(Author Note: I recommend going to Spotify or Youtube to listen to the music that is shown in the chapters. You don't have to but I love music, so I don't my chilling along while reading :)
As they sat on the porch in the cool breeze, She checked the time on her phone and groaned softly.
"Two hours until I have to head to the hospital," she said, stretching her arms. "I should probably grab a shower soon and get ready."
I stood up from the chair as well. "Yeah, I should get home too. I need another shower after that jog—and after gardening." Emily laughed. "Go clean up, kid. You smell like victory and dirt."
I grinned. "That's… probably accurate." "Thanks again for the help today," she added warmly. "You made my morning easier." "Anytime, big sister," I replied, giving a small wave as I started across the yard.
As I stepped inside, closing the door behind me. The cool air felt refreshing compared to the sun outside. My muscles felt sore in the best way—jogging, gardening, helping Emily… it all added up.
I headed straight for the bathroom, peeling off my sweaty clothes getting naked and hopping into the shower. Warm water poured over his back and shoulders, washing away the dirt and the morning's work. I took this time, letting the steam relax me.
When I finished, wrapping myself in a towel and changed into clean clothes: a new T-shirt, comfortable shorts and clean socks. Much better. My stomach growled loudly, and I laughed. "Okay, okay. Food time."
I went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Since I'd stocked up at Costco, I had plenty of options. Deciding to keep it simple: a grilled chicken sandwich, a handful of grapes, and a small bowl of chips.
I cooked the chicken on the stove, toasted the bread, and added lettuce and tomato for a little crunch. Plating everything, it looked pretty solid for a quick lunch. I sat at the kitchen table, enjoying the meal while sunlight filled the room. Everything felt steady, peaceful, normal. The day wasn't over, but it was already shaping into something good. And next door, I knew Emily was getting ready for work—not alone, not scared, but stronger than yesterday… and with a new little-brother neighbor who cared about her.
After finishing my lunch, I rinsed my plate and set it on the drying rack. The house was quiet, the sunlight warm through the windows, and felt a nice mix of energy and calm. I headed upstairs to sat on the desk where my computer is at and already humming softly when I turned it on.
To my surprise, I got a message from 2 people on Twitter who was interested in buying one of my artworks.
Hey Bakudeku, I'm a rabbit and I'm very interested in one of your artworks about my Fursona, please tell me how your payment works and what type of artwork you do Pic: [Sexy bunny kneeling and purring gif]? Second message was: Hey sexy, I love your work. Do you draw devils? Their name is Hanko and profile pic is a old anime girl. I don't recognize the anime.
When I saw this rabbit gif text at the end of the message, I got a shuddering feeling that almost made me close this conversation window and stop working with it. I stood up and stepped back to grab water. I need a break for 5 mins. Now I calmed down I went back to work, because I needed the money...
Hello friend Werewolf, the artwork greyscale: full - $80 half body - $50 head - $35
extra details + $10 With colored + $50 so it would be full - $130 half body - $100 head - $85.
The payment is divided into 50% at the beginning and 50% when the artwork is ready, you just need to send me the reference images you want or an explanation of how you want the artwork and I can send it to you ready by the end of the day and would contact you if there's any problem or contact me if you had any questions. I also gave the same message to the other person who contacted me.
I thought this bunny would take a a while to reply to me since their last message had been sent 3 hours ago and for the other was 6 hours ago, but within a few minutes they replied with a huge text about their character's history and the reference images I needed. When I sent my virtual account for the transfer, Bunny and anime chick transferred it without a second thought, leaving me a little surprised at how easily this person trusted me, I guess that 2005 for you but I didn't care much and took advantage of the time left to start this artwork.
Since my Art skill was already at level 29, I finished the sketch in a few minutes and sent it to Werewolf first for approval and the other one second. It didn't take a minute for the Werewolf and other person to reply excitedly and approve everything.
Seeing how the artwork turned out, I suspected that this bunny was a femboy, since the character was female, but I couldn't confirm anything with how crazy this community was, for me, I could even draw a monster with whatever body the person wanted and other details but they gotta pay more. I've texted the other person to tell them I'm also drawing another piece for another person so theirs would send finished and sent later when I finished this one. They said ok take your time.
In another 60 minutes, I finished the artwork exactly as bunny wanted it, and just to be sure, I sent it to her in very low mid quality for her approval. She didn't even reply and wired me another $55, thanking me for the artwork and saying the extra $15 was a tip, which I wasn't stupid enough to refuse. She ordered a full body. As soon as I sent her the complete artwork in high quality, she changed her profile picture to the new artwork and posted it on her feed, thanking "@Bakudeku" and tagging me. Knowing that this was a free promotion and a new item for my portfolio, I also retweeted her post on my profile. Then I started doing the other person commotion and it's also full body one. Took me 1 hours to finish and they loved it, they did the same thing for the werewolf lady.
The next clients would likely come from this client's friends, so all I had to do was wait for someone else to come along. This made me total of $145, which made me happy. If this werewolf tipped that much, I could raise the value of the artwork a little to $100 for the next customer and see if they want to pay. I thought.
As for the money, I had no plans to get rich doing this, but if I could do one of these a day to earn some extra cash, I wouldn't turn it down, as I would need a lot of money to register the copyrights for my songs, as well for other projects I had in mind.
I got more commission from other people who found my account, so I got busy for a few hours. 6 hours later I finished the last commission. Completed 8 commission total and made $565 including the first and tips. Not bad for today.
After finishing the drawing session, I stretched my arms and stood up from the desk. Stomach grumbled loudly—louder than I expected.
"Okay, okay… message received," I laughed.
It was getting close to evening, and after jogging and running, gardening, and drawing, I was hungry enough to eat two dinners. I headed downstairs to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and looked over my options. Thanks to Costco, I had plenty. I decided tonight's dinner would be heavy, filling, and awesome: Thick-cut steak Mashed potatoes with butter Steamed vegetables And two warm dinner rolls
I rubbed my hands together. "This is gonna be good." I turned on some music and started singing.
[♫♪Caught Up: Song by USHER♫♪]
♫♪G's up
G's up
Yeah, yeah, come on
You know how we do♫♪
I pulled out a large steak—one of the giant packs I bought yesterday. I seasoned it simply: salt, pepper, garlic powder and a touch of paprika
♫♪I'm the kind of brother
Who been doing it my way, getting my way for years
In my career
And every lover
In and out my life, I've hit, love and left the tears
Without a care♫♪
I heated a pan until it was sizzling hot, then dropped the steak on with a loud szzzzzz! The smell filled the kitchen instantly.
♫♪Until I met this girl who turned the tables around
She caught me by surprise
I never thought I'd be the one breaking down
I can't figure it out, why♫♪
While the steak cooked, he peeled potatoes and boiled them until they were soft. Then I mashed them with butter, a splash of milk, and a pinch of salt. Creamy and smooth—perfect.
♫♪I'm so (caught up)
Got me feeling it (caught up)
I don't know what it is
But it seems she's got me twisted
I'm so (caught up)
Got me feeling it (caught up)
I'm losing control
This girl's got a hold on me♫♪
[Cooking lv 13 -> 14]
I placed two dinner rolls in the oven to warm them up, letting the buttery smell mix with the scent of steak.
♫♪Let me go, baby
Now listen♫♪
♫♪My mama told me
"Be careful who you do 'cause karma comes back around"
Same old song, nah
But I was so sure
That it wouldn't happen to me 'cause I know how to put it down
But I was so wrong♫♪
[Singing lv 24 -> 25]
♫♪This girl was mean (so mean), she really turned me out
Her body was so tight
I'm looking for her in the daytime with a flashlight
My homies say this girl is cramping my style
And I can't figure it out, but♫♪
♫♪I'm so (caught up)
Got me feeling it (caught up)
I don't know what it is
But it seems she's got me twisted
I'm so (caught up)
Got me feeling it (caught up)
I'm losing control
This girl's got a hold♫♪
♫♪I'm so (caught up)
Really feeling it (caught up)
I don't know what it is
But it seems she's got me twisted
I'm so (caught up)
Really feeling it (caught up)
I'm losing control
This girl's got a hold on me
And I think I like it, baby
Oh no, oh no
Oh, yeah, oh my, oh♫♪
♫♪This girl was mean, she really turned me out
Yeah, yeah, yeah, sugar
My homies say this girl is cramping my style
I'm so (caught up)
I'm feeling it, yeah (caught up)
I don't know what it is (what it is)
But it seems she's got me twisted
I'm so (caught up)
Really feeling it (caught up)
I'm losing control♫♪
♫♪This girl's got a hold
I'm so (caught up)
I'm so (caught up)
I don't know what it is
But it seems she's got me twisted♫♪
♫♪I'm (caught up)
Really feeling it (caught up)
I'm losing control
This girl's got a hold on me
Oh, oh
Oh, oh♫♪
Second song started to play:
[♫♪Get it poppin by fat joe and kelly radio version♫♪]
For the veggies, he tossed together: broccoli, carrots, corn, steamed them slightly, then sprinkled a tiny bit of salt. Simple. Classic.
After flipping the steak, letting it rest, and plating everything, I stepped back and admired the food. The plate was packed: a huge portion of steak, a mountain of mashed potatoes, veggies on the side and the warm rolls waiting on a small plate. My stomach growled again.
"Time to eat," he said, almost laughing.
I sat down at the kitchen table and looked at the food. The steak was tender, juicy, perfectly cooked. The potatoes were buttery and comforting. Everything together felt like the perfect heavy dinner after a long, productive day.
Before I started eating, I heard a familiar sound of a car door shutting echoed from next door. He looked out the window and saw Emily stepping out of her car, her work bag slung over one shoulder, looking tired but relieved to be home.
Without even thinking much about it, I grabbed a clean plate and loaded it with: a hearty slice of steak, a big scoop of mashed potatoes, a serving of veggies and one warm dinner roll
I placed foil over the plate to keep it warm. She helped a lot today, he thought. She probably didn't have time to eat yet.
I took a breath, grabbed the plate, and headed out the front door. "Hey, Emily!" I called out as she locked her car. She turned and instantly smiled when she saw him. "Hey, kiddo! How was the rest of your day?"
"Good," I said honestly. "I drew for a while… and made a big dinner." Emily raised an eyebrow. "I can smell it from here. That's some serious cooking."
I stepped forward and held out the plate. "Um… actually, I made extra. Thought you might be hungry after work." Emily blinked, surprised—and touched. "You made me dinner? Again?" I shrugged shyly. "You helped me earlier… and you had a long day… so yeah."
She softened instantly, eyes warm. "Liam… that's really sweet. Thank you." "What tf am I doing" I thought and rubbed the back of my neck. "Well… if you want, you can come eat at my place. You don't have to eat alone."
Emily smiled—big-sister warm, relieved, grateful. "You're inviting me over? For dinner?"
"Well, I mean… yeah." I nodded. "If you want."
Emily exhaled, looking like someone who had been carrying a heavy weight and just found a moment of comfort. "I'd love to," she said genuinely. "Let me go wash my hands real quick, and I'll be right over."
A few minutes later, Emily knocked gently on Liam's door and stepped inside. The warm smell of the food greeted her immediately.
"Oh wow," she said, looking at the table. "This looks amazing." We sat down, and Emily took her first bite. Her eyes widened. "Liam… this is really good."
I beamed. "Thanks."
As we ate, Emily leaned back in her chair, finally relaxed for the first time all day. "You know," she said softly, "coming home to a neighbor who cooks? I definitely won the lottery."
I laughed. "Well, I can't garden like you, but I can cook."
"That's a fair trade," she said, smiling. "Big sister, little brother—we've got the perfect system."
[+1 CHA]
We finished dinner together, talking about her day at the clinic and his drawings earlier. It felt like a real family moment—comfortable, safe, and warm. When Emily stood to leave, she gently ruffled Liam's hair. "Thanks again, kiddo. This meant a lot."
"Anytime," I said with a smile.
As Emily finished her dinner, she stood up and stretched her arms with a long sigh. The long shift at the Hospital was still in her shoulders, but now she looked a lot lighter than when she first walked in.
We walked together to her door, and before stepping out, Emily paused and turned toward him with a soft, serious expression—the kind of look only a protective older sister gives.
"Okay, kiddo," she said, crossing her arms playfully, "before I head home, I'm doing one quick big-sister check-in."
I raised an eyebrow. "Uh… what exactly does that mean?" She smirked. "Simple. I ask you three questions. You answer honestly. Deal?" I laughed quietly. "Deal."
Emily held up one finger.
"One: You feeling okay? Not stressed or bothered by anything today?"
I shook his head. "Nope. Today was good. Busy, but good."
She nodded approvingly. "Good."
Then she held up a second finger.
"Two: Did you drink enough water? You jogged and gardened, so… I'm asking as your unofficial hydration officer."
I snorted. "Yes. I drank a lot. Promise."
She gave him a proud thumbs-up. "Very responsible."
Then she held up a third finger.
"Three: Are you sleeping on time tonight?"
I gave a half-shrug. "Probably… yeah."
She narrowed her eyes like a mom pretending to interrogate. "Probably?" "Okay, okay," I laughed. "Yes. I'll sleep on time." "That's better." She ruffled his hair with a smile. "All right, that's the check-in. You passed. Barely."
"Barely?" I protested. "Barely," she repeated teasingly. "But I'll let it slide because dinner was amazing." She stepped outside but turned around once more.
"Goodnight, little brother. If you need anything—even if it's just company—you knock on my door, okay?"
"Yeah," I said quietly. "Goodnight, Emily." She gave a warm smile and headed home across the yard. "Best dinner I've made all week." I felt something simple and good settle in my chest. I wasn't just a neighbor now. I was family.
I went back home took a quick shower and passed out when I lay down on my bed.
(Author note: Mc never experience much of this before for both lives. He got Mark for the old world and he got his grandparents and now Emily in this life. Plus he is somewhat clingy now mostly because of his maturity and age for this life. And I don't think this is a bad development.)
(I'm also trying something new next chapter.)