Episode 14: Tops and Treats

After he finished his fluffy cakes, Keith left the kitchen.

Rel finished her tea, she said, "I need to work. Be good."

"After, can we do more training?"

"Sounds good. Try to tone it down, though. Don't want you passing out like you almost did yesterday."

Deni nodded his little head. "Okay!"

Rel held out her pinky. "Promise?"

"I promise!"

They exchanged pinkies.

Rel then went upstairs to work.

Deni swung his legs and otherwise walked around as he watched his show. The spinning robots were so cool! He wanted one just like them!

He hummed and crossed his arms. Maybe he could buy one! He opened his terminal up and frowned. His mom hadn't given him much spending money. Most of it was for the trip back home.

"Rel," he said, walking up to her door. He covered his mouth. He promised not to bother her...

Ugh, but he really wanted a spherical robot that opened up...

"You okay, kid?" Keith as he came back out of his room.

He huffed. "Yeah!"

The buff blond tilted his head. "Sure? You seem upset again? Don't tell me you're hungry again. Need me to whip you up something? You are a growing boy."

"No! But do you think you could lend me some credits? I wanna buy that." He held up a projection of his show.

Keith chuckled. "A Beygan?"

He nodded.

"I have some old ones from when I was your age."

"I want a Beygan X!"

Keith sighed. "You're a bratty little prince, aren't you?"

Deni pouted. He wasn't bratty... was he?

Keith rubbed his chin. "Tell you what. How about instead of giving you credits; I get it for you? It'll be my treat."

"I don't want that scrap metal!"

"How does Rel do it?" Keith muttered.

Deni scowled. "What do you mean?"

Keith chuckled. "Forget it." He turned away and pulled out his terminal. It showed a different Beygan show. He tapped away before smiling. "Alright, kiddo. Come here."

Deni looked at the hologram. He furrowed his eyebrows. "Why does that guy have a headache?"

"The change in air pressure did that."

Deni sighed. "This MC sounds dumber than XU."

"I think it's a staple of the show to have dumb protagonists." Keith rubbed the back of his neck. "The first show in the series had a dumb guy, too."

"Whoa, this series is old!"

"Are you calling me old, kid? I'm your big sister's age..."

"Well, Sis is twice my age, so... ya know."

Keith grumbled, narrowing his eyes. "Brat."

Deni stuck his tongue out.

"Are my favorite boys getting along?" Rel asked, walking out of her room.

Keith cleared his throat. "We're fine, Rel."

Rel smiled.

Deni frowned. "Favorite boys? Why is Keith included?"

His sister blushed. "Uh... well..."

Keith smirked. Deni narrowed his eyes.

She laughed awkwardly. "I meant to imitate Dad. He would ask me and Aesia how his favorite girls were doing."

Deni pouted. He doubted that was it...

Keith sighed. "I was just showing Deni a video of an old show."

"I prefer Beygan X still."

Keith huffed. "That show is so slow. One of the trio has yet to even win any games!"

Rel chuckled. "I prefer Beygan burst."

"Eww!" both of them said in unison.

Rel narrowed her eyes at them. "And what was wrong with it?"

"It was good at first, but it just dragged on," Deni said, sighing. "Like, was the last season really necessary?"

Keith nodded. "I like Azu, but the other protagonists in the later seasons were kind of meh "

Rel hummed. "Well, I liked them. Plus, we got to see Azu grow."

"Same for Gold."

"Same for Silver."

Deni hummed. His own name meant Silver too. Maybe this Silver guy wasn't all bad.

Rel furrowed her eyebrows. "The guy who was going to wish for a giant hamburger?"

"Yeah! That part was funny!" Keith said, laughing.

Deni's eyes widened. "A giant hamburger? That's awesome!"

Rel rolled her eyes playfully. "Well, not everyone has the same tastes."

"Can we have those for lunch?" Deni asked.

"I can do that," Keith said.

"But those aren't exactly healthy…"

Keith rubbed her shoulder. "Everything in moderation. What about baked potatoes and roasted vegetables?"

"On a burger?" Deni asked, raising an eyebrow.

Keith chuckled. "No, of course not."

"Aww. I really wanted one…" Deni hung his head. "We had fluffy cakes, so, why not a burger?"

Aurelia put her hand over her face. "You're going to regret it if you actually do that."

Deni put his hands on his hips. "How do you know that?"

"Just make your own lunch. Meanwhile, Deni and I can eat our burgers. We are both growing boys."

Rel stared at his muscles. "True..."

Keith smiled. "I need to eat a lot of calories to maintain my physique."

"But, Deni is a scrawny boy."

Deni pouted. "I'll stay scrawny if I have to eat salads!"

Keith chuckled, ruffling Deni's hair. "Alright, how about we make a compromise? You can have a burger, but with some healthy sides like baked potatoes and roasted vegetables. It'll be delicious and nutritious."

Deni brightened up. "Okay! As long as I get a burger."

Rel smiled. "That sounds reasonable. Let's get started then. Deni, you can help us in the kitchen."

Deni eagerly followed Keith and Rel back to the kitchen, where they began preparing the meal together. Rel chopped the vegetables while Keith seasoned the patties and potatoes. Deni helped by washing the vegetables and setting the table.

As they worked, Rel glanced at her little brother. "So, what else do you want to do today, Deni?"

Deni thought for a moment. "Can we play some games after lunch?"

"Sure," Rel said. "But only if you promise to do some reading later. Remember, balance is important."

"I promise!" Deni said, holding out his pinky again.

Rel laughed and linked her pinky with his. "Deal."

Keith placed the burgers on the grill, and soon the kitchen was filled with the mouth-watering aroma of sizzling meat. Deni's stomach growled in anticipation.