And thus, we return to Regis and Kevin thanks to the artistic prowess of  tawawawa! This also rounds out Chapter 1, and the next chapters will be posted somewhere in the middle of 2012. Around the time the novella will be released.

So what's the title? That would be telling. What's it about? That would be telling.

* * *

Kevin woke up to find himself naked and in bed. This was usually not an unusual set of circumstances for him, as he liked to sleep both in the nude and in bed. It was a favorable combination that worked very well for the tiger over the years, but today was different. First he was hung over. Secondly he wasn't in his bed.

The large mound of blankets stirred next to him, and Kevin saw a bit of a particular black and white mohawk poking out from under them.

Christ, thought Kevin as he rubbed the side of his head, which had decided to start thumping a particularly painful beat. Why do I always wind up in bed with him? Why do I always wind up naked in his bed?

It wasn't the first time Kevin had woke up in the zebra's bed, but Regis never seemed to mind. Knowing him, he probably liked the fact Kevin was drawn to his bed.

The large mound stretched out, and soon Regis pulled back the covers to expose his head. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes, but still regarded Kevin with a blearily look. Kevin figured it was around noon. Regis was definitely not a morning person. Neither was he, especially when he was hung over like he was at the moment. "Mornin', Regis," he said.
Regis mumbled something that might have passed for "morning" in some countries of the world.

"Thanks for bringin' me here."

Regis grunted in response as he studied the ceiling. Occasionally his eyes would drift shut, then blink back open.

Kevin sat up, ignoring the protests from his pounding skull. "I gotta get me some water. My skull's tryin' to split open. Need anythin'?"

Regis grunted twice this time. "Coffee." It was the first intelligible response from Regis since he woke up. The effort it took must have been considerable.

Kevin knew the layout of the zebra's kitchen from his last couple of unplanned visits, so unless there had been major renovation, coffee was not a problem. "Okay. Sit tight, I'll be right back."

Regis returned to the language of monosyllabic grunting, then turned over on his side.

Kevin put on his pants and shirt, a simple color scheme of black on black, then quietly padded out of the bedroom. The sounds of a video game with the sound turned extremely low filled his ears. As he entered the living room, he saw Regis' younger brother sitting on the couch and playing something on a console. "Whatcha playin'?" Kevin asked.

Lee flinched as he turned to look at Kevin. "Geez, Kevin. You scared me."

Kevin shrugged as he walked over to the kitchen. "Tiger's are sneaky. Sorry 'bout that." He found the coffee filters over the refrigerator. "So whatcha playin'?"

"Blood Bowl."

Kevin raised an eyebrow as he looked at the television. "Sounds violent."

"It's a kind of fantasy football game."

As Kevin filled up the filter with a couple of scoops of coffee grounds, he suppressed a smirk. "Never figgered ya fer the sports type."

"You'd be right, but this is literally fantasy. Orcs, goblins, you name it, playing football."

"Huh. Nifty." Kevin got himself a glass of water after starting the coffee then moved into the living room. Sure enough, the game had a medieval setting, but Lee commanded his attention more than what was being played.
Lee and Regis were as different physically as night was different to day. Regis was well over seven feet tall and solidly built. Lee was barely over six feet and slim. Lee also had a trace of a Californian accent, whereas Regis had so much of a Texan twang that it was a miracle Kevin could understand half the things Regis said to him. "Well, I won't bother ya no more. Regis wanted some coffee, and I needed a glass of water."

"Too much to drink again, huh?"

Kevin winced. He hated to admit he had a problem, but it was the truth. He drank too much too often. "Mebbe."

"Hey, I'm not judging you, Kevin. It's not like you're an ass when you drink." Lee looked up at him with a smile. "Besides, I like you a lot better than some of the guys Regis hangs out with."

"That reminds me, I need to make a phone call. Can I borrow your cell?"

Lee reached into his pocket and withdrew a black cell phone. "Sure. Going to call your roommate?"

Kevin hesitated. Granted, Burt was his roommate, but up until a few weeks ago, they were something more. Something not many people knew about. "Yeah. Burt likes to worry about me." He tried dialing Burt's number, and after a few rings, got the voice mail. He left a brief message, explaining where he was, then hung up and handed the phone back to Lee.

"Regis likes to worry about me too," Lee said as he put the phone back in his pocket.

"Gotta love it, huh?"

Lee shrugged. "Sometimes."

Kevin chuckled. "Enjoy it while you can, kiddo. It never lasts."

Lee stuck out his tongue at Kevin. "You're not that much older than me," he said. "Don't make me call you an old man."

Kevin balled up his hand and shook it towards Lee. "Don't make me get my cane and yell at ya to get off my damn lawn."

"You'd be the sexiest old man ever."

"You're good at flattery, Lee." Kevin said as he went back into the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee, adding two spoonfuls of sugar with a dollop of milk. The rich aroma of coffee filled his nostrils. "Well, I gotta get this coffee to yer brother."

"He's probably asleep again."

Kevin smiled. "Yeah, he probably is."

"If so, come on back and I'll teach you how to play this game," Lee said, tilting his head towards the television.

"You bet."

As he walked towards the bedroom where Regis was (most likely) sleeping, he realized he felt better from joking around with Lee. Laughter had not come too easily for him lately. Sure, he and Burt were getting close again, Kevin felt there was still some distance. Especially after Burt's ex came back into the picture.

He peeked into Regis' bedroom to see the zebra sitting up and rubbing the side of his face. He still looked as sleepy as he did before Kevin left the room. He definitely fell asleep, Kevin thought.

For a brief moment, he wondered what life would have been like had he chased after Regis instead of Burt, then quickly pushed back the thought. What ifs were not good for him. They drove him batshit crazy.

"Here ya go," Kevin said as he entered the room, holding out the cup of coffee to Regis, who took it with a broad, yet sleepy, grin.

"Thanks, Kev. Much obliged." he said. His Texan drawl was so thick Kevin could have put it on some pancakes in place of syrup.

"Yer welcome, Reeg." Kevin sat down on Regis' side of the bed, patting the zebra on a blanketed leg. "How about when you wake up I treat ya to some lunch? It's the least I can do."

"That'd be swell, kitty."

Kevin grinned. A friend like Regis was good to have, especially when he needed one the most. A dark thought in the back of his mind, however, made him wonder how long the friendship would last. When would he chase Regis off with his drunken behavior, or worse, his sober behavior? Was it inevitable, or would Regis be one of those rare friends who would stick by Kevin no matter how bad he got?

I gotta cut down on the drinkin', Kevin thought. I was good for so long, but I slipped off the wagon last night. I gotta change. I can change. I will change.

The dark thought in the back of his mind disagreed.

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