Beauties and Beasts

Chapter 28: brought to you by Drama Kings

Steamed eggs and BAM! Curtis's love is fueled by not-chicken products and consent. Ryan gets a reality check and the full horrors of living in an unvaccinated world dawn on the main characters. Soap-making commences.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Shay settled down ready to cook her first wifely meal for her husband and felt so weird she literally buzz-tingled from the inside out, as though her blood had been replaced with bees.

Since she didn't have much nonstick, and didn't trust her way with the oil, she took a pot, filled it with a bit of water, blended the eggs, poured it in, then set the lid over it to steam. Though she didn't know how effective the steaming was when she had to peek in every so often to prevent burning.

As she worked, Neara handed her a fried egg.

"For you!" she cooed.

"What about you?"

"It's my not-chicken, I can eat eggs whenever I want."

This made Shay smile. "Thanks. When we're done with this, I guess it's home hunting time. Is it weird that I'm more excited for that than being married?"

Neara gave her a strange look, one that said clearly, 'how the crap is that weird?' and said, "I mean, he is a snake... and decorating houses is fun!"

"I don't mind snakes as much as you. But I'm not all that cuddly with them either." Shay sighed. "Not all that into animals, really. Except cats. And chickens."

Neara gave her a knowing smirk.

At last, Shay managed to extract a jiggly mass of steamed eggs that didn't look unlike pudding. Preparing herself mentally, wiggling inside just like the jello eggs, she scooped up the eggs into a bowl and took it into the bedroom.

As she approached the large snake, curled like a looped bundle of ropes, she tried to soak him in.

He's my husband, she told herself. Until I can manage to hate him enough to condemn him...

As though sensing her thoughts, the snake's opaque eyelids flickered back and he lifted his large head towards her. In a blur of colors, Curtis's tall torso appeared, long hair ever straight and untangled. His long lashes fanned just as straight and thick across his pale cheeks.

"My Shay," he murmured, his contentment and happiness palpable. "Are you ready to find a home?"

Everything about this situation made the squirming in her insides increase to the point it became a melted heat, filling her insides.

"Yeah. But I made you breakfast," she held it out. "It's just eggs, I didn't put any spices in."

"You don't have to cook for me," he said. "I should be the one cooking for you."

"But you don't like fire." At Curtis's flinch, she pushed on. "And where I'm from, women show their affection and take care of their family by cooking. I-I used to cook for my siblings and stuff..."

At his widening eyes, Shay recalled the blowup of the day before and tensed, wondering if she had, yet again, said what she shouldn't.

"You're...showing me affection?" He looked to the bowl in her hands.

"Yes?" She pulled the bowl back to herself. "It's okay if you don't want it."

In the blink of an eye, the bowl vanished, reappearing in Curtis's hands.

"My wife's affections..." he almost whispered, to himself, his happiness blooming to a blissful disbelief on his face. He scooped up some of the egg on his finger.