The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era [BL]

But still, Casey felt it was unfair of him to just sit here and wait for lunch to be prepared. After all, he's not some customer at a restaurant. The one cooking over there was one of his newly recognized nephews. As an uncle, shouldn't he at least help?

"It's fine. You'll only get in the way if you insisted on helping," Reas suddenly said, as if reading what's on Casey's mind.

He looked at his other nephew, who had a bored expression on his face. The two of them were the only ones in the small living room. Tommy went out to wait for Nicol's arrival. So, he was alone with Reas now.

The two of them hadn't really talked properly since he and Tommy had arrived here. This would probably be the only chance he could talk to the other, so he should take this chance to start a conversation rather than stay silent.

"Ahm, so... how is the academy?" he started.

Reas lifted his head. Casey thought that the other would just ignore him, but surprisingly, he responded.

"It's fun in its own way."

"You're in the Mecha Department, right? Have you always been interested in Mechas?"

"I guess so?"

"I heard you're at the top of your class. You must be a really great Mecha pilot."

"Well, I do put in a lot of effort. So, that only mirrored my performance in class."

After that answer, silence prevailed once again. Casey scratched his cheek in an awkward manner. He, unsure of how to proceed, felt a growing sense of awkwardness and disconnect, like trying to navigate a conversation in a dense fog where every attempt to connect was met with an elusive barrier.

He truly wanted to have a proper conversation with Reas, but it was quite obvious that the other didn't feel the same. Maybe he even felt annoyed by Casey's attempt at normal conversation. Argh. He wanted to be the cool uncle, not the annoying one.

Seeing Casey's gloomy expression was like watching a balloon slowly deflate, the initial excitement and color fading away, leaving behind a sense of deflation and disappointment. Reas sighed at the sight.

It's not that he was responding that way because he didn't like the other person. It's more like he didn't know how to engage in small talk. He was never a good conversationalist. Luckily for him, the people he mostly interacted with were all the exact opposite. Like his brother, or his roommate, and there was also Lauren.

But even then, the main reason he could have proper conversation with those people was because he was comfortable with them. The same couldn't be said about Casey.

It's not about liking the other or not. Maybe if they spent more time together, that would gradually change. But it certainly wouldn't change at this moment.

"Ah, Uncle Casey? I'm not giving you these short replies because I don't want to talk to you. I'm just--"

"He's not good at small talk, Uncle Casey," Astrid said from the kitchen, obviously listening to their conversation while preparing lunch. "It's not because he doesn't like you, so don't worry."

Reas glanced at his brother. The other only raised his brow as if saying 'What? Did I say anything wrong?'. He sighed once more and turned to Casey. "What he said."

Casey blinked. So, Reas' manner of speaking was mainly due to that reason and not because he simply disliked him? After comprehending Astrid's explanation, he visibly relaxed with relief.

"That's why there's no need to try so hard to make conversations like how you did earlier," Reas added. "If you want to get closer to Aster and me, just let it happen naturally. Don't force yourself to act a certain way. Allow time to do its work."

"I second that," Astrid showed his agreement while chopping vegetables.

Casey fell silent for a moment. Truth be told, he was really thinking of just acting according to what the two liked. Because he felt like that's the fastest way to get closer to them. But according to his two nephews, that wasn't the right method. He felt like he was hit at the back of his head and was now totally awake.

'Allow time to do its work.'

A smile crossed Casey's lips. "Thank you, I will try my best to follow that advice wholeheartedly."

-----

Just before Astrid finished cooking, Thomas returned to the apartment with Nicol. The first the kid after he walked inside was to run in Astrid's direction and hugging him. Astrid was sauteing vegetables then. He had to step back from the stove so any stray cooking oil wouldn't hit Nicol.

"Nicol, that was too reckless," Thomas quickly chided his son.

Nicol, who seemed to not hear what his father said, just raised his head and looked at Astrid with shining eyes. "Dad said that Brother Aster is the son of my aunt. Does that mean that Brother Aster is really brother?"

Before Astrid could answer, Reas snorted. "What kind of brother? He's your cousin, that's different."

Nicol, looking annoyed, turned to Reas. "We're still related, so it's the same thing!"

"If you're talking that way, then shouldn't I also be your brother?" Then Reas smirked, obviously trying to annoy Nicol on purpose. "After all, I'm Aster's twin 'brother'."

Nicol's eyes widened in shock, as if a sudden realization had just dawned on him. He then nervously bit his lower lip, the reluctance evident on his young face. "Fine. Then you can also be my brother."

Everyone looked at each other after hearing that. And then they just burst into laughter.

---------

After finishing work, Wulfric was now in his study reviewing surveillance footage of the entrance of Aster's apartment building, a routine check he did as the owner to ensure no unauthorized individuals entered.

It's for Aster's safety, after all.