Marvel’s Disassembler

Arthur slept peacefully, feeling as if he hadn't even dreamed. He only woke up when he felt someone watching him, and when he opened his eyes, he was greeted by a sweet, delicate face and a pair of hastily closed eyes.

Trembling lashes and darting eyeballs silently betrayed her.

Arthur blinked, sat up and noticed that a blanket had fallen on his legs. He picked it up thoughtfully, then looked at Lily.

She wasn't wearing the same clothes as last night, and the flour on her face was gone.

Her disguise skills... were clearly not up to par.

Smiling, Arthur stood up, draped the blanket over Lily, and saw that it was already past nine o'clock.

The smell of food was wafting from the kitchen. When he went over, he found a bowl of noodles covered with a lid.

Sliced char siu, a large fried egg, and a few bok choy leaves made the dish look irresistible.

Lifting the lid, he took the bowl of noodles, sniffed it, and was immediately drawn in by the delicious aroma. He grabbed some chopsticks and began to eat.

The noodles had been sitting for a while and were slightly lumpy, but the taste was still perfect.

Just as he was halfway through, he heard soft footsteps approaching the kitchen door.

He looked up and locked eyes with Lily.

It was obvious from her gaze that she was nervous for a brief moment, but then her expression instantly changed to one of exaggerated ferocity.

She tilted her head and looked at Arthur with a "super fierce" expression. Her mouth opened as if to say something, but then she realized she couldn't find the words.

Arthur blinked. "Morning."

"...What's so 'morning' about it?" Lily rolled her eyes. "You slept like a pig! I even cooked noodles for you and couldn't wake you up. What were you doing last night? You said you'd be back in the afternoon, and I made a huge spread of food..."

She gestured as she spoke. "But you didn't eat a single bite. Hmph, thanks to you, we'll be eating leftovers for the next few days, and there'll still be enough to feed both of us!"

Although she had been quiet before, once she started talking, it seemed like she couldn't stop.

She went on and on, scolding Arthur for breaking his word, guessing where he'd been last night, and even accusing him of possibly flirting with other girls.

Arthur listened without feeling annoyed— in fact, he found it amusing. But one thing puzzled him: Why was she tilting her head like that? Taking advantage of a brief pause in her tirade, he finally asked the question, and Lily became even more frustrated. "You got back so late last night and didn't wake me up! I ended up sleeping on the couch all night in this weird position, and now my neck is stiff!"

Arthur blinked and said, "Well, you pulled off that 'weird position' perfectly."

Before Lily could reply, Arthur looked down at the empty bowl in his hands.

For some reason, a warm feeling spread through his chest...

Like a shadow without form suddenly finding a place to rest.

Here was someone who knew he had returned, who had prepared a table full of food for him, only to fall asleep waiting for him.

And even though her neck was stiff from the effort, she still made him a delicious breakfast.

For a moment, Arthur didn't know what to say to Lily. Something strange was stirring inside him, something he had never felt before.

This was... the first time in his life!

While Arthur was deep in thought, Lily hadn't noticed. She only noticed that Arthur was staring at her, and the words she had planned to say suddenly disappeared from her mind.

1

She felt like Arthur's gaze was burning her, and her face began to heat up.

But then she remembered something - before Arthur had stared at her, he had looked at the empty noodle bowl.

Suddenly, Lily exploded. "What the hell! Don't even think about it! You clean your own dishes, you idiot!"

Arthur was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh. His shoulders shook as he laughed, and he obediently went to wash his own bowl.

"What's so funny... psycho!" Lily tossed her ponytail and started to walk away dramatically - forgetting about her stiff neck.

"My neck!!"

Lily rubbed her neck, tears welling in her eyes.

A large hand gently patted her head. "Come here, I'll massage it for you."

"Do you even know how?" Lily asked skeptically, looking at Arthur with doubt.

"Don't underestimate me. I'm pretty good at it," Arthur said proudly.

"What is there to be proud of?" Lily was filled with a strange confusion.

Arthur wasn't confident in many areas, but when it came to understanding the human body, he thought he could boast a little.

Under her doubtful gaze, it took less than five minutes for Arthur to ease the pain in Lily's neck.

"Hey? It really doesn't hurt anymore!" 

Lily turned her neck in surprise. Once she was sure that the pain was completely gone, she nodded in satisfaction. "With this skill alone, the two of us will never go hungry."

The two of us?

Arthur blinked, feeling a little happy and yet strangely sensitive. Was he reading too much into something she said in passing? 

The thought passed quickly when Lily spoke again. "What shall we have for lunch? As a thank you for fixing my neck, I'll make sure to reward you properly!"

"Well, thank you for that," Arthur said, rubbing his nose. Just as he was about to say more, his phone suddenly rang.

He looked at it and sighed. "Looks like I won't be able to stay for lunch."

Lily immediately turned around, her eyes filled with suspicion. "What are you doing at lunch?"

"Work stuff..." Arthur scratched his head. "But I'll definitely be back in time for dinner."

"Hmm... okay, good." Lily blinked, obviously not thrilled, but reluctantly agreed.

"By the way, can I cash in that neck massage thank you at dinner? I might bring a friend," Arthur said.

"A friend?" 

When Lily heard that, for some reason she felt a sudden wave of nervousness and instinctively asked, "Male or female?"

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she realized it sounded wrong and quickly waved her hands. "I-I didn't mean it like that, I was just..."

"Male," Arthur said, suppressing a chuckle as he watched her lose her usual suspicious demeanor and become flustered. "He's an old friend."

"Oh... what does he do?" 

Lily immediately felt her heart settle back into place.

"He's in the military," Arthur replied, getting to his feet. "I'll go change into something else. Dinner tonight... okay?"

"Of course!" 

Lily grinned. "Whatever you want to eat, it's on me!"

She thumped her chest confidently.