This is my part of the trade for  Xtreme2018 who wanted two of their characters, cousins, Jax and Stephaine meet for the first time and talk about their lives. It has been a long time since I've done a normal story so I do apologize about that.
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Jax is an assassin who wanted to visit his mother's grave for the first time in years, only to find out that he has a cousin who was going to pay some respects for her deceased aunt.

It is a gentle breeze in the nicely green-grassed park, filled with life-longed trees and crowded with people walking around. It’s also a great day to enjoy the park, especially if it’s for something important. Stephanie ‘Celeste’ Hardway, a large/slightly overweight twenty-seven year old female mere-bear with blonde fur, yellow-orange hair, and green eyes, is with her cousin who she has never seen before in her life. She wears a red shirt that can’t contain her big gut and dark blue shorts around her fat thighs. Stephanie works as a local airport employee, a staff for an airport security company. She’s a hard-working and relaxed person, spending her time with both work and shopping with her friends.

Her cousin, Jax ‘Steven’ Hardaway , is a trans male, slightly overweight twenty-eight cat with blonde fur too, red-brown hair, and brown eyes. He wears a blue t-shirt that also can’t cover up his rotund belly and dark blue shorts for his fatter thighs. Jax is a highly skilled assassin, who’s been hired so many times that he’s lost count. After the death of his mother from an assassin, his father taught him to wait for the right time for vengeance. The cat is both violent and caring when it comes to who he protects or not. He’s also monotone with no mood for fun nor relaxation, the complete opposite of his cousin. How they met is another story. After years fleeing away to New York from Kansas after the incident, he’s deciding to come back just to go to his mother’s grave who's been buried in his neighboorhood’s cemetery. It was his first time seeing it as he nor his father had enough time to arrange a proper funeral.

When he was visiting her grave, Stephanie came by to pay her dead aunt respects by bringing Jax’s mother her favorite flowers, roses. Of course it was the first time they'd meet so the conversation wasn’t that good. But as they understood more that they’re related as cousins, their conversations were more friendly. And wanting to know more about Jax, Stephanie persuaded the cat to take a stroll in the park and ask some questions. The two sit down on the grass, in the shade and away from the sunlight. “So you’re really an assassin?” Stephanie asks with concern, a bit surprised to understand what Jax’s job is about.

Jax sighs, unsure if he should explain more or just move onto a better subject. All she asked was what his job was and he had to open his mouth to that. “Yeah, I know what you’re about to say. But my mother was killed by one. In order to hunt one down, I must be one.”

“Did you find them?” She asks next.

Jax just stays silent for a few moments as he ponders what his answer should be. “Let’s just keep that unanswered.” It’s the right move he makes. Jax isn’t sure if she’ll be ready to hear the truth or even the details of it. “My father never told me I had a cousin, or an uncle and aunt.”

“My mom told me about your uncle and aunt, but they never told me I have a cousin. I wonder why.” Stephanie thinks about it while Jax just shakes his head. He leans back against the hilltop of the shaded area he sits.

“This isn’t a good idea, you know. As an assassin, I do have people hunting me down. It’ll be risky to put you in the line of fire.” Jax was about to leave until Stephanie pushed against his shoulder, sitting him back down again.

“No way! We just met and you already want to leave?” Stephanie wasn’t going to let him go down his own thing, not at the moment. “Besides, I like taking those risks.” Her belly grumbles, demanding for food since being fat means she’s hungry almost all the time. “Let’s get something to eat. I know this great place, a diner!” The mere-bear gets up from the ground and helps Jax up too.

Jax gets up, brushing his shorts and shirt from the loose grass on his butt and back. “If you say so. How good is the food?” He slightly chuckles, rubbing his big belly.

His question makes Stephaine laugh. “Oh! You’ll love it for sure! Follow me!” She walks down the hill, with Jax following her behind. “It’s not far from here so we should do some more walking.” She said, planning to give herself and Jax some exercise before they arrive at the diner. She knows it will help them feel more hungry than ever. Jax just hopes he’s not being followed.
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At the diner, not too busy since it’s past lunch time for the workers and college students to eat here, Stephanie and Jax sat themselves down at the booths, away from the other customers as Jax is too suspicious of them. The mere-bear reads off the menu and quickly decides what she’s ordering. “I have to go for the chicken wings and chicken salad again. That’s my favorite.” She puts the menu down in front of her. Jax is still looking through the menu, either because he doesn’t know what to order, or he’s trying to hide his face from anyone that comes by here. “Jax? Are you okay?” Stephanie is a bit worried about how Jax is acting. Was he that paranoid to enter a public restaurant?

Jax puts down the menu slightly, just enough he can see his cousin on the other side of the table. “Ummm, not sure. Maybe I’ll get the same thing that you’re having.” He pulls up his menu again. Though he doesn’t want any silence to enter this area, he tries to talk more with her. “So what did you do again as a career?” He asks.

“I work as an airport security, just checking bags and surveying the area. I do have big hopes to be a journalist someday. Which is why I’m planning to get myself a job at a news station once I get the experience to be one.” That is her dream goal in a few months. Her mother had been very supportive of her to get that job as a journalist, as she was proud of her to be an airport security worker. “I just hope I don’t have to report one of your…..you know.”

Stephaine wouldn’t mention his job around here, in closely tight spaces with people close enough to hear their conversations. “Yeah. Anyways, I’m happy to hear that you are going for your dreams.” It may sound sarcastic on Stephanie's end, but Jax does genuinely want her to keep following her goals.

The waitress comes up to the table with a notepad and a pen. “Welcome to Baxter’s Diner, how may I help you?” She asks.

“I would love to have your chicken wings with a chicken salad again.” Stephaine orders first as the waitress writes that down.

She looks over to Jax who looks right back at her with that dull expression on his face. “I’ll have what she’s having too.” He answers bluntly as she writes his order too. She takes both of their menus, leaving Jax to face the consequences and have his face exposed. As she leaves, Jax sighs. “I feel uneasy being here.” Not sick to his stomach, but maybe enough that he should just leave now.

Stephaine can tell that uneasy feeling he’s dealing with. That look on his face that says he’s uncomfortable. “Have you never been to places like these?” It’s a weird question to ask but with his job, maybe it’s a different answer.

“Not as much as I wanted. If I’m being honest. I don’t like putting myself in the crowd. I’m more of a lone wolf, watching over the rooftops where no one can see me.” He explains.

“Ah, so like hiding in plain sight. I see.” Stephaine can understand why he would want to be away from places like these. “But who knows about you? It’s not like you put yourself at risk.” She scoffs it off like it’s nothing, doing her best to keep him calm and relax in the diner. “Our food doesn’t take very long so maybe we can change the subject. Have you tried shopping before?”

“Not really. I just feel like that’s a waste of time for me.” He said, being honest about the idea for shopping. In a moment, Stephanie gasps out of shock, as if she’s offended by those honest words.

“Shopping isn’t a waste of time! Especially if it’s for food!” She raises her voice at him, right before Jax shushes her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to shout.” She apologizes.

“It’s alright, but I do shop for food, privately. I use online shopping on an anonymous account. And don’t ask how, it’s complicated and I don’t trust myself to spill out my secrets.” Jax had life wrapped around his finger, even if it’s not as luxurious as his cousin’s.

The food finally arrives, placing the same meals for the both of them. “Here you go.” The waitress said, carefully putting them on their table. “Enjoy your meal.”

“Thank you.” Stephaine says back before the waitress leaves again. Stephanie couldn’t wait any longer to devour her meal. With a large appetite she has, she pigs out on the wings, chewing off the meat on the bones and licking the sauce that’s covering the wings. Jax goes for his salad first, he’s not too messy with what he’s got. Eating his salad, still cold as he expects from a salad, he can’t help but to watch how aggressive his cousin is on those wings.

It brings a chuckle out of him. Never would he guess how hungry she is. “Easy, it’s not a competition.”

Stephiane stops and cleans the sauce off of her snout with a napkin. “Sorry, I’m just very hungry.” Looking down at her place, with about half the wings left and her salad untouched, she puts down the wing she has in her paw and cleans it off with the same napkin. “I think I should take this home. I don’t want to let people see me eat like this.”

“It’ll be a good idea.” Jax agrees. He’s not hungry unlike her, with his appetite being smaller than what his size gives out. “I’ll pay for the bill.” The cat says, volunteering to pay for their food.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” Stephaine disagrees, wanting to pay for the meal. “It’s my treat, I should be the one to pay for it.”

Jax is quicker when it comes to arguments. He pulls out his wallet and takes out two twenties. He only pays for stuff in cash rather than a debit or credit card. The last thing he would want is someone to track him down. “I know that you’re being polite and I appreciate that. But it’s best if I were to do this.” He gets up from his chair, looking around for the waitress. “You know what, how about you keep the food too.”

“What?” Stephaine stands up seconds later after he stands up. “You don’t want it?”

“Eh, I wasn’t really hungry. But I did enjoy the meeting. It’s actually good to know that I still have more family members than my father.” Jax is happy to meet Stephaine for the first time, having a cousin who is not only the opposite of what he is, but the fact he was able to trust her with this information. “Oh, and please don’t tell your parents about me. I think they might have kept it away from you for a reason.”

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.” Stephanie promises. “Before you go, how about a hug?”

Jax tilts his head to the side and raises an eyebrow. “A hug? Ummmm…..” Jax is a little uncomfortable with hugs, besides getting the ones from both his father and deceased mother. “I don’t know. I don’t do hugs.”

“Oh come on. Let me show you.” In an instant, the mere-bear wraps her arms around Jax’s waist, squeezing as hard as she can. “See? Like that.”

The cat didn’t know what to do besides wrap his arms around her. He didn’t want to make himself the center of attention, but that feeling of fear slowly drifts away as the feeling of comfort takes in. The hug was soft, memorable, and something that Jax can’t resist. It reminded him of how his mother would hug him as a child, a sad memory that haunts him. “Thanks.” That’s all he can say. Though a tear sheds through his eye, hiding in a cry almost.

“Thank you Steven.” Steven is Jax’s middle name, something he told her when he was more comfortable talking to her once he found out that they’re cousins. She lets go of him and he does the same thing. “I do hope we meet again.”

“I hope so too.” He wipes the tear out of his eye, trying to make it look like he never cried. “Have a good day, cousin.” He says his goodbyes to Stephaine.

“You too and thank you for paying for the food. I’ll have a great time eating it all.” The mere-bear surely will. While watching Jax leave the restaurant, it’s a wonder that he was able to survive all of those fights as an assassin. She knows he’s a professional at it but she also fears that he may put himself in danger. Maybe there'll be a time when she might find a new job, maybe as an assassin too so she can help her cousin out. But what would her parents say about that? Would they be disappointed? She’ll never know why they hadn’t told her about Jax or the fact that her aunt was murdered rather than passed away from some illness. Stephaine does have her focused priorities on journalism, something that she should still go after rather than being a hitman. And so she pays the bill, grabs the food in to-go boxes, and walks home. She really hopes she meets Jax again.