The medkit snaps open, and Rafael gets to work.
Along the left side of Kane’s clavicle, there’s a jagged gash, deep but not life-threatening. A bruise is already blooming along the surrounding skin, and the edges are clean, likely a blade rather than shrapnel. He pulls the dermal decontaminator from the kit, his thumb sliding the toggle to setting two.
The device switches on, casting a blue glow across Kane’s pale skin. Rafael presses the tip to the wound. Any bleeding halts almost instantly, skin knitting together inch by inch.
He watches the seal form—anything to stop his mind from running—until a cool hand settles over his own, braced against Kane’s thigh. Rafael peers up to meet green eyes, crinkled at the corners.
“When I first met you,” Kane begins, “you would’ve let me bleed out if it meant risking an argument.”
A laugh slips from Rafael. “No, I wouldn’t. I’m a nurse.” He pauses, correcting himself. “Well, I was…” His gaze drops to the light of his tool.
Silence settles between them, tense like after his last weapons training.
Kane shifts on the cushions, drawing Rafael’s head back up.
“Don’t worry. I still prefer you patching me up than Dr. Hayashi,” Kane teases.
Instead of warmth, a knot twists in Rafael’s gut.
Is that all he is to the man?
His knuckles turn white around the decontaminator. He could let this go, laugh at his joke, or smile. Only Rafael didn’t come this far to resort to old habits.
“I didn’t come here to be your personal nurse,” Rafael’s voice is soft yet steady. Under his touch, Kane goes rigid.
“I get you’re trying to protect me. And I love you for that. But lately…” He swallows hard. “I’ve felt purposeless. Like I don’t exist beyond these walls. I want to matter. With you.”
Kane’s eyes narrow. “You think I want to keep you locked away?” Rafael winces at the hard edge of his words. “I tried being lenient before—with the crew, the rules. And look where that got us.”
Rafael says nothing. The tension in Kane’s face is clear.
“Fuck,” Kane mutters. “I’m sorry. You don’t deserve to be spoken to like that.” The muscle in his neck twitches.
“I just—Athena’s got an answer for every move I throw at her. She always seems to be one step ahead. Natural Order already has Districts Three and Four. Who knows what they’ll take next?”
He’s never seen the man shaken. Yet Rafael doesn’t flinch, stroking Kane’s thumb with his own.
“There has to be a way to stop her,” he continues. “To win without sacrificing what my uncle built. Without allowing this neighborhood to turn into a hellscape again.” He grits his teeth. “But it’s like she never left, and every instinct I have for leading this crew—I inherited from that man.”
One hand slips beneath his shirt to draw out the purple crystal pendant Rafael’s always seen on Kane but too afraid to ask about.
His fingers grip the edges and split the center. With a click, a thumb-sized holographic image appears. A man who resembles Kane, only shorter, beside a woman with long black hair.
“My uncle, Duke. And my aunt, Tina,” Kane rasps out. “I told you about her once—how she gave up racing, her old life, everyone she loved. All for my uncle.” Rafael nods. “I never expected anyone to do that for me. But you did. You stayed, and I understand everything you left me for.”
He lifts his gaze from the image to Rafael. “But you’re not just someone I’m protecting…you’re who I’m fighting for.”
Rafael’s breath trembles. “I chose you, Kane,” he whispers. “And if this is your world, then I’m here. With you…” His voice cracks. “But I can’t lose you to this war. We’ve only found each other, and I—I can’t bear the thought of letting go.”
The pendant clicks shut, the hologram vanishing.
For a moment, neither spoke, with Kane’s attention fixed on where his aunt and uncle’s image once shimmered.
“I’m not letting you go.” Kane cradles his face with a soft smile. “You’re mine. Selfish or not, I need you here. More than anyone else.”
A cool thumb brushes beneath Rafael’s eye, and only then does he realize his vision has blurred.
“Look at me.” Kane tilts his face until their eyes lock. “This war will end. I’ll end it myself if I have to. I don’t care what it takes. Anyone who tries to come between us will answer for it. I’ll fight for us. For the crew. Always.”