"Ugh,"
The next morning, Rex opened his eyes, but when he tried to move, "hegh," he felt himself pinned down. He lifted his head and blinked several times. He saw Rose and Ruby sleeping right on top of him, their heads resting on his chest and their bodies tucked under his arms, as if he were embracing them.
"Huh... why did they climb into my bed again? When did they even get here?" Rex thought, confused.
As his consciousness cleared and his memories returned, he remembered that he had rescued them last night and tucked them into his bed before heading out to sleep on the sofa. He looked around and confirmed it—he was indeed on the living room sofa. He leaned his head back against the cushions and stared at the ceiling.
"That's right... those two monsters last night... where did they go? What were they exactly? A beastman and a... lich? Or something else? One thing's for sure, they're strong. Their energy signature was enough to wake me up... I can't just sit around if this is the case. My peace and quiet are seriously being threatened," Rex muttered in his head as he thought.
"Ding," the smartphone on the coffee table chimed. He unwrapped his arms from Rose and Ruby and struggled to reach for the phone on the table. He unlocked the screen and saw a message from John. As he opened and read the text, Rex's face immediately turned grim and dark. John was informing him that Katie had been killed last night, likely having crossed paths with the mysterious monster roaming the city.
Something clicked in Rex's mind. Yesterday, Katie had chatted with him after they left the supermarket, staying until late at the cafe because he had asked her for so many explanations. "Grip," his hand squeezed the smartphone. He began to piece together the events, connecting her death to the disappearance of Rose and Ruby.
"It's obvious Katie was a victim of those two monsters... after that, they kidnapped Rose and Ruby with the intention of killing them too... it's too much. Do those two monsters know my identity and are they targeting me on purpose? Are they from Arendel?" Rex asked himself, looking incredibly sad mixed with rage.
"Hmm,"
Suddenly, Rose moved. Rex immediately pulled her back in while holding his smartphone to keep her from rolling off the sofa.
"Mmm,"
Ruby suddenly crawled upward, positioning her face right next to Rex's while her body shifted further onto him. Rex couldn't even turn his head—if he did, he would end up kissing her. Finally, Rex reached his arm around Ruby to type a reply to John on his phone. After finishing, he reached back to put the phone on the table, but his fingers brushed against a piece of paper. Curious, he picked it up and read it. His eyes nearly popped out of his head; it was a marriage registration form.
His name was already written in the husband's slot, while the wives' slots were filled with the names Rose and Ruby. Looking at the bottom, he saw they had both already signed it; only his signature was missing. His face flushed bright red. He looked at Rose's peaceful face and Ruby, who looked adorable in her sleep, then glanced back at the document.
"Huh... what is this? When did they fill this out? I have to leave right away; they'll be in danger if they stay with me," Rex said in his heart. But then he paused and looked at the two of them again. "They... want to marry me? Seriously? No ulterior motives? How am I supposed to be sure? I'm so confused... will they also betray me one day and kill me all over again? But if I just up and leave... will I be hurting them? Do they really love me?" Rex muttered in his head, his heart racing.
His mind drifted everywhere; Rex couldn't focus his thoughts. He just stared at the paper in his hand, looking at the three names written there. After a few moments, he shook his head as his insecurity, skepticism, and fear of disappointment took over his heart.
"Don't be ridiculous... no way. There's no way they love me. They must want something. They're both beautiful, and what do beautiful girls do with someone like me? They use me, then betray me and kill me. So don't even go there... forget it. I'm leaving this very day," Rex muttered.
But suddenly, Rose and Ruby stirred. "Smooch," Rex suddenly felt the sensation of lips against his skin. He glanced over and saw that Ruby had opened her eyes and was gazing at him softly; she had apparently just kissed his cheek.
"Good morning, babe," Ruby greeted him with a smile.
Before Rex could even respond, he felt Rose on his right side shift and move upward. He felt that same sensation of lips on his other cheek. Rex turned and saw that Rose was also awake beside him. She looked at him tenderly and smiled.
"Good morning, honey," Rose greeted him with a smile.
Seeing the two of them acting like that the moment they woke up, Rex went stiff and couldn't find his voice. His mind, which had been so set just moments ago, began to spin again, and his heart pounded even harder than before.
"Damn it... damn it... damn it... I'm confused all over again," Rex muttered in his head.
Rose saw the marriage registration form in Rex's hand and smiled. She turned to look at him.
"If you're willing to sign it today, I'll take it to the office right now," Rose said.
"Yeah... sign it, babe," Ruby added enticingly, hugging Rex and purposely pressing her body against his.
"Uh... what exactly do you see in me? I'm just a guy who likes to lock himself in the house and never goes out, right? Do you two actually love me?" Rex asked, his head throbbing as he searched for an answer that wouldn't come.
"So many things... and yes... I've loved you ever since we started spending all our time together in class," Ruby said firmly.
"Same here. I've loved you since the day you moved in," Rose added.
"Fine... now let me tell you about myself so you'll regret ever loving me," Rex countered.
Without a second thought, Rex told them about how he had been betrayed by several women and his best friends, leaving him with a massive trust issue and a habit of shutting everyone out—though he didn't mention anything about other worlds or his previous life on Earth.
"So, if you want to run, go ahead. I'm damaged goods that are better off thrown away," Rex said firmly.
Rose and Ruby stayed silent. Rex thought to himself, "There it is. Now go on, get out of here and leave me alone." The room fell into a heavy silence as no one spoke for quite a while. Out of curiosity, Rex glanced at Rose's face and saw her looking heartbroken, with tears beginning to fall. Then he turned to Ruby, who was staring blankly but looked devastated, her eyes already brimming with tears. Rex reacted immediately to the sight of them.
"You guys aren't just feeling sorry for me, are you? Why are you making those faces?" Rex asked, confused.
"I'm... the same way, honey. I'm damaged goods too. It's my turn to tell my story," Rose answered.
Without waiting for Rex to respond, Rose told him everything about how she had been raped and grew to hate men, though she didn't mention her previous life or the other world. Before Rex could even react, Ruby jumped in and shared her own story of being raised alone and strictly since she was a child, never knowing love or affection. Rex was her first love, which made her terrified of being separated from him. Ruby added that she, too, was the same—nothing but damaged goods.
Hearing what the two of them said and seeing the honest, sincere looks on their faces, Rex was speechless. He was clearly more confused than ever. The silence returned and hung in the air until Rex finally spoke up.
"Can I ask for just one day to think this over? Could you two go back to your own places just for today?" Rex asked slowly.
"Alright, I understand," Rose said, standing up.
"I'll be back tomorrow. Oh, and today is the first day of summer break, so once you've made up your mind, we can go out somewhere," Ruby said, smiling even as a few stray tears fell.
Rex simply nodded, and the two of them walked to the bedroom, changed their clothes, and left the apartment, leaving Rex alone with the form sitting in front of him.
"Is this the path for me to heal and move forward? Should I try to trust them? To be honest, I've gotten used to having them around. Like Katie said yesterday—why not just make it official? But... that means I have to protect them from now on. Especially considering what happened last night... alright, I've decided. I'll secretly protect this city... so no more monsters go roaming around like they did last night. And I'm definitely hunting those two monsters down... for the sake of my own comfort and peace. Yeah, exactly... not for their sake... ugh... I don't even know anymore, my head hurts," Rex said in his head, clutching his skull with both hands, completely unaware that the names of the two monsters he was hunting were written clearly on the marriage registration form.
Meanwhile, in the apartment next door, Rose was busy with her "toys" in a private room plastered with photos of Rex.
"Just a little longer... soon I can get rid of all these toys because I'll have the real thing, and it turns out he's a powerful god... ah... Rex...my womb is ready... yes, right there... I'm coming... I'm coooming," Rose cried out, muffling her mouth with one hand.
And in the apartment below, Ruby lay in her room with a pair of boxer shorts over her face while her glass box sat next to her pillow. One hand was down her jeans and her shirt was pulled up, exposing her chest.
"Aaah... soon I'll be able to smell your scent forever... finally, after two years... ah... Rex... I truly love you... do whatever you want with this body of mine... I am your slave... ah... I'm coming," Ruby said, appearing lost in pleasure.