Chapter 21
Pac froze to it all.
The table was covered in food, and Bad has been claiming they are all Zenko's favorite meals. "Come on, eat up!" he ordered.
"Uh… you do realize I already had lunch…" Pac said offhandedly.
Yet Bad wasn't buying it. "I didn't just cook this all up for you to turn your nose up at it!" he protested. "Eat!"
He was a defeated man, there was no other choice as he slowly began to munch away at the offerings. Bad however was smiling throughout the whole thing, creepier still he was trying to talk to Zenko the whole time. "You know he's eating your favorites, right sis?" he said gently to his side.
"Dude, he can't hear you all that well…"
"Don't care, let me have this!" he protested. He gently patted Pac's side. "Big Bro is back for you sis, and he's going to take extra special care of you!"
"Oh God…" Pac muttered to himself.
"You, I want to see the fork moving, got it!"
There was little choice in the matter, this won't be the last time this occurs either.
It went on for another week, Bad was hovering around him constantly, Pac knows ever since Bad's return, he has put on weight. He wasn't too happy about it either, it could even be seen in his face! "Man, you're looking more like a Brawler than your old man!" chimed Lightning Max.
"Please, don't remind me,"
"PAC!" Bad shouted.
"God help me, please Max, just shock him enough to knock him out or something" he whispered.
Max peered over but shook his head. "I've seen him take on poison monsters, and called upon his fighting spirit to break free from it… I doubt I got enough juice to knock him out… sorry,"
"THERE YOU ARE!" Bad said as his arm came over his shoulder. "I've been looking everywhere for you two… Ooo sis looks to be well insulated…"
"Will you stop fattening me up!" Pac protested. "Seriously Bad, back off!"
It took him aback a little. "I'm helping you!" he protested.
"There's helping and there's being annoying… you're being annoying."
The two stared each other down, Bad sneered at him. "Annoying? Taking care of my sister is annoying to you? Making sure she has enough to eat and is properly insulated, is annoying? SORRY!" he said sarcastically at the end. "Look, I know you think you got this figured out, no doubt Garou is giving you pointers along the way, but you forget I was in there with her!" he protested and poked his stomach. "You weren't comfy, you were all boney and stuff. I couldn't find a position I liked to rest in. NOW, you are. I know my sis is in a better state than what she was before…"
"You keep forcing food on me, I don't appreciate it!" Pac snapped back at him. "Seriously, my dad never looked this big until he had the triplets! I want to monitor what I take in, I don't need you forcing all this food down my throat!"
"Then make sure my sister is taken care of!"
"Whoa, easy you two, easy…" Max said as he came between them. "You are both worried for Zenko. I get that. Bad, you want her comfortable. Understandable, but at the same time you are going to hinder Pac from keeping her safe if they are ever attacked. He's not use to being this big, as well. He won't be able to move as fast to avoid a fight if needed."
Bad suddenly froze, realizing what he said was true. Max turned to Pac. "Listen, it's a pain in the ass, I know it is. But as Bad said, he was in you. He wasn't comfortable; take his input into consideration to better care of Zenko. She needs all the comfort she can get."
Pac paused to the advice, but he nodded in agreement. "Okay," he said meekly.
Turning back to Bad, the two apologized to each other at the same time. Pac sighed aloud to it all but felt his sides. "She hasn't tossed about as much…" he said offhandedly. "I think you were right, I wasn't comfortable enough for her."
Bad nodded. "Sorry for… fattening you up… I mean… I just want her safe…"
He nodded as well, the two fell silent to each other until Pac suddenly jolted a little. He rubbed his belly until he let out a defeated sigh. "She wants you back," he said offhandedly. "Do you mind?"
Bad smirked. "Well, I'll make sure she is comfortable. If not, you and I got to have a talk!" he warned.
It was agreed. Pac's left side uncoiled and set their sights on Bad, they were quick to grab hold and draw him in. When he vanished and his stomach appeared whole once more, Pac endured the odd shifting until it all came to settle once more.
"Whew… that's a lot…" he muttered.
Max on the other hand was silent. "Dude… that's creepy at the same time, really amazing…"
"You don't have to tell me twice," with everyone situation, he decided to go outside and get some air, the sun was shinning today and perhaps it will just be a lazy day for Pac!
#
"Huh…" Garou muttered.
"What dad?" questioned Yuuma. "You've been oddly observant as of late."
"Just regaining my bearings." Garou has been watching the kids from a distance, but the one who has his attention at the moment is Titan. He hasn't been hovering around the babies at all as of late. He's become oddly distant, but his suspicion only grew when he heard Snek shout.
"YOU'RE SCENT CHANGED?!"
How three hallways he heard Snek lecturing Angie. She shied away as Snek continued to smell her oddly enough. His forked tongue wouldn't stop as he kept taking in her scent. "It's changed completely! What did you do?" he demanded of her.
"Papa, I found a mate!" she protested.
Instantly he froze to the news. "You… found a mate… without telling me?"
"We decided to be mates when I thought you were gone!" she snapped back.
Instantly, his mood changed. "Oh…"
Garou walked in on the conversation with Yuuma who was smiling from ear to ear like his father. "So you two finally agreed? About damn time…"
"Wait, you know…" Snek demanded.
"Yeah, my brother Titan," he explained.
"I thought that kid was acting weird… more so than usual…" Snek muttered. "Wait, why him? I mean… don't get me wrong, Titan is a great kid and all, but still… isn't this too sudden?"
"You failed to see your daughters are reaching the mature age for snake people," Garou said and snickered. "I've been there, trust me, but oddly enough, my kids reached maturity before yours did…"
"Whatever!" Snek protested and sighed aloud. "I want a word with Titan…"
"I would stay clear of him for a while, he's a bit moody," warned Garou. "The kid has been through a lot, just, give him some time will ya?"
He was a defeated serpent. Snek sighed aloud and agreed to back off for the time being.
"Ah, there you are!"
Amai wondered into the conversation. "I've been looking for you, I wanted to talk about when we are to switch…"
"Yeah, so, when's a good time for you?"
Sweet Mask shrugged. "At the moment, I am not doing anything serious, I have yet to be called back to make movies or an album to say the least. So, at the moment, the choice is yours. I am good either way."
"Probably some time next month, so that's what… 26 days from now?"
Amai nodded to it. "Very well, 26 days from now, and it will be the last time we switch like this until they make your device…"
"I think that's going to be weird, to go back and forth between two forms… problem is, I don't know which one I want to be!"
Garou snickered to it all. "And you bitched the most when this first happened…"
"Shut up! You do realize Suiryu and Max had awesome power and I didn't! I was a snake for God's sake!"
"A damn powerful one that consumed threats before they became a threat, not to mention powerful enough to take down a dragon level with ease?" Amai said offhandedly. "Granted, I was the one who picked on you the most about it. But… have slithering in your place; I realized it's rather convenient to be a serpent for various reasons."
"Yeah, yeah, you get to live that for one month soon enough…" Snek muttered.
"Now then, perhaps some patrols are in order. I wish to see this Neo Hero hunter in action myself. Perhaps I can gauge his character properly if I speak with him…"
Amai wondered off shortly after, only to have Garou snort out a laugh. "You haven't told him yet?"
Garou paused. "How did you know…"
Snek stuck his tongue out at Garou and smirked. "Despite it being alien slime, I know when I smell Metal Bat… but I am still trying to figure out HOW it all came about…"
"Let's get a coffee in you and I'll explain."