suitable. Panther then chimed in again.

"I know how to make you feel better!"

And with that, Panther leaned forward and planted a kiss on Fox's forehead, which made Fox's cheeks turn red. Panther looked at him and smiled before adding:

"You really do look cute when you're embarrassed. No wonder so many people are interested in you."

This just made the blushing worse, to the point where it almost looked as if the cheek fur was changing color. Panther, noting the extreme discomfort he was causing, decided to stop tormenting the poor vulpine, even though he was thoroughly enjoying screwing with the now flustered Fox. He tried to be a gentleman in all that he did, so he decided to move on to his next topic as soon as possible.

"So team Star Wolf has decided to forgive you guys for all the times you've screwed our missions over, but we are also sorry for being on the wrong side and attacking you just because of that, so can you forgive us?"

Fox thought very hard about this. He would probably have to consult his team, but he didn't exactly want to talk with them quite yet. He would also have a hard time explaining why Panther started hugging him. He figured that since he was the leader, his team would trust his judgment anyway, so he gave his answer.

"Yes…"

He thought for a moment about this sudden change of attitude, and doubt overtook him a little. Why was Panther being so nice all of a sudden? He decided to simply ask.

"Although, I'm dying to ask you something. Are you purposely being nice to me to improve your chances with Krystal?"

"That wasn't the original intention… but since you put it that way, I suppose it is a bonus. I assume you'll relay my good intentions to the rest of your team?"

"I will. It's nice to know that you guys aren't completely evil… I think…"

"We really aren't, and it looks like you're feeling better."

Fox was actually feeling much better after talking to Panther, and he never expected him to be so kind. Fox nodded in response before Panther spoke again, except this time in a more suspicious tone.

"Well Foxy, if you are ever feeling down and need a pick-me-up, feel free to spend a night at my place. I'm quite confident in my ability to 'entertain' guests."

Panther gave a sly wink to further convey the hidden message. Fox never expected Panther to be bisexual, but it didn't surprise him either. Fox never really paid much attention to his own sexuality as he just always assumed that he was straight. He decided the safest move was to give a vague answer.

"I don't know… We'll see…"

"Well, you have my contacts and address in case you're interested."

"Wait…I do?"

"Yeah, check your phone."

Fox immediately pulled out his phone and went to his contacts. Lo and behold, the name of Panther Caroso could be found in the list.

"H-how?"

"Well while you were busy eating the first dish, I slipped your phone away, and apparently you don't make a habit of locking your phone after you set it down."

"I swear I locked it…"

"Your phone contacts state otherwise."

"What else did you do to my phone?"

"Um…I had the entire time to play with it, so…um…whatever you do, do not go through your photos."

"Yeah…no… What did you take pictures of? And when did you slip the phone back?"

"I brought it back along with the dessert. You had a face full of cake already, so you didn't notice."

"Right…"

Fox looked through the photos on his phone. A quarter of them were selfies that Panther took of himself. The rest were pictures of the dishes Panther had prepared.

Panther was sitting so close to Fox that their shoulders were touching. This was mostly because he wanted to know how the photos had turned out. Fox didn't object much anyway, as the day couldn't really get too much more awkward. He had already somewhat gotten used to the weirdness. Suddenly Panther chimed in again.

"Fox, dude, do you even know how high-res the camera on your uPhone is? It's so not fair. I wanted to get this model, but it way out of my price range at the time. You are one lucky bastard, being able to afford expensive shit…"

Fox grinned, which only prompted Panther to give him another hug and to start licking his cheek.

Fox raised an eyebrow, but didn't try to back away like earlier. It wasn't really THAT sexual… plus felines are big lickers for the most part. Panther's happy attitude was actually kind of cute. Regardless, his warmth was much needed anyway.

"Are you this playful around everyone?"

"Nope, although I'd like to. When you are Lylat's best chef, you have to be all professional ALL the time. I also can't do this when trying to impress women because they all seem to go after the super-serious and elegant guys who have a high-class aura. Oh yeah, and for those who know me as a mercenary, I have to put on a tough guy attitude, and you can probably figure why."

"I can definitely relate to the 'being professional' part. It's really annoying have to live up to other people's standards, and you definitely wouldn't want people to think that you've 'grown soft,' because if you're a mercenary, it doesn't help business."

Panther yawned and then looked at the clock on Fox's phone. It was almost nine o'clock at night. The event ran from one o'clock in the afternoon to eight o'clock at night. This had gone completely unnoticed to Fox, and it didn't help that the restaurants window curtains had been closed. The room they were in had no windows at all. The feline immediately got up and smoothed out his chefs clothes. Panther then said:

"It's getting late… Plus, I have to walk home. I didn't drive here because parking is annoying, even when you are a guest. You have a place to stay?"

"Well my house was totaled and is undergoing reconstruction at the moment. It's going to take almost 2 hours to get back to my ship. Plus, I haven't come up with a good reason for my absence yet. Do you think I could stay at your place?"

"That should be fine, although…actually…err…never mind. I have an empty bed, and don't worry; I'm too exhausted from the contest to fuck you in your sleep, in case that is a going concern."

"I'm afraid you just made it one."

Panther just grinned as he grabbed all his stuff. Fox stood up and stretched his legs, almost falling over due to the numbness from sitting too long. Fox followed Panther outside and down the road to his house. It was okay in size, but plenty large enough for one person. The inside was relatively neat and clean, and it seemed pretty comfortable. Eventually the question came up of where Fox was to sleep.

"Well…uh…you see…"

Fox raised an eyebrow at Panther as he waited for an explanation.

"I have two bedrooms. My own, and the 'guest' bedroom. Here, let me show you."

They looked at Panther's bedroom first, which was pretty normal. It was a little messier than the rest of the house, but not by much. The only other notable feature were the shelves of trophies and awards on the wall. Fox had one of his own, but this one was for cooking, not flying.

"This is where I usually sleep. It's a bedroom, not much to say."

Panther set his new trophy on the shelf before going to the next room.

"This… is the 'guest' bedroom… It's actually the love room a.k.a. the sex dungeon."

Fox looked inside and he immediately stared in awe and horror. There was a purple bed in the middle of the room with four steel posts at the corners that were connected by four more steel bars at the top. They each had holes and hooks that were equally spaced from each other so you could attach things to it. On the walls hung a variety of bondage equipment and torture devices. The wall to the right had drawers and cabinets spanning the entire wall face. Fox was curious as to what was in them, but something inside told him that he didn't want to know. On the left was a door to the bathroom, which connected the two bedrooms.

"Here in this room, you can find almost any and every sex toy in existence, with new ones being added frequently. I'm not exactly excited about sleeping alone in this room. What about you?"

"Yeah… me neither… so I guess we roll a die to see who gets the normal bedroom?"

"You really do make things difficult huh? We could just share the normal bed…"

Fox gave Panther a blank stare.

"What? Why are you looking at me all weird? Have you never had to share a bed with someone?"

Fox shook his head slowly for an extended period of time, as if it would magically make a third bed appear out of thin air if he did so long enough. Panther eventually spoke again.

"I'm going to sleep in my bed. You can choose either bed to sleep in. I won't mind."

Fox decided that it wouldn't be terrible to sleep with Panther. He followed the feline into his room and jumped onto the bed. It was a twin sized bed with one side up against the wall. He immediately realized that he would be stuck once Panther hopped in, but it was too comfortable, as Panther had a good taste in beds as well as food, and Fox couldn't muster enough willpower to move. Panther turned around to see Fox rolling around on the bed like a kit. He chuckled before saying:

"Looks like the other room was too scary for you too huh, or do you just like me that much?"

Fox stuck his tongue out at Panther in response. It was a little frightening being in there alone, but if Panther were to walk in and be just a little too horny… well… one thing would have led to another, and pretty soon Fox would probably have been gagged, tied up, and tormented until the feline decided that Fox deserved to cum, which might be never. Fox thought the scenario through several times whilst gauging whether he would like such treatment. His thoughts were cut off by the sight of Panther taking his chef's pants off, revealing the compression boxer briefs that he was wearing underneath. They were military grade flight undergarments, but they happened to be extremely comfortable wearing day to day as well. They also showed every curve of Panther's ass, which so very well-toned if fact, that Fox stared at it for a second to admire it before turning the other way. He heard Panther's shirt come off next, but he didn't look. He just kept his body turned toward the wall as Panther hopped in bed alongside him. He immediately felt Panther's arm reach over and pull him close to his chest. This was accompanied by a happy purring from the feline.

"Are you just really horny? Or are you actually happy that I'm sharing a bed with you?"

"Are you kidding? I'm spending a night cuddling with the son of my childhood hero, how can I not be excited?"

"Sure… then what's that bulge in your boxer briefs that I feel rubbing against my backside?"

"Okay, maybe a little too excited, but I promised that I wouldn't do anything, so why are you worried?"

"I'm not worried, I'm just speculating…"

"Well speculate tomorrow. I'm tired and I want to go to sleep, so if you have any last words before bed, say them now."

"Why couldn't you be like this earlier?"

"Reasons… good night Foxy…"

"Good night Panther."

So this was meant to be a Fox/Wolf fanfic, yet I somehow put Fox and Panther into the same bed. Excuse me as I go check my brain.

Again, another thank you for reading. Review plz?

Chapter 4 next week! Yay!... I think...