"You know", Alex muttered enviously, "When you said you were a genius, I thought you were joking".
"Do you have so little trust in me?", Zephyr asked.
"Of course", Alex deadpanned.
Zephyr dramatically clutched his heart, "Gah. My heart can't handle the betrayal".
"Seriously though", Alex asked, "How do you find AP Biology so easy that you point out a mistake the teacher made".
Zephyr waved off her comment like it was nothing, "Don't worry. It's happened in my AP Physics, AP Chemistry and AP Calculus classes as well".
Instead of shooting Alex's envy, his comment simply intensified her jealousy, "I don't know how you're doing 4 AP classes. I'm struggling with 3 and you're breezing through 4".
"The reason is very simple", Zephyr proudly declared.
Rolling her eyes, Alex asked, "Go on then".
"I'm just built differently", Zephyr remarked with utmost seriousness. However, he couldn't even maintain it for longer than 5 seconds before bursting into laughter.
"You're so annoying", Alex replied, forcing herself not to roll her eyes.
In response, Zephyr smiled and lightly pushed her shoulder with his, "You know you love me".
"As if", Alex snorted, "Who on earth would like you?"
"I'll have you know the 30+ love letters I got for Valentine's invalidate your argument", Zephyr said, a large smirk on his face.
"That doesn't prove anything", Alex argued, "It just shows that you're physically attractive".
"Oooooh", Zephyr whispered into her ears, "Does that mean you find me attractive".
A look of horror appeared on Alex's face as it dawned on her that she had fallen into his trap. Trying to formulate a response, she opened her mouth but closed it and repeated this cycle several times. Thankfully, it appeared fate was on her side as the bell was rung, signalling the end of the break. "I've got Advanced Lit, so I gotta go. Byeee", Alex said as she ran away from him, causing Zephyr to chuckle. Shaking his head in amusement, Zephyr also made his way to class.
[Time Skip]
Walking into the house, Zephyr saw Matt in the living room with a small ball of fur on the table. Moving closer, he asked, "Why is there a cat on our table?"
"I found it on the hood of my car and it wouldn't get off so I brought it home", Matt answered, "It doesn't have a collar so I think it might be a stray".
Sitting down on the couch, Zephyr looked at the cat closely. The cat was elegantly poised, her sleek fur glistened under the sunlight. Her mesmerizing onyx eyes glimmered with a hint of mystery, capturing the attention of anyone who gazed upon her. With every graceful movement, her tail swayed like a black satin ribbon, adding to her enchanting presence. The lustrous ebony coat accentuated her slender frame, exuding an air of elegance and grace.
Matt reached his hand out to try and pat the cat, but the cat immediately hissed as soon as she saw it. Snapping his arm back, Matt muttered, "I think there's something wrong with the cat".
Curious, Zephyr's hand approached the cat with a gentle demeanour, his hand slowly extending towards the feline. The cat cautiously observed Zephyr, her tail flicking back and forth. As Zephyr's fingers made contact with the cat's fur, he stroked it tenderly, causing the cat to purr in contentment. Zephyr continued to pet the cat, his movements rhythmic and soothing. The cat arched her back, pressing closer to the Zephyr's touch, thoroughly enjoying the affectionate gesture. Turning to look at Matt, Zephyr stated, "Maybe she just doesn't like you".
"How's that possible?", Matt muttered, "I'm, like, the most likeable person in the world".
"Most annoying person in the world actually", Zephyr intervened.
"My poor poor heart", Matt dramatically said, clutching his chest as If in agony.
Zephyr's eye twitched, finding the scenario shockingly familiar. "You're just proving my point". Matt was about to retort, but Zephyr raised his hand, causing Matt to shut up, "We need to decide if we're going to keep her or take her to a shelter".
"Despite how rude she was, I want to keep her", Matt said, receiving a nod from Zephyr.
"If we're going to keep her, we need to name her", Zephyr said, rubbing his chin in deep thought, "Since your fur is black, what about Raven?".
Disagree with the name, the cat hissed and moved away from them, displaying her displeasure with the name. "What about Noir?", Matt asked, only to receive an even louder hiss, "Deffo a no then".
"What about Luna?", Zephyr asked. This time, the cat didn't hiss, instead she nudged her head back into Zephyr's palms, causing him to smile. "Luna it is", he said, gently stroking Luna's fur, causing her to release soft purrs.
Seeing this, Matt crossed his arms and looked away, feeling jealous, muttering under his breath. Despite wanting to continue petting Luna, Zephyr suddenly received a notification, causing him to stop and take his phone out.
[You'll never guess what Grandpa got us] - Alex
[What?] - Zephyr
[A dog] - Alex
[He's called Scout] - Alex
[Jay got you a dog?] - Zephyr
[No] - Alex
[It was Grandpa Frank] - Alex
[Ooooh] - Zephyr
[Make's more sense] - Zephyr
[So do you want to come over and see him?] - Alex
[No can do]- Zephyr
[Have to look after my new cat] - Zephyr
[She's called Luna] - Zephyr
[image.jpg] - Zephyr
[OMG] - Alex
[She's so cute] - Alex
[IKR] - Zephyr
[Send me a picture of Scout] - Zephyr
[image.jpg] - Alex
[He's so big and fluffy] - Zephyr
[His fur is so nice to touch] - Alex
[He's also smarter than Luke] - Alex
[Huh] - Zephyr
[Luke got himself stuck inside Scout's cage while Scout figured out how to get out within an hour] - Alex
[I don't know what to say] - Zephy
[That Luke should get checked out] - Alex
[Anyways] - Alex
[Uncle Cam is playing in a concert and he wanted me to invite you and your dad] - Alex
[Don't worry] - Zephyr
[I'll make sure we both make it] - Zephyr
[I need to go out to get things for Lune so I'll see you at the concert] - Zephyr
[Bye] - Zephyr
[Bye] - Alex
Putting his phone away, Zephyr looked at Matt and asked, "Did you take her to a vet and get her checked out?"
"Do we need to?", Matt questioned.
Shaking his head in disappointment, Zephyr replied, "She's a stray and may have something".
"Ooooh", Matt muttered, "Makes sense. Let's go then", he said, getting up and grabbing his car keys.
[Time Skip]
"What's up guys", Matt said as he saw the Dunphy family (minus Haley) along with an unfamiliar man in a chequered shirt.
"Hey Matt", Phil greeted, then putting his arm on the shoulder of the man next to him, "This is my old pops".
"You can call me Frank", Phil's father said, shaking Matt's hand.
While the adults were mingling, Zephyr made his way towards Alex and Luke. Seeing him, Alex asked, "How's Luna?"
"She's good. We had a vet check her and she's clear", Zephyr replied, "Desiree and Bella are looking after her for tonight. I think they just wanted to take cute pictures of Luna".
"She is pretty cute", Alex commented.
"Yeah", Zephyr agreed, nodding his head, "She is".
"Who are you guys talking about?", Luke asked, confused.
"Luna. My new cat", Zephyr responded, taking his phone out to show Luke pictures. Unknowingly, Alex leaned over his shoulder to take a closer look at the pictures, such that Zephyr's and Alex's faces were mere cm apart.
"Woah", Luke muttered in awe, "She looks so cool".
"Thanks", Zephyr thanked, then turned to look at both of them, "Do you guys want to come over and see her after this?"
Luke immediately nodded his head, but Alex shattered his hopes, "Luke, we have to ask Mom and Dad?"
"I'll go as ask them", Luke said, running away. Navigating through the swarm of people, Luke arrived in front of a bar where the adults were having a drink. "Mom. Dad. Zephyr has a new cat. Can Alex and I go see it after?", Luke asked.
"I don't know", Claire muttered, unsure of what to say.
"It's fine Claire", Phil placated, "They don't have school tomorrow so it's fine if they stay up late tonight". Turning to look at Luke, Phil, with a serious face, said "You can go, but make sure to behave. Ok?"
Luke nodded his head before whizzing away from them and towards Zephyr and Akex. Looking at Matt, Claire asked, "You guys got a cat?"
"Yeah", Matt sighed while rubbing his forehead, "The damned cat wouldn't get off my hood and when I went inside to get the newspaper to hit it off, it ran into the house. And then Zephyr came and he decided we should adopt it".
"That sounds nice", Claire commented, unsure of how to react.
[Time Skip]
"Oh My God", Alex commented while rubbing Luna's stomach, "She's so cute".
"I know right", Zephyr agreed.
"Her teeth are so sharp", Luke added while looking at Luna's mouth.
"It's because cats are carnivores", Alex said, a satisfied smile on her face as she heard Luna's purrs.
"That means they eat meat, right?", Luke asked, uncertain about whether his answer was right.
"Yep", Zephyr said, making sure to pop the 'p' for extra effect.
"I thought they only ate fish though", Luke muttered.
"Yeah", Alex agreed, "But they don't just eat fish. If they did, they wouldn't get all the necessary nutrients they need for growth and development".
"Woah", Luke muttered, awestruck by the revelation.
"It's getting late", Matt said, walking into the room, "You two need to go", he directed at Alex and Luke. "I messaged your parents and to save them the trouble, I'm going to drive you to your place. Now come on", he said, clapping his hands, "You can come over any time if you want to see Luna".
Zephyr snorted, "You're just jealous because Luna doesn't like you".
"I'm being responsible", Matt argued, "I'm not doing this because the stupid cat tried to bite my finger off more than 5 times".
"Sure", Zephyr drawled, "Whatever helps you sleep at night".
"You know what?", Matt said, pointing a finger at Zephyr, "You're really annoying".
Instead of answering, Zephyr snorted, but you could see the broad smile on his face.