The Bond

Ch 103

"Bold."/"Bold italic" : animatronic is talking/animatronic is talking in mind

"Normal."/"Normal italic." : human is talking/human is talking in mind

=o^o=

Ennard slightly lowered the book from his view over hearing the faint conversation in the next room, his eyes twinkling slightly. Michael seemed to be talking to someone on the phone—it had to be Lucy, who else could it be? He lifted the book so that it covered half of his face as soon as Michael finished speaking and stepped into the kitchen.

"What did you talk to Dawson about?" he asked immediately after Michael came into the kitchen and opened the top cabinet for a cup.

"Not much," Michael replied casually as he poured some sugar into a cup. "She's fine if you're worried."

Ennard's forehead furrowed. "I never said I was worried about her."

"Sureee."

The brown-haired man snorted softly and laughed. He lit the stove and waited for the water to boil, then stole a few glances at Ennard who was now busy reading a book. He folded his arms across his chest as he leaned slightly against the cabinet, glaring at Ennard more intensely this time. Ennard seemed more human now, he didn't know why—did the illusion disc improve itself? Or because of Ennard's own system?

The animatronic had the appearance of a normal human if you didn't count the iron markings on his face, or the several perched wires sticking out of his back; but as far as he knew Ennard could hide them. Moreover, common people would think of Ennard as an ordinary man with red hair.

Maybe not quite normal because of his bicolored eyes, but who cares? He loved Ennard's red eye, it was a moldering color than his hair.

Michael fixed a glance on Ennard. From the way Ennard's pupils moved to the lines of sentences in the book calmly without being bothered at all even though his bangs fell into his eyes, his sharp nose and his lips that were tightly pressed together to form a straight line. He was as if hypnotized for a moment, Ennard really looked dazzling.

All he knew afterward was that his hand was hit lightly by the book.

He blinked in confusion, Ennard stared at him in annoyance while he tilted his head while stroking his hand. Ennard then said, "Don't touch me."

Michael blinked, he didn't realize that he had stepped closer to Ennard to hold Ennard's face. "Sorry," Michael said quickly. "It's just—hard to believe you're an animatronic, you know. You look like a human, eighty percent!"

"Why does it have to be eighty?" Ennard frowned in bewilderment.

"Ten percent because of your wires and another ten percent can't explain how you got this handsome, maybe a bonus?"

"Why am I not surprised," Ennard grumbled under his breath. "Your water is boiling."

After hearing Ennard's words, he immediately returned to the stove again and turned off the heat, then poured the hot water carefully into his cup. The aroma of jasmine tea could be smelled, Michael smiled happily and immediately brought a cup to the dining table and sat opposite Ennard. Stirring the drink with a spoon, Michael stared at Ennard again. "You still have one more question, right?" he said curiously.

Ennard raised an eyebrow, he thought for a moment. "Oh, yeah, that's right." He closed his book and put it down, looking back at Michael who was ready to listen. "But I have another new question."

"So, two questions?"

"Yes."

"Okay, what is it?" Michael leaned closer to Ennard and still maintained his smile.

Ennard squinted at him. "Why are you so adamant about making me call you by your first name?"

Michael tilted his head again. "Why not? Aren't we friends?"

Friend?

"Besides, if you keep calling me by my last name, I always think of my father again and that's annoying, you know." Michael grumbled incoherently after that, he blew on his tea for a bit before taking a small sip of the drink.

That answer makes more sense than the first answer.

"Or maybe it's because I just want to hear you call me by my first name."

Michael smiled warmly and sweetly at him with a soft look in his eyes, he felt his face heat up and his chest pound again. So he immediately stood up, surprising Michael briefly and then returning to his confusion.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Find another book to read." He quickly stepped out of the kitchen carrying his book.

Michael exclaimed as he looked at Ennard's departure. "But what about your other questions?"

"Save it for later."

"Oh, okay!"