Chapter 17: "you stayed."
(Keifer's POV)
I woke up before sunrise.
Not because I wanted to.
Because my body felt wrong.
Too heavy.
Too warm.
Like something inside me was burning quietly without permission.
Jay was asleep beside me, one arm draped carefully over my waist like she was afraid I would disappear if she let go. Her breathing was slow. Peaceful.
I didn't want to wake her.
So I slowly tried to sit up.
Big mistake.
The room tilted slightly.
My ribs protested immediately.
My shoulder felt like it had been hit again.
And there was this strange ringing in my ears that I did not appreciate.
I exhaled slowly.
Control it.
It's just recovery.
That's what I told myself.
The sunlight creeping through the curtains felt too bright. My skin felt too sensitive. Even the air touching my face felt warmer than usual.
I stood up anyway.
Because I don't stay down.
I walked to the bathroom.
Each step felt heavier than yesterday.
That annoyed me.
When I looked at myself in the mirror, I paused.
My face looked pale.
Too pale.
And my eyes—
Darker.
Tired in a way that didn't feel normal.
I splashed water on my face.
Cold.
It didn't help.
I stepped back into the room, and that's when Jay stirred.
She blinked slowly and looked at me.
"You're up early," she murmured.
"Yes."
She pushed herself up slightly.
Then frowned.
"You look weird."
"Define weird."
"Like you swallowed a volcano."
I almost smirked.
"I'm fine."
She narrowed her eyes at me.
"You said that in the hospital too."
"It was accurate."
She threw the blanket aside and walked toward me.
When her hand touched my forehead—
She froze.
Her expression changed instantly.
"You're burning."
"I'm not."
"Keifer, gago, you are on fire."
That word.
I leaned down slightly and kissed her.
Even with a fever.
She pulled back immediately.
"Don't you dare use the rule right now."
"I didn't."
"You did."
"I'm consistent."
She pressed her hand against my neck again.
"Why are you this hot?"
"Recovery reaction."
"Asshole."
I kissed her again.
Short.
Because my head was starting to pound.
She pushed my chest lightly.
"Stop it! You're sick!"
"I'm functional."
"You're delusional."
That might've been true.
Because the room felt warmer by the second.
My stomach twisted suddenly.
Not pain.
Just—
No appetite.
The thought of food made me feel nauseous.
"I don't want breakfast," I said.
Her eyes widened.
"You always want breakfast."
"Not today."
That's when she got scared.
I saw it.
That shift in her expression.
That quiet panic.
"You're sitting down," she said firmly.
"I don't need—"
"You're sitting down."
I didn't argue.
Mostly because my legs were starting to feel unreliable.
I sat at the edge of the bed.
The heat inside me kept rising.
My skin felt tight.
My head heavy.
Jay rushed out of the room and came back with a thermometer.
"Open."
"I'm not five."
"Open."
I obeyed.
Because arguing required energy I didn't have.
Thirty seconds later, she stared at the screen.
"39.4°C."
That explained the volcano.
"It's manageable," I said calmly.
"Manageable?? That's high!"
"I've had worse."
"When?"
"Never mind."
She looked like she wanted to yell.
Instead, she knelt in front of me.
"You're taking medicine."
"Later."
"Now."
I swallowed dryly.
The nausea hit harder.
"I can't."
She froze.
"Can't what?"
"I don't want anything."
That was the problem.
I didn't want water.
Didn't want food.
Didn't want medicine.
My body was rejecting everything.
Jay's voice softened.
"Keifer… you need to eat something."
"No."
"Just a little."
"No."
The word came out sharper than I intended.
She blinked.
Hurt.
Immediately, I regretted it.
"I'm not hungry," I corrected quietly.
She stood up and paced slightly.
"You almost died two weeks ago."
"I didn't."
"You were in a coma for eleven days!"
"I woke up."
"And now you're acting like you're invincible again!"
"I'm not acting."
The heat surged again.
My vision blurred for a second.
Jay noticed.
Her voice dropped.
"Hey."
I blinked slowly.
"I'm fine."
"You are not."
I tried to stand.
To prove it.
Another mistake.
The moment I pushed up—
My head spun violently.
My hearing dulled.
The floor felt unstable.
Jay grabbed my arm immediately.
"Sit down!"
"I'm—"
The sentence didn't finish.
Because the world went black at the edges.
Just for a second.
Then longer.
Her voice sounded far away.
"Keifer?"
My knees buckled.
I barely registered hitting the floor.
No pain.
Just weightlessness.
Then nothing.
—
(Jay's POV)
He collapsed in front of me.
Just—
Dropped.
Like someone pulled the power out of him.
"KEIFER!"
My heart stopped.
I knelt beside him immediately.
His eyes were closed.
His skin still burning.
"Keifer, wake up!"
I shook him lightly.
Nothing.
My hands started shaking.
"No no no no—"
I grabbed my phone with trembling fingers.
Called emergency services.
Called Aries.
Called anyone.
"High fever," I said into the phone. "Recent major trauma. He fainted."
My voice didn't even sound like mine.
I pressed my hand to his cheek.
"Gago," I whispered, tears forming instantly. "You don't get to do this again."
He didn't move.
His breathing was there.
But shallow.
Too shallow.
Security rushed in.
Someone lifted him carefully.
Everything felt too loud.
Too fast.
Not again.
Please not again.
In the ambulance, I held his hand.
It felt too hot.
Like he was burning from the inside out.
"Stay with me," I whispered.
"You're not allowed to scare me twice in one month."
Tears kept falling.
I didn't even wipe them.
At the hospital, doctors moved quickly.
Questions.
Vitals.
IV line.
Cooling measures.
One doctor looked at me.
"His body is reacting to delayed infection and exhaustion. He pushed himself too fast."
Of course he did.
Of course he didn't rest properly.
Of course he tried to be strong immediately.
I stood outside the treatment room.
My hands still shaking.
Aries arrived first.
"What happened?"
"Fever," I said. "He wouldn't eat. Then he fainted."
Aries closed his eyes briefly.
"He hates being weak."
"He's not weak," I snapped.
"I know."
Felix arrived seconds later.
"…Why does this keep happening."
I didn't answer.
Because I was scared to speak.
After what felt like hours, a doctor came out.
"He'll regain consciousness soon. The fever was dangerously high, and his body is severely fatigued. He needs strict rest."
Relief hit so hard my knees almost gave out.
"Can I see him?"
"Yes."
I walked into the room slowly.
He was lying on the bed again.
IV attached.
Cold compress on his forehead.
Looking too pale.
Too still.
I walked to his side and held his hand.
"You idiot," I whispered softly.
"You absolute stubborn, prideful jerk."
His fingers twitched slightly.
My breath caught.
His eyelids moved.
Slowly.
Then opened.
Confused at first.
Then focused.
On me.
"…Hospital?" he muttered weakly.
"Yes."
Pause.
"You fainted."
Silence.
Then, faintly—
"…That's inconvenient."
A sob-laugh escaped me.
"Inconvenient?? You collapsed!"
He tried to move.
Failed.
"Did you eat?" I demanded.
He blinked slowly.
"No."
"Exactly!"
He closed his eyes briefly.
"I'm not hungry."
"I don't care!"
My voice cracked.
"I almost watched you die twice."
That made him look at me fully.
Really look at me.
My tears.
My shaking hands.
My fear.
He lifted his hand weakly.
Touched my cheek.
"I'm here."
"Barely!"
He inhaled slowly.
"I miscalculated recovery speed."
"You think this is a math problem??"
He almost smiled.
"You're loud."
I leaned down and kissed him.
Not because of profanity.
Because I needed to.
When I pulled back, I pressed my forehead to his.
"If you don't eat when they bring food, I will personally shove it into your mouth."
He blinked.
"…That sounds aggressive."
"Gago."
Even weak—
He tried to lean up slightly.
I kissed him again before he could strain himself.
"Don't," I whispered.
"Just rest."
His fingers curled around mine.
Weak.
But steady.
"I don't like being like this," he admitted quietly.
"I know."
"I don't like you seeing it."
"I don't care."
He looked at me carefully.
"You stayed."
"Obviously."
"Even when I fainted."
"Yes, idiot."
He closed his eyes again.
But this time—
Not unconscious.
Just tired.
His voice softened.
".…Okay."
And I knew what that meant.
He was letting himself rest.
For once.
And I wasn't going anywhere.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hey everyone!!!!
Do you want Jay jays POV or keifers pov?
Here is an extra chapter cause today is holiday because of Holi the festival of colours!
Happy Holi to everyone!!🌈🦚
Bye bye 🌷 🫶🏻