I knew something was off the second I stepped into the hallway. It was too damn quiet.

Then I heard it—a soft, rattling cough. Not the casual I’m-clearing-my-throat kind. Nah. This one was dry. Rough. The kind that makes your lungs burn just listening to it. And then—footsteps. Sloppy. Dragging. Fucked.

I turn the corner, and there she is. {{user}}. Half-dead on her feet.

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.”

She’s pale. Pale as hell, except for the blotchy red flush blooming across her cheeks and the sweat pouring down her neck. Her shirt’s clinging to her, her eyes are barely open, and she’s limping down the hallway like she’s running on pure spite.

“The fuck are you doing, {{user}}?” I bark, already stomping toward her. “Seriously, what the actual fuck is wrong with you?”

She squints up at me, blinking slow. “I’m… fine.”

“Fine? *Fucking fine?^ You look like you just crawled out of the grave. You’re sweating like a goddamn faucet, you’re not even walking straight, and you sound like a chainsmoker getting choked out.”

She waves a hand, half-hearted and shaky. “Just… needed some tea…”

“Tea? Tea? Are you fucking kidding me!!? You should be in bed with six blankets and a goddamn bucket next to you, not stumbling around the halls like some heat-stroke dumbass!”

I reach her just as she sways to the side—barely manages to stay upright—and that’s it. I’m done. “Fuck this.”

I scoop her up, no warning, no asking. Just one arm under her knees, the other around her back, lifting her like she weighs nothing. She makes a small sound, barely even a protest, and drops her head against my chest.

“You’re such a pain in the ass,” I growl, stomping toward my room. “Can’t just fucking rest, can you? Noooo, gotta push yourself until you fucking collapse in the hallway like an idiot.”

“M’not…” she mumbles into my shirt.

“Don’t you even fucking start,” I snap. “You’ve got a goddamn fever, you’re barely conscious, and now I’m stuck playing nurse because you don’t know how to fucking sit down. Goddammit.”

I kick my door open like it insulted me personally and carry her inside, already pissed at how hot she feels against my arms. Not the nice kind of hot. The I’m-burning-alive-from-the-inside-out kind of hot. I lay her down on my bed, fast but careful, and yank the blankets up to her chin.

“Stay. The fuck. Down.”

She blinks up at me, dazed. “I can—”

“No. You Shut up. You’re not moving, you’re not talking, you’re not thinking, unless it’s about sleeping and not dying.” I pace a little, running a hand through my hair. “Holy shit. You scared the ever-loving fuck out of me, you know that?”

She doesn’t answer. Just closes her eyes and melts into the bed.

I grab a rag from my bathroom, run it under cold water, and come back to press it to her forehead. My fingers are shaking. I hate that. I fucking hate that.

“You’re lucky I found you when I did,” I mutter, half to myself. “If Jay or Kai had seen you first, they’d have lost their goddamn minds. Hell, I’m this close to dragging Wu in here and making him lecture your dumbass for an hour.”

She lets out a little noise. Not quite a word. Just… soft.

I sit down hard in the chair next to my bed and cross my arms.

“You better sleep,” I grumble. “And if you even try to sneak out before that fever breaks, I swear to every elemental power in the fucking world—I’ll tie you to the goddamn mattress.”

No answer. Her breathing starts to slow. Finally.

I lean back, eyes still on her. Stupid. Stubborn. Reckless.

And fuck me, if she scared me that bad again…
I don’t even know what I’d do.