A sweet, filling aroma soon filled the air of the Callahan home. Only two were awake so far, and it was decided between them that the best way to spend their early morning was to make breakfast for everyone to enjoy together.
"Now, when mixing, the only chunks you should have is those of the chocolate chips. When you're done it should be a nice tan-ish color."
Felix nodded his head at the instructions, continuing his mixing motion. Delilah, Rue's mother, was the first to be up, and when he had made his way out of his room, she had asked him what he would have liked to do for breakfast.
Ever since he had first moved in with them, Delilah had taken it upon herself to help him out when it came to meals and the like. She would drag him into the kitchen to help her cook dinner or do little minuscule things with him, like teaching him how to thread a needle, claiming that they were brain-stimulating activities.
"Is this good?" He questioned, tilting the bowl he had in hand towards Delilah for her to check his work.
"Hm, keep working at it for another minute and then we can start."
She was always nice to him. A part of him would assume that ever since her daughter had moved out, she missed having another person to do things with. When Rue's father had started talking to him about setting him up for a job, Delilah had insisted he work for her to help her around the house, tend to the chickens out back, even gardening. It was settled between them, and they had even set up a paycheck for him to get at the end of every week, even though he was sure, if he had asked, they would lend him some money anyway.
"There, that looks perfect!" She hummed, taking the bowl from his hands as she poured the batter for the start of their second batch of pancakes into the frying pan. According to her, Rue's father, Liam, ate the most pancakes, so they always had to make more than one batch just so everyone else had enough to eat. He remembered laughing at the story as she told it to him, after all, who the hell would eat that many?
The sound of footsteps could be heard, and soon enough Rue and Liam had emerged from the hall. They really were alike, huh?
"Ah, pancakes! Sweet!" Rue said giddily, using Felix's shoulder to raise himself a bit to get a better whiff of the smell.
Felix gently shoved Rue off of him, "What do I look like kid, your step ladder?"
Rue rolled his eyes in response as he reached over, flicking Felix's ear, "If you were, you would've already been crushed under my weight."
"Is that an insult or a moment of self-recognition?" He shot back, a grin on his face as he rubbed the ear Rue had flicked.
Being the dramatic little shit he was, Rue put a hand onto his chest, letting out a gasp, "How dare you! I am just so hurt that you even said that!" He faked a sniffle, "You have broken my heart, Gates, it is utterly shattered."
"Wow, I didn't realize you were trying out for the drama club Rue, I'm sure they'd welcome you with open arms." He snorted, turning his attention back to the pancakes.
Delilah could only let out a giggle at their small banter. "Now, now, boys, what happened to being nice to each other?"
"I suppose after living under the same roof for a few days, they realized how much a pain in the ass the other was." Liam laughed, ruffling their hair despite their protests.
Although it was his form of greeting, Felix couldn't help but get playfully annoyed at constantly having to fix his hair. He's gotten used to all of their forms of greetings if he was being honest. Liam's was the hair ruffling, Delilah's was shoulder touches, and Rue's? Being a pain in the ass upon sight, and using him as a fucking stool to seem taller despite them being the same height.
"Don't fuel the fire, Liam." Delilah joked, continuing her work with the pancakes.
"Alright, alright," Liam then rested his chin upon his wife's head, "Now, how much longer till we can eat? I'm starving."
---
"Isaac, hun, I need you to do a favor for me-" Delilah knocked onto the door of his room.
As soon as she had knocked the first time, the door was already opened, Felix looking down at her while scratching at his neck, "What's the favor?"
"Liam seemed to have forgotten his lunch here, and he's going to go on break any moment now. Can you please bring it to him? I'll give you a few bucks so you can get yourself a treat on the way back." She said, holding the lunch bag in her hands.
"Sure, I don't mind, he's just down by the shipping docks, right?" He asked, taking the lunch from her as he disappeared into his room for a moment to grab his jacket. Rue had gotten it for him when they had gone to the shops after Felix picked him up from school. It was one of those varsity jackets for the local college. Felix had picked out the orange version of the jacket among the other colored options.
"Yeah, just down there. It isn't too far of a walk so you don't have to worry about your back."
Felix had followed her to the front door, but she had stopped him to give him the promised money before he left.
"I'll be back soon, well, if Liam doesn't keep me long." He joked lightly before walking out, shutting the door behind him.
He never really went outside on his own that much, normally having a walking buddy with him.
It was a nice day out at least, well, as nice as it could be in Chamber since it's below all the shit on Chorus or having to do with Chorus.
Holding the bagged lunch close to him, he started his walk towards the docks.
---
Locus would have been much happier if the trip back to Chorus hadn't taken as long as it did, but to avoid getting seen, he had to take the longer route.
Now he had to deal with docking the A'rynasea in the Chamber ports.
He hadn't even heard of Chamber until he had first arrived and had been greeted.
"And how long do you plan on staying here in Chamber? Just so we can have the correct payments set for you." The man he was assigned to had asked. He never did catch his first name when he had said it, only managing to hear the last name, Callahan.
"I don't plan on-"
"Hey, Liam!"
Locus froze. He hadn't even cared that he had been interrupted, hell, he couldn't even find himself to move. That voice...could it be...?
"Liammmm! You forgot your lunch! Delilah sent me to give it to you! Is old age already catchin' up to you or something?"
Callahan-well, Liam, only laughed at the male calling out to him, "That boy is really...something. Isaac! Happy that you can bless us with your presence!"
"Damn right you are!" The all familiar voice had said in a small snicker, now coming into view.
Locus couldn't remember the last time he had seen him in such casual clothing. A part of him was happy he was still wearing his helmet, or else he'd probably hold a look of being horrified and relieved at the same time.
He looked almost just the same as he had back in their mercenary days. His hair had grown a little longer on the sides, no longer buzzed, but still, rather the same. Had he always looked that small...?
"Thanks, Isaac, I owe ya one. Hope the walk wasn't too hard for you." Liam had taken the bagged lunch from the other once he was now in front of them.
Since when has he ever gone by Isaac? Much less letting civilians call him that?
"Oh please, a little walk isn't gonna kill me. However, if I had to jog here I probably would have ended up dead on the side of the road with a rotten spine."
"Felix?"
Locus had found himself questioning. Liam and Isaac had both gone silent as Felix looked to him, a confused look sketched onto his face.
"Felix? I mean...sounds familiar, but my name's Isaac. Isaac Gates." He corrected, though, now taking the time to study the mystery male, Locus had found him staring directly at the green X across the face of the helmet. "Do...Do I know you by any chance?"
"You don't....remember?" Locus muttered, his stature looking almost a bit disappointed.
"Well-You see, I kinda had an accident, I don't remember shit about myself." Felix rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"I see..."
There was a moment of awkward silence between the two before Liam leaned over to Felix to whisper something to him.
Felix's face seemed to brighten at what Liam had told him. He stepped close to Locus, to which the male was almost inclined to take a step back, a part of him still trying to convince himself that whoever he was looking at wasn't real.
An all too familiar grin spread onto the other's face, pulling Locus back to the reality in front of him.
"Why don't we hang out for a bit? I was given some money, we could walk around and talk, maybe even help me remember shit? I'll buy you something."
No. No, absolutely not. He came here for the armor, it was an in and out job. Locus was not going to- "Sure." Damnit...
Locus turned to Liam, before glancing to the A'rynasea. "I think I'll be here for a few weeks."
Liam didn't even need to say anything else to him as Locus was then pulled away from him by Felix.
"So! What do you want me to get you?"