Revenge of the Chicken Dinner(s)

"You'll make yourself sick, Kid! Even you can't still be hungry with everything you've just stuffed yourself with."

Kid Curry gave his partner a disgusted look, and said indistinctly with a fork halfway to his mouth while still chewing. "We ain't eaten nothin' 'cept beans, jerky and your lousy coffee for nearly two weeks. And anyways this chicken is the best I've tasted in months."

Heyes shaking his head, his gaze unimpressed said with sarcasm dripping in his voice. "I figured you was enjoyin' it, when you ate all yours, half mine and still ordered a second helping."

"I'm just makin' the most of it, I mean with the way our luck's goin', might be weeks before we eat this well again."

XXX

Two Am

Heyes woke when he was smacked hard on the chin with a flailing hand. He turned to complain at his partner, the owner of said hand, just as he too came awake with a groan and sat bolt upright, before carefully swinging his legs over the side of the bed to sit on the edge. Slightly bent over, with his back to Heyes, clutching his stomach he said quietly. "If you want a whack over the head from my gun, Heyes, just say what you're thinkin', otherwise.."

Heyes unsuccessfully attempted to smother a laugh and the Kid still holding his stomach turned to glare at him. "I just had the worst dream!"

"Yeah, my chin and me figured that out already."

Kid ignored him and continued. "Got attacked by some giant chickens and one of 'em flapped his wings and took my gun."

Heyes sighed unable to resist correcting him, annoyed at being awakened from his own more pleasant dream. "Gotta be an ostrich, Kid, ain't no such thing as giant chickens and besides if it were chickens, they're female."

"Heyes, I can shoot one handed real easy."

"So, you was attacked by a herd of angry females one of which stole your gun."

Kid's glare would have intimidated most men, but all it made Heyes do was smirk in amusement, which simply caused his friend even more irritation. But as the Kid started to move, his face twitched in discomfort and so he stilled, merely adding grumpily. " She didn't steal it exactly, just flapped her wings and somehow swiped it outta my hand."

"Why didn't you just shoot her while she was coming towards you- ostr-giant chickens are kinda hard to miss."

"You ever been attacked by a giant chicken Heyes? Besides this is my dream!"

"All right, Kid, I apologise...go on.." Heyes held up his hands to ward off the evil glance Kid was throwing him. Another thought struck him and he opened his mouth to point out that a dream didn't count as actually being attacked either. But as he saw the hand, not clutching his friend's stomach, clench into a fist, he decided he was better off not voicing that thought. He still hadn't forgotten just how much his cheek had hurt the last time Kid landed a punch.

"Well, after I lost my gun, they started to get real mean..."

"Probably weren't too happy that you ate so many of their friends."

The Kid went pale and Heyes saw his arm tighten over his stomach. He felt a twinge of sympathy but still couldn't resist adding. "Can you imagine the size of them eggs, Kid?"

The Kid lost what little colour he had remaining in his face and grabbed the chamber pot from under the bed. He retched into it, but brought nothing up, before flopping back onto the bed, still nursing his stomach and holding the pot tightly with his free hand. "I ain't never eatin' again, Heyes..."

Heyes snorted. "The next time you refuse one of them blue plate specials, will be the first, and then I'll know you're sick."

"Sometimes, Heyes, you ain't real nice."

"Only sometimes, Kid? I'm slipping then." He paused and added, curious despite his teasing. "So what did these chickens do next, Kid?"

"I don't want to talk about it no more."

"Aww, C'mon Kid when you smack me on the chin and wake me from a very nice dream, least you can do is finish the tale you woke me over."

The Kid shut his eyes briefly then shrugged a little helplessly."Well, then they got some company, cows armed with guns. Lucky they was an even worse shot than you are..."

Heyes looked at his friend. "Now that's just dumb, Kid...where are cows gonna get guns from?"

"How the hell do I know, Heyes? It's not like I hung around to ask 'em. I set off runnin' but ended up trippin' over my feet."

He trailed off then and Heyes sighed, impatient to hear the rest asked sharply." And then what happened next?"

"I dunno, that's when I woke up..."

"You know, Kid, I think I've been wrong saying you ain't got much of an imagination. I can see that working in one of them cheap comic books for boys."

"Go to sleep, Heyes..."