Ethan smirked as he picked up his fork, looking down at the meal — perfectly grilled steak with roasted vegetables on the side.
Marianne was a perfectionist when it came to cooking, and it showed in every dish she made.
"I do cook with the intention of it being eaten," Marianne admitted, crossing her arms. "But, Vanessa, that was supposed to be for Ethan when he got home."
Vanessa let out an exaggerated groan and flopped back against the couch dramatically. "I knew there was a catch. I was wondering why it tasted extra good."
Marianne shook her head, clearly unimpressed by the antics. "You need to start eating proper meals instead of just raiding the drinks and snacks all the time."
Vanessa huffed. "But I like snacks."
"You also need actual nutrients."
Ethan chuckled, cutting into the steak and taking a bite.
It was, as expected, perfectly seasoned and cooked just right.
He had gotten used to Marianne’s fussing over meals, but she wasn’t wrong.
"She has a point," Ethan said between bites. "You can’t survive on just drinks and junk food."
Vanessa rolled her eyes. "I could try."
Marianne pinched the bridge of her nose. "That’s not the point."
Ethan finished another bite before speaking again. "If you’re going to be eating all the food in the house, you might as well help with grocery runs."
Vanessa scoffed. "Me? Grocery shopping? Have you met me?"
Marianne smirked slightly. "Oh, I would send you, but I doubt you’d come back with anything useful."
Vanessa pretended to be offended, placing a hand on her chest. "I would totally get useful things!"
Marianne raised an eyebrow. "Really? What’s the last thing you bought at a grocery store?"
Vanessa opened her mouth to respond — then paused.
Her face scrunched slightly in thought.
"…Does an entire cart of energy drinks count?"
Marianne sighed. "That’s exactly what I mean."
Ethan shook his head, amused, as he continued eating.
Marianne eventually turned back to him. "If you need me to go restock things tomorrow, I can."
Ethan wiped his mouth with a napkin and nodded. "Go ahead. Just put everything on the usual card."
Marianne nodded in approval. "Good. Because at the rate Vanessa is consuming things, we’ll be out of food by next week."
Vanessa pouted. "I feel so attacked right now."
Ethan smirked. "You are guilty."
Vanessa huffed. "Fine, fine. I’ll try to be less of a food thief."
Marianne rolled her eyes but didn’t push the issue further.
Instead, she turned back toward the kitchen, leaving Ethan to finish his meal.
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Vanessa, now sitting properly again, leaned her chin on her palm and watched him eat.
"You really have it made, huh? Personal chef, fancy house, everything…"
Ethan glanced at her. "And yet, somehow, you’re the one enjoying most of the benefits."
Vanessa grinned. "Exactly. See? I knew moving in was a great decision."
Ethan chuckled before finishing the last bite of his food. "At this rate, I’m gonna start charging you rent."
Vanessa gasped dramatically. "How dare you? After all we’ve been through?"
Ethan smirked, standing up with his empty plate. "Exactly because of all we’ve been through."
Vanessa stuck her tongue out at him, but he just shook his head and walked into the kitchen, setting the plate down for Marianne to take care of later.
By the time he returned to the living room, Vanessa had already gone back to flipping through channels.
Ethan stretched, letting out a small sigh.
"Alright, I’m heading to bed for real this time," he said again.
Vanessa gave him a lazy wave. "Night, boss."
This time, he didn’t roll his eyes at the nickname.
Instead, he just turned and walked upstairs.
#####
Ethan was deep in sleep, wrapped comfortably in his blanket, his mind blissfully drifting somewhere far away from reality.
No alarms. No responsibilities. Just peace.
Until —
"Wake up."
A voice. A very annoying voice talked.
"Wake up."
Ethan groaned, but his body refused to move.
"Wake up."
Another groan.
He turned slightly, burying his face into his pillow, silently hoping that whoever was disturbing his precious sleep would take the hint and leave.
No such luck.
Vanessa stood over him, staring down with mild exasperation, a cup of water in her hand.
She had already given him three chances to wake up peacefully, and each time, he had ignored her.
And then — he made the fatal mistake.
Still half-asleep, his voice muffled by the pillow, Ethan muttered groggily, "Five more minutes, Mom…"
Vanessa’s eyes darkened.
Mom?
Mom???
A slow, menacing smirk crept onto her lips as she took a step back.
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Oh, she had options now.
She could shake him awake. She could yell. She could steal his blanket and let the cold morning air do the work.
But no.
She had something better.
Ethan, still lost in his dream world, had no idea what was coming.
Five minutes later —
SPLASH!
Cold water slammed into his face like an arctic tidal wave.
"GAH!"
Ethan jolted up with a start, gasping for air as the freezing liquid soaked into his skin, his shirt, his soul.
His eyes flew open, blinking rapidly as his brain tried to process what just happened.
Standing beside his bed, Vanessa grinned triumphantly, holding an empty cup.
"Good morning, sweetheart," she said innocently. "Guess what? You’re late."
Ethan ran a hand down his drenched face, wiping water from his eyes.
His brain was still catching up, trying to understand why he had just been baptized awake.
Then it clicked.
His gaze snapped to Vanessa. "Did you just — "
"I did." She crossed her arms, looking very pleased with herself. "You called me Mom, Ethan. I had to take action."
Ethan groaned, rubbing his temples. "It was a dream!"
"Oh, I know. But my options were either letting it slide or traumatizing you awake." She shrugged. "I picked the fun one."
Ethan sighed heavily, throwing his wet blanket off himself.
His clothes were damp, his hair was a mess, and the air-conditioned room only made the whole situation colder.
Shivering slightly, he looked at the clock on the nightstand.
His tired eyes widened.
"Shit."
It was later than he thought.
Vanessa smirked, hands on her hips. "See? Told you."