Chapter 18: "i don't need a hero."
(Jay's POV)
He hates hospital ceilings.
I know that now.
The moment he woke up properly, his eyes went straight to the white tiles above him like they personally offended him.
"You're thinking too loud," I said softly.
He turned his head slightly toward me.
"I'm not thinking."
"You are."
Silence.
Then:
"I don't like being monitored."
I raised an eyebrow.
"You were unconscious for eleven days."
"That was involuntary."
"And fainting in the bedroom wasn't?"
He didn't answer.
Because we both knew it was.
The doctor came in mid-argument.
"High fever due to post-surgical infection and exhaustion," he explained again. "His immune system is still weak. He overexerted himself."
I looked at Keifer.
He avoided my eyes.
"You need strict rest. Proper meals. No stress. No work."
At that, Keifer finally spoke.
"Define no work."
The doctor didn't even hesitate.
"Zero."
Keifer stared at him like that was a personal attack.
I almost smiled.
When the doctor left, I crossed my arms.
"You heard him."
He looked at me calmly.
"I disagree."
"Of course you do."
"I can manage remotely."
"Keifer."
"Yes."
"If you touch your phone, I will throw it out the window."
He studied my face.
"You wouldn't."
I stepped closer.
"Try me, asshole."
He blinked.
Then, even with a fever, even weak—
He tilted his head slightly.
"That qualifies."
I leaned down before he could even try.
Kissed him.
Soft but firm.
When I pulled back, I whispered, "You are not using the rule to distract me."
"I wasn't."
"You were."
Silence.
"…Maybe."
I rolled my eyes.
But my chest felt lighter.
Because he was awake.
He was annoying.
He was alive.
That night, the fever dropped slightly.
Not normal yet.
But lower.
He finally agreed to eat half a bowl of soup.
Half.
And I had to glare at him the entire time.
"You're staring," he muttered.
"Yes."
"It's aggressive."
"Eat."
He swallowed another spoonful.
Slow.
Reluctant.
But he did it.
Progress.
When the nurse left, the room went quiet again.
The kind of quiet that isn't scary.
Just soft.
He watched me as I adjusted the blanket.
"You look exhausted," he said.
"Your fault."
"I didn't request a collapse."
"You also didn't request rest."
He didn't argue with that.
Instead, he reached for my hand.
His grip was still weaker than before.
That scared me more than I let show.
"I pushed too fast," he admitted quietly.
It wasn't dramatic.
It wasn't emotional.
Just factual.
"I know," I said.
"I don't like being behind."
"You're not behind."
"I lost days."
"You survived."
Silence.
His jaw tightened slightly.
"You almost lost me," I whispered before I could stop myself.
His eyes shifted to mine immediately.
"I didn't."
"You could have."
He looked at me carefully.
Like he was measuring how much truth I could handle.
"I would've survived."
"That's not the point!"
My voice cracked again.
I hated that it did.
He squeezed my hand slightly.
"Jay."
"What."
"If I hadn't…"
He paused.
Then continued calmly.
"…you would've been protected."
I stared at him.
"What does that even mean?"
"It means I planned for contingencies."
I blinked.
"You had a backup plan in case you died?"
"Yes."
I smacked his shoulder lightly.
"Are you insane?"
He winced slightly.
"Yes."
I leaned back in my chair.
"You are impossible."
"And yet."
"And yet I'm here," I finished.
He nodded once.
(Keifer's POV)
Watching her be angry is strange.
It's loud.
It's emotional.
It's chaotic.
But underneath it—
There's fear.
And that part makes my chest feel heavier than the fever does.
I miscalculated.
That's the truth.
I assumed I could resume control immediately.
Resume operations.
Resume protection.
I ignored biological limits.
That was inefficient.
And it scared her.
That part matters.
She stood up and paced near the window.
"You're not allowed to scare me like that again."
"Noted."
"No, not noted. Promised."
Silence.
Promises are contracts.
Contracts require certainty.
My body is not currently reliable.
"I will adjust behavior," I said instead.
She turned sharply.
"That's not what I asked."
"It's what I can guarantee."
She stared at me for a long moment.
Then walked back to the bed.
"You think you're being logical."
"I am."
"You're being scared."
That made me pause.
"Explain."
"You're scared of being weak. So you try to act strong faster than your body allows."
I didn't answer.
Because she wasn't wrong.
She sat on the edge of the bed carefully.
"You don't have to protect me every second."
"Yes, I do."
"No, you don't."
"Yes."
Her hands clenched.
"You're not God, Keifer."
"I'm aware."
"Then stop acting like if you blink, the world collapses."
The fever made my head heavy.
But her words were heavier.
"If I blinked at that intersection," I said quietly,
"you would've been hit directly."
She froze.
I continued calmly.
"I saw the headlights. I adjusted position instinctively."
Her breathing shifted.
"You never told me that."
"I didn't need to."
"You idiot."
She leaned forward suddenly and hugged me carefully.
Very carefully.
Like I might break.
My ribs protested.
But I didn't move.
"I don't need a hero," she whispered against my shoulder.
"I need you alive."
That sentence did something uncomfortable inside my chest.
Not pain.
Not fever.
Something else.
I rested my chin lightly against her head.
"Alive requires caution," I said.
"Then be cautious."
"I am."
"No, you're reckless with yourself."
Silence.
That might also be true.
She pulled back slightly and looked at me.
"If you don't eat tomorrow, I'm actually going to lose my mind."
"You won't."
"Try me, jerk."
I leaned forward slightly.
Kissed her.
Slow.
Even with the IV attached.
She melted into it for half a second before pulling back.
"You're manipulating the rule again."
"It's effective."
She sighed dramatically.
But her hand never left mine.
The next morning, the fever was lower again.
37.8°C.
Manageable.
Jay looked like she'd won a championship.
"See? Rest works," she said proudly.
"I didn't argue."
"You always argue."
"Not always."
She narrowed her eyes.
I held up my hands slightly in surrender.
"Fine. Frequently."
She smiled faintly.
It was small.
But real.
The nurse brought breakfast.
I looked at it.
Evaluated.
My stomach didn't twist this time.
That was improvement.
Jay watched me like a hawk.
I took a bite.
Swallowed.
She exhaled dramatically.
"Oh my God."
"Your reaction is excessive."
"I will take excessive over coma."
Fair.
I ate half.
Then a little more.
Her shoulders relaxed with every bite.
It was almost amusing.
Almost.
After the nurse left, she sat back down.
"You're staying in the hospital two more days," she declared.
"That's not your decision."
"It is now."
I studied her.
"You're enjoying authority."
"Shut up."
"That qualifies."
She slapped a pillow lightly against my arm before I could lean in.
"Don't you dare."
I smiled faintly.
The first real one since discharge.
She noticed.
Her expression softened instantly.
"There it is," she murmured.
"What."
"You."
I didn't respond.
Because I understood what she meant.
Not the strategist.
Not the protector.
Not the calculating version.
Just me.
Tired.
Recovering.
Still here.
She intertwined her fingers with mine.
"Rest," she said quietly.
"This time properly."
I nodded once.
Not because I like being told what to do.
But because for once—
She's right.
And staying alive?
Requires listening.
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Hey everyone!!
I'll post the next chapter in 10 mins i just need to check it and fix the mistakes.
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