--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
The world was a rushing roar of wind for two heart-stopping seconds. For those few moments of freefall, I felt weightless, like a bird catching a current—until I hit the water.
THUD!!
The impact was disorienting, a wall of cold glass shattering against my skin. Bubbles swirled around me in a chaotic white veil, and the pressure of the ocean pushed against my eardrums. I tried to kick toward the surface, but a sudden, violent surge of the tide pushed me sideways. My back slammed against something hard and jagged—the submerged foot of the limestone cliff.
I felt a sharp, searing fire flare across my shoulder blade. My thick hoodie, soaked and heavy, should have protected me, but the rock was like a razor. I felt the fabric snag and tear with a sickening rip, the jagged edge slicing right through the layers of cotton and into my skin.
The sting was immediate, but as the water swirled around me, I saw a dark, wispy cloud beginning to bloom in the turquoise waves. My heart stopped. My lungs felt like they had suddenly turned to stone. The air in my chest vanished. Is that... mine?
The water around me began to tint a pale, sickly pink. I reached out, my fingers trembling in the water, trying to touch my back, but the salt hit the open wound and the pain was so sharp I nearly blacked out under the surface.
--: Keifer's POV: --
The second we broke the surface, I gasped for air, looking for her immediately. The rest of the squad was already splashing around, but when I saw Jay-Jay, my blood turned to ice.
She was treading water, her face ashen, her eyes starting to go wide and glassy. She was staring at the water around her, where the salt was pulling the red from her shredded hoodie. I saw her hand moving toward her back, her fingers twitching.
"Don't look, Jay!" I roared, lunging through the water to reach her. I grabbed her face with both hands, forcing her to look directly into my eyes. "Jay-Jay! Look at me! Only at me! Do not look down. Just don't see it."
I know what will hapen if she look at it, the way the sight of blood could trigger a meltdown that would drown her faster than the tide. If she saw the state of her back right now, she'd spiral.
"Keifer... it's red... why is the water red?" her voice was thin, trembling on the edge of a scream. Her pupils were dilating, her breathing becoming shallow.
"It's nothing. It's just the light reflecting off the reef," I lied through I knew she already know the reality, my teeth, my heart hammering against my ribs. I moved my body, positioning myself so my shadow covered the bloom of crimson in the water. "Keep your eyes on me. Focus on my voice. You're okay. I've got you. Just breathe with me. One, two. One, two."
I hooked my arm under her chest, keeping her head high and her back away from her line of sight, and swam toward the shore with a desperate, crushing strength. Every stroke was a battle against the current, and every splash of salt water against that open wound must have been torture, but I had to get her out of the sea before she looked down.
--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
Everything was a blur of cold water and Keifer's solid, warm chest. By the time we dragged ourselves onto the wet sand, I was shivering—half from the cold, half from the rising tide of panic. My legs felt like jelly, and I could feel something warm and thick running down my back, different from the sea water.
As I stood up, leaning heavily on Keifer, I felt the heavy, soaked hoodie sag. I started to turn my head, my neck straining to see the damage.
"Jay-Jay, don't look!" Keifer's voice was a sharp, guttural command. He caught my wrist before I could touch the wound. He stepped behind me instantly, his large frame shielding me from the world—and shielding me from myself.
--: Keifer's POV: --
The tear in her hoodie was massive, a jagged 'V' that exposed the raw, sliced skin. The bright morning sun hit the wound, making the crimson look even more vivid and terrifying.
"Oh my god," Ella cried from a few feet away, her voice rising in pitch. "Look at her back! There's so much—"
"ELLA, SHUT UP!" I barked, my eyes flashing with a warning that silenced the entire beach. I didn't want to be mean to her, but Jay-Jay couldn't hear another word about the blood. She was already on the edge of a panic attack.
I saw Jay-Jay's shoulders start to shake. She was starting to hyperventilate. I reached up and yanked my own shirt over my head. It was soaking wet and heavy with salt, but I needed to cover the sight.
I was left in just my dark vest and shorts, my skin prickling with cold and adrenaline. I draped the heavy, wet shirt over her shoulders, bundling the fabric around her neck like a thick shroud so she couldn't see anything if she glanced down.
"I'm taking her back," I said to the group. My voice was tight, vibrating with a protective energy I couldn't suppress.
Aries rushed over, his face pale with worry. "Is she—"
"I've got her, Let's not overcrowd her, please!!" I said, cutting him off before he could say the word blood. I gave him a look that told him exactly what was happening—that I was managing her trauma as much as her injury. "Just stay here. I'm handling this."
I didn't wait for any answers, I scooped her into my arms. I didn't care about the F4 or Section E watching. I hiked back toward the cottages, my pace a near-sprint, my boots crunching rhythmically on the sand and gravel.
"Keifer... is there a lot?" she whispered into my neck. I could feel her tears, hot and wet, against my skin.
"No," I murmured, pressing my cheek against her forehead."It's nothing, Jay. Just a scratch that looks worse because of the water. Don't think about it. Don't look at the shirt. Just listen to my heart. Focus on the rhythm."
--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
The cottage felt like a sanctuary, the air still and quiet. Keifer kicked the door open and carried me straight to the bed. He set me down gently, but he wouldn't let me sit up.
"Lie down, Jay. Face down into the pillow," he said, his voice dropping into a low, strained whisper.
I started to resist, wanting to see the damage in the vanity mirror across the room. I needed to know.
"No!" Keifer's hand was firm but gentle as he pushed my head back into the pillow. "I told you, do not see it. Trust me, Jay. If you see it, we both know what is going to happen, you'll panic, and I need you to stay calm so I can fix this. Eyes closed. Right now."
I squeezed my eyes shut, clutching the pillowcases until my knuckles were white. I felt the snip of scissors as he cut the ruined, blood-soaked hoodie away. I felt the cool air, and then the first touch of the damp cloth. It stung like fire, but I didn't pull away. I couldn't. Keifer's presence was the only thing keeping me from spiraling into the dark..
--: Keifer's POV: --
The cut was long and jagged, weeping red onto her skin. My hands were shaking—not from fear of the blood, but from the fear of her breaking down. I worked quickly, cleaning away the salt and sand, my eyes darting to the mirror to make sure the door was shut and she couldn't see any reflections.
"This is going to sting, baby," I warned, my voice cracking with an emotion I couldn't hide.
I applied the antiseptic, watching her back arch slightly in pain.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, leaning down so my breath was warm against her skin, trying to distract her from the sensation. "I'm so sorry. Just a little bit more, and then it's all covered. You're doing so well, Jay."
"Stop," she whispered, her voice muffled by the pillow. "You're making it... sound like I'm dying... stop being so worried."
I took a deep breath, forcing my hands to steady. I had to be her anchor. "You're right. It's fine. It's just a scratch. It's already looking better."
I finished applying the cream and carefully laid a sterile, oversized bandage over the area, taping it down securely. I made sure every single bit of red was covered. I even took a damp towel and wiped the stray drops of blood from her waist and shoulders, making sure there wasn't a single trace left for her to find later. Only then did I allow myself to breathe.
--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
Once the bandage was secure, the sharp stinging began to settle into a manageable throb. I felt Keifer's hand linger on the small of my back, his thumb tracing a soothing circle on the skin that wasn't hurt.
"It's covered," he said, his voice finally losing that sharp edge of panic. "You can open your eyes now. It's all gone. There's nothing to see."
He stood up to go, but I reached out and caught his hand. My heart was still racing, the phantom image of that red cloud in the water haunting the back of my eyelids.
"Stay? Please? I don't want to be alone with... the thought of it."
Keifer looked down at me, his eyes dark and full of a quiet, simmering devotion. He didn't say a word. He just walked to the other side of the bed, kicked off his shoes, and slid in beside me.
He didn't pull me into a full embrace—he was too afraid of the wound—but he lay close enough that our foreheads touched. He reached over, tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering on my cheek.
"I'm right here," he whispered, his voice thick and low. "I'll stay as long as you need. I'm not letting anything touch you again today. You're safe, Jay. I promise."
And as the exhaustion of the long, sleepless night and the shock of the injury finally claimed me, I fell asleep to the sound of his steady heartbeat, knowing that Keifer was the only person in the world who could shield me even from my own fears.
--: Keifer's POV: --
The sound of Jay-Jay's breathing had finally leveled out into the slow, rhythmic cadence of deep sleep. Her fingers, which had been clutching the pillowcase so tightly, finally relaxed, splaying out against the white fabric.
I waited. I counted a hundred of her breaths just to be sure she was truly under. Only then did I move.
I slid out of the bed with the silence of a ghost. My skin was chilled, my muscles stiff from the drying salt water on my vest and shorts. I moved toward my bag and quickly pulled on a pair of dry, dark trousers. I didn't bother with a shirt; the air in the cottage felt heavy, and I felt too restless to be constricted by more fabric.
My eyes immediately locked onto the corner of the room. There it was—the ruined, dark-colored hoodie. In the dim light, the jagged tear looked like an open mouth, and the dried, rust-colored stains were a direct insult to me.
I couldn't let her see it. If she woke up and her eyes landed on that shredded, blood-stained mess, the panic would start all over again. The trauma would win.
I walked over, scooped the heavy, damp fabric into my arms, and shoved it deep into a plastic disposal bag. I tied it tight, double-knotting it until the evidence was gone. I scanned the floor, spotting a few stray drops of salt water and a faint smear of red near the bedframe. I grabbed a cloth and scrubbed the floor until the wood shone, erasing every trace of the accident.
When the room was finally "clean," I sat back down on the edge of the bed, my bare chest rising and falling with a heavy sigh. I stayed propped up on one elbow, my eyes fixed on the pale curve of her shoulder just above the bandage.
--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
I was floating. The world felt heavy, like I was wrapped in layers of thick wool, but beneath the heaviness, there was a steady, radiating warmth.
Slowly, the darkness of sleep began to peel away. I didn't open my eyes immediately. Instead, I focused on the sensations around me. The smell of cedar and fresh air. The soft press of a pillow against my cheek. And the rhythmic, heavy thud of a heartbeat nearby.
Then, the memory hit me—the cold shock of the ocean, the jagged scrape of stone, and that terrifying flash of red in the blue water. My breath hitched instinctively, my fingers clutching at the bedsheets.
"Jay? Jay-Jay, hey... it's okay. You're okay."
The voice was low, gravelly with exhaustion, but it acted like an anchor. I slowly opened my eyes, blinking against the soft morning light. I was still lying on my stomach. I turned my head slightly, and there he was.
--: Keifer's POV: --
The second her eyelashes fluttered, I was leaning over her.
"Look at me," I commanded softly, my hand coming up to cup her jaw. I used my thumb to brush away a stray tear that had escaped her closed lids. "Don't go back there. You're in the cottage. It's just us."
She blinked, her honey-colored eyes finally focusing on mine. Her gaze drifted down to my bare chest and the dry trousers I'd changed into, then scanned the room. She looked toward the corner where her hoodie had been.
"It's gone, Jay," I said, my voice firm. "I threw it away. There's nothing to see."
"You... you cleaned it all?" she breathed, her voice raspy.
"Every bit," I whispered. "Does your back hurt? Tell me the truth, baby. On a scale of one to ten."
--: Jay-Jay's POV: --
I shifted slightly, testing the movement. The fire from before had settled into a dull, heavy ache—like a bad sunburn mixed with a deep bruise. It wasn't unbearable, but it was there.
"It's like a four," I whispered, trying to offer him a small, reassuring smile. "Really. It just feels... tight."
I looked at him properly then. He looked wrecked. Even though he'd changed into dry clothes, his hair was still a mess of salt-dried spikes and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked like he'd been through a war.
"You need to sleep, Keifer," I said, my voice gaining strength. "You've been sitting there watching me this whole time, haven't you? And we also didn'tget proper sleep last night.."
"I couldn't close my eyes, Jay," he admitted, his voice dropping to a vulnerable whisper. "Every time I did, I saw the water turning... I saw you hurting."
My heart ached for him. I knew about my trauma, but I often forgot how much it traumatized him to see me in that state. To him, the blood wasn't just a physical injury; it was the enemy he couldn't protect me from.
"Come here," I said, patting the small space on the bed next to me. "Lay down properly. Please."
--: Keifer's POV: --
I hesitated, looking at the bandage on her back. "I don't want to bump you. I'm too big, Jay, I'll hurt you in my sleep."
"You won't," she insisted, her eyes pleading. "I need you closer. The thought of... the water... it's still there. I need to hear your heart."
That was all it took. I carefully slid under the covers, making sure I didn't touch her left shoulder. I lay on my side, facing her, creating a small cocoon for her with my arm.
"Better?" I whispered.
"Better? Best" she breathed, closing her eyes again.
I watched her for a few more minutes, but the warmth of the bed and the sound of her steady breathing finally started to win the battle against my adrenaline.
"Keifer?" she murmured, her voice trailing off.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you..."
I felt a lump form in my throat. I leaned forward, pressing a lingering, soft kiss to her temple. "Always... I will alway do this, you don't ever need to thank me baby!! Understood.."