Soul Mate Service (boyxboy)

Chapter 14

I could no longer ignore this change - this heightening of my senses - including the fact that scents (especially Bug's) were significantly stronger than before the Soul Mate Ceremony. I had no fucking clue what could have been causing this sudden and extremely significant adjustment in my already impeccable physiology, but it was obvious that something was just... different.

It did bother me a little, not knowing what the hell was going on or how this came to be, but I'd be damned if I went to the Medical Unit and gave The Elders an opportunity to poke and prod at me about it. Plus, it's not like I was actively dying, so fuck all that.

A soft growling noise and a slightly metallic scent made my nose twitch, pulling me right out of my thoughts.

Somehow, I immediately knew what the issue was.

Bug was hungry, and judging by the rumble in my own stomach, so was I.

I groaned.

The obvious answer was just to wake Bug up and order him to make me something, and a few days prior I wouldn't have even hesitated to do just that. However, there was a tiny little tug in my chest at the thought, one that refused to allow me to follow through on the action.

Therefore, the only option left was for me to do it.

Thaddeus Axton was going to cook.

I had no idea how to make any form of food beyond a cold-cut sandwich, and even then I'd managed to burn the bread beyond recognition more than a few times. Plus, I'm pretty sure our rations for this week didn't include any sliced meats.

Crossing my thick arms in contemplation, I chewed on my lip as I pondered a solution.

And then, less than a moment later, a lightbulb went off.

I turned on my heel, making my way toward the kitchen that I was largely unfamiliar with. Being in here was extremely far removed from my usual territory, which was lounging on the couch and doing absolutely fuck-all. However, being the amazing Thaddeus Axton I was, there was nothing that I couldn't accomplish with a little effort.

My eyes skimmed over the various cookbooks that sat, neatly arranged in alphabetical order on the far right counter. One in particular titled 'Cooking For Comfort' caught my eye, and I quickly slid the book from its spot.

"Aaalright, let's see..." I mumbled to myself thoughtlessly as I began flipping through the pages. They were filled with colorful dishes, all of which looked a little bit too complicated for my entry-level skill. However, after a minute or two of thumbing through the seemingly never-ending book, one page in particular caught my eye.

"One-pot chicken noodle soup..." I read aloud, dragging my finger over the recipe as I skimmed down to the ingredients that it required, "Garlic, onion, bouillon, chicken, noodles, water... hm. Sounds easy enough." I grinned to myself, brimming with confidence.

This was gonna be so easy, I could probably do it with my hands tied behind my back.

Tossing the book somewhere on the counter, I headed toward the small pantry, hoping that we had enough left over rations to cover all of the required ingredients. It took a bit longer than I was willing to admit to gather it all, but sooner than later I had everything dumped off in a little heap beside the stove as I pulled out the biggest pot that I could find and filled it with water.

However, it was only when I dropped the pot on the stove that I realized that I had absolutely zero idea how to turn the damn thing on.

"Ahh, fuck..." I grumbled out, bending from side to side as I searched for a button, a knob, anything that would indicate that it started up the damn thing. My impatience won out after a few moments of fruitless searching, and instead I fished my travel tablet from my pocket to search for instructions.