"No," Ivy said, playing with a loose thread on her coat. "I'm not choosing. I'm... pausing."
"Pausing?" Stone asked, blinking.
"I just survived a void, an explosion, and a Dean who eats feelings," Ivy said, gesturing to the room. "And you three..." She looked at them. "You're all great. Jax is fun. Stone is... surprisingly sturdy. Rook is Rook."
"I am the moment," Rook agreed.
"But I am exhausted," Ivy concluded. "I don't have the bandwidth for a boyfriend. Let alone three potential ones. I can barely keep my own shoes tied."
"So... friend-zoned?" Jax asked, looking amused rather than disappointed.
"Team-zoned," Ivy corrected. "We fought together. We survived together. That means something. We're a unit. But right now? The only thing I want to commit to is a nap. And maybe a very large pizza."
Stone let out a breath he seemed to have been holding. His shoulders relaxed. "A unit. I can work with that. Defined parameters. No unexpected... romantic variables."
"Don't get too comfortable, Officer," Ivy warned, pointing a finger at him. "I'm still going to annoy you. It’s in my job description."
"I expect nothing less," Stone said, and a ghost of a smile touched his lips. It wasn't much, but it was there.
"And I still expect chocolates," Ivy added, patting the pile on the table. "As tribute. For my friendship."
"Ongoing tribute," Rook nodded. "Standard alliance tax."
"Deal," Jax declared. "I prefer the chase anyway."
Ivy rolled her eyes, but she looked relieved. The tension in the room broke, replaced by something easier. Lighter.
"Okay," she said, kicking off her shoes. "Now that the diplomatic crisis is diverted... scoot over. I'm stealing the bed."
"It's a single bed," Stone pointed out. "There are four of us."
"And?" Ivy raised an eyebrow. "Adapt, Officer. Overcome."
She climbed in, wedging herself between Rook (who refused to move) and Jax (who was laughing). Stone sighed, the long-suffering sigh of a man who knew he had lost control of his life, and sat back in the chair, keeping watch.
It wasn't a romance. Not yet.
But looking at them—bickering, laughing, sharing space in a sterile hospital room—it looked like a start.
I turned to my guys. Rhett looked confused. Kai looked impressed.
"Did she just... friend-zone three superpowers?" Rhett whispered.
"She 'Team-Zoned' them," Kai corrected. "It's a power move. I respect it."
"Come on," Lucien said, steering us toward the door. "Let's leave them to their... negotiations."
As we walked out, I heard Ivy's voice one last time.
"Okay, serious question. If we formed a band, who plays bass? Stone has bassist energy."
"I play the cello," Stone stated.
"Nerd," Jax coughed.
We closed the door, cutting off the argument.
I leaned against the wall in the hallway, laughing.
