Franz’s POV (continued)
"Why the fuck are they still here?"
Franz stared down at the half-toppled Monopoly board, popcorn scattered like shrapnel across the rug. Zane lay in the center of the couch, arms folded like some dead king, Emphera snoring lightly against his shoulder. Celeste curled next to him, one hand on his hoodie. Iris rested against Emphera, and Lena was half-hanging off the couch arm like a draped towel.
Franz rubbed his temple.
[It looks like a wholesome scene out of harem manga.]
Franz muttered, "I’m gonna pretend I didn’t see this."
Franz sighed, already turning toward the hallway. "I’m tired. I need a shower. If I don’t look at them, maybe they’ll disappear."
[You are literally supposed to protect them.]
Franz waved them off with one hand, stepped over a soda on the floor, and made his way to the bathroom.
The light flickered on.
Steam curled from the cracked tiles as Franz peeled off his new hoodie. It clung to him, soaked dark around the ribs. He peeled the fabric away slowly, sticky with half-dried blood.
He stared at himself in the mirror.
Eyes sharp. Hair wild. Chest marked with bruises and dried crimson.
He pressed two fingers against the worst one—just under his rib cage. It pulsed beneath his skin, red and swollen.
"Should I go to a doctor or what?" he muttered.
[Wound condition: Stable. Infection risk: Low. Healing factor is enhanced too.]
"Huh," Franz said, raising an eyebrow. "At least one of you guys come in handy sometimes."
Franz while shaking his head in disagreement
"Nope you just simplified what he said"
After a quick wrap of gauze, he stepped into the shower.
He stepped into the shower, the heat hissing over his skin like steam over steel. Water poured down, washing the blood off his shoulders, his hands, the dried streaks from his jaw.
For once, the world was quiet.
Franz turned his head, the water still running.
Two figures stood in the fogged frame—Lena and Iris, their hair messy with sleep, eyes half-lidded and dazed.
Steam coiled in the silence.
Then Franz tilted his head slightly, water dripping down his chest.
"Wanna join, ladies?" he said flatly. "If not, I suggest you close the door."
Their faces went bright red.
Lena let out a squeak. Iris froze like she’d touched a live wire.
The door slammed shut.
"There’s another bathroom," he called out, casually. "Right side of the living room."
There was a long pause.
Then Lena’s voice, small and mortified, through the door:
Quick footsteps followed. Two pairs. Scrambling away like startled cats.
"I’m clearly the victim here," Franz muttered, scrubbing soap into his hair.
"I was just trying to make less awkward for them. " Franz said with innocent tone.
Franz rolled his eyes and turned the heat up.
After the shower, Franz patted his skin dry and applied fresh bandages over the worst of the wounds. He wrapped a towel around his waist, hair still damp, and stepped out into the hall.
[At this point, you’re basically exhibitionist.]
"I forget to bring clothes before showering. What do you want me to wait in bathroom until they are gone huh ?"
He turned the corner.
Lena and Iris sat stiffly on the couch, avoiding each other’s gaze, cheeks still tinted red.
Franz blinked. Their eyes met again.
He raised two fingers, pointing toward his room.
Lena buried her face in her hands. Iris stared at the Monopoly board like it had personally offended her.
Franz with quickly stepped into his room.
He opened the cupboard, pulled out a plain black hoddie and a worn pair of joggers. Tossed the towel aside. Got dressed. Ran a hand through his damp hair, tousling it back into shape.
I didn’t know how long I’d been asleep. I barely remembered dozing off.
One moment, I was watching Celeste tease Zane. The next, I was warm and half-curled around a pillow that wasn’t mine.
Then I felt someone nudge my arm.
"Lena," a voice whispered. Soft. Familiar.
I groaned. "Mm... five more minutes."
"I need the bathroom," she mumbled.
Iris stood beside me in the dark, barefoot, hair disheveled from sleep. Her glasses were slightly crooked, and her lips curled down in a half-scowl.
She looked... weirdly adorable .
It took a second for my brain to start working. "Huh? Oh—right. Yeah. Let’s go."
Everyone else was still asleep. Zane lay in the middle of the couch like a smug cat, arms folded. Celeste was curled up next to him, and Emphera draped across his other side.
We stepped lightly through the mess—over the game pieces, empty soda cans.
My head was still foggy.
Half-asleep, I followed Iris toward the hallway.
The bathroom door creaked open.
Steam drifted out, warm and thick.
Naked. Chest bare. Water running down his skin in glistening trails. His hair, damp and black, clung to his forehead in messy strands. His shirtless torso revealed sharp 8-pack abs and a trail of water down his chest. It was scarred, but somehow... it didn’t take away from him.
He didn’t seem fazed. Just tilted his head slightly, calm as anything.
"Wanna join, ladies?" he said flatly. "If not, I suggest you close the door."
The air turned twenty degrees hotter. I squeaked. Iris made a sound like someone had kicked her in the back.
I slammed the door shut with both hands, then turned and practically bolted back into the living room.
Iris followed, stiff and silent.
We sat down on the edge of the couch like nothing had happened.
Except everything just happened.
I didn’t speak. Neither did she.
I buried my face in my hands.
I stood frozen in the hallway, heart thumping.
He called out—casual. "There’s another bathroom. Right side of the living room."
"...Thanks," I managed to squeak.
Iris dragged me by the sleeve back to the couch. Her face was unreadable, but the blush on her ears betrayed her.
We sat in silence for a bit.
I heard Iris let out a breath beside me—probably relief. She got up and walked away toward washroom. Probably too embarrassed to even look at me.
Glancing at the Monopoly board. The faint ticking of a wall clock. The city lights outside the curtain. It all felt... quiet again.
Then I checked the time.
All of us. Sleeping in his living room like strays who made themselves at home.
I glanced at the others. Still fast asleep.
They looked peaceful.