Expecting Part 7 - Arrival?
Left, a common garter snake and right, a rough-skinned newt. (Photos, from left: Sharon Day/shutterstock.com; Yuval Helfman/shutterstock.com)
Title: Expecting Part 7 - Arrival?
Continues from Picnicking Part 6
prior Andy & Simon drabbles
Author: charisstoma
Word count: 548
This is what Andy was reading
“Simon, are there any newts around here?” Andy looked over at his husband and answered himself, “Don’t know, love. Why don’t you look it up yourself.” “Okay I’ll do that,” and he pulled up another window on his laptop.
“What?” Simon blinked. “What did you say?”
Andy’s “Nothing Simon. Go back to doing whatever,” was interrupted by arms sneaking around him and a snuffling behind his ear.
“Sorry love. Was reading about baby care. Little guy might turn to human right away or stay snake or with a combination of both parents features. Think of it a little snake with tiny little arms on him.”
Simon had a bemused smile on his face. Quite adorkable in Andy’s opinion.
“I was asking you and am now looking up newts that might be in this area.”
“Newts,” Simon’s mouth took on a grimace. “Nasty tasting things. Still edible though.”
“SIMON! They’re poisonous. What if the baby gets ahold of one?”
“Probably get a tummy ache and won’t do that again.”
“Our child is going to be part human and newts are poisonous to almost everything other than… oh. You’re immune. Our child might be immune,” Andy parsed out. “How will we know? Other than him dying that is.”
“There’s a special antidote for snake familiars. Doctors’ll test him soon as they know what form he’s partial to being and I’ll go hunting through the area to… um… eliminate the problem in the meantime.”
“If you get sick… Simon, I don’t want to be a single parent with a snake familiar child to raise alone. I won’t know how.” Andy’s voice was rising. “Are there even classes for parents like me?”
“No, I won’t. No, you won’t have to. And yes, there are.” Simon hugged him tighter dropping kisses between sentences before pausing, “How are you feeling right now?”
“Tummy’s tightish and uncomfortable. I think I might be constipated.”
“How about we go for a nice walk up on campus.”
“That’s a long walk and farther away from any toilet facilities than here at home.” Andy turned to look at Simon as if he were crazy.
“Humor me.” Simon grinned and dropped another kiss on Andy’s nose. “You go get some comfortable clothes and shoes on for walking that are easy to get off and I’ll just get a few things.”
“I knew it. Even the talking about eating newts has driven you crazy. We could just walk around in the neighborhood close to the house and the bathroom. I don’t feel in the mood to have sex al fresco and why are you putting the baby basket in the car?”
“Because we need to be prepared just in case. Now, car Andy. We’re not having our baby here at home where there’s no attending doctor to make sure everyone comes out okay.”
“Ooo-kay.” Andy meekly got into the car but he couldn’t help smirking at his big bad partially shifted husband. Evidently there was some Cobra in their child’s bloodline somewhere and maybe some Garter if those were stripes he was seeing on Simon’s neck. Simon was probably right about not needing to worry about any newts in the neighborhood. The newts needed to be concerned about a certain protective snake familiar soon-to-be daddy instead. He loved that about Simon but then he loved most things about Simon.