Chance grasped the pepper fiercely staring at Jake.

He insolently shoved the pepper in his mouth.

Jake's nostrils flared.

Chance spit the top out into the pile. He motioned with a flourish to Jake.

"Top that, Smart Guy."

Jake's insides were burning thick a poisonous and bitter bile was rising in them. He stared at his opponent.

Now this was more like it none of this feminine crap. No feelings hurt nothing. Just them. He could forget about all those stolen glances, those electrifying moments, The heartache, the misery, and the pain. Being in love was hard enough when it was with a female, let alone your best friend, your brother in arms, your soul-

He crammed a small one in his mouth, before he could think about anything else.

"Come on come on."

"Why Jakie poo. Are you sweating? What's a matter these aren't so hot? My grandma could eat these."

Chance raised one perfect eyebrow over his perfect golden eye, and leaned back in his chair.

Jake burned inside; it was going to tear him apart. This was horrible it was like a sickness or something. It was going to kill him.

It wasn't about hot peppers.

Chance grabbed a huge one. In a show of bravado he didn't swallow it and spit off the top. He placed his delicate lips over the tip of the pepper, slowly lingering, sucking off the pickling. His mouth curved around the pepper gingerly, proving his tolerance for spice. He slowly licked it.

Jake knew he shouldn't be so turned on by his partner's action.

Chance snipped off the tip with him thin white little teeth. It was beautiful like watching a cobra. He shook himself.

Chance's sly white little smile crept over his face. As he willfully crunched on the remaining pieces of the pepper on the side of his mouth, so his beautiful smile could taunt him. Except for that pepper stem. Jake was losing his resolve. Why had he chosen this? It made it so much worse. He should have chosen arm wrestling. But he thought again of the times that he had held his partner. He was slender, lean and tense like a coil or a spring; he could imagine his partner limp in his arms at his touch... Gods above he was so trapped.

There before him sat Chance, lithe grace, his delicate perfection, completely infeline. The personification of all Jake wanted to be, all that Jake wanted, taunting him, blissfully unaware and equally cruel. Like a snake squeezing the breath out of his prey, every time you exhaled his essence would trap you. Until you couldn't even breath the same way as before. You couldn't even sit around a garage and have a pepper-eating contest with your best friend. You had to know what it was like to have him.

Jake stared at the jar. One more pepper sat floating in the jar, alone.

Jake mused; the sad thing was he was going to win this pepper contest by default. When the only thing he ever wanted...

"Well crammit you little nitwit. After I eat this baby I win."

"No you don't, we go until one of us cracks." Chance said his warm breath brushing against him, trying to threaten him.

Jake tried to ignore his presence. I have cracked. Where in the heck is this coming from? He's Chance this isn't some bimbo, this was a guy for one thing. This wasn't one of those mornings after, waking up drunk and in bed wondering what had happened, he was all to sober, and it was killing him. This was Chance, and whatever would happen would be forever.

Chance grumbled blissfully unaware "Crap. That's not fair. You're sweating like a pig already. I won this thing and you know it."

"Well tough, Chance. We all just gotta deal, I suppose."

He was glad Chance couldn't see his insides, burning. If he did that beautiful smile would have faded to his small pouty frown. He never wanted to upset him, give him any pain. Maybe it was just chauvinism, being macho, but he would rather live like this in secret forever than ever upset Chance with his pain. He had always thought it was his competitiveness at first. The first insanely vicious foosball games, the breath holding contests, the handstand contests on the Turbo Kat's starboard wing. He just had to be better than Chance, or so he told himself that.

But the truth became clear even to him. He didn't want to beat Chance; he wanted to protect him. It was so silly. He didn't need protection. He was so capable and strong and could sluff off the gravest problems with a laugh and a joke. He was too intelligent, too wonderful to take anything seriously. He had courage. A kind of courage that Jake would never possess, he owned himself. Jake loved that. Anyone would have.

Jake picked up that last pepper and twirled it in his hand.

"My friend it is all over. There are some contests you can't win, you've got to face the reality of that."

"Waxing poetically over your defeat, huh big guy? You have to eat that thing first. And you look like you are about to pass out. These aren't even that spicy. I think you are losing your edge."

Jake looked at him lazily, and placed the pepper on his lips. One last bitter swallow of reality. Chance was perturbed that he was still going through with this.

"You realize this means war."

The short tom pounced on him, knocking him and the chair over.

Jake's eyes bulged.

"Give me that pepper. You big cheater." He tried to force the pepper out of Jake's hand.

Jake was always surprised by Chance's ability to tackle anything. It was astonishing. Chance had always been able to pounce him, no matter how many times, no matter how small he was. His delicate fingers wrapped with his. Jake clung to the pepper.

He almost forgot the crazy ideas and feelings he had a few seconds ago.

He held onto the pepper "I'm going to win."

"You are not." Chance growled and bit Jake's hand.

The large tabby dropped the pepper that Chance snapped up and promptly put in his mouth.

"I win." He laughed trying to keep it in his mouth.

He tried to stand up only before Jake grabbed his legs and he tumbled to the ground.

Jake clasped his paws on Chance's shoulders.

Those two golden eyes stared up at him bright staring at him.

Jake kissed him.

Their tongues crashed into each other, like to two ocean waves. This had been Jake's dream. His little cobra writhing under him.

For the first time in a long time the brilliant and devious Chance Furlong looked surprised.

Jake had his eyes closed as his tongue unearthed in the deep recesses of Chance's mouth the sensation, the bitter pickling burning his lips, the warmth of his tongue. He found the pepper still in his mouth.

Jake's tongue probed for the pepper, deeper, pulling it against the suction of Chance's beautiful mouth. Finally after the glory of the kiss, the pepper was in his mouth.

He swallowed it stem and all and looked down at Chance.

His golden eyes burned up at him in confusion and wonder.

"You're not drunk now? You've got to be-"

"No."

"Then what-"

"Chance I can't stand it. I've got to be with you."

"What?" Chance turned his head away "Why don't we just..."

Jake looked down on him helplessly.

"Isn't this enough?" Chance asked softly and earnestly, looking at their garage.

"No." Jake laid his head on Chance's chest. "I'm selfish. I'm a bastard, but I want you." Jake tried to put his head in the crook of his neck.

The snake curled from underneath him, alive.

"You wanted Callie." The first words hit him like a lash "You wanted a lot of girls. I've known you too long for me to fall for this. You always think you want someone and then you go all crazy over it, you just lose your mind and then you come back..."

"I've always come back to you, maybe not like this, but you are always there."

Chance turned away with Jake crawling at his feet.

Jake grabbed his hand tenderly.

"I think I'm in love with you Chance."

Chance could take back his hand now. How could he tear himself away from someone who felt like this about him? But he couldn't stay. Jake would have dragged him back down to the floor; they would have furiously kissed. And everything they shared would have been destroyed. Oh gods, that kiss. It was that kind that could conquer kingdoms, that destroyed worlds, that destroyed lives. It was burning inside of him still, from his toes up.

"Jake I-"

The bell rung, a customer.

They were plunged back into reality.

Jake let go and Chance walked to the front, taking one look back at his partner.

It wasn't just the peppers.