Chapter 199: Ch 199: Having Breakfast - Part 2

Noah woke up slowly, his mind still foggy from sleep. For a few seconds, he did not understand where he was, and the unfamiliar pressure of several presences around him immediately made his body stiffen.

His eyes opened wide.

Someone was holding him. There were arms around him that made him certain that he had people around him.

The first thing he noticed was the warmth surrounding him, followed by the weight of someone’s arm resting around his body. Another presence was close behind him, and for one terrible moment, Noah wondered if he had somehow been taken back to the Labs.

His body reacted before his mind could catch up.

Noah tried to move, preparing himself to break free from whoever was holding him, but then a familiar pair of black eyes opened in front of him.

Alan was looking at him with a pair of clear eyes.

Noah froze for a second before the tension immediately left his body.

"You...Alan...?"

His voice came out quieter than he intended, and Alan looked at him with a sleepy expression before a small smile appeared on his face. His eyes were sharp despite the sleep, indicating that he was likely acting right now and he was not truly half-asleep.

"Good morning."

Noah let out a quiet breath and finally realised that he was still in his own room. The familiar walls surrounded him, and the scent of his old blankets made it clear that he had not been taken anywhere.

Alan slowly released him and sat up.

"I will make breakfast today."

Noah stared at him.

"You?"

"Yes."

Somehow, Noah immediately felt that something was wrong. He knew that Alan could likely cook from his visions, but the thought of allowing him in his kitchen was not a pleasant one.

Still, Noah was hungry and not in a mood to cook, so the idea was not bad...

But still...

"Are you sure that is a good idea?"

Alan looked offended.

"Of course it is. I am perfectly capable of making breakfast."

Noah gave him a doubtful look causing Alan to narrow his eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Are you afraid that I might poison you or something?"

Alan asked with a chuckle, but he looked a little hurt. Noah hesitated before finally sitting up.

"I will help you."

Alan blinked.

"You want to help me?"

"Yes."

Noah quickly got out of bed before Alan could question him further.

There was no way he was going to let Alan enter his kitchen alone after hearing that he had apparently failed to cook properly several times.

It was not that Noah doubted Alan’s abilities. He simply wanted to make sure the kitchen survived the morning.

"Aren’t you tired? I can handle breakfast myself. You should go back to sleep now-"

"I am fine. I got more than enough sleep. Besides, you are a guest. How could I allow a guest to cook breakfast?"

Noah watched as Alan’s smile fell. Alan still tried to smile and reached out to grab Noah’s hand, but it was not the same this time around.

Still, he decided to take this offer.

"Then come with me. I will show you how good I am."

Noah swallowed nervously. He had a feeling that being called a guest had made Alan unhappy. But that was the truth and labeling it as anything more felt...weird.

They left the room together, with Alan looking far too confident for Noah’s comfort.

As they entered the small kitchen, Noah immediately began looking around for anything that could potentially catch fire or break.

Alan noticed his behaviour and frowned.

"You really do not trust me, do you?"

"I trust you."

"Then why are you checking the stove?"

"But this kitchen is old and there are a few things that might hurt you. I just want to make sure you won’t get hurt."

Alan looked offended, almost as if knew that the real reason Noah was looking around was to make sure he was not able to pull any stunt and harm this kitchen. But he did not say anything and got to work.

Noah only had a few ingredients in his fridge.

Most of the stuff around these parts was for daily use and he bought them fresh. As a result, he did not keep a lot in his fridge.

Luckily, there were vegetables and pasta available which made Alan sigh. But he decided that it would be fine to make today since nothing else was available.

Noah watched Alan quickly cutting the vegetables before putting them in the pan alongside the pasta and allowing it to get soft. He made sure to keep an eye on Alan this whole time as well.

But despite his suspicions, nothing happened and the pasta that was put in front of him was well-cooked and delicious.

Noah finished his quickly before he decided that it was time to go and wake up Daniel as well. He was about to make his way up when Alan decided to cut him off.

"I will go and wake up Daniel. You should wait here...or maybe go take a walk outside."

The esper subtly tried to lead Noah outside and he was usually not one to go along with such things.

But today he decided to do as he was asked to. He was sure that Alan had his reasons for sending him out.

Alan, who had successfully foiled Daniel’s plans of being woken up by Noah, decided to head to the room where Daniel was sleeping and he entered without knocking.

Daniel remained asleep for a few more minutes before he frowned and woke up.

"What are you doing here?"

Daniel asked and Alan’s smile widened at this discomfort.

"I am here to wake you up. Breakfast is ready so if you want some, you better come along. Otherwise, I will finish it all off."

The guide narrowed his eyes at the esper before sighing and getting up.

Daniel had realized that there was no point in arguing with Alan over this. So he might as well save his breath and come have breakfast.