ASTRID opened the door to the apartment unit and welcomed Lauren. He walked inside and quickly removed his cap and mask. The other also did the same as he followed.

Lauren put away his cap and mask and then glanced around the unit. As he did so, his gaze collided with a pair of teal-gray eyes. He was startled for a moment. The other was setting up plates on the table.

This image was very… domestic. Like someone who just came back from work finding their partner preparing dinner for them. He stopped and almost slapped himself because of that thought. 

Just where did that come from? Was he too tired, so his brain was making up things without his permission? Yes, that must be it. He was definitely just too tired. Why else would he thought of so much nonsense? Because there’s no way he would associate the word ‘domestic’ with Andreas if he wasn’t.

Lauren was already expecting some snarky comments. He was even ready to retort back. But the other just glanced at him before focusing his attention back to what he was doing.

Lauren was stunned. Then, he had to lower his gaze to hide the embarrassment he just felt. It happened that the moment he looked down, a blue cat walked towards them and brushed its face on Astrid’s leg.

He took that opportunity to crouch down and lift the cat. “Is this your pet?”

“No, he’s my housekeeper,” Astrid said, reaching out and stroking the cat’s head.

If this was in normal times, Lauren would have already shown his curiosity after hearing that Astrid chose a small cat model AI for a housekeeper. But his mind was still filled with how Andreas just ignored him that he could only nod at the end.

But seriously, what’s the deal with that guy? He remembered how cold the other had been the last time after they left the café and went to Polaris’ building. It’s the same attitude Andreas was showing to him right now. How could he not be suspicious when before that, the other kept on bickering with him as if he’s his mortal enemy, then, the next moment, he was treating him like he’s the plague?

He’d rather fight with the other than be treated like he didn’t exist.

Lauren once again stopped that chain of thought. What the heck? Did he seriously just think that? [What’s wrong with you Lauren Watts? Did your brain fried from overwork or something?]

He put down the cat first before he accidentally strangled it. Then, he took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. When the fog covering his brain finally cleared up, he no longer thought of those stupid things.

Besides, wasn’t this good? At least he would no longer feel annoyed because the other would always say something sarcastic to him at every turn. He could at least eat dinner peacefully. If the other wanted to ignore him, then he would also do the same.

“So, what’s for dinner?” he asked with a bright smile.

Astrid looked at the other with interest. As a fellow, he knew that Lauren was just faking his smile. That might have tricked his oblivious brother, but definitely not him. So, the question was, why was the other forcing himself to smile?

He glanced at Reas who just finished placing the plates and the rest of the dishes on the table. And he suddenly had a guess on what prompted Lauren to do that.

He returned his gaze to Lauren and smiled back. “Ginger pork lettuce wraps, sweet chili and orange chicken, stir-fry noodles, vegetable spring rolls, and steamed rice.”

Some of the names of the dishes that Astrid had mentioned, he hadn’t heard before. That finally captured Lauren’s attention. “Are these dishes native of your planet?”

“Something like that,” Astrid responded. “Let’s eat?”

They walked towards the table and Lauren was amazed at the variety of dishes on it. They’re not only delicious to look at, they also smelled amazing. Even without him tasting it, just by the smell, he knew it would be delicious.

The three of them sat down and finally started eating.

Lauren picked one piece of the one Astrid called ‘spring rolls’. He bit into it and his eyes widened because of how delicious it was. He bit once again and then again. Before he knew it, he had already finish eating one. He picked another piece with his fork and was about to bit into it again when Astrid said;

“Try dipping it here.” The other then poured some kind of dipping sauce on a small plate.

Lauren did as he was told. He dipped the spring rolls and then ate a bite. His eyes widened even more than the first time. He didn’t know that it was possible but the spring became even more delicious by just dipping in that sauce.

“What kind of magic did you put in these dishes?” he asked while stuffing himself while stuffing himself one after another by the food on the table.

He was actually kind of skeptical at first when the other told him that he would be cooking dinner. He had never been so happy to be proven wrong. These dishes were even better than those food he had eaten in high-class restaurants. If he didn’t know how talented Astrid was in acting, he might have suggested that the other should be a chef.

“Not magic.  Just a lot of seasonings and spices,” Astrid said amused. 

He happened to glance at his brother at that moment. He saw that even if the other seemed to be only concentrating in eating, the corner of his mouth still slightly curled up because of Lauren’s reaction to the food. He then glanced at Lauren. Although the other was indeed enjoying his food, he would still secretly peek on Reas from time to time.

Astrid could only shake his head helplessly because of their antics.. He wondered how long the two could keep this up.

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