Meeting the family

'Inconsistent.' That was the appropriate word to call 'it.'

“This is … food?” Than gulped, staring at the dish in front of him. It was a type of liquid.

"Soup." He thought.

While not the best cuisine in the world, others would've simply shrugged it off and eaten the meal regardless, but Than wasn’t just anybody; he was a first-world millennial.

"What are they trying to feed me? Homeless food?” He thought.

If that wasn’t enough, he hadn't even been provided with any utensils to go along with his meal. “What do they expect me to do? Use my hands?”

Having eaten like a king for the majority of his life, thanks to the advent of technology, something as simple as eating unappealing stew seemed like a huge feat to Than.

Nevertheless, he was hungry and the tasteless formula he’d been subsisting on up to this point, was simply not going to cut it any longer.

With a burst of courage, Than dipped his fist into the murky water and pulled out what looked to be a chunk of meat. "Protein," he thought to himself, as drool poured from his mouth.

Somewhat reluctantly, Than wrapped his lips around the object, and to his surprise, despite the rank appearance of the bowl, its flavor was better than anything Than could’ve ever expected.

Finally acquiring an appreciation for its taste, Than couldn’t stop himself anymore; he began shoving the entire thing down his throat.

His 'devouring' the food now, would be a gross understatement.

As he was in the process of doing that, the older boy walked into the room. Than paused for a moment, noticing the boy had brought forks for the both of them.

Realizing his error, Than turned beat-red.

Cringing from the embarrassment, he leaned back into his tiny children’s stool and covered his eyes.

“I’m an adult. I’m an adult. I’m an adult. I’m an adult.” He reassured himself, whilst balling his fists.

He’d committed a tiny mistake that normal people would’ve brushed off with a laugh. However, Than wasn’t just anybody; he was a prideful son-of-a-gun.

“I’m an adult, dammit!” He thought.

Ignoring Than’s weird mannerisms, the older boy continued walking before sitting down on the opposite side of the table facing his younger brother.

Noticing that the older boy’s eyes were upon him, Than paused his short tantrum and assumed a neutral position.

“What are you looking at?” He thought, mean-mugging his older brother, who didn’t understand.

Like this, the both of them sat for several minutes in cold silence. Until Than became somewhat concerned.

“Is everything all right? Did I miss something?” He wanted to ask but knew he wouldn’t be able to properly vocalize.

Just then, a thunderous set of footsteps entered the room. Their sudden appearance shocked Than for a moment. Yet, he managed to remain calm. After all, with their presence, he now understood why he was there in the first place.

It seemed obvious now that he knew. Someone wanted to meet him.

With a slight tremble, Than turned his eyes to the left, and standing there, was a tall man the size of an oak tree. Without a doubt, he was mighty and strong. On his shoulders, rested the pelts of animals that were unfamiliar to Than. Yet, as if that wasn’t intimidating enough, his pupils burned their gaze into Than’s impressionable soul.

There was no questioning who was the dominant figure in the room. Than was merely a flea, if even that, in comparison.

Before Than could even form a thought, the man got down on one knee.

“Eh? I’m being married off already?” Than stupidly rationalized.

The man stared at him for a couple of agonizing minutes, before eventually dropping his guard and laying a hand on top of Than’s minuscule, peanut head.

“You have strong eyes, son of Straits," He proclaimed.

There was silence for a second.

“Straits? Who’s that?” Than wanted to ask.

Sensing his confusion, the older man piped up again. “Strong eyes indeed. Stands to reason, after all, I am your father.” He finished.

Ignoring the weird comment about his eyes, Than was surprised by this sudden revelation.

Living in the age of fitness, Than had been no stranger to the sight of bodybuilders and cut dudes, but even he had to admit that the man in question was stretching the meaning of the word ‘fit’ to its absolute limits.

“He’s a giant. A mountain of a man. And he’s supposed to be … My dad?” Than gazed at the man with astonishment.

With a slight grin on his face, he came to one conclusion. "It's all but guaranteed at this point. I’m destined for greatness!”