Aesop's face was too close to her, and both of them were stoned. Both of them felt each other's breath. Lia's deep blue eyes gazed at his golden eyes, and it took a while before they realized the kind of situation they were in.
Lia didn't know where else to look. She turned her head down but only saw Aesop's 6-pack-abs. Why is this mutant always topless? Realizing that it was too awkward, she looked into his eyes and whispered, "Uhm… Ae?"
Aesop stared at her lips as she spoke. And when he gazed back at her eyes, he felt hot and didn't know why. "Sorry," he said and then stepped further back. "I was putting the chicken in the freezer…"
"Oh, uhm," Lia said, stuttering. They were so close to kissing! She still felt her heart beating loud like repetitively pounding a drum! "It's okay, Ae! Don't worry… Oh, we still have a lot of food to put inside the fridge-"
Aesop dashed away from the kitchen in embarrassment, and Lia continued her task.
The next day, Lia, Gem, and Lovely ate breakfast at the cafeteria, as usual. They placed their official D.M. Cadre I.D. in front of the scanner, and when they got their food after lining up, they sat at the seat at the left of the entrance.
"My mutant had an x-ray check-up yesterday. She cried a lot and has been calling her mother. Poor girl," Gem said while pushing the rice with the back of her spoon. "After two hours, she returned and clung onto me. Then I told her that she's a brave little girl. Reminds me of my youngest sister when she had her first dentist check-up."
"You're mutant is so cute," Lovely replied while piercing the tender pork cutlets. "My mutant is cute too, and energetic. Sometimes I forget that she's a mutant, challenging her to a breath-holding contest!"
The two girls laughed and started eating, then their discussion switched to Lia.
"How about you, anything interesting?" Gem asked.
Lia stopped eating and thought deeply about what to answer. After Aesop's revelation about his dreadful experience, she knew that there were changes within herself and how she looked at D.M. Cadre as a whole. In her first few days, she had always looked up to all people wearing laboratory coats, greeting them and giving them a big smile. But everything had changed. Now, she couldn't even look at them in the eye. She had always wondered how these people torture the mutants, and how they could sleep at night. For Lia, it's only Sanya whom she trusts.
"My mutant… his diet changed. The doctor said that he's malnourished because he has been eating too much meat."
"Oh, then you'll be challenged, Lia," Lovely said, then chomped a spoon of crispy pork.
"Why do you say so?"
Lovely swallowed her food and said, " Because you will have to cook different kinds of food. Not just your usual bacon meals."
"Oh yeah, you're right! I should practice then," she said and laughed it off.
They had finished their meals and went to their respective rooms.
"I'm here!" Lia shouted, then changed into her indoor shoes.
When Aesop heard her, he was lying down in the first loft. He flapped his big, brown wings and approached her. "Good morning."
"Good morning Ae!" Lia gladly said. "We need to put on the cream, so you need to take a bath."
"Ah… Yeah," Aesop said like he just woke up. "Come on." He gestured her to follow him, then walked slowly towards the bathroom.
"Okay, coming!" said Lia and went in with him.
Aesop's bathroom had a very wide jacuzzi, with a movable shower head attached to its side. The tiles were made of marble and it had white concrete walls. The two of them stood beside the jacuzzi, waiting for one of them to speak.
Aesop was ready to jump into the jacuzzi when he checked that the temperature of the water was just right for him. When he was about to take off his yoga pants, Lia's eyes widened and she panicked, turning her back against him and faced the wall.
The vulture mutant felt refreshed after dipping his naked body into the water. His wings twitched as some of his wounds were immersed in the water.
Lia turned her head to see Aesop inside the jacuzzi. "It's my job, I have no ulterior motives…" she thought over and over, like a mantra. She approached Aesop's back, and his wings were stretched widely.
"Can you clean that when I do it like this?" he asked.
"Yes, Ae," she replied. "I'm going to start washing your back, okay?"
"Yeah, thanks a lot, Lia."
There was a weird feeling in Lia's chest as she heard Aesop's deep voice calling her name. She's happy that Aesop had called her name out, just like he let her call him as "Ae". She's aware of herself developing feelings for him because of their interactions these past few days. Just thinking about him makes her beet red.
Lia hovered the showerhead starting from his lower back up to his bare shoulders. She repeated it, making sure that all the wounds were washed. There was a small lump of blood stuck onto his left wing, and she tried taking it off.
"Ow!" Aesop shrieked, his wings flapped so hard that sent Lia slipping into the water puddle.
Not only that, she even accidentally released the handle of the showerhead and it fell on her chest!
"Oh shoot, sorry Lia-" Aesop turned his head to see Lia drenched in water. He stood up and Lia saw what she shouldn't see.