CHAPTER FIFTEEN:UNPREDICTED CARE
1818 Words
By the time the applause in the competition hall died down, Adrian was running entirely on sheer willpower.
Kai noticed it immediately.
To everyone else, Adrian still looked composed—his expression cool, posture mostly steady, the sharp precision that defined him still firmly in place.
But Kai had spent enough time around him now to catch the smaller tells.
The slight stiffness in the way Adrian held his right arm.
The almost imperceptible tightening of his jaw every time he shifted.
The faint paleness beneath his usually controlled expression.
He was in pain.
And somehow, that bothered Kai far more than it should have.
The official results had barely been posted before students swarmed around the finalists.
Congratulations echoed across the hall.
Questions were thrown at them from every direction.
Maya appeared first, grinning like she’d personally orchestrated their victory.
“Well, well,” she said, crossing her arms. “Second place. Not bad for two people who looked ready to kill each other at the start of the semester.”
Kai smirked faintly.
“We’re still ready.”
“Speak for yourself,” Adrian said dryly.
Maya’s grin widened.
“Oh, definitely married.”
Kai choked.
“What?”
She gestured vaguely between them.
“The bickering. The synchronized problem-solving. The way Kai practically dragged you here like an overprotective spouse.”
Kai’s face heated instantly.
“I was not overprotective.”
“You absolutely were.”
Adrian, traitor that he was, said nothing.
The slight twitch at the corner of his mouth only made Kai glare harder.
Then Professor Hale approached, effectively dispersing the crowd.
“Excellent recovery,” he said, his sharp gaze resting briefly on Adrian.
“You were nearly disqualified.”
Kai opened his mouth to explain.
Adrian cut in smoothly.
“It won’t happen again.”
Professor Hale studied him for a moment, then nodded.
“See that it doesn’t. Final round preparations begin tomorrow morning.”
With that, he walked away.
Kai turned immediately to Adrian.
“You need to sit down.”
Adrian arched a brow.
“I’m standing.”
“Barely.”
“I’m perfectly capable—”
He stopped abruptly as his expression tightened.
A sharp flash of pain crossed his face.
Kai’s stomach dropped.
Without hesitation, he stepped closer and caught Adrian’s elbow.
That single action drew a fresh round of stares.
And, inevitably, whispers.
“Oh my God.”
“They’re doing it again.”
“No, this is worse.”
“They’re acting like an old married couple.”
Kai heard every word.
His face burned.
He looked up to find at least six students openly staring.
One of them was already furiously typing on their phone.
Wonderful.
The confession page would have a field day.
Adrian sighed.
“We should leave.”
For once, Kai didn’t argue.
He tightened his grip slightly and steered Adrian toward the exit.
“Come on.”
---
The walk back to Adrian’s dorm was slower than usual.
Not because Adrian complained—he didn’t.
He remained frustratingly silent, even as Kai could feel the occasional stiffness in his movements.
Kai kept glancing sideways at him.
It was deeply annoying.
He’d never been this aware of another person before.
Every shift in Adrian’s posture.
Every controlled breath.
Every tiny sign of discomfort.
It made something restless settle heavily in his chest.
When they finally reached the dorm, Kai pushed the door open and immediately set Adrian’s bag down by the desk.
“Sit.”
Adrian looked faintly amused.
“You’re very commanding today.”
Kai crossed his arms.
“You’re injured.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“Then stop being difficult.”
Adrian’s lips twitched.
And to Kai’s immense surprise, he obeyed without protest, sitting carefully on the edge of his bed.
Kai stared for a moment.
“You actually listened.”
“I’m injured, not irrational.”
“That’s debatable.”
Adrian gave him a long look.
“Says the person who nearly tackled me in the competition hall.”
Kai sputtered.
“That was strategic support.”
“It looked emotional.”
“It was not emotional.”
Adrian’s expression remained maddeningly unreadable.
“Of course.”
Kai threw a pillow at him.
Adrian caught it with his good arm.
“Violence is hardly appropriate bedside manner.”
“You’re impossible.”
“And yet you’re still here.”
The words landed softly between them.
Kai froze.
Because Adrian was right.
The competition was over for the day.
He had no obligation to stay.
He could leave right now.
And yet…
He didn’t want to.
The realization unsettled him enough that he immediately looked away.
“I’m making tea.”
Adrian’s mouth curved faintly.
“Avoidance.”
“Hydration.”
---
The afternoon unfolded in a strange kind of domestic peace.
Kai made tea.
Adrian complained that he used too much sugar.
Kai informed him that his taste buds were clearly defective.
Adrian retaliated by criticizing his entirely reasonable method of arranging biscuits on a plate.
Kai accused him of being born eighty years old.
And through it all, the sharp edges of their rivalry softened into something lighter.
Easier.
At one point, Kai carefully reapplied Adrian’s ice pack.
Adrian watched him in silence.
Kai was focused, his brow furrowed in concentration as he adjusted the pack against Adrian’s shoulder.
The proximity felt strangely intimate.
Too intimate.
Neither commented on it.
Neither moved away.
Kai finally stepped back.
“There.”
Adrian flexed his fingers experimentally.
“It helps.”
Kai nodded.
Then, because the silence suddenly felt dangerous, he muttered—
“Don’t get sentimental.”
Adrian’s expression smoothed.
“I wasn’t.”
“Good.”
“Though your concern is touching.”
Kai rolled his eyes.
“Say one more word and I’m leaving.”
Adrian leaned back against the pillows.
“Coward.”
Kai gasped dramatically.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
Kai narrowed his eyes.
Then launched another pillow.
Adrian, unprepared this time, took it directly to the face.
For one stunned second, silence filled the room.
Then Adrian slowly lowered the pillow.
And looked at Kai with calculated menace.
“Oh, you’ve made a mistake.”
Kai grinned.
“Try me.”
What followed was neither dignified nor remotely mature.
Because despite Adrian’s injured shoulder, he retaliated with his left hand.
And within moments, an all-out pillow fight had erupted across the immaculate dorm.
Kai laughed as he ducked another attack.
Adrian’s perfectly made bed was ruined.
Pillows flew in every direction.
At some point Kai tripped over the rug and nearly crashed into the desk.
Adrian caught him instinctively.
And suddenly—
Everything stopped.
Kai’s hands braced against Adrian’s chest.
Adrian’s good arm was wrapped firmly around Kai’s waist to steady him.
They were very, very close.
Too close.
Kai could hear Adrian’s breathing.
Could feel the warmth of his hand through his shirt.
Neither moved.
Neither spoke.
The laughter faded into charged silence.
Kai’s pulse hammered painfully.
Adrian’s expression had gone unreadable, but his grip remained firm.
For one suspended second, the air between them felt impossibly thin.
Then Kai stepped back abruptly.
“I—”
He cleared his throat.
“The tea’s probably cold.”
Adrian slowly lowered his arm.
“Yes.”
Neither acknowledged what had just happened.
Neither knew how.
---
Later that evening, Kai sprawled across Adrian’s desk chair while Adrian rested against the headboard.
Kai scrolled absentmindedly through his phone.
Then groaned.
“What now?” Adrian asked.
Kai turned the screen toward him.
The Ravenscroft Confession Page had updated.
BREAKING: Blackwood and Vale have evolved beyond courtship. Sources confirm they are now behaving like a bickering married couple.
Attached was a blurry photo of Kai helping Adrian into the dorm earlier.
The comments were relentless.
They’re literally husbands.
This isn’t dating. This is seven years of marriage and unresolved communication issues.
Someone get them counseling.
Adrian read silently.
Then, to Kai’s disbelief, laughed.
Actually laughed.
Kai stared.
“You find this funny?”
“It’s absurd.”
“They think we’re married.”
“Yes.”
“That doesn’t bother you?”
Adrian considered.
“Should it?”
Kai opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Because he wasn’t entirely sure.
Adrian looked at him carefully.
“Does it bother you?”
The question settled heavily between them.
Kai’s heartbeat quickened.
The honest answer felt far too complicated.
So he defaulted to irritation.
“It’s ridiculous.”
“Agreed.”
And yet neither looked away.
Neither fully dismissed it.
Kai broke eye contact first.
“This school is insane.”
Adrian hummed.
“Probably.”
---
As evening deepened into night, their victory finally began to settle.
They had made it through round one.
Against all odds.
Against injury, exhaustion, and every rumor the academy had thrown at them.
Kai leaned back in the chair.
“We really got second.”
Adrian nodded.
“We did.”
Kai smiled faintly.
“Not bad for forced partners.”
“Not bad at all.”
A comfortable silence followed.
Then Adrian spoke quietly.
“Thank you.”
Kai blinked.
“For what?”
“For today.”
His voice was calm, but something about it felt unusually sincere.
“You could’ve let me fail.”
Kai frowned.
“That was never an option.”
Adrian’s gaze lingered on him.
“Why?”
The question caught him off guard.
Why?
Because Adrian was infuriating.
Arrogant.
Impossible.
And somehow, despite all of that, Kai couldn’t stand seeing him hurt.
Couldn’t walk away.
Couldn’t stop caring.
The realization made his chest tighten.
He looked away.
“Because losing to you in the finals would be much more satisfying.”
Adrian stared.
Then huffed a quiet laugh.
“Liar.”
Kai smirked.
“Maybe.”
Adrian shook his head.
But he was smiling.
And somehow, seeing that smile felt more satisfying than their victory itself.
---
When Kai finally stood to leave, the room had gone quiet again.
The kind of quiet that seemed to carry too many unspoken things.
At the door, he hesitated.
“Get some rest.”
Adrian nodded.
“You too.”
Kai reached for the handle.
Then paused.
And glanced back.
Adrian was watching him.
Something unreadable in his expression.
For one brief moment, neither moved.
Neither spoke.
Then Kai gave a short nod and left.
The door clicked shut behind him.
And as he walked back through the dim academy halls, one thought refused to leave him.
The rivalry between them was changing.
Blurring into something neither of them understood.
Something neither was ready to confront.
But as the whispers of “married couple” echoed through the halls behind him, Kai couldn’t deny the strange warmth curling low in his chest.
And somewhere inside Adrian’s dorm, staring at the closed door long after Kai had gone, Adrian felt it too.
- Writer
