"SLATER BENNET! YOU ARE SO DEAD!"
Everyone in the master bedroom acted as if they hadn’t heard Penny. They didn’t even look in her direction when she bolted out of the bathroom and straight into the bedroom.
Monts ago, Penny had been helping Zoren wipe the little blood that had dripped from her husband’s nose. Once the bleeding stopped, Penny excused herself to wash her hands. She probably saw her face and put two and two together.
"She’s not going to get angry that none of us said a word, right?" Hugo wondered aloud, staring at the slightly ajar door, which allowed them to hear Penny yelling as if she was just outside.
"I guess not..." Charles shrugged. "Let her be. It only shows that she’s all good now. Just pray that Slater can run fast."
After that, everyone turned their attention back to Zoren.
"Like I was saying, I’m not forbidding Penny from expressing her feelings. However, even if you’re recovering, we have to be extra strict about it," Atlas continued as if his sister hadn’t just stord out of the bedroom to chase down his other brother. His eyes lingered on Zoren, his expression stern but sincere.
"The doctor told us that even though you’re recovering well and the dicines Penny’s been giving you are working, it doesn’t an you’ve fully healed. What I’m trying to say is, right now, your body is still affected in a way, even if you feel fine," he added. "I don’t think you’d be having nosebleeds or coughing up blood if you were fully recovered. So, try to understand. If such cheesy words make you so excited, then do it slowly."
Everyone nodded in agreent.
"Your First Brother is right, Zoren," Allison added gently. "For now, let’s focus on your health and getting you better."
"Don’t be stubborn. I know Penny can be stubborn, but don’t follow her example," Charles comnted.
"For a second, I thought you were a pervert," Hugo laughed, grinning at Zoren. "But anyway, congrats on getting better! This is a road to full recovery!"
Zoren smiled in appreciation. "Thank you."
"Why are you thanking us?" Hugo cocked his head to the side. "You’re Penny’s husband, which ans you’re already part of the family. What we’re doing is a given."
"Hugo’s right." Charles cleared his throat, choosing his words carefully. "Don’t give us too much credit. It’s not like we’re doing all this just for you."
"We’re doing all of this for you as well," Allison corrected, her eyes softening. "So, get better and aim for that full recovery, okay?"
"Mhm." Zoren nodded, only to realize that he hadn’t told them about his eyesight. He scanned everyone’s faces before he uttered, "I have sothing to say that I hadn’t had the chance to ntion."
"If it’s going to be an emotional speech, save it," was Atlas’s imdiate response, only for Zoren to suddenly blurt out:
"I’m not blind."
"Who said you were?" Charles scrunched up his face. "You had vision impairnt, but you weren’t blind. Blind ans not seeing anything. You could see, just a little blurry. Isn’t that right?"
"It’s not blurry anymore."
"Yeah, besides... eh?" Hugo trailed off, showing different expressions in a matter of seconds.
Not just Hugo, but Allison, Charles, and even Atlas gazed at Zoren. In the end, all four of them wore shocked expressions.
"I don’t know what happened... but when I woke up last night, I could see," Zoren confessed, pausing as he studied their reaction. There was no response. He added, "Though, I feel like I need to adjust again. The lights are quite painful on the eyes; it’s a little too bright."
"Oh!" Allison snapped out of her trance and quickly went to close the curtain without thinking.
"No, it’s okay—"
"It’s not okay." Allison shook her head, keeping just a small gap in the curtain for a little natural light. "Zoren, how co you didn’t say anything in the first place?"
"You can now see!?" Hugo let go of his father and scooted closer to Zoren. He bobbed his head while scanning Zoren, then pointed a finger at himself. "You can see my face now?"
"Yes."
"Do you now know... wait, how could you tell it’s ?" Hugo wondered. "Even though I live with you, you haven’t seen my face."
"Your height, voice, aura," Zoren listed the things he had kept in mind when he couldn’t see properly. He then looked at everyone’s faces in satisfaction. "I’m a bit surprised, and if I’m being honest, the images I had in my head were much different from what I imagined. But sohow, despite the unfamiliar faces... I feel very at ease."
In his eyes, everyone around him looked like strangers he’d never t before. However, he felt so comfortable that he didn’t even try to get out of bed and stick to looking a little too comfortable.
"Oh, my goodness!" Allison held her hands together as if she were praying, placing them in front of her lips. Her eyes shone with tears. "This is such wonderful news!"
Charles, on the other hand, felt more relieved by this news. "I’m glad you’re not only getting better, but you’ve regained your eyesight!"
"Thank you." Zoren nodded appreciatively. "I am thankful as well."
"This calls for a celebration!" Allison excitedly clasped her hands together. "I’ll make sothing special today. Since everyone’s staying in, I’ll prepare sothing nice!"
"Allison, you should rest first..." Charles trailed off when Allison grabbed his arm and said, "You’re coming with ."
Allison flashed the boys a bright smile, excusing herself, and dragging Charles to go grocery shopping. When they left, Zoren couldn’t help but chuckle, as it seed Charles didn’t really want to go.
"You haven’t told Penny, right?" Atlas inquired, stealing Zoren’s attention.
"Uh, yes. I didn’t get the chance, but I’m planning to tell her once she cos back."
"How about you don’t tell her?" Hugo suggested, making Zoren tilt his head slightly. He grinned mischievously. "It’s been a while since I pranked her, and pulling a prank on her is nice."
"You are so shallow," Atlas comnted. "I think it’s better to hold off for now."
"Why?"
"Don’t you want to see what she does when she thinks you can’t see her?" Atlas hinted, making Zoren raise an eyebrow. "If only you knew how pretentious she could be... but it’s just a suggestion. It’s up to you if you want to listen."
"Listen to First Brother — he’s never wrong," Hugo cheered. "Let’s postpone it for a day and see how she lies on the skin of her teeth."
"My wife never lies to ," Zoren frowned, but in a way, he was curious and wanted to see Penny’s genuine reaction.
Little did Zoren know, that the only reason Atlas and Hugo were trying to stop him from telling Penny was because they knew she would have to act very demure to impress her husband. They didn’t want to get dragged into it.
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