Chapter 25
Some things never change.
Garou has spent the past few days trapped in a knitted sweater for one, and second, holding on to Melee. She has become quite susceptible to the cold and doesn't like to be to say the least. Garou has found himself holding on to her, yet not completely envelope her into himself. If anything his extra appendages have made themselves into a cradle and brace her close to him. "So, that's where I got it from huh?" snickered Titan.
The two were at the Association cafeteria. Garou had Melee, Titan was bracing on to Suiryu who needed a nap. The two were fast asleep despite the commotion going on around them. But, it brought a smile to Garou's lip. "Guess so, how's Suiryu?"
Titan peered down at him. "He's gotten bigger. Alley is getting more active to say the least, but I think I am starting to feel through her too, a very tiny vibration." He explained. "I think it's the baby's heartbeat."
Garou smirked. So the baby is doing well huh? That's good to hear in his mind. "You think it's all fun and games…" came out of Suiryu.
Titan froze as he peered down, he was glowing oddly as his eyes were also aglow. "Alley?" Garou whispered.
"Hey dad… I can't really see like this… I don't know where I am… besides in Suiryu… still trying to figure that out…"
"Don't think too much of it hon, besides, you are in the safest place possible."
"Hi Alley…" Titan said gently.
Alley mustered a confused look on to Suiryu's face as suddenly one of his arms got free and gently caressed about. The confusion didn't leave his face. "Scales?" she said.
"Your little brother has been taking very good care of you and your husband to say the least. Suiryu is too big to fit in the bed; he can't sleep in any comfy position since he can't get up properly. Not to mention, when he gets stuck and panics it sets you off. So, Titan has been gracious enough and offered to become your bed for the next while." Garou explained. He then smirked and peered down as Melee nested in closer to him. "As I am doing the same for your mother. We're expecting again… that came out of left field to say the least!"
"Damn it dad! When are you going to have enough kids!"
Garou glared at her. "Talk to me a few years down the line and see if you say the same thing again… at least your kids will have a lot of uncles and aunts to visit and help baby sit won't they?" he snapped back.
Alley was silent. "Point taken…" she muttered. "So… how much longer am I going to be trapped like this? Suiryu is sleeping a lot, I can feel that, but he's eating well… don't ask how I know…"
Garou smirked. "Well let's see, I think you were at least a month and a half along before Suiryu enveloped you the way he did, you've been like this for just over a month… you got about another seven ahead maybe."
"Damn it…" she muttered.
"It's okay Alley, I will always be here to help" Titan insisted.
She forced a smile. "Thank you Titan…" She then yawned aloud. "This is draining…"
"Then stop possessing him! Geeze kid, get your rest, you're going to be a mother, take all the sleep you can get!" Garou playfully scolded.
She laughed. "True… okay… I'm falling… back…" the glow was gone before she could even finish her sentence. Suiryu fell into a dead sleep once more as Titan gently tighten his coil.
"She really doesn't want to be held back doesn't she?"
Garou smirked and nodded. "Stubborn, just like me to say the least." He paused and peered down at Melee. "I just hope I am keeping your mother warm enough, she keeps inching herself closer to me."
Titan nodded. "You are, but she likes the comfort. You may want to consider wrapping her up in a blanket before coiling around her. I've been doing that with Suiryu now since it is getting colder outside."
"Good advice kid."
With that, Garou tucked in Melee a little more. "I better do some rounds and make sure everyone is okay. You good here?"
He nodded. "Yes, I got my yarn set under the table," Titan said and smiled warmly. "I think I need to work on blankets…"
"You do that," With that, Garou got up and began to walk around. He was watching the other heroes train, some got sent out for monster attacks and were quick to deal with them. He found Zombieman secretly meeting with Tempest, but there was a look of reluctance on his face, but it appeared Tempest needed to borrow him once more for training purposes.
Then he saw him.
Coming in a tattered suit, but with the biggest grin on his face. Knuckle.
"I thought you had your date with Fubuki a while ago!" he protested.
"I did!" Knuckle insisted. "Why?"
"You wore that suit on the date… how is it in tatters?"
"Oh, funny story on that. You see, when Fubuki and I just stepped out of the Association, Tatsumaki was waiting for us, she pulled me up into this vortex tornado and demanded an explanation to why I was with her sister. So I explained… and then she whipped me around and sent me flying ten thousand feet…"
Garou couldn't blink at first, he was trying to process it all. "Uh… huh?" he said with great uncertainty.
"Anyway, I am being thrown ten thousand feet into the air, Tatsumaki in close pursuit, interrogating me as to why I was with Fubuki, so I explained that I was trying to get to know her better. She didn't believe me so I made an offer. That was when she threw me into the ground and dragged me a good 6 miles…"
"This story isn't getting any better in my books…"
Knuckle however wasn't the least bit upset to the whole thing. He continued on and said. "When she finally stopped dragging me, I turned over and challenged her by saying. 'Tell you what, how about I take you on a few dates, if you think I am worthy of Fubuki after, great, if not I leave her alone'. She paused and thought it over, with a flick of her fingers I was sent back up into the sky and then slammed down into the earth again, I turned myself over and said. 'Tomorrow at six?' and she accepted!"
"Again, I am sure that was a few days ago, why do you look like hell now?"
"Oh this? We battled a monster just a short while ago, nasty thing. She was telling me she didn't need my help, which was cool, but I also didn't want her doing all the work either so I helped however I could. The monster tried to shred me to bit to say the least, she appeared to have gotten pissed off at it and turned the thing to mush in an instant!"
"So…" Garou said with great uncertainty.
"So… I think she's warming up to me!"
He couldn't bring himself to say anything. Knuckle has his own idea as to what is successful and what has failed to say the least, yet he instantly changed the subject when he noticed Melee. "Sis is cold, she need to get warmed up." He said.
"Yeah, I am taking her home now. Well… good luck with whatever the hell you are doing…" Garou said and walked off.
"My brother is a total meathead…" muttered Melee in a groggy tone.
"No argument here…" snickered Garou. "Let's get you home and warmed up…"
#
Elsewhere.
They were going at it. Despite the lack of training, the brothers were becoming well versed in Biting Snake fist combat. Pythan and Bo had been training each other day in and out on the method their father used and were certain to perfect it. They trained for two hours a day, doing nothing more than the technique they learned from Drax. When finished, they would put themselves on patrols and sometimes use it.
However, there was a secret the brothers had, that neither one told their father just yet. "So… How do we explain it?" Bo asked out of the blue. They were making their rounds in City F, both maintained their human forms when doing so. They were still adjusting to the aspect of being such a thing after they learned their father was once human.
Pythan's mind wondered as he tried to think things over. "I don't think it's that big of a deal. Even Dr. Genus said it was a natural evolutionary trait on our part." He said. "Yet, perhaps we should tell papa, just in case he worries when we confront something…" The brothers suddenly lost their footing, the ground shook and trembled as a monster came out of nowhere!
It spewed forth this purple mist that melted anything and everything in its path. Cars turned to molten metal, even road kill on the street dissolved! "We got to stop it before it hurts someone!" Pythan said as he rushed in.
"BRO THINK THIS THROUGH!" Bo shouted, but he was too far ahead. Pythan was already going over plans in his mind on taking down the large beast. Yet the monster turned its focus to him. It spewed the toxic smoke once more. Pythan became engrossed into it.
However, this was what he has yet to tell his father, as well as what Dr. Genus had discovered. "You're naturally immune." He remembered the voice of the doctor echoing in his head.
Pythan smirked as he stormed through the poisonous cloud. He managed to summon his strength and jump from the street, he got high enough to land a solid blow against the beast, his presence must have taken him aback as the monster stumbled away from him. Pythan emerged from the poisons cloud unscathed, and was grinning from ear to ear. "Not bad, but your toxins are nothing compared to mine!" he struck his bands, nearly turning instantly to his serpent form.
He struck hard and fast biting into the monster's arms, as he retreated, the monster tried to get up but fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth. It was dead before it even had a chance to get away.
Bo was quick to get to his brother and saw the fallen beast. "That was stupid and reckless!" he scolded.
"I was immune to the poison, so what!"
"Brother that was still a stupid risk! What if you are not immune to ALL poisons? Are you willing to worry Papa?!"
He paused, he didn't think of that before. "I'm sorry…"
"We best tell Papa about this, or else if you do it again, he is going to freak out. You don't want him to do something foolish thinking you are in great danger, right?"
Pythan sighed. "You're right, I don't want to worry Papa like that… Are you going to tell him…"
Bo nodded. "I am. I just don't know how he will react…"
