(hii bestiess plss write review ,comment love you alll . enjoy!!! )
The room never really went silent.
It just… shifted.
Not in a way anyone could point out directly, not something loud or obvious—but it was there. Conversations still filled the space, Percy still arguing like his life depended on it, Cin whispering something dramatic that probably didn't make sense, Michael pacing like he was about to punch someone who didn't even exist—but underneath all of it, something had tightened.
Something sharper.
Like every word now had weight.
Like everyone was still talking—
but listening more carefully than before.
Keifer stood slightly apart from the group, leaning back against the wall, arms folded like he wasn't paying attention to any of it.
Like he was just there.
Existing.
Unbothered.
He wasn't.
Out of everything Jay had said—
every detail, every implication, every piece of information that should've mattered more—
one thing stayed.
He flirted with her.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Not something anyone else seemed to react to the way they should've.
Just… there.
Sitting quietly in his mind like it had always belonged.
Like it had the right to stay.
Not "looked at."
Not "talked to."
Not "stood too close."
Flirted.
Intentional.
Measured.
Deliberate.
The kind of thing that meant the person knew exactly what they were doing.
Keifer didn't question it.
Didn't doubt her.
That part wasn't even a thought—it didn't need to be.
Jay didn't accidentally let people get close.
She didn't slip.
Didn't misread.
Didn't allow things she didn't understand.
If she let someone believe they had a chance—
then she had already decided how that story would end.
She was in control.
She was always in control.
And he trusted that.
Completely.
Without hesitation.
Without question.
That wasn't the problem.
The problem…
was the fact that someone tried anyway.
That someone stood in front of her—
looked at her—
and thought he could step into a space that didn't belong to him.
His fingers tightened slightly around the glass in his hand.
Not enough to draw attention.
Not enough for anyone else to notice.
Just enough—
until it cracked.
A soft sound.
Barely there.
Lost under Percy's voice and Cin's whispering and the faint hum of movement in the room.
But not to her.
Jay's gaze flickered toward him.
tension in her eyes yet calming herself to show no reaction
yet her eyes soften filled with worry like it wasnt his hand injured it was hers
Then she looked away again.
Like nothing had happened.
Like she'd already understood everything she needed to from that one small sound.
That was enough.
Keifer set the broken glass down carefully, almost casually, like it hadn't just split in his hand, like the faint sting didn't exist, like the thin line of red starting to form didn't matter.
Because it didn't.
Not compared to what was sitting in his head.
His phone was already in his hand.
No hesitation.
No second thought.
Keifer:Get me everything on him.
Sent.
Across the room, Edrix checked his phone mid-conversation with Rory, his posture still relaxed, his expression still uninterested in whatever she was saying.
He read the message.
Paused.
Just slightly.
Then looked up.
Straight at Keifer.
No confusion.
No question.
Just understanding.
A small nod.
Barely visible.
Then he went right back to Rory like nothing had happened, like he hadn't just accepted a task that would probably decide how the night ended.
Rory kept talking.
Edrix kept pretending to listen.
Everything normal.
"Okay but wait," Percy cut in suddenly, loud enough to slice through everything, "so Ava dated a villain and didn't even tell us? That feels illegal."
"Percy," Angelo said flatly, not even looking up, "please stop talking."
"I'm emotionally involved now."
"You're not."
"I could be."
"You shouldn't be."
Cin leaned closer to Percy like this was some kind of serious discussion.
"We should file a complaint."
"With who?" Percy whispered back immediately.
"Destiny."
"…Valid."
Jay snorted.
Actually snorted.
Not even trying to hide it.
"That's your takeaway?" she asked, looking at Percy like she genuinely couldn't believe him. "Not the whole 'he might attack us' situation—your feelings?"
"My feelings matter."
"They don't."
"I feel oppressed."
"You should."
A small laugh escaped Aries before he could stop it.
"She's right."
"Stop agreeing with her!"
"I'm choosing survival."
Michael wasn't amused.
Not even slightly.
"This isn't funny," he snapped, running a hand through his hair, frustration bleeding into every word. "You knew and didn't think to tell anyone?"
Jay tilted her head, completely unbothered, like this was just another conversation she'd had a hundred times before.
"I knew enough."
"That's not reassuring."
"It's not supposed to be."
That only made it worse.
"Jay—"
Before the argument could build—
the door opened.
Yuri walked in.
Fast.
Focused.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
But urgent enough that the entire room felt it instantly.
"They're moving tonight."
That did it.
The room stilled properly this time.
Even Percy went quiet.
Jay straightened.
Not rushed.
Not panicked.
Just… ready.
"Details."
"Kaizer's not giving me everything anymore," Yuri said, exhaling once, tension clear even if his voice stayed controlled. "I think he knows I switched sides. But I still got enough."
A pause.
"They're attacking the London base. Late night. When everyone's asleep. They're going for the equipment."
Silence.
Real silence.
Cin blinked slowly.
"…Okay."
Percy nodded beside him.
"Yeah. That's… not ideal."
Michael swore under his breath.
"I knew it."
Jay?
Jay smiled.
Not wide.
Not playful.
Sharp.
"Of course they are."
And just like that—
she moved.
"Change of plans," she said, clapping once, the sound cutting through the room cleanly. "No one sleeps tonight."
Everything shifted instantly.
Like something snapped into place.
"Raphael—double perimeter."
"On it."
"Angelo—track movement."
"Already started."
"Percy, Aries—combat."
Percy straightened immediately. "Finally."
Aries smirked. "Took them long enough."
Then—
Ava stepped forward.
"I'm going with Raphael."
Jay didn't even hesitate.
"No."
The word was calm.
Final.
Ava frowned. "Jay—"
"No," she repeated, looking at her properly now, her tone softer but no less firm. "You stay here."
"I can handle myself."
"I know."
"Then—"
"That's not the point."
A small pause.
Jay's voice softened slightly.
"Just stay."
Ava held her gaze.
Something unspoken passed between them.
Something deeper than the words.
Then she looked away.
Didn't argue again.
Jay turned.
"Keifer."
He was already watching her.
"Internal defense," she said. "Backup plans. If they get in, I want them regretting it instantly."
A pause.
Then quieter—
"Stay close."
"Always."
No hesitation.
No doubt.
The room broke into motion after that—people moving, talking, planning, grabbing whatever they needed—but Keifer stayed still for a second longer.
Watching her.
Then she walked past him
Close enough that their shoulders almost brushed.
"Two minutes," she said quietly.
She didn't look at him.
"Hm."
That was enough.
The hallway was quieter, the noise from inside fading just enough to let the silence settle properly.
Jay stopped near the corner, leaning back against the wall, arms crossed—but it wasn't her usual relaxed stance.
There was tension there.
Small.
But real.
"Come here," she said.
Keifer raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Bossy."
"Keifer."
That was enough.
He stepped closer.
Stopping right in front of her.
Close—
but not too close.
Not yet.
Her eyes dropped to his hand.
The one he tried to hide.
She reached for it without asking.
"Idiot," she muttered, turning his wrist slightly. "You think I didn't notice?"
"It's nothing."
"It's bleeding."
"That happens when glass breaks."
She shot him a look.
Unimpressed.
"You crushed a glass."
"It was fragile."
She looked up at him.
Unimpressed.
Deeply.
A small silence settled between them.
Not awkward.
Just… theirs.
Then she pulled a small cloth from her pocket, pressing it against his palm, her fingers steady even if her thoughts weren't.
"You don't need to do this," he said quietly.
"Do what?"
"This." He glanced at his hand, then back at her. "There's blood, Jay."
A pause.
"And?" she asked.
Keifer's gaze softened slightly, but his tone didn't.
"You don't like it."
That made her look up.
Properly.
"For me?" he added. "It can affect you."
A small silence settled between them.
Then Jay sighed softly, adjusting the cloth around his hand like she hadn't even heard him properly.
"Keifer," she said, quieter now, "it affects me when I'm scared."
He didn't move.
Didn't interrupt.
She tightened the wrap, then finally met his eyes.
"I'm not scared."
Another pause.
"Not with you."
That landed.
Something in his expression shifted—subtle, controlled, but there.
Jay's grip on his hand softened slightly.
"You're the safest place in this world for me," she said, like it wasn't a big deal.
Like it didn't mean everything.
Silence.
For a second—
he just looked at her.
Then his other hand came up, resting lightly against her wrist—not stopping her, not pulling away—
just there.
"You say things like that," he murmured, "and expect me to stay calm?"
A small smile tugged at her lips.
"Not really."
That almost made him laugh.
Almost.
She finished tying the cloth, then didn't let go immediately.
Her fingers lingered for a second longer than necessary.
"Don't do that again," she said.
"Break glass?"
"Lose control."
A pause.
Keifer tilted his head slightly, watching her.
"I didn't."
She raised an eyebrow.
"…Okay, a little," he admitted.
"Yeah," she said softly. "I noticed."
Another silence.
Softer this time.
Then she stepped back, finally letting go of his hand.
"Come on," she said, turning toward the room again. "We have a war to prepare for."
He didn't move immediately.
Just watched her for a second—
the same chaotic, impossible girl who could turn a battlefield into something that still felt… human.
Then he followed.
Like always.