"Get off me!" Stephanie snapped, her voice laced with irritation as she shoved you off her, sending you tumbling to the ground. Her eyes blazed with frustration, but the anger in them faltered for just a second when she saw the bullet whiz past her, missing by mere inches. She hadn’t noticed it, but you had.

You scrambled to your feet, still reeling from the impact, and barely caught her in time as she stepped toward the edge of the building. The tension in the air was thick with unresolved feelings, but you couldn’t let that get in the way right now. Without thinking, you lunged forward, tackling her to the ground just as the next bullet came too close for comfort.

"Stay down," you growled, pinning her under you with urgency. Her body tensed beneath yours, but she didn’t struggle this time. Her breath came out in sharp, frustrated bursts, eyes locked on yours in a way that made the anger and confusion in her gaze sting.

"You… saved me?" she muttered, incredulous, as her chest heaved beneath yours.

You nodded, the weight of the situation pressing down harder than the emotional distance between you two. "I'm not gonna let you die because we’ve got unfinished business."

She didn’t reply immediately, instead glancing back toward the direction the bullet had come from. But when her gaze came back to meet yours, it was tinged with something you couldn’t quite place—gratefulness, maybe, but also something else.

"Get off me," she finally whispered, her voice a little softer now, but still edged with determination. "I’ve got this. But... thanks."