Drawing Attention

"This is your room."

Steve opened the guest room door and spoke to Lin Ze and Paimon.

The guest room was simply furnished: a large double bed, a table, and a few chairs.

"All right, get some rest. Just call me if you need anything."

Remembering that the children had spent the previous night on a park bench and probably hadn't slept well, Steve gave them some time to rest.

"Thank you, Mr. Steve."

"You're welcome."

With that, Steve left.

"This looks pretty nice."

Lin Ze looked around the room with a smile.

"Right?"

Paimon was the first to jump onto the bed.

"Mm, the mattress is hard, but the covers are so soft. This feels great."

The little girl lay there with her eyes closed, enjoying the softness.

"Mm... Traveler, Paimon wants to sleep."

Paimon rubbed her eyes as she spoke to Lin Ze.

"Go ahead."

Lin Ze tucked Paimon in and took off his shoes. He wanted to get a little sleep, too.

Just as he was about to sit on the bed, he noticed the bloodstains still on his clothes and stopped.

His clothes were too dirty.

They looked like blurred stains of red dye, but up close, that nauseating rusty smell was still unmistakable.

Lin Ze couldn't lie on someone else's clean bed in dirty clothes, but stripping naked to sleep beside Paimon felt far too wrong.

Captain America might even arrest him as a pedophile.

Forget it. I'd better take a shower.

Lin Ze put his shoes back on.

Steve hid the shield that had nearly given him away in his bedroom. Once he was sure it wouldn't be discovered, he went to the kitchen.

When he lived alone, he rarely cooked. S.H.I.E.L.D. gave him a monthly allowance, so he usually ate out.

Looking at the only things in his refrigerator-cereal, beer, and macaroni-Steve took one out, checked the date on the package, and silently put it back.

Beer was out of the question.

The only two edible options had expired, too. Feeding those to the children might make them sick.

It looked like he would have to buy some fresh ingredients.

"Mr. Steve?"

Hearing the boy call him, Steve closed the refrigerator and turned around.

"Why aren't you resting, Aether? Is there something you need help with?"

Steve asked.

A little embarrassed and uneasy, Lin Ze tugged at his clothes.

"Well, my clothes are too dirty. If I sleep in them, I'll get the bed dirty."

"But if I take a shower, I don't have anything to change into. So I wanted to ask if you could lend me something..."

"Of course."

Steve readily agreed.

"Thank you."

Lin Ze spoke gratefully.

Steve returned to his room and soon brought back a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants, which he handed to Lin Ze.

"The bathroom's over here. There's hot water as soon as you turn on the tap."

Lin Ze took the clothes, thanked Steve, and headed for the bathroom.

"Oh, Aether, I'm going out to buy some food. You and Paimon stay safe at home, and don't open the door for strangers."

Before leaving, Steve reminded him, still a little worried.

Lin Ze paused as he opened the bathroom door, noticing the concern and worry in the man's eyes.

Uh... why did Steve suddenly seem like such a doting father?

Lin Ze blinked, shook the jumble of thoughts out of his head, and answered him.

"Okay, Mr. Steve."

With his answer, Captain America headed out.

Lin Ze spent ten minutes taking a hot shower, then changed and came out of the bathroom.

Although Aether wasn't exactly short, his height of 160 centimeters fell well short of Captain America's 191.

Besides, miHoYo tended to give its boys slender, willowy builds, so Steve's clothes looked downright oversized on Aether's frame.

Lin Ze didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Click.

A key turned in the lock. Steve had returned.

He had gone to a nearby supermarket and picked up some convenience foods and ingredients, along with a large jug of water and some flour.

"You're back, Mr. Steve."

"I'm back. I bought some vegetables and eggs, and some milk for Paimon to drink when she wakes up. As for these ingredients, Aether, see what you'd like to make for lunch. Anything's fine with me."

Carrying the bags, Steve hung his keys on the hook by the entrance as he spoke. When he looked up, he froze for a moment.

A single earring, amber eyes, long golden hair cascading to his waist, fair skin, and delicate features. The oversized hoodie hung loosely on the boy, and he had rolled the overlong pant legs up to his calves, exposing his smooth ankles.

He was as beautiful as a prince from a foreign land who had stepped out of a fairy tale.

For his shower, the boy had undone his braid and left his hair loose down his back. Water dripped from the strands onto his dark hoodie, leaving a damp patch.

If Steve hadn't seen his face, he might have thought he'd entered the wrong apartment.

Noticing Steve's gaze, Lin Ze touched his hair in confusion, unsure why the man was standing in the doorway instead of coming inside.

"Oh, I couldn't find the hair dryer, so I left it down to air-dry."

Steve looked away and set the shopping bags on the coffee table.

"Aether, after we eat, I'll take you and Paimon to buy some clothes."

He really had overlooked that. He had forgotten the difference between his build and Aether's. He couldn't keep making the children wear ill-fitting clothes.

Aether could make do with his clothes in a pinch, but there was no way his adult-sized clothes would fit a little girl like Paimon.

With that thought, Steve opened a cabinet, took out a hair dryer, and began drying the boy's hair.

Lin Ze didn't refuse.

With hair that long, his arms would ache terribly if he tried to dry it himself.

"Thank you."

He lowered his head as he spoke. The Captain really was a good man.

"You don't have to be so polite with me."

Steve smiled as he spoke.

Once the hair was dry, he set down the dryer and ran the golden strands through his hand. They were incredibly smooth and carried the scent of gardenias.

Seeing the favor through, Steve picked up the hair tie Aether had left on the table. His fingers worked through the loose strands, braiding and tying them neatly for the boy.

"All done."

Steve clapped his hands as he spoke.

Lin Ze felt the thick braid behind his head and gave Steve a thumbs-up.

"I didn't know you could braid hair, Mr. Steve. You're amazing."

"Oh, I used to perform. Someone taught me."

He remembered how, just after the super soldier experiment, all his muscle had been wasted on being a mascot for the United States. He had traveled from army camp to army camp putting on shows in a ridiculous outfit, complete with little wings on his cap.

Steve couldn't help smiling at the memory.

Knock, knock, knock.

Knocking sounded at the door.

A woman stood outside holding a basin full of clothes. She pressed close to the door and listened for a while, then knocked and called tentatively:

"Steve, are you there?"