The next morning Axel joined his parents at the breakfast table, the clink of silverware on porcelain filling the otherwise stiff silence. He had barely touched his toast when Sofia, the housekeeper who had been with their family for years, walked in with a pot of tea.
"How are you feeling today, Axel?" she asked warmly, her eyes lingering on him longer than usual.
His father's fork paused mid-air. His mother blinked sharply. "Feeling? Were you unwell?"
Axel's jaw tightened. He hadn't wanted this conversation. "It's nothing. Just a fever yesterday. I stayed in."
"You were sick and didn't say anything?" His mother's tone teetered between reproach and disbelief.
Axel laughed humorlessly. "Would it have made a difference if I had told you? Work always comes first for you two."
The words landed heavy, slicing through the polished air of the dining room. His father bristled, lips parting like he wanted to argue, but nothing came out. His mother pressed her napkin to her lap, face stiff with something between guilt and denial. Axel stood abruptly, pushing his chair back. "I'm fine now. That's all that matters, right?" Without waiting for a response, he grabbed his bag and walked out, the silence he left behind louder than any shouting could have been.
At school, Javier waved him down the hallway. "Axel! My guy looks alive again."
Axel shot him a look. "Barely."
But the corner of his mouth betrayed him with a twitch. Javier's easy energy had a way of cutting through heaviness. By the time Axel slid into his first class, Noah was already there. And, like always, it was the little things that made Axel feel seen. Today it was the water bottle already sitting on his desk, cap twisted loose.
He blinked. "Is this… yours?"
"Why? You want me to get sick too?" Noah smirked, chin propped on his hand. "Relax. I haven't touched it since yesterday."
Still, Axel hesitated before lifting it, the thought prickling at him. Indirect kiss. He tried to shove it away, but his ears betrayed him by warming.
"Thanks," he muttered, finally drinking.
Noah didn't tease him further, but the glint in his eye said he knew exactly what had just happened inside Axel's head. By lunch, Amy dropped by their table, sliding Axel a small box of fruit. "Still getting better, right? This has vitamin C. Helps a lot."
"Uh… thanks," Axel said, taken off guard again. She gave him a bright smile before heading off.
When he glanced up, Noah was already watching him with that raised-brow look.
"What now?" Axel muttered.
"Nothing," Noah said smoothly, though his grin gave him away. "Guess I should start packing you a lunchbox if I want to keep up."
Axel groaned and shoved the fruit into his bag, but the restless heat in his chest refused to go away. After school, Luca was waiting near the gates in his usual bold outfit cropped sweater, bright colors, and a grin that lit him up like neon.
"Axel! You're alive!" He looped his arm through Axel's without hesitation. "Come with me, yeah? I've been dying to show you this little spot. Totally LGBTQ friendly, super chill. My treat."
Axel raised a brow. "What kind of spot?"
"You'll see." Luca winked. "Don't be a coward."
Javier, lingering nearby, overheard and smirked. "Sounds dangerous. I'm coming too."
So the three of them ended up heading across town to a café-bar hybrid that glowed with soft rainbow lights strung across the ceiling. The air smelled like coffee and sugar, with faint pop music humming from the speakers. A mix of students, young adults, and couples filled the space, laughter and conversation blending together in an easy buzz.
For the first time, Axel didn't feel like an outsider here.
They claimed a booth near the window. Luca was in his element chatting easily, flipping his hair, making jokes that had Javier laughing despite himself. Axel mostly watched, quiet but not uncomfortable.
Until it happened.
A guy, maybe eighteen or nineteen, swaggered over to their table. His eyes locked on Luca. "Hey, pretty boy. You here alone?"
Luca rolled his eyes. "Not interested."
The guy smirked. "Come on, don't be like that. I'll buy you a drink."
"I said no," Luca snapped, shifting uncomfortably.
Before Axel could rise, Javier was already on his feet. "He said no. Back off."
The stranger sneered. "What, his boyfriend?"
"Doesn't matter who I am. You heard him." Javier's voice was sharp, protective in a way Axel hadn't heard before. The guy muttered something under his breath but eventually walked off, glaring.
Luca exhaled shakily, offering Javier a grateful smile. "Thanks. Some people just don't understand boundaries."
Javier sat back down, a bit flustered himself. "No problem. Don't let idiots ruin your day."
Axel, who had stepped away briefly to wash his hands, returned just in time to catch Luca looking at Javier with a softness he hadn't seen before.
"What did I miss?" Axel asked, sliding into the booth.
"Nothing," Luca said quickly, cheeks faintly pink. "Just… ordered more fries."
But the look Javier shot him across the table said otherwise. Something unspoken had shifted. And as Axel bit into a fry, watching Luca and Javier's subtle glances, he realized this night had carved a quiet crack in all their walls. A shift. A ripple. Something that couldn't be taken back.