Never Give Up

A TRIP TO FIORE

Sting burnt his chicken for the third time. In annoyance, he threw his apron at the counter.

"I give up! I'll leave the cooking to you, Rogue." He said defeatedly as he sat on the stool.

Rogue raised his brow and stared at Sting's supposedly roasted chicken. It was as black as a coal. "Well, you did a good job in turning it into a charcoal." He said.

Sting glared at him. "Do you really have to point that out?"

Rogue smirked.

"So, I'm not good in cooking. Big deal!" He said while sulking.

"It is a big deal when you're wasting food." Rogue said. He turned his attention back to his cooking.

"It's not gonna turn to waste. I'll give it to Lector and Frosch." He said.

Rogue snorted. "I doubt that they'll eat that." He said, not looking at him.

Sting gave him a finger.

"Like that would help. " Rogue said. "Why don't you just make yourself useful and clean the mess you made before mom sees it."

Sting groaned. "Fine!" He went to throw his last burnt chicken in the trash and removed all the clutter he made. "I wonder why mom gave our maids a day off when she knew that Minerva's family is coming."

Rogue rolled his eyes. "Because it's their day off, you genius!"

"Well, mom could have made an exception since we're expecting visitors today. I mean, she could just pay them extra or give them a bonus or something." Sting said while wiping the counter.

"Just quit whining and keep working, will you?" Rogue said as he continue to stir the sauce.

Sting stuck his tongue out at him.

"Very mature." Rogue said.

Sting just grinned. He washed and wiped his hands before taking out some plates and silverware from the cabinet.

"I'll go arrange the table. I'll just leave the cooking to you, since you're soo good at it." Sting said. "Just make sure your pasta is al dente, okay?"

"As if you know what al dente means." Rogue said.

"Of course, I know what it means. I'm not stupid." Sting snapped. 

"Whatever. Just go and set the table."

Sting gave him a funny face before leaving the kitchen. 

Rogue ignored him and continue his cooking. After a couple more of stirring, the sauce was done. He poured it over the pasta then added some garnish on top. He brought it outside.

Sting was done setting the table when Rogue joined him. 

Rogue smirked when he saw what Sting did. "Not bad." He said before putting the spaghetti on the table.

Sting grinned. He knew he did an amazing job arranging the table. It looked elegant. "Well, I had a very good practice at the restaurant." He said.

Rogue nodded.

Their father, Skiad, is the head chef and owner of "Bastille", a famous restaurant in Fiore. And during summer breaks, he let Rogue and Sting worked at the restaurant. Rogue usually assists in the kitchen, while Sting attends customers in the dining area. This is the reason why Rogue is more skilled in cooking than Sting.

Rogue and Sting's conversation was interrupted by the sound of a doorbell.

"That must be mom." Sting said. He run to open the door.