Elijah, despite the bandages constricting his movements and the pain etched on his face, attempted to rise from the bed. His grip on Ash's hand tightened, his body tense as he struggled to get up.
"No, stop!" Ash quickly pressed his hands against Elijah's chest, urging him to stay down. "You need to rest. Your injuries are serious."
But Elijah shook his head stubbornly, his eyes fixed on Ash's with a familiar intensity. "No…You'll leave if I don't."
Ash's heart clenched at those words, and he swallowed hard. "I'm not going anywhere," he promised. "Just…just rest, please."
Elijah looked at him for a long moment, their eyes locking again. For a second, the entire world seemed to fall away, leaving only the two of them, tethered to one another by invisible strings. The air between them feTheir hearts, though bruised and battered, were still connected—no matter how much time or distance had separated them.
