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Aiko & Heeseung
The procedure had begun.
The first vial filled slowly, the deep crimson curling through the tube like a lazy river. It dripped with a strange calm into the glass container, steady and consistent. And then the next. And the next.
Vial after vial, like ticking moments.
Aiko laid back against the pillow, her body still, one arm outstretched on the metal armrest where the IV was secured. The coldness of the room had faded into a dull, distant thing. Her hand felt... numb now. Not painful. Not yet. But the tingle was growing like tiny ants crawling up her arm.
She tried not to focus on that.
"Are you okay?" Heeseung asked for maybe the fifth time in a minute, his voice tight but gentle, his eyes fixed on her like she might vanish the second he blinked.
She turned her head toward him, smiling faintly. "You're hovering."
"I am not hovering," he muttered, clearly hovering. "I'm checking on you."
"You're worse than a mother hen."
"Hen or not, I'd prefer you not pass out mid-blood-drain."
She laughed softly, but even the chuckle sounded a little airy. "I'm okay. Promise."
Heeseung didn't believe her, not really. Not with the way her lips were already paler than usual. But he nodded anyway and leaned forward, brushing a stray hair away from her eyes. "How's your hand?"
"Numb," she admitted. "Feels like someone else's hand now."
"That's not disturbing at all," he deadpanned, trying to make her laugh again.
And it worked—barely. She smiled, looking over at him. His eyes were red at the corners. He'd barely slept. Maybe none of them had.
Behind them, Jungwon and Yuna worked seamlessly, their movements practiced and fast. Yuna switched out full vials one by one, handing them to Jungwon who carefully labeled each and passed a fresh one back.
"Fourteen down," Yuna murmured under her breath. "Still stable."
Aiko let her head roll to the side again, eyes closing for a brief moment.
"Hey," Heeseung said, giving her hand a soft squeeze. "Don't close your eyes. You can sleep later, after you save the world."
Her eyelids fluttered open again. "You make it sound so dramatic."
"It is dramatic. You're lying on a bed giving away nearly half your blood. That's not normal girlboss behavior, that's like... full-on superhero territory."
"I'm not a superhero," she said quietly.
"You are to me," he whispered.
Aiko turned her head to look at him again, and this time her eyes were a little glassy. She didn't say anything right away, just stared at him like she was trying to memorize every part of his face.
