THIRD PERSON POV: 
    Arc bursts into the bathroom, eyes darting to the crumpled figure on the floor- Aurora. His breath catches. For a second, everything stills.
Then he starts moving.
    "Aurora," he calls sharply, his voice a gravelled mix of panic and urgency. He rushes to her side, scooping her into his arms with more gentleness than he thought himself capable of. Her skin is clammy, her lashes trembling slightly against her pale cheeks. She’s still breathing but faintly.
   Jon barrels into the room behind him. "What the hell happened?"
     "She fainted." Arc’s voice is tight. "I just came in and saw Cali banging on the door. She was having a panic attack. By the time I opened the door, she was already unconscious."
    Jon’s eyes narrow as he follows Arc out of the room. They head straight for Arc and Jon’s room down the hall. Jon throws the door open and Arc sets Aurora gently down on the first bed he sees.
    Together, they work in silence at first. Jon dampens a cloth and presses it lightly to her forehead while Arc brushes her hair from her face. Each movement they make is filled with urgency, unspoken fear knitting between them.
   After a few agonizing moments, Aurora stirs. Her lashes flutter open, her lips parting as she gasps softly.
   "Aurora," Jon breathes, relief washing over his features.
    "You’re awake," Arc mutters, eyes flicking over her with barely concealed concern. 
She blinks slowly, her gaze unfocused. "W-what happened…?"
“You passed out,” Jon explains. “But you’re okay now.”
   She barely nods before her eyelids droop again. The exhaustion takes hold.
   “Let her rest,” Arc says softly, pulling the blanket over her.
   As soon as she’s out cold, Jon stands and rounds on Arc, his expression darkening. “What the hell happened in that room?”
   “I told you. She was having a panic attack.” Arc’s voice is low, a storm building beneath. He is already feeling irritated with the unending amount of questions.
   “That’s not good enough,” Jon snaps. “Why? What triggered her?”
    Arc opens his mouth, then closes it. His fists clench. “ I remember telling you that I just entered and saw Cali shouting, right? I don’t know. She locked herself in the bathroom. I broke in as soon as I heard her choking on her breath.”
     Jon swears under his breath and punches the wall, the sound echoing through the room.
    “Careful,” Arc says flatly. “We’ll get kicked out of this hotel.”
At that moment, the door creaks open.
   Cali steps in, her face drawn tight with worry. Her eyes go straight to the bed. The sight of Aurora sleeping soundly seems to ease the tension in her shoulders.
    “Thank God,” she whispers. “She looks better now. At least she's sleeping and not passed out. Thank you both, by the way.” She looks up at Arc and Jon.
    Jon steps toward her. “What happened in that room?”
Cali hesitates, then her jaw tightens.           
    “Celeste. That stupid fake ass bitch. She said something vile to Aurora. About her growing up in foster care. About not having parents. I think it just broke her. I have never seen Aurora so broken. The way the light in her eyes dimmed immediately was alarming.”
Jon’s eyes blaze. “She’s going to pay.”
    “Oh, don’t worry,” Cali says, her tone ice-cold and deceptively calm. “I’m already on it.”
Arc arches a brow. “What does that mean?”
    Cali smiles. But it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Oh, it means by the time I’m done with Celeste, she’ll be questioning why she was ever born.”
Arc and Jon exchange a glance. A rare moment of silent agreement.
****
   Morning light filters into the room, soft and warm. Aurora stirs beneath the covers, blinking herself awake.
    The first thing she notices is that she’s not in her room. The second? Jon and Arc are both passed out on the second bed, limbs awkwardly tangled and backs turned to one another, clearly having tried to maintain distance - unsuccessfully.
She blinks once. Twice.
And then bursts into laughter.
The sound startles both boys awake. Jon bolts upright, hair tousled and eyes wide. Arc grumbles and covers his face with a pillow.
    “Good morning, sunshine and sunset,” Aurora says between giggles as she looks pointedly at each of them.
   “What the hell?” Jon grunts, looking over at Arc like it’s his fault.
  Aurora slides out of bed and saunters toward them, arms crossed. “You two can’t be in the same room without threatening to rip each other’s throats out, yet here you are. Cuddling like besties.”
   Arc’s head shoots up, face flaming. “We were not cuddling.”
   Jon jumps out of bed, looking horrified as he realizes just how close they were. “You’re delusional.”
Aurora laughs harder.
Arc mutters something under his breath and storms into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.
    Jon rubs the back of his neck. “He’s going to be insufferable now.”
Aurora grins, sitting beside him on the bed. “He already was.”
Jon lets out a breath, smile faltering. “Hey. How are you feeling?”
Her expression softens. “Better. I think.”
    He wraps his arm around her, pulling her into a warm hug. She leans into it.
They sit like that in silence for a moment.
    Then Jon pulls back. “I know exactly what you need.” 
Aurora raises a brow. “Oh yeah?”
He smirks. “My mum’s famous apple pie.”
Her eyes widen. “Wait, you mean…?”
    “She lives ten minutes from here,” he says casually. “You need comfort food, and she’ll love meeting you.”
   Aurora suddenly looks nervous. “Are you sure?”
   "Yes, I am, Rory." Aurora raises a brow.
"A nickname?"
   "Why not? It's cute." He squeezes her nose and laughs. She gives him a huge smile while shaking off his hands away from her face.
   "Whatever. But seriously, are you sure it won't be a problem to suddenly show up with a random girl at your mum's house?"
    He opens his mouth to respond when the bathroom door swings open, and Arc steps out, shirt slightly wrinkled, hair damp from a rushed wash.
    “What’s going on?” he asks, tone clipped. His eyes lock onto the closeness between them, his expression unreadable.
Aurora and Jon exchange a glance.
And just like that, the tension is back.