The Prize of Dysprosium

Chapter XXIII: Death Threats from a Pacifist

The next morning I'm awoken by a frantic Anton who looks at me with clear panic in his eyes. I'm just about to jump up when he whispers, "The door's opening."

"And he's right. I hear the jingle of a key in the lock. I scrunch my face at him and am just about to tell him you don't wake people up for doors opening, when I and realize the scrunching doesn't hurt my nose – an injury which should have taken weeks to heal, gone in a night. My shoulder's probably fine too.

"So?" I groan instead.

"We're naked," Anton hisses, and I almost manage to laugh as the door swings inwards and Dr. Max enters.

"Jesus," he says and takes a step back, waving a hand at himself. "What have you been doing in here?"

"Go away, "I grumble and bury my face in the madras. I have no idea about the whereabouts of the pillow, only a faint memory of needing it to get far away from me. "I want the day off."

"That's not how things work in a rebellion," Dr. Max says with humor in his voice. There is a silence where I can't see what's happening, due to the fact my face is buried in the madras, before Dr. Max says, "I'll come back in ten minutes. Get dressed please." And then the door closes with a click and the spin of the lock.

"I can't believe that just happened," Anton says. When I look up he's hiding his face in his palms, his neck redder than his hair.

"What? Dr. Max?" I ask. "He doesn't care."

"You," Anton says and points at me. "You seduced me."

"I seduced you?" I ask and can't help a doubtful grin from spreading across my face. "How exactly did I seduce you?"

"You used your body and, and your emotions," Anton says. "And it was in the middle of the night and you caught me off guard."

"I am wearing a nose cast," I say.

"Well, it's a hot nose cast," Anton says, which almost makes me laugh.

"Do you regret it?" I ask, barely able to keep the smile out of my voice while I force him to look me in the eyes. He tries to stare back, really make it seem as if I've committed some horrendous crime. But then he blinks, growls something and moves over me to hurry into the bathroom, grabbing his glasses from the floor on the way. They must have fallen from the bed stand but are luckily unharmed. The sandwich is gone. "Do you regret it?" I call after him.

"No!" he bellows back, and I laugh and get out of bed myself. We brush our teeth and Anton shaves. I'm almost sad to see his stubble go, I don't know when he's become able to grow a beard but it's kind of sexy. When I tell him, he rolls his eyes but can't fight a slight blush.

We proceed to put on our coveralls which are not nearly as wrecked as I'd thought. I remember a lot of ripping off clothes, but the uniforms are sturdy and it's only a button on Anton's which has been torn off. He can easily cover it with the zipper brim. He won't stand for the bedsheets though, which has a few noticeable plamages. I tell him to let it be as I strap off the gauze and wooden stump on my nose, but he dries off as much as he can and then makes sure the blanket covers the rest of it.

"There," he says and looks at the made bed.

"Yes, it's astounding," I say monotonously, and then the door rattles again and Dr. Max enters with one hand over his eyes.

"Is it safe?" he asks and I roll my eyes. "No naked males?"

"We might as well be an ad for chastity," I say and Dr. Max grins and uncovers his eyes.

"Well, you certainly consecrated this room," he laughs and I feel Anton shuffle uncomfortably beside me. "You know there's a reason for the bunkbeds, right?"