Aerilon and Likais were out again, doing gods knows what. Really, it was none of Mimosa's business, but the fact the two like to flake off and leave the kids behind while they frolicked with the local party boys left an unsavoury taste in Mimosa's mouth. Laviticus was swamped with homework and was held up at the school. Seniors had far tougher assignments and way more responsibility. Mimosa wasn't entirely looking forward to it, but it was just a fact of growing older.

There was nobody around to make dinner for her and her siblings. It was up to Mimosa to make something to eat. Fizz was too unsure of himself, and Gaius and Caprica were too young. Vesper was entirely out of the question. She would either use so many different spices their tongues would be numb, or she'd be too busy playing make-believe to get the meal served up in time before their siblings all starved. Plus, Vesper in the kitchen just sounded outright dangerous. Luckily, Vesper wasn't home. She was off on a playdate with her friends Opal and Elena.

Mim couldn't really blame her for wanting to hang out with her friends. If Mimosa had any, she might have as well.

Mimosa slithered her way in to the kitchen, grabbing out all the things she'd need to make a couple boxes of mac 'n' cheese. Simple, easy, quick ... not the most nutritious, but it'd get everyone fed.

--

Gaius had heard the rummaging in the kitchen, his glowing eyes fixating on the door to the kitchen. He sat there for a long time, listening to each klank and clatter of pot against pan. His head tilted to one side slowly, as if attempting to magnify the sound. Who was in the kitchen? What were they doing ... ?

Gaius slowly slid off the couch and got to his feet, gently padding across the carpeted floors. Gripping on to the door frame, the little boy peered around the edge of the doorway, his eyes locking on to his elder sister.

”What are you doing, sister?” Gaius asked, not yet fully revealing himself from his hiding spot.

--

Mimosa perked slightly, mildly spooked by the unexpected voice and how close it was. Mimosa turned, her eyes being met with a pair of eerie glowing orbs. It was her brother Gaius, looming as he always did. Something had always seemed ... a little off with Gaius. Then again, Mimosa could easily be considered strange herself.

”Making dinner so we can eat.” Mim said a touch robotically, returning her attentions to the pot of water she was sliding on to the stove, using her extra length to push it in to place on the element.

--

”Do you require assistance?” Gaius finally revealed himself, stepping in to the light, his long white hair nearly touching the floor. They could be of use ... if mimosa let them both help, but Gaius had no idea if Mimosa was comfortable with letting them both help. ”We could be of use.”

Gaius walked in to the kitchen, slipping in beside his sister. He peered over the edge of the oven, trying to get a good look at the items Mimosa had gathered to cook with. ”Macarooni noodles with cheese. Yes. Seems simple enough.”

--

2

Mimosa peered sidelong at her brother. What were they talking about? Who was 'we'? Mimosa watched for a moment longer as she peeled open the first box of noodles and poured it in to the pot. It wasn't boiling yet, but Mimosa liked to add in the noodles to let them heat up gradually with the water. It felt like it took less time.

Maybe Gaius just had an imaginary friend ... ? Tearing open the final box, Mimosa finally decided to respond. ”You can grab the cheese out of the fridge and start grating it if you'd like. Here. Grate it in to this large bowl.” Mim reached in to one of the lower cupboards and pulled out a large, pyrex bowl and handed it to him. ”The grater is under the stove here.”

--

Gaius took the pyrex bowl from his sister and walked over to the kitchen table, setting it down before coming back to collect the cheese grater, Mimosa having moved to allow him passage to the drawer underneath. He made sure not to stay in her way for too long, collecting it as fast as he could before walking back to the table and settling himself in to one of the chairs. There was an assortment of different cheeses already pre-selected, but Gaius wanted the smoked applewood cheese. He figure that with a little bit of miso would taste delicious. Could he convince Mimosa to use miso, though?

'Hurry up and just grate the cheese. Let her do her own thing.' a voice in his head tried to rush him. It was softer, a bit more feminine, but the tone was harsher at times. Gaius himself was never harsh.

”Okay, okay ... “ Gaius murmured, slicing open the pack of applewood smoked cheddar with a small dulled knife, peeling back the wrapper and started to grind the small brick against the metal teeth on the grater.

--

3

Mimosa kept her ears open, listening carefully for her brother's mutterings. He had always been an isolated child, keeping to himself, always talking as if to a close friend. Mimosa had overheard Likais speaking with Aerilon once about how he worried for Gaius. Of course, Likais seemed exceptionally worried about his younger children – except for Caprica. They all seemed to present something 'unfavourable' to Likais. Vesper was an incredibly boisterous little girl with a wicked sense of imagination, with an indefatigable spirit. Fizz was unsure of himself, unsure of his worth, and unsure of his place in the family with seemingly crippling shyness. Then there was Mimosa – she also was rather solitary. Not one to make friends, not one to be particularly outgoing. Mim just preferred her games to real interactions with other nightmares and daydreams.

Pearl and Laviticus had been Likais' star children ... Caprica seemed to be another Likais was quite proud of ... but Gaius?

Always talking to himself. Always talking ... oddly.

It worried Mimosa a bit too.

”How's it going over there?” Mimosa asked, the water just starting to boil.

--

Gaius lifted his head, slow as ever, and slowly turned to look at his sister. ”We're almost done.” Gaius said flatly, trying to get as much cheese off the inside of the grater as he possibly could. They had used the entire block of cheese. Would it be enough?

”Mimosa ... ?” Gaius asked, setting the grater aside and picking up the bowl before continuing with his question. ”Can we add in miso to it?” Gaius slowly walked over to his sister and placed the bowl on to the counter beside her. He was hopeful, but not too hopeful that she'd add in the special request.

--

4

Mimosa gave a faint smile as Gaius rejoined her, setting the bowl on to the counter. She scooped up a small sampling of the noodles and poked at them, mindful of the heat, to see if they were cooked. She quickly tested one, and it was perfect!

”Miso? Hmmn ... if we have any, I guess we could. Might add a little extra depth ... wanna check the fridge for me? I'm ready to drain the water.” Mimosa grabbed the pot off the stove and flicked off the element, carrying the pot over to the sink where the strainer was already set up. She slowly poured the water out, bit by bit, then let the noodles land in to the strainer before shaking them up to help release any excess moisture. She dumped the noodles back in to the pot and tossed in all the ingredients she already had, starting to mix up the cheese while it was still hot and able to melt in with the cheese powder, milk, and butter.

--

Gaius seemed rather pleased that Mimosa seemed so easy to convince. In fact, there was no real convincing required. Gaius walked over to the fridge and yanked the door open by the handle, rummaging through the fridge to find the small container of shiro miso. It was a shame there were some vegetarians in the family, otherwise he would have requested some sort of fish to go in to the mix as well.

Carrying the little container back to the counter, Gaius grabbed out a spoon from the utensil drawer and scooped out a rather healthy serving of miso, banging the spoon lightly against the mixing pot as Mimosa stirred the new ingredient in. Cooking was ... actually ... sort of fun.

”Maybe next time we can actually cook?”

--

5

Mimosa gave Gaius a genuine and rare smile as she really started to stir up the contents of the pot. Mimosa didn't stop mixing until all the ingredients were well blended, and the pasta looked rich and creamy. The colour was a little funny from the miso, but Mim knew that the meal would be absolutely delicious. For all the concerns Mimosa had about Gaius, he did seem fully capable of being a functioning nightmare. Just a touch quirky! It was a bit of a relief.

”Did you want to get out some bowls for me to serve up dinner, Gai?”

--

A nickname? That ... was unusual. Had Gaius done something worthy of such affection? All he had done was grate up some cheese and put some miso in to a bowl. Was that ... a good thing? Either way, Gaius was not going to question this rare gesture from Mimosa. The two of them were similar in the sense they never used nicknames. It was only ever with great affection that Gaius called Mimosa 'Mim', and Gaius was call 'Gai' by Mimosa. It made them happy – both of them. Gaius hoped that Mimosa was happy whenever they called her Mim.

Gaius stepped away from the counter, tucking away the butter, milk ,and miso back in the fridge before grabbing the stool to get up high to reach the bowls. Tonight was a good night. Good company, and a delicious dinner ahead, how could it have been anything but excellent?