--: Jay Jay's POV: --
Consciousness didn't come to me in a flash of light or the jarring sound of an alarm. It came in waves of radiating, heavy heat.
The first thing I registered was the weight. It wasn't the suffocating, crushing weight of the nightmares that usually haunted my sleep—the ones where I was trapped under debris or drowning in the dark while a man's shadow loomed over me. This was a solid, grounding pressure that seemed to anchor my soul back into my body.
I didn't open my eyes immediately. I let my senses drift, trying to piece together how I had gotten from the stiff, cold of the armchair to this cocoon of warmth. My nose brushed against soft cotton, and I inhaled deeply.
I was surrounded by them. It was the scent of the expensive, woody cologne Keifer always wore—dark and steady—mixed with the faint, outdoorsy smell of Keiran and the soft warmth that always seemed to cling to Keigan. It was the scent of safety. It was the scent of my world.
I slowly pried my eyelids open. The room was no longer draped in the haunting blue of my 2:00 AM rounds; it was bathed in a thick, honey-like gold as the sun climbed higher.
I was pinned. My left side was fused to Keifer. He was lying on his side, his face inches from mine. Even in sleep, his brow was slightly furrowed, his jaw strong and silent. His large hand was splayed across my back, his fingers hooked into the fabric of my shirt, pulling me so close that I could feel the steady, powerful thrum of his heart against my own ribs. On my right, I felt the unmistakable, iron-tight grip of Keiran. He was hugging me from behind, his face buried in the crook of my neck. His arms were looped around my waist, his hands locked together over my stomach. He was holding me like I was something that might vanish if he let go for even a second. And tucked in behind Keifer was Keigan, his small hands clutching the back of Keifer's shirt, his forehead pressed against his older brother's shoulder blade.
I realized then that Keifer must have woken up and moved me while I was dead to the world. He had used his first bit of returning strength just to make sure I wasn't alone in that chair.
A lump formed in my throat, so thick it was hard to swallow. I had spent the whole night walking those hallways, acting like a soldier, trying to be the "Guardian" everyone needed. I thought I had to be the wall. But lying here, feeling the heat of their bodies, I realized that I wasn't the wall. We were.
I let my eyes close again, a single, hot tear escaping and disappearing into Keifer's shirt. I didn't want to move. For the first time since the factory, the screaming in my head had stopped. The ghosts had been crowded out by the living.
--: Author's POV: --
While the master suite remained a sanctuary of silence, the rest of the penthouse was a hive of quiet, relieved energy. The heavy, suffocating silence of the previous days had been replaced by the clatter of pans and the low hum of conversation.
In the kitchen, the air was heavy with the smell of a celebration. Section E had taken over the counters, their military precision now applied to the art of a massive brunch.
Angelo, Aries, and the F4 were gathered around the central marble island. The image was burned into their minds, but Kavin had been the only one quick enough to capture it.
"Look at it again," Thyme muttered, leaning over the island. Even though he had seen the real thing just twenty minutes ago, he couldn't stop staring at the screen of Kavin's phone. "They look... tiny. All of them."
"It's the first time they've looked like kids in years," MJ added softly, leaning back against the counter with a smirk. "Usually, Keifer looks like he's carrying the weight of the city, and Jay Jay looks like she's ready to bite the head off anyone who breathes near them. In this? They just look like siblings."
Kavin immediately let out a sharp, choked noise that was halfway between a laugh and a warning. Aries and Angelo both stiffened, looking at MJ as if he had just admitted to a crime.
"Siblings?" Kavin repeated, his eyes wide with mock terror. "MJ, I like you, man, but if Keifer heard you call him and Jay Jay 'siblings,' he wouldn't just kick you out of the penthouse. He'd probably erase your entire bloodline from the history books."
MJ's smirk faltered as he realized his mistake. "Okay, okay, bad choice of words. I meant the vibe—the family thing! I value my life, I know better than to put that label on those two."
"Exactly," Aries added, shaking his head. "Keifer would kill you for even suggesting it. That man's protectiveness over her goes way beyond 'big brother' territory. He looks like he's guarding a heart he can't live without."
"He'd kill us all if he knew we even have this photo," Kavin laughed, swiping through the shot again, zooming in on the way Jay Jay was tucked into Keifer's chest. "I'm glad I caught it, though. It's the first time the wall wasn't just him. It was all of them holding each other up."
Angelo took the phone from Kavin, his thumb hovering over the image. He had been the first one at the door, the one who had seen Keifer's back and the way they were all anchored together. "He won't be mad," Angelo said, his voice surprisingly thick with emotion. "He'll be relieved someone saw it. It's the proof that the crisis is actually over."
"She really got us, didn't she?" Aries laughed quietly, remembering the 2:00 AM confrontation. "Walking the halls like a drill sergeant. I honestly thought she'd stay in that chair until she turned to stone."
"She would have," Ren spoke up, his eyes thoughtful. "If Keifer hadn't woken up. He knew. Even in his sleep, he probably felt her exhaustion."
Angelo looked toward the hallway, and said, his voice turning firm. "Nobody goes in there. We let them stay exactly where they are. We've all spent the last few days fighting for them... now we let them fight for a few more hours of sleep. We wait until they wakes up on her own."
"But the pancakes are going to be cold," Gorya teased, though she was already putting a lid over the plate.
"Then we make them again," Kavin replied, a smirk returning to his face. "I think we can afford a few extra eggs for the sake of that kind of peace."
Back in the master suite, the "Chain of Four" remained unbroken. Jay Jay drifted back into a light sleep, her hand moving slightly to find Keifer's palm. In his sleep, Keifer's fingers instinctively closed around hers, locking them together in a grip that no ghost—and no distance—could ever break.
The photo on Kavin's phone was just a snapshot, but for the family in the kitchen, it was the only proof they needed: The wall was back up. The family was home.