The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

REAS got out of the taxi and walked into the apartment building. He felt a bit lethargic because of the intensity of the training this past week. It's actually advisable to just stay in the dorms, but Reas couldn't do it. Because he could only meet his brother during the weekends. He didn't want to give up the chance to meet his brother regularly just so he could have more rest.

But because he was really particularly tired, he woke up a bit late today. He didn't even manage to do his usual morning workout because he quickly left the academy. That's why it's already nearing lunch when he arrived here at his brother's apartment.

When the elevator he was on stopped, he walked out and went straight to his brother's apartment. Since the security on the door recognized his biometrics, he was able to enter the apartment quickly.

Reas heard movements in the kitchen as soon as he entered. He thought that Astrid must be making lunch. But when he turned in the direction of the kitchen, his whole body froze because of what he's seeing.

There, in the kitchen, a tall man with white hair and golden eyes was holding a knife and wearing an apron. It looked like a scene straight from a horror movie.

Reas started to question his sanity at that moment. Because was he really seeing the General of the Fenris Squad in the kitchen of his brother's apartment? Or was this just a visual hallucination?

The other, seeing him, also showed a surprised expression. But he seemed to quickly come back to his senses and greeted him;

"Oh, you're here, little brother-in-law."

"What the fu—"

Now, he's not only having a visual hallucination, but an auditory one as well?

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Meanwhile, Astrid was in the filming site of the new commercial he was about to shoot. It was a pretty famous studio in the capital that was a favorite for advertising companies filming for commercials. Mainly because they had a lot of ready-made props and production staffs that could be hired on the spot. Which was a plus for those who were behind schedule, or had a change in schedule.

Astrid's situation was the latter. This commercial shoot was scheduled next week. But the director who would film it suddenly had an event he had to attend, so they had to change the schedule. Which Ellis was only informed of today. Making her very pissed.

She and the director had to find a day where Astrid and the latter would both have a free day to reschedule things, and the only day they found was today. When Ellis called him about it, he just opened the door for Wulfric.

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That moment was a bit nerve-wracking for him. Why? Because when Ellis called him, the other had just parked her car in front of his apartment building and was planning to go up at that moment.

Remembering it still made him panic.

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"Sister Ellis, no, just stay there. I will be down in a minute," Astrid quickly said after he heard the situation from the other. And then he promptly hung up the phone.

He glanced at his current visitor. Wulfric was looking at him with a question in his eyes, probably worried that something might have happened.

"Is everything alright?" the other asked.

"Ahm, yes, I mean, everything's okay. I just have a sudden schedule today," Astrid said.

It was a good thing that he hung up the phone quickly, or Ellis might have heard Wulfric's voice. Then the other would probably suspect that something was wrong and would go up here. Then she would meet Wulfric, and, well, let's just say things would probably not end up peacefully.

He knew that he should probably tell Ellis about Wulfric sooner or later. Especially since he would probably meet the other more frequently from now on, considering his promise of courtship. It would be better to give Ellis a heads-up. But letting her know about Wulfric today was just too soon.

He needed time to prepare himself. Just like how he needed time to tell his parents about this thing with Wulfric. And, oh, there's also his brother.

"I'm sorry, Wulf. I need to go now. So..."

"Then can I stay here to wait for you?" Wulfric said before he could finish what he was saying. "Promise, I'll behave."

Before Astrid could give an answer, or even think of what answer to give, his Terminal rang again. It showed that it was Ellis calling.

=====

At the end, he agreed to Wulfric's request just so he could quickly go down to meet Ellis before she decided to go up. When he got into Ellis' car, it was only then that he remembered that Reas would go back home today.

"What's wrong? You seem to be a bit antsy since earlier."

Ellis' comment brought Astrid's focus back to the present. He had just finished his make-up and styling and was waiting for the shoot to start in his assigned waiting room.

"No, it's nothing," he said, trying to show that nothing was indeed wrong.

But deep inside, he was kind of panicking.

It's because his brother still hadn't replied to the message he sent him. In fact, the other hadn't even read the message he sent. Which was not really surprising, especially if Reas had put his Terminal notification sound to silent. Something that the other would do whenever he's busy. And by busy, he meant when he's at school.

Reas probably forgot to change his Terminal settings. If he considered the fact that the other didn't get back home at the usual time, then it meant Reas probably woke up late and went straight to his apartment, forgetting to turn on his Terminal notification sound.

There was a knock on the door and a staff peered inside and told them that the shooting would start.

Astrid stood up and let out a deep sigh.

He just hoped that when he came back, his apartment would still be intact.