Keigan sat on the floor of his bedroom , knees pulled to his chest, the small silver key shaking between his fingers.
He didn't even look at us when he unlocked the drawer.
Just twisted the key.
Clicked it open.
Then pulled out a black box.
Not big.
Not heavy.
But the air changed the moment he touched it—like the room got colder.
Honey held her breath.
Keifer took one step forward, then stopped, like he wasn't sure he could handle whatever was inside.
Keigan opened it.
Just… pushed the lid back slowly.
Inside—
Documents.
Photos.
A USB.
A small recorder.
And a folded paper with his name.
Only his name.
Keigan's shoulders tensed.
His breathing got uneven again.
Honey knelt beside him carefully.
"Keigan… you don't have to—"
"I need to," he whispered.
He opened the letter.
I saw his eyes flick left to right as he read.
And then I saw something worse—
his face went blank.
Blank like someone unplugged him.
Keifer stepped forward instantly.
"Kei?"
His voice broke on the second syllable.
Keigan didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Just… stared at the paper like it was swallowing him.
Keifer grabbed the letter gently from his hands, scanning it fast.
And then his whole jaw tightened.
Not anger.
Fear.
The kind you hide when you're the oldest.
The kind that eats you because you think you're supposed to handle everything.
He set the letter aside quickly, almost like touching it burned him.
"We're done," he said.
Not loud.
Just final.
"Kuya—" Keiran whispered.
"Enough," Keifer said sharper than he meant to.
But his hands were shaking.
Honey touched Keifer's arm.
"Sit down for a second—"
"I said I'm fine."
He wasn't.
He was cracking.
He stood up too fast, ran a hand through his hair, and walked out of the office.
Not storming.
Not angry.
Just… leaving before he fell apart.
I followed him.
He walked into his room and shut the door, but not all the way.
So I pushed it open slowly.
He was sitting on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees, hands covering his face.
I stepped inside.
Quietly.
"Keifer?"
Nothing.
"Are you… okay?"
He let out a laugh.
Not the funny kind.
The tired kind.
"I can't—"
He stopped, voice cracking.
"They're kids. They shouldn't… they shouldn't know any of this."
I didn't move closer yet.
He wasn't a hug type.
He wasn't a touch type.
He wasn't even a "talk about your feelings" type.
He was an oldest-sibling type.
Which is worse.
He rubbed his face with both hands.
"I'm supposed to protect them," he said, voice low.
"And I can't even keep him from—"
He swallowed hard.
"—from breaking."
I leaned against the wall.
Not too close.
Not too far.
"You're doing everything you can."
He shook his head.
"No. It's not enough."
"Then tell me what you need," I said softly.
He stared at the floor.
"I don't know," he whispered.
"That's the problem."
I sat on the edge of the bed next to him.
Not touching.
Just close enough that he wasn't alone.
He didn't look up, but he didn't move away either.
Silence.
But a comfortable one.
Then—
"…Why are you here?" he asked quietly.
I shrugged.
"You'd look ugly crying alone."
His shoulders dropped — like he didn't want to laugh but almost did.
"And," I added, "someone stayed with me once when I broke. So I'm just… returning the favor."
He finally looked at me.
Eyes tired.
Red.
Raw.
"…Thank you," he said.
Small.
But real.
And Keifer doesn't say thank you unless he means it.
I nudged him lightly with my shoulder.
"You're not alone, you know."
He didn't answer.
But he didn't deny it either.
Keifer went quiet again.
Not the scary kind of quiet.
Just the kind where the world feels too heavy for one person.
His shoulders dropped.
Then slowly… almost carefully…
He leaned forward.
At first I thought he was just tired, but then his forehead rested against my shoulder —
then lower, against my chest.
I froze.
Not because it was weird.
But because it was him.
Keifer.
Mr. "I don't need anyone."
Mr. "Feelings are illegal."
Mr. Oldest Sibling Soldier.
He exhaled shakily.
"You don't have to—" I started.
He shook his head against me, voice muffled.
"Just… let me stay like this," he murmured.
My heart did a weird backflip.
Then another.
Then died completely.
I rested one hand lightly on the back of his head.
Not pushing.
Just there.
He breathed out again, slower this time.
"As long as you're here…" he said quietly,
"it doesn't feel so… impossible."
I swallowed.
"You know I'm not going anywhere," I said back.
"Yeah," he whispered, eyes closing.
"You always come back."
My throat tightened —
because he wasn't wrong.
I always did.
He leaned a little more, like he was finally letting the weight drop.
Not on purpose.
Just because he trusted me without realizing it.
His voice was small.
Tired.
Real.
"Don't leave yet."
"I won't."
He nodded against me — the gentlest thing I've ever seen him do.
Minutes passed like that.
Quiet.
Breathing steady.
No chaos.
No Section E noise.
Just him… and me…
And for once, he wasn't holding everything alone.
Keifer stopped the motorcycle in front of my house, engine lowered to a soft hum.
It was already dark.
Way too dark.
Way too late.
I checked the time on my phone.
11:42 PM.
I died inside.
Completely.
Buried.
Funeral.
Goodbye world.
"Kuya Angelo is going to break my spine," I whispered.
Keifer glanced at the window — the living room light was still on.
Someone was pacing inside.
"Oh yeah," I said. "I'm dead."
Keifer flicked his eyes toward me.
"You want me to go in with you?"
I blinked.
"You mean… as a shield?"
He shrugged.
"Sure. I'm good at taking hits."
I stared at him.
"What kind of childhood did you have?"
He didn't answer.
Just smirked faintly — tired, but real.
He handed me his hoodie since I was shivering.
"Put it on," he said. "You're freezing."
"Are you my mom now?"
"No. Your mom would've grounded you already."
Fair.
I slipped the hoodie on.
It smelled like clean soap and stress.
Mostly stress.
We walked to the door, and Keifer stood just behind me like a bodyguard.
I swallowed, knocked, and waited for doomsday.
The door swung open.
Kuya Angelo.
Hair messy.
Arms crossed.
Jaw clenched like he was rehearsing my eulogy.
"…Hi," I squeaked.
"WHERE. WERE. YOU."
"I—uh—Section E things?" I smiled weakly.
Aries appeared behind him.
Calm expression.
Soft voice.
Absolute opposite of Kuya Angelo.
"Jay, it's literally midnight."
I opened my mouth to explain but Kuya Angelo cut in—
"WERE YOU WITH KEIFER?"
I had no choice
But to make a run for it
So I ran like my life depended on it
Im not ready to die yet