For song_princess, part 6

Alph remembered how much he'd struggled with meeting Leanne's family, but now the boot was on the other foot, so to speak. His family was having a gathering, so of course he had to bring his treasured girlfriend along. There were just a few things Alph had forgotten to mention... Like when he said he was an orphan, he meant he grew up in an orphanage. Which meant he had six people he considered his siblings, even if only one was related by blood. And then there was his foster-father, a rather strict military man. And given how comfortable they all were with each other, well, poor Leanne had gotten the third degree from the second they arrived. Alph personally thought she'd done an amazing job, but when she claimed it was time for her bath, he could tell she was trying to find somewhere to hide and recover.

Fortunately, nobody stopped her. And fortunately for Alph, in his "family", it was perfectly normal to take baths together with whoever you felt comfortable with, so a few minutes later he excused himself to join her. He wasn;t surprised to see Leanne facing the mirror as she tried to catch her breath, so at least she'd see him coming as he came up behind her and started to rub her shoulders.

"How are you holding up?" he asked quietly. The dull sound of conversation in the background was a reminder that the main bathroom of this place shared a wall with the den, so most of Alph's family were actually only meters away, and would hear them if they were too loud.