JAY JAY POV
He didn't let go of me. After everything we had confessed, his grip only tightened, pulling me flush against his heat as if he were afraid that loosening his hold would let me—or us—fall apart.
"You already know the truth about my father," he said quietly. His voice didn't waver, but it carried a bone-deep heaviness that made the air in the room feel thick. "He was a monster. He abused us… mostly Mom, because she was the only one brave enough to stand in his way. Then, one day, he killed her."
My chest constricted painfully. I'd heard the story before and the cold facts of the case, but hearing it like this—whispered in the dark while his heart beat against mine—it felt raw and devastatingly real.
"After that, I was all my siblings had," he continued. "When he took Keigan, I went through hell to get him back. Luckily, I got to him quickly—he was only with that man for an hour before I snatched him back
AN- KEIGAN DOESN'T HAVE TRAUMA
One hour. I closed my eyes, imagining a young, terrified Keifer fighting the world to protect his little brother, making sure that one hour didn't turn into a lifetime of trauma.
"And then," he said, his voice softening into something almost tender, "you crashed into my life. At first, you annoyed the hell out of me. Then… I fell for you."
I pulled back just enough to narrow my eyes at him, my proprietary my pride flaring up.
"Annoyed?" I repeated, sounding genuinely affronted.
Keifer let out a small, low chuckle that vibrated through the mattress. Out of all the words in the English language—captivated, intrigued, mesmerized—he chose annoyed? I felt personally attacked.
"I was not annoying, Keifer Watson," I said, huffing.
"You were loud," he countered, a smirk playing on his lips. "You challenged every single thing I said. You wouldn't listen to a word of advice."
"That wasn't being annoying," I corrected, tilting my chin up. "That's called having a personality. You should try it sometime."
He smiled faintly
"Then tell me about your Ex's" I asked him
I listened in silence, my heart pulsing slowly against his chest. I could feel the conflict in him—that split second where he considered lying just to keep the peace, before finally choosing to give me the truth.
"My first girlfriend was Freya," he sighed, and I felt the tension in his shoulders. "She was different back then—nice, kind. Percy never let her come anywhere near the rest of us, though. He always gave dumb excuses and never really explained why. After Percy died, Yuri was the first one to approach her."
He shifted slightly, his gaze fixed on the ceiling as if he were watching a movie of his own past. "From what I heard, Yuri just used her. He got what he wanted and then walked away. I stepped in because of Percy… his last words to me were 'take care of Freya.' We were good for a month or two. I treated her like she was my entire life."
I felt a small, sharp pang of something—not exactly jealousy, but a realization of how much he gives of himself when he loves someone.
"Then I realized she still loved Yuri," Keifer continued, his voice rougher. "I couldn't control the jealousy. I didn't hurt her, but I snapped—I punched a wall. Then she started making out with other guys, and I finally realized it was time to let go. So I did."
I stayed quiet for a moment, processing everything he'd said about Freya. But there was still one more name—the one that always made my blood simmer just a little bit.
"What about Ella?" I asked, making a deliberately annoyed face just at the mention of her.
Keifer laughed softly, shaking his head. "Well, Ella joined our section and we welcomed her because, well, why not? But she wasn't like you. She was selfish, honestly. She never really got close to anyone in Section E... unlike you."
I couldn't help the smug little smile that spread across my lips. Score one for Jay Jay
"But Yuri and I both loved Ella," Keifer continued, his voice neutral as he recounted the mess. "Because of Yuri's mom and all her interference, Ella had to date me instead. But Yuri still loved her, and Ella loved him back. The real reason she left Section E was because she couldn't stand seeing Yuri so miserable. I was beyond angry—I actually started punching Yuri. You already know the rest of the story with Aries and how she ended up with him."
I shifted, looking him squarely in the eye. There was a question burning in the back of my mind
"Did you... do that thing with any of your exes?" I asked, my voice dropping to a whisper.
Keifer looked at me, a soft, incredibly genuine smile breaking across his face. It wasn't the smirk of the Serpent King; it was something much more intimate.
"Nope," he said popping the 'p'. "Not with anybody. I saved my first and my last for you."
He reached out and playfully tapped my nose. I felt a rush of heat coat my cheeks—partly from relief, partly from the sheer intensity of his stare. But I didn't stop making my "annoyed/jealous" face quite yet.
"Stop making that face," he warned, his voice dropping into that dark, velvety tone that always made my knees weak.
"What face?" I asked innocently, though I knew exactly what he meant.
"That hot, jealous face," Keifer said, smirking as his arm tightened around my waist, pulling me even closer until there was no space left between us. "Keep it up and I might forget all about your rules and start making out with you again."
I felt my heart race. "You wouldn't dare. Think of the extra weeks I'll add to the ban."
The room was quiet, the kind of heavy silence that follows a long night of baring your soul. I thought we were done with the heavy topics, but I could feel Keifer's mind working. His body was tense again, his gaze fixed somewhere on the far wall.
"Jay?" he called out softly, his voice rough. "How is Aries doing now? You know... after everything that happened with Ella's confession to Yuri?"
I went still against his chest, the question echoing in the dark.
I didn't answer right away. I needed to think about how to even describe the mess
My mind drifted to the recent days—the way Aries would laugh a little too loud at a joke that wasn't funny,
It was a disaster.
The reality was that both Keifer and Aries were identical in the worst ways—they were both stubborn assholes with egos that reached the skyscraper level. They were so busy being "Alpha" that they couldn't see they were both bleeding out from the same wounds.
I wondered, not for the first time, if the four of them would ever truly recover. It was a complicated puzzle of resentment. Percy had to find it in him to forgive Yuri for the history with Freya. Keifer—the man currently holding me—had to swallow his pride and forgive Percy for disappearing and leaving them all to grieve a living man. And then there was Aries. Poor, loud, heartbroken Aries, who had to find a way to forgive all four of them because they're weren't there for Aries
"He's putting on a show, Keifer," I finally said, my voice barely a whisper. "He's acting like he's fine because the alternative is admitting he's the second choice. And you know Aries—he'd rather die than be anyone's silver medal."
I felt Keifer exhale, a long, shaky breath that told me he knew exactly what I meant. The weight of his history with the boys was like a physical presence in the bed with us.
"Keifer," I called out softly.
"Hmm?" He didn't look at me, his eyes still fixed on the ceiling.
"Will you and Aries ever really make up?" I asked, watching his jaw tighten.
"For what?" he asked, playing dumb.
"Asshole, you know exactly what I'm talking about," I snapped, sitting up slightly. "But tell me one thing—how could you actually think Aries would push Percy off just to save himself?"
Keifer didn't say anything. The silence was loud, filled with the guilt I knew he was trying to suppress. He had blamed Aries for Percy's "death" for years, and now that the truth was out, the weight of that mistake was crushing.
"Come on, Keifer," I pressed, my voice softening. "You know Aries better than almost anyone. You spent your whole childhood with him. Do you really believe deep down that he's capable of something like that?"
"Jay..." Keifer finally started, his voice gravelly. "When my mom died, Percy was the only one there for me. He was always trying to cheer me up, always keeping me grounded. Then the accident happened. Yuri told me Aries was in the car, and that he thought Aries pushed Percy off to save his own skin."
He closed his eyes tight, his hand clenching into a fist.
"I was so fucking mad, Jay. I didn't know what I was doing. My grief turned into rage, and I directed all of it at Aries. For four years, we did everything we could to outdo each other. He made sure we stayed down in Section E while he stayed in Section A, lording it over us."
"So, over those four years," Keifer continued, "the hate just grew. It became a habit. We weren't just rivals anymore; we were at each other's throats every single day because it was easier to hate him than to face the fact that Percy was gone."
I looked at him, seeing the broken teenager behind the Asshole mask. "So you stayed in Section E as a punishment? To stay away from him?"
"Something like that," he muttered. "But now... knowing Percy is alive... knowing I spent four years hating Aries for a lie..."
He trailed off, and I could feel the regret radiating off him. He wasn't just mad at Aries anymore; he was furious with himself.
"Then fix it," I said firmly, leaning back down and forcing him to look at me. "Aries is an ego-driven jerk, and you're a stubborn asshole. One of you has to be the bigger person. And since I'm marrying you, I'm choosing you to be that person."
I saw his eyes widen slightly. The "no make-out" rule was his biggest torment right now, and I knew I had just dangled the ultimate carrot in front of him.
I tucked myself even closer into his side, enjoying the way his heart rate picked up at my words. "I'll shorten the rule," I began, then paused for effect. "Actually, I take that back. I will remove the ban entirely if you, Aries, Yuri, and Percy—all of you guys—sit down, talk, and go back to being friends again."
Keifer shifted, propping himself up on one elbow to look down at me. The tired look was replaced by a sharp, calculating glint. "You're bribing me with intimacy to fix a four-year-old blood feud?"
"It's not a bribe, it's an incentive," I corrected with a smug grin. "Think about it, Keifer. No more glaring across the hallways. No more tension at every gathering. And most importantly," I leaned in, whispering against his jaw, "no more sleeping on your side of the bed wondering when you can touch me again."
He let out a low, frustrated groan, dropping his forehead against mine. "You're dangerous. You know I'd walk through fire to get that rule lifted."
"Then don't walk through fire. Just walk over to Aries," I said softly. "He's hurting just as much as you are. He's lost his girl's heart, and he's been living under the weight of your blame for years. He needs his best friend again"
Keifer was silent for a long time, his thumb tracing the shell of my ear. The silence wasn't heavy this time; it felt like a decision was being made.
"It won't be easy," he muttered. "Aries will probably punch me the second I try to be 'nice' to him."
"Then let him punch you. You've punched him enough times to deserve one free hit," I pointed out. "But once the dust settles, I want you guys to be whole again. I want to see the four 'Assholes of the Apocalypse' standing together at our wedding."
Keifer looked at me, a deep, possessive warmth in his eyes. He leaned down, stopping just an inch from my lips—obeying the rule, but barely.
"Deal, Mrs. Watson," he rasped. "I'll get the idiots back together. But you better be ready to pay up the second that rule is officially gone."
"Oh, Watson," I smirked, closing the distance just enough to brush my nose against his. "I'm Jay Jay. I always pay my debts."
"Not really you haven't payed your profanities yet" he reminded me I chose to ignore it
I reached over to the nightstand and grabbed my phone. The screen's glow felt blinding for a second in the dark room.
"Wear a shirt," I commanded, glancing over at Keifer.
"Why?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, clearly comfortable as he was.
"Because I said so! And because I don't want anyone seeing a post and thinking we did something—especially Aries or Kuya Angelo. They would actually kill you, and I'm not ready to be a widow before the wedding," I teased.
Keifer looked confused, probably wondering why I was suddenly so worried about social media at nearly three in the morning, but he did as he was told. He pulled on a plain black shirt while I grabbed one of his oversized shirts from the foot of the bed and threw it over the silk nightdress the maids had left for me.
I sat back on the bed, holding the phone up. "Smile!"
He just stared at the camera with his usual brooding, expression.
"Ugh, no. Not that face." I reached over with my free hand and playfully pulled at his cheeks, stretching his mouth into a forced grin. "There you go. You look way more handsome when you smile, Watson."
I noticed his ears turn a distinct shade of red. The tough, dangerous leader of the Serpents was actually blushing. It was the cutest thing I'd ever seen.
Finally, he gave me a real, soft smile—the kind only I got to see. Click.
I looked at the photo. We looked… happy. Relaxed. Like two people who had just survived a storm and finally found land. I typed out a quick caption: My soon-to-be husband.
I hit post and let out a satisfied breath. Almost immediately, I felt the extra layer of clothing getting too warm. I pulled off his oversized shirt and tossed it back, and Keifer wasted no time taking his off either.
I tried not to stare, but honestly, I didn't understand why he felt the need to spend the night in only his boxers. It was distracting, to say the least. I tried not to stare, but honestly, it was impossible. My eyes were practically glued to his chest. As he settled back, the moonlight hit his skin just right, and that's when I saw it. A clean, bold script right over his heart.
Jay Jay.
My breath hitched. "Why?" I whispered, pointing a trembling finger at the ink.
Keifer looked down at his chest, then back at me, his gaze softening into something so profound it made my throat tight. "Because I wanted my future Mrs. Watson to be everywhere I go. Even if we were apart, you'd be right here."
I felt tears prick the corners of my eyes. It was the most romantic, permanent thing anyone had ever done for me. But then, a wave of nervous realization hit me. Would he be mad if he knew I had done the same thing?
The room felt suddenly warm. Keifer noticed my shift in energy. Before I could move, he leaned in, his hands sliding to the edge of the silk coat I was wearing. He slipped it off my shoulders, his eyes scanning my collarbone until they landed on the small mark just above my own heart.
"What does that say?" he asked, his voice dropping an octave.
I gave him a small, innocent smile, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Just a certain person's name."
"Whose name, Jay?" he pressed, his eyes darkening with curiosity.
I didn't answer. I just looked at him, enjoying the way he was squirming for once.
"Jay Jay," he warned.
Still nothing.
"Jasper Jean Fernandez Mariano Watson," he said, using my full name—including his own last name. Damn, that's a long name, I thought, but the sound of 'Watson' at the end of it still gave me chills.
He was about to demand an answer again, but I cut him off. "It's your name," I admitted, reaching up to tug the strap of my nightdress down just enough so the ink was visible.
Keifer froze. He looked like he'd stopped breathing as he stared at his own name etched into my skin.
"I was completely wasted when I got it," I explained, the words tumbling out as I remembered Mia's retelling of that night. "It was me and Mia. We went to a club, then ended up at a tattoo shop. According to her, I told the artist I wanted a tattoo and pointed right here. When she asked what I wanted, Mia said I shouted your name and then immediately passed out."
I bit my lip, feeling a little sheepish. "Mia thought I was being romantic, so she told the artist to go ahead while I was unconscious. But when I woke up later, I started cussing you out again. Mia realized then that I probably only said your name because I was mad at you at the time… but the misunderstanding was already permanent. So, yeah. I'm stuck with 'Keifer' on my chest."
The silence lasted for several seconds. I expected him to laugh or tease me, but when I looked up, his expression was intense—almost raw.
"You're stuck with me," he whispered, his thumb grazing the edge of the tattoo. "Inked on your skin and in your life. I think I like Mia's misunderstanding better than your reason."
"It was a very loud, very drunk mistake," I muttered, though I didn't pull away.
"It's the best mistake you've ever made," he murmured, leaning down to press a lingering, reverent kiss right over the tattoo on my chest. His lips were warm against my skin, sending a spark through me that had nothing to be with the cold air in the room. "Now we're both marked. No going back now, Mrs. Watson."
The weight of the night—the confessions, the laughter about our tattoos, and the heavy history of Section E—finally started to settle into my bones.
"Can we go back to sleep now?" Keifer asked, his voice thick with exhaustion but his eyes still shining with that possessive glow.
I nodded, reaching over to check the time on my phone one last time. My eyes widened. The sky outside the window was already bleeding into a pale, dusty blue.
"Keifer... it's almost six o'clock," I said, looking back at him in disbelief. "We've been talking for the entire night."
He didn't look surprised at all. Instead, he just pulled me closer, his smirk returning in full force. "Yeah? Well, time goes fast when you're having fun, Jay-Jay."
"Fun?" I teased, though I was already yawning. "I'm pretty sure arson stories and trauma aren't the standard definition of fun."
"With you? Always," he whispered.
I smiled, finally defeated by my own tiredness. I leaned in, hugging him tightly as his large, warm hands wrapped securely around my waist. I settled my head right over his heart—right over the spot where my name was permanently inked into his skin.
Listening to the steady, rhythmic thrum of his heartbeat, I felt a level of peace I hadn't known was possible. No more secrets. No more fake "gay" ex-boyfriends. No more hiding the scars of our pasts.
Just us.
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