Andrew woke with a weight on his chest,not the emotional kind, but a literal one. A soft, warm, furry lump purred directly above his lungs, making it annoyingly hard to breathe.
"Neko Neko."
He croaked, his voice still hoarse from sleep.
"Move. Please."
The koala yawned in his face, showing off tiny teeth, then nestled even deeper into his blanket nest. Andrew sighed. He tried to shove the koala aside, but it clung stubbornly, and he didn't have the strength to argue with a ball of fluff this early. Instead, he let his eyes drift shut again… until his nose twitched. Something smoky. Something too sweet. Something dangerous. His instincts screamed. That was not the scent of food—it was the scent of a culinary crime.
"Oh no."
Andrew muttered, sitting up so fast Neko Neko tumbled onto his lap with an offended squeak. Before he could investigate, the door burst open. Tina stood there, grinning like she'd just conquered the world. She wore an oversized hoodie that probably cost more than his entire wardrobe, and her golden hair was a wild bun of chaos. Flour dusted her cheeks, her hands, and even the hem of her hoodie.In her arms was a tray. A… questionable tray.
"Ta-da!"
She announced, marching in with the pride of a general presenting war spoils.
"Breakfast in bed, round two!"
Andrew froze.
"You cooked ?... You said you promised yourself not to Cook again... and I clearly see why."
He muttered the last words.
"Yes!"
Tina declared, ignoring his tone.
"But Elijah went out with his grandpa, and I couldn't just let my fiancé starve, could I? So, I stepped up. I even used the cookbook!"
Andrew eyed the tray. On it sat an intimidating stack of pancakes, half resembling charcoal tiles. Scrambled eggs that looked like yellow gravel. Bacon that somehow managed to be burnt on one end and raw on the other.
"Yikes…I'm scared."
Andrew admitted.
"Don't be! I put love in it."
Tina said, setting the tray on his lap before plopping on the bed. Andrew picked up a fork like a weapon. He poked a pancake. It didn't dent. He cut off a corner, shoved it into his mouth, and immediately regretted his life choices. It crunched. Pancakes are not supposed to crunch. He forced himself to chew, then swallowed with the help of a desperate gulp of water. His face betrayed him before his mouth did.
"You hate it."
Tina said flatly.
"No, no."
Andrew lied.
"Well... Hate is a very strong word… I respect it."
She squinted.
"Respect?"
"...I respect the effort."
He clarified, deadpan. For a beat, silence. Then Tina burst into laughter, collapsing beside him on the bed.
"Oh god, the look on your face—you looked like you were about to write a will!"
Andrew rolled his eyes, though a smile tugged at his lips.
"You're lucky I didn't choke. Then you'd really be in trouble."
"Please."
Tina teased, still laughing.
"If you fainted, I'd have kissed you until you woke up."
The words slipped out so casually that Andrew froze. Tina seemed to realize too, her cheeks turning faintly pink, but she quickly covered it by grabbing a piece of bacon and crunching down loudly.
"So..."
She said with her mouth full.
"You don't like my cooking. Fine. Then you cook. Prove you're better."
"I said I respected the effort and what do you mean 'prove I'm better' ?"
"You heard me."
Tina stood, grabbed his wrist, and tugged him out of bed.
"Kitchen. Now."
"But I never said I could—hey! At least give me a chance to decline!"
The mansion's kitchen was enormous, all sleek black marble and stainless steel appliances that looked like they belonged in a chef's dream. Tina strutted in, tossing her hair like she owned the world—which she technically did.
"Alright, fiancé."
She declared, hopping onto the counter like a mischievous child.
"Impress me."
Andrew sighed, rummaging through the fridge.
"Fine. But get down from there, you're helping."
"Deal."
She said brightly and got off the counter. The next hour was chaos.
"Not like that!"
Andrew yelped as Tina cracked an egg one-handed like in movies, only to splatter yolk across the marble.
"Oops."
Tina said cheerfully.
"Don't worry, Elijah will clean it later.He'll be back in the next two days."
"Eww..."
Andrew groaned, wiping it up. Moments later, Tina nearly set a towel ablaze when she cranked the stove too high. Andrew snatched it from her hands with a scolding glare.
"You are officially banned from stoves."
"You sound like Elijah, I just wanted to crank it up a little."
Tina pouted, arms crossed. Andrew rolled his eyes.
"Ugh. Someone has to keep you alive."
Despite the disasters, Andrew managed to wrestle the kitchen under control. Soon, fluffy scrambled eggs, golden toast, and perfectly crisp bacon filled the air with an aroma that made Tina's eyes widen.
"How did you do that?"
She gasped, watching him plate the food.
"By not being you."
Andrew deadpanned. She ignored the insult, snatching the plate and digging in with glee.
"Oh my god. Amazing. You're officially in charge of breakfast forever."
Andrew smirked.
"What happened to being responsible?"
"Delegating is responsible."
Tina said matter-of-factly, pointing her fork at him like it was gospel. They ended up eating together at the kitchen island, their laughter bouncing off marble walls. Tina insisted on feeding him a bite 'to taste his own cooking,' and Andrew nearly choked on the sheer smugness of her expression. Then came dish duty. Which, of course, turned into a war. Andrew calmly scrubbed a pan. Tina sneakily flicked a bubble of soap suds at him.
"Did you just—"
He started. Her grin was answer enough. Five minutes later, the kitchen looked like a foam party. Andrew was drenched, his shirt clinging to him, while Tina had suds in her hair, her hoodie completely soaked. Both were laughing so hard their stomachs hurt. When the chaos finally died down, Tina leaned against the counter, catching her breath. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes sparkling in a way that made Andrew's chest tighten unexpectedly .He quickly looked away, drying his hands.
"You're impossible."
"And you like it."
She teased softly. Andrew didn't answer. He wasn't sure he could.
Neko Neko's mini theater🐨🐨
I smelled chaos.
Not the usual Tina-chaos where she drags Andrew around like he's her emotional support omelet. No—this was the sharp kind of chaos. The kind that tickles my nose like too much mint and makes my little koala claws twitch.
I perched on the back of the sofa, eyes narrowed, tail flicking, observing them from my superior height. Tina had just walked in with a tray of snacks—"healthy snacks," she said, but I swear I saw chocolate bars hiding under the lettuce. She plopped down beside Andrew, looking way too pleased with herself.
"Try it," she said, shoving a forkful toward his mouth.
Andrew looked at her like she was an alien. I tilted my head. My omega-human always makes that face when he's pretending not to care. But I know. I know. He's melting inside, like ice cream in the sun.
I sniffed the air again. Yep—there it was. Tina's pheromones. Sweet but sharp vanilla-mint. It mixed with Andrew's honey-and-spice, and suddenly the whole room smelled like one of those fancy bakeries. Tina refuses to let me inside because I "might eat the merchandise." (Excuse me, rude. I have self-control... Sometimes.)
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Andrew grumbled, finally taking a bite.
Tina just smiled. That smile. The dangerous one. The 'oh no, she's plotting something again' smile.
That's when I knew.
Yup. Chaos was here. And I, Neko Neko, self-proclaimed guardian of this household, would have to prepare.
So, I leapt dramatically off the sofa and ran in circles around the coffee table. Because when chaos comes, you must look busy. Very, very busy.