The celebration for Calix and Mica's engagement was supposed to be a sanctuary of laughter and loud music within the walls of Room 413. But with the addition of the "New Variables," the atmosphere was a volatile mix of high-proof joy and dangerous tension.
The Breach of Protocol
[Jay's POV]
Room 413 was packed. The air was thick with the scent of Mamma Serina's catered appetizers and the electric buzz of the Squad. Rory was acting as the self-appointed DJ, blasting a mix of upbeat pop and "Mechanical Puns" songs, while Mayo and Kit were trying to organize a game of "Engineering Charades."
In the corner, the guests of honor, Calix and Mica, were practically glowing. Ella and Rakki were hovering over Mica, admiring the 3D-printed ring under the disco lights Rory had somehow rigged to the ceiling.
"To the new constant!" Erdix shouted, raising a soda can.
"To Calix finally moving from static to kinetic!" David and Ci N cheered in unison.
Then, the door opened. The music didn't stop, but the vibe shifted. Kiara Chen walked in, looking like she was attending a board meeting rather than a party, followed by Yuri Hanamitchi. Yuri's red hair was a sharp, aggressive contrast to the warm lighting. He wasn't carrying a gift; he was carrying an aura of disruption.
"The Prince and his Queen throw a lively party," Yuri drawled, grabbing a drink from the table without asking. "A bit crowded for my taste, but the energy is... interesting."
Keifer didn't move from my side. His hand was a firm, grounding weight on my lower back. "Keep it civil, Hanamitchi. This is a celebration for our friends, not a lab debate."
The Shadow in the Hallway
The party continued for another hour. The Squad was in peak form—Freya was leading a hilarious "roast" of Calix's past dating failures, and the room was filled with the kind of genuine laughter that made the stress of the semester vanish.
"I'll be right back," I whispered to Keifer. "Just going to the restroom."
"Want me to walk you?" he asked, his protective instinct never truly switching off.
"It's ten feet away, Keif. I think I can handle the hallway," I teased, kissing his cheek before slipping through the crowd.
The hallway outside the suite was quiet, the muffled bass of Rory's music thumping through the walls. I splashed some cold water on my face in the bathroom, trying to shake the feeling of being watched that had followed me since Yuri arrived.
As I stepped out and turned the corner back toward 413, a figure blocked my path.
Yuri.
He wasn't smirking anymore. His eyes were dark, intense, and focused solely on me. He had ditched the "cool rival" persona for something much more predatory.
"You know, Jay," he said, stepping into my space, pinning me between his body and the cold dorm wall. "The more I see you with him, the more I realize how much you're holding back. He's a anchor. I'm a rocket. Don't you want to see how high you can actually go?"
"Move, Yuri," I said, my voice cold and steady. "You're drunk or you're delusional. Either way, get out of my way."
"I'm neither," he whispered, his face dropping toward mine. "I'm just impatient."
He reached out, his hand slamming against the wall beside my head, and he lunged forward, trying to force his lips onto mine. I turned my head sharply, his breath hot against my ear, my hands coming up to shove against his chest.
"NO!" I gasped, the word cut off as he grabbed my wrists.
The Watson Strike
[Keifer's POV]
I had a "six-minute rule." Jay had been gone for seven.
I didn't wait for the eighth. I set my drink down and stepped out of 413, my internal alarm system screaming at a frequency I couldn't ignore.
I turned the corner just in time to see Yuri Hanamitchi's red hair bent over Jay, his hands pinning her wrists against the wall.
The world didn't just go cold; it stopped. The "Chill Prince" died in that hallway.
I didn't shout. I didn't warn him. I moved with the silent, lethal velocity of a failing structural beam. I grabbed Yuri by the back of his jacket and his collar, ripping him away from Jay with so much force that he flew backward, crashing into the opposite wall with a sickening thud.
"Keifer!" Jay cried, her voice trembling.
I didn't look at her yet. I was on Yuri before he could draw breath. I had him pinned by the throat against the wall, my forearm pressing into his windpipe.
"I told you," I hissed, my voice a low, terrifying vibration that sounded nothing like me. "I told you what would happen if you touched her. You think your family name protects you here? In this hallway, you're just a variable I'm about to delete."
"Keifer, stop! You'll kill him!" Rory shouted, the door to 413 having burst open as the Squad spilled out into the hall.
The Squad's Wall
[Jay's POV]
The hallway was suddenly full of people. Calix and David rushed to Keifer's side, not to help him fight, but to pull him back before he did something he couldn't take back. Freya, Mica, and Ella surrounded me in a heartbeat, forming a physical shield.
"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Mica asked, her eyes fierce with protective rage.
"I'm fine," I breathed, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Keifer got here in time."
Kiara Chen stood at the edge of the crowd, her face unreadable, watching Yuri struggle for air under Keifer's grip. She didn't move to help him.
"Let him go, Keifer," I said, stepping forward and placing my hand on Keifer's tensed arm. "He's not worth it. Look at me. I'm okay."
Keifer's eyes were bloodshot, his jaw so tight I thought it might shatter. Slowly, painfully, he uncurled his fingers from Yuri's throat. Yuri slumped to the floor, coughing and gasping, his red hair messy and damp with sweat.
"Get out," Keifer said, the words dripping with a cold, absolute authority. "If I see you within ten feet of my fiancée again—in class, in the lab, or in this hallway—I will ensure Hanamitchi Heavy Industries loses every contract they have with the Watson Group. And that's the kind version of what I'll do."
"You heard the man!" Rory snapped, stepping forward with Erdix and Kit. "The party is over for you, Red. Take your 'Iceberg' and vanish before we decide to show you how Engineering students handle trash."
Yuri looked up, his hazel eyes finally showing a flicker of genuine fear. He scrambled to his feet, Kiara trailing behind him with a look of profound disappointment, and they disappeared into the elevator.