WMMAP - [S2] Shelter You

50 - 1: Same, But Different

Athanasia paced quietly through the wooden hall in the cabin, yet her feet carried her at a sprinting speed. Her fists balled up as she grumbled under her breath, planning schemes in the back of her mind. But once she entered another space of the hall, she paused for a second, letting her mind accumulate what was going on.

Her nose twitched as she took a whiff of fragrance and herby scent. It smelled familiar and it didn't take long for her to grow accustomed to the inviting aroma, knowing which herb and other ingredients were used without even seeing how they were prepared.

She was lowkey proud of that as well. Proud of the fact that she was getting more familiar with the culinary world.

Was she proud of the food she cooked for him before leaving for the confrontation with Leonidas and the rescue mission?

She was.

Athanasia had never cooked for someone before and for that one special breakfast, she was putting her heart and soul into cooking the meal for him.

However, when she raised a question if he had a preference for her food, Lucas really tried his hardest to not... Insult her cooking because he knew she was genuinely asking.

To answer her question, he gave her a nervous laugh, and that laughter alone greatly upsetted her.

Athanasia dated him long enough to know that if he refused to give a proper answer, then he didn't want to hurt her feelings. She knew this before they even started dating. But compared to now, he was more attentive and mindful of his words. Otherwise, he would have made snarky comments, contrasting what he felt about it.

Hence, she thought he probably hated it.

Yet, even though he didn't say it out loud, he could not deny the fact that she couldn't tell the dissimilarity between rotten eggs, spoiled milk, or salt and sugar.

The first bite he took, he thought it was a prank because Hell... It was inaudible and by far, the worst omelet he ever had in his entire life. He was lucky enough to not get food poisoning.

After cleaning his pallet with water, he really made an effort to try a few more bites. He thought maybe it was some... Disgusting part of the dish.

The result remained the same and he swore to never again allow her to be in the kitchen.

So he watched Athanasia bite her lower lip, her chin was trembling as she sprinted away to their room and locked him out when he chased after her. He wondered why did he always end up chasing her. Likely chasing across the universe too. 

Banging on the door, Lucas knew and mentally prepared for another day of comfort. So he offered her a culinary class. Funny enough, the door opened in a heartbeat and her eyes glittered with happiness.

Since then, Lucas had been teaching, or at least she had been watching him cook whenever she could leave her office early and come home.

The thought of coming home...

It's the same house, but this one made her feel the most At Home...

When she was young, it was normal to have maids, sometimes her godmother, coming to her room and reminding her of the time to eat. She would leave her room and come to the dining hall to eat with her dad.

All the food was prepared by the chefs and the meals were plated neatly on the huge table. Both of them, the father and daughter, would exchange a few words and nothing more. Athanasia knew her father was not a chatter and she was pleased enough to even share a meal with him.

Then when she went to study aboard, coming home to a bear hug from Lilian York on a daily basis, Athanasia would take charge of setting up the table on the table for two. Lilian would either finish up her cooking or plate up right after Athanasia. The two would eat as they talked, mostly it was Lilian who doing all the interviews and Athanasia would focus on munching on her favorite desserts after dinner.