Stumbling around his dorm in the dark, Jake tried to stay quiet as he rushed to get ready. He’d hit snooze on accident. Monday mornings were the worst.

Technically, he still had plenty of time to make it to class, but waking up late meant he didn’t get to chat with Damien and that was always the highlight of his day. 

Snatching his bag, Jake jogged down the hallway. Shouldering the door open out of habit, he cringed at the pressure on his bruises, simultaneously pulling his messenger bag over his head. The door hadn’t even closed behind him when he smacked straight into someone. 

The fear that flashed through his body was instantaneous. No one was safe here. But instead of the expected violence, the other person helped steady him, gently holding onto his waist. 

“Good morning, sunshine.” Damien’s deep voice was soft, breath tickling his ear.

Entirely confused, Jake peered up, blinking several times as his brain tried to catch up. 

“Morning? Why are you here?” He realized how rude it sounded after it had slipped out. 

“Figured I’d walk with you to class,” Damien said, smiling as they headed down the sidewalk. 

It was a peaceful morning, dew drops still clinging to the grass. The few people around were sleepily headed into buildings, sipping coffee as they went. 

“How’s your shoulder?” Damien asked, breaking their comfortable silence.

“It’s fine.” 

It was such a normal response that Jake didn’t even realize he’d said it until Damien frowned at him. Right. He actually cared. 

“It’s still sore but it’ll be okay in a few days,” Jake amended. “At least I don’t need that one.”

“You… what?” 

“Too early for jokes for you.” Jake laughed under his breath. “It’s my right shoulder, so it’s not like I’m doing any heavy lifting, right?” He waved his partial limb over to emphasize his point. 

A few moments passed by before Damien responded. 

“You’re okay with jokes like that?” 

“Umm, sort of?” Wrapping his arm around his torso, Jake shrugged. “I guess it’s a recent development. Sort of me… normalizing it to myself?” 

It looked like Damien wanted to say something, but he kept it to himself as they stepped into their building. 

As they walked down the hallway side by side, Jake couldn’t help feeling jumpy. He thought he’d made it clear to Damien what the possible consequences of being near him were, but that meant he was making an informed decision by sticking around. That was sweet and stressful all wrapped into one big ball of emotions. 

Settling into their normal seats, they were still the first ones despite running late. Jake set up his tablet, watching Damien out of the corner of his eye. 

“You’re really quiet this morning, Damien. Is everything okay?” 

Damien startled a little, turning to face Jake. “Yeah. There was just… a lot this weekend. I’m still processing everything.”

“Immediate, in-depth processing.” Jake snorted. “That must be nice.” 

“Do you… not do that?” 

“Some of us have ‘delayed processing after copious amounts of denial.’ It’s fun. You should try it some time.” 

The dry humor seemed to work for a second, Damien’s laughter echoing around the room, but he quickly fell silent again. 

“So—” Damien hesitated, running his hand through his hair. “I tried to look up what you told me about the scholarships but I couldn’t find anything about it.” 

All the air left Jake’s lungs. He hadn’t expected Damien to look into it. This conversation was not a good one to have on campus, either. 

“Is there a reason you know about it?” 

Apparently he wasn’t going to let it drop, either. 

Shoulders tensed, Jake stared at the chair in front of him. “I used to have a scholarship.” He hoped Damien heard him because he wasn’t going to repeat himself. 

“I see.” 

The words were soft, but it was the gentle squeeze on his knee that made Jake finally glance over. Damien’s smile was distracted, but at least there was no shock or pity in his eyes. 

As other students began filtering into the classroom, they fell silent once more. Regret twinged through Jake’s chest. It would be so much easier if Damien knew everything. He wanted Damien to know. But Damien’s safety was more important than what he wanted. He had to keep his priorities straight.