KEIFER POV
Everything hurt.
My chest. My head. Even my memories.
The lights were blinding. The air felt like ice. The beeping was obnoxiously dramatic.
I blinked.
Once. Twice.
Jay.
She was curled in a chair beside me, wrapped in Aries's hoodie, face blotchy, eyes swollen, hand gripping mine like she'd been holding on for dear life.
I tried to speak.
Nothing came out.
Then I tried again.
"Jay…"
Her head snapped up so fast I thought she'd break her neck.
Her eyes went wide.
"Keifer?" she whispered, like saying my name might shatter the room.
I nodded. Barely.
She burst into tears — the messy kind, the real kind — and pressed her forehead to my hand.
"You're awake," she sobbed. "You're actually awake."
I wanted to say something poetic. Something comforting. Something that would make her stop crying.
But all I managed was, "You look terrible."
She laughed through the tears. "You got shot, idiot."
"Still counts," I rasped.
Then the door creaked open.
Aries stepped in.
He froze.
I froze.
Four years of silence. One bullet. And now we were face to face.
He walked over like I was a ghost he wasn't sure was real.
"You're awake," he said.
"Apparently," I croaked.
Jay looked between us like she was watching a bomb defuse itself.
Aries sat beside the bed.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Like I got shot," I said. "But good."
Silence.
Then Aries swallowed hard.
"I'm sorry," he said. "For everything. For the accident. For not fighting harder. For letting Yuri twist it."
I stared at him.
"I'm sorry too," I said. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I wasn't the only one who thought Percy was… gone."
"I get it," Aries said. "We all did."
Then the door slammed open.
Percy.
He looked like he hadn't slept in a week and had been carrying a decade of guilt in his backpack.
"I need to say something," he said.
We all turned.
Percy stepped closer.
"The accident," he said. "It wasn't Aries's fault."
I blinked.
"What?"
"It was Yuri," Percy said. "He twisted everything. Lied to you. Made it look like Aries left me behind."
I stared at him.
"But I saw—"
"You saw what Yuri wanted you to see," Percy said. "He manipulated everything. Because he wanted to break you. Break all of us."
Jay gasped.
Aries looked like he'd been sucker-punched.
And me?
I felt hollow.
"I blamed Aries," I said, voice cracking. "I thought he was responsible. I'm so sorry, man. I'm so, so sorry."
Aries shook his head. "It's fine. Let's leave the past where it belongs and focus on what's next."
Percy sat beside me.
"I'm sorry too," he said. "For not telling you sooner. For letting the lie rot everything."
I nodded.
"I'm just glad you're here."
Then Percy — because he's Percy — pulled all three of us into a chaotic group hug.
"Come on," he said. "I know you missed my beautiful face."
Percy had barely been back five minutes and already the room was spiraling into a sitcom.
He turned to Aries with a grin that screamed "brace yourself."
"Aries, baby, did you miss me?" he cooed, arms wide like he was about to stage a rom-com reunion.
Aries recoiled like Percy was contagious. "Why the hell would I miss you, Percy?"
Percy lunged anyway, determined to deliver a hug. "Because I've been gone for, like, a week. That's practically a decade in Section E time."
Aries twisted sideways, dodging like a trained ninja. "You were gone for six days. And three of those were blissfully silent."
Jay, still curled beside me, didn't even look up — just raised a hand and said, "Can you two flirt somewhere else? Some of us are recovering from being shot."
Percy gasped. "I am not flirting. I am emotionally reconnecting."
Jay snorted. "You're emotionally clingy."
Aries muttered, "She's not wrong."
Percy turned to me, dramatically betrayed. "Keifer, back me up."
I blinked. "I just woke up from surgery. I'm not qualified to referee your weird love-hate sitcom."
Percy huffed. "Fine. I'll go hug someone who appreciates me."
Jay raised both hands like a warning sign. "Nope. I'm emotionally fragile and physically armed."
Percy paused. "You're not armed."
Jay grinned. "I have a juice box and zero patience. Try me."
Aries finally gave up and let Percy side-hug him with a groan. "This is why I didn't miss you."
"Liar," Percy said. "You missed me so much you cried in your sleep."
"I will throw you out the window."
"Romantic," Percy sighed.
Aries rolled his eyes. "I have a girlfriend, Percy."
Percy shrugged. "So do I."
Jay's head snapped up like a meerkat. "Wait—hold up. You and Honey are together?"
What the hell. Honey and Percy?
Percy beamed. "Yeah. Long story short, she couldn't resist this beautiful face."
Jay blinked. "I have to tell Luna. She's going to combust."
Percy winked. "Tell her I said hi. And that I'm taken. Tragic, I know."
I stared at him. "You and Honey? Seriously?"
Percy nodded proudly. "She said I was annoying, dramatic, and impossible. So obviously, she fell in love."
Jay groaned. "This hospital room is cursed."
Aries muttered, "I want a refund on reality."
I smirked. "So, brother-in-law…"
Aries snapped his head toward me. "What the hell, Watson? I'm not your brother-in-law and my sister is not marrying you."
"Yet," I said, grinning.
Jay gasped. "Oh my god, Aries, are you blushing?"
"I am not—shut up!"
Percy leaned in. "He's totally blushing. Look at his ears. They're red."
Aries pointed at me. "You just got out of surgery and I will still fight you."
I raised both hands. "Wow. Threatening the wounded. Real classy."
Jay snorted. "You two are exhausting."
Aries groaned. "I hate all of you."
But he was smiling.
And so was I.
Because somehow, in all this chaos?
We were healing.