Freya and Her Beast Husbands

Once Freya had left the kitchen to finish up getting ready, Xavier turned his attention back to his younger brother. Wilson was sitting in front of him, poking at the scrambled eggs once more and occasionally eating bits of it.

"You need to stop being scared of your ability." Xavier said, breaking the tense silence between them. "It’s not as bad-"

"Stop." Wilson gazed up at Xavier for a moment. "I’ve already made it clear that I’m not going to use it. So, I’d rather pretend I don’t have it okay."

Xavier pressed his lips together. He could already see where this argument was going. They had had it countless times before.

"Maybe Ethan was right..." Xavier sighed. He then shook his head and decided to change the subject. "Anyway, you should learn to say no. And don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing."

"I don’t want to look fussy... It’s bad manners." Wison kept his eyes on his eggs, pursing his lips. "Also can I not just have breakfast with you? Ethan and you always say I must get out more..."

"We mean outside the house. Not just out of that damn room." Xavier muttered dryly. "You need more friends..."

Wilson took that chance to stuff his face with eggs so he didn’t have to respond to his brother’s words. Xavier just sighed and sipped on his tea.

Finally Xavier said, "Do what you want... But don’t make things awkward alright. And respect boundaries."

He could tell by the way Wilson was acting that he was silently asking him for permission. And Xavier wasn’t going to deny him that. After all, this was the first time Wilson had really acted out after so many years.

He was finally coming out of that shell and Xavier wasn’t going to stop him. Wilson needed to face everything eventually, even if Xavier wasn’t keen on pushing him.

Wilson silently nodded his head in understanding, shoulders snagging a little as he finally relaxed. Seemed it had been bugging Wilson for some time.

"Make sure the kitchen is clean when you’re done." Xavier said, standing up and walking over to the kitchen sink with his cup in hand. "We probably won’t be around for lunch so I’ve told Gary to prepare you something. Come down at twelve and keep the snacks to a minimum. It’s not healthy."

"Says the snake that smokes..." Wilson retorted back. "I’ll reduce my snacks when you stop smoking."

"Funny thing... But I’ve been cutting back on my smoking." Xavier murmured. He placed his hand inside his inner coat pocket and pulled out a carton of smokes. "See I’ve only smoked one today."

He opened the lid of the carton as he spoke, showing his younger brother the almost full pack of smokes. Wilson gaped at the sight, dropping his fork into the scrambled eggs dish.

"You sure that isn’t your second pack already..." Wilson questioned, knowing how easy it was for Xavier to go through one carton of smokes in a couple of hours.

Xavier’s smoking habit had gotten bad over the years, getting worse with every mission that he went on. Both Ethan and Wilson had tried to get him to quit, but it didn’t really help.

"I swear it’s my first one." Xavier stated, putting the pack of smokes back in his pocket. "Managed to smoke it before Freya came downstairs. She doesn’t want me smoking around her..."

"You can’t smoke around females anyway." Wilson sighed.

But perhaps Freya being around his older brother would help because now he had a future to think about. And slowly reducing how much he smoked could maybe get Xavier to quit altogether.

Small steps were easier than one big leap.

"Anyway... I’m going to go check on Freya." Xavier murmured.

He made his escape before Wilson could say anything else. Not that there was much else to say anyway. Things always got so awkward.

Shaking his head, Wilson went about finishing his breakfast and trying to ignore the strange feelings blooming within him.

***

The drive to General Markson’s home took them about twenty minutes. All the way, Freya couldn’t help, but feel anxious about meeting another beastwoman properly for the first time.

Until now, she had mostly just passed by other beastwomen, never really having the chance to make friends with anyone. But now, she did have that chance and first impressions were likely going to be everything.

It probably didn’t help her nerves that Xavier told her General Markson’s wife was highly influential among many beastwomen because of her status. She also hosted many social gatherings.

Which Freya was interested in. Of course if she messed up, then she was probably screwed. Which was something Freya didn’t want to think about.

Xavier finally came to a stop in front of a massive brick mansion with a gated fence and large lawn in the front. There was a paved driveway in between the lawn and a fountain in the center of the driveway.

An android walked over to them and Xavier rolled down his window. After talking to the android for a moment and getting his eye scanned, the steel gates were opened for them.

Xavier started driving again and Freya couldn’t help but muse, "I thought androids only worked as housekeepers."

"You get some guard versions too." Xavier explained. "Android models can do different kinds of household work since that’s what the market is limited to. Plus, most beastmen would never trust another with protecting their home. If they can get over their territorial instincts."

"Ah... Guess that makes sense." Freya murmured.

Beastman still had animal instincts even if they moved around in their human form most of the time. So, it wouldn’t be strange that they didn’t like outsiders around their homes.

Though it probably was void with guests. Hopefully...

Xavier soon came to a stop in front of an arched entrance and turned to Freya. He then said, "Don’t worry about meeting General Markson’s wife Eilsa. She’ll like you."