Axel woke up the next morning feeling lighter than yesterday. His head wasn't throbbing anymore, and the fever had faded to something almost unnoticeable. The kind of sick where you could still drag yourself through the day without anyone asking too many questions. He stood in front of the mirror for a long moment, checking if he looked presentable. His dark hair was messy, his skin a little pale, but nothing too bad. A hoodie would cover that up. He'd survived worse. School wasn't exactly where he wanted to be, but staying home meant staying in his head, and right now his head wasn't the safest place to linger. By the time he slipped into his first class, Noah was already there. As if he'd been waiting. He always had this way of making it seem like he hadn't planned anything, like coincidence just worked in his favor. But Axel had started noticing the details Noah sliding his chair a little closer, the way his eyes softened when they landed on him.
"Water?" Noah asked the second Axel sat down. Without waiting, he slid a bottle across the desk. The cap had already been loosened.
Axel blinked at him. "Didn't even say good morning first?"
"Priorities." Noah smirked. "You look better today, though."
Something about that simple observation made Axel's stomach do an odd flip. He twisted the cap and took a sip, keeping his eyes on the desk so he wouldn't have to meet Noah's. "Guess I didn't drop dead overnight. Good news."
"Tragic," Noah deadpanned, but his grin gave him away.
Their banter flowed easier now. Not the halting, awkward thing it used to be. Somewhere between the fight in the hallway, the bathroom, and Noah showing up at his house, the tension had shifted into something else. Still sharp around the edges, but not unbearable. Like both of them had silently decided it wasn't worth pretending there wasn't something here. When class ended, Axel was packing up slowly when Amy came over. She had her usual bright energy, her glossy hair tucked behind one ear, and a little tilt to her smile that always made people pay attention.
"Hey, Axel," she said, a bit softer than her normal tone. "You doing okay? You were out yesterday."
"Yeah. Just sick." Axel adjusted the strap of his bag. "Better now."
"That's good." She reached into her bag and held out a small packet of honey lozenges. "These help when your throat's sore. I figured you know, just in case."
For a second, Axel froze. No one ever… thought about things like that for him. It wasn't much, but it caught him off guard. He accepted them slowly. "Thanks."
"No problem," Amy said brightly, her smile warming. She brushed a strand of hair back, hesitated like she wanted to say more, then gave him a little wave before slipping out of the room.
When Axel looked up, Noah was leaning against the desk, one eyebrow raised.
"What?" Axel muttered.
"Nothing." Noah's voice was light, teasing. "Just didn't know you were out here collecting gifts."
Axel rolled his eyes. "It's just lozenges."
"Mm." Noah pushed off the desk, close enough that his shoulder brushed Axel's as they walked out together. "Still. Guess I'll have to step up my game."
It was a joke, obviously. But Axel couldn't ignore how it sent a strange, restless heat crawling up his neck. He shoved the lozenges into his hoodie pocket like they didn't mean anything at all. By lunch, he was tired in that lingering-sickness way, but the cafeteria noise filled the gaps in his chest that silence usually hollowed out. Jasmine was already there, gossiping with Javier, and waved them over. Noah dropped into the seat beside Axel without hesitation, their knees brushing under the table. Axel didn't move away. The conversation around them was easy background noise, full of teasing and exaggerated stories. Every now and then, Noah would lean closer to comment under his breath little observations only Axel could hear. It made Axel feel like there was a thread tying them together, invisible but impossible to ignore. Amy passed by once, tossing a small smile their way before sitting at another table. Noah's gaze followed briefly, unreadable, then returned to Axel like nothing had changed. By the time the final bell rang, Axel's body was heavier again, but his chest felt strangely lighter. As they packed up, Noah glanced at him.
"Need a ride home?" he asked casually.
"I'll walk," Axel said quickly. The idea of Noah in his space again made his pulse do something unsteady.
Noah didn't push. He just nodded, slipping his bag over one shoulder. "Call me if you get worse."
Axel scoffed. "I'm not dying."
"Still. Call." Noah's eyes caught his for a moment, serious in a way that made it hard to breathe.
Walking home, Axel pulled the lozenges out of his pocket, staring at the little packet in his hand. Amy's kindness lingered, but it was Noah's words, Noah's closeness, Noah's quiet insistence that he call, that replayed in his head. He tucked the lozenges away again and shoved his hands deep into his hoodie. The sickness might be fading, but something else something far more dangerous was taking its place.
Something he wasn't ready to name.