For the first time in a long time, Daniel didn't feel the need to hide behind his cold mask.
He felt… something else.
Something warmer.
Something real.
And that was exactly what unsettled him.
.....
The warmth didn't fade when the room went quiet.
If anything, it settled deeper.
Daniel lay there for a while after their conversation had dissolved into silence, Ethan's arm still loosely wrapped around him, their legs tangled beneath the sheets like neither of them had fully decided to let go.
He should've moved.
Should've put distance between them. Rebuilt that careful space he always kept between himself and everyone else.
But he didn't.
Instead, his fingers idly traced the edge of Ethan's sleeve, barely noticeable, like even that small action felt like crossing some invisible line.
Ethan noticed anyway.
"Careful," he murmured without opening his eyes. "You keep doing that, I'm going to think you like me."
Daniel snorted softly. "Don't flatter yourself."
Ethan's lips curved slightly. "Too late for that."
Daniel rolled his eyes, but he didn't stop.
That was the problem.
He didn't stop.
.....
Time passed in that slow, quiet way that only happens when nothing is demanding your attention.
No alarms.
No obligations.
No expectations.
Just the soft rhythm of breathing, the faint hum of the outside world beyond the window, and the unfamiliar comfort of not being alone.
Daniel wasn't used to it.
And the longer he stayed, the more he realized;
He didn't hate it.
That realization sat heavier than anything else.
...
"You're thinking again."
Ethan's voice was quieter this time, less teasing, more certain.
Daniel didn't even bother denying it.
"Always."
Ethan shifted slightly, lifting his head just enough to look at him. "You planning your escape already?"
Daniel glanced at him. "Should I be?"
Ethan held his gaze for a second, something unreadable flickering there.
Then he smirked. "Too late now."
Daniel raised an eyebrow. "That sounds ominous."
"It should," Ethan said lightly, then nudged him with his shoulder. "You took the day off. That's a big deal for you, right?"
Daniel exhaled slowly. "You have no idea."
"I think I do," Ethan said. "You look like someone who'd show up to class half-dead just to prove a point."
Daniel didn't respond.
Which, again, was answer enough.
Ethan's expression softened just slightly.
"Then don't ruin it," he said. "Stay."
Daniel hesitated.
Not because he wanted to leave.
But because staying felt like… something more.
Something he didn't have a name for yet.
"…I am staying," he said finally, quieter than before.
Ethan smiled, not teasing this time.
Just… pleased.
....
The quiet didn't last.
It never did with Ethan.
"Okay," Ethan said suddenly, pushing himself up. "I'm hungry."
Daniel groaned immediately. "That sounds like a you problem."
"It's about to be a you problem," Ethan shot back, grabbing the blanket and tugging it away.
Daniel instantly grabbed it back. "Don't;"
"Sharing is caring."
"I don't care."
Ethan grinned, leaning over him. "You're very grumpy for someone who just admitted he's staying."
"I didn't admit anything."
"You literally said;"
"I said I'm not leaving. That's different."
Ethan blinked at him. "That's the same thing."
"It's not."
"It is."
"It's not."
Ethan stared at him for a beat… then laughed.
"Wow," he said. "You're impossible."
"And yet," Daniel muttered, pulling the blanket tighter around himself, "you're still here."
Ethan's smile lingered.
"Yeah," he said softly. "I am."
....
Somewhere between the arguing and the quiet moments that followed, Daniel found himself watching Ethan again.
Not intentionally.
Just… noticing.
The way he moved easily around the room.
The way he didn't seem to carry the same weight Daniel did.
The way he kept glancing back; like he was making sure Daniel hadn't disappeared.
Why does that matter to him?
The thought came uninvited.
And stayed.
...
"Stop staring."
Daniel blinked. "I wasn't."
Ethan turned, raising an eyebrow. "You were."
"I was thinking."
"About me."
Daniel scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous."
Ethan walked closer, slower this time, that familiar confidence settling back into his posture.
"Then what were you thinking about?" he asked.
Daniel held his gaze.
He could lie.
He should lie.
Instead;
"…Nothing important."
Ethan hummed, clearly unconvinced.
But he didn't push.
Not this time.
...
When Ethan climbed back onto the bed, the shift in the mattress was subtle, but the energy wasn't.
Daniel felt it immediately.
That same pull.
That same quiet tension that hadn't fully disappeared since the night before.
Ethan leaned closer, not quite touching, but close enough that Daniel could feel the warmth radiating from him.
"You're still recovering?" Ethan asked, voice low, almost teasing again.
Daniel exhaled slowly. "You say that like it's surprising."
than smiled faintly. "Just checking."
Daniel turned his head slightly, their faces closer now.
"Checking what?"
Ethan didn't answer right away.
His eyes flicked down briefly, then back up.
"Whether you'd stop me if I did this again."
Daniel's breath caught...
Just slightly.
Just enough.
"…You're unbelievable," he muttered.
Ethan's grin returned. "That's not a no."
Daniel should've pushed him away.
Should've said something sharp, something dismissive.
Instead, he just said;
"Don't push your luck."
Ethan leaned in a fraction closer.
"Too late."
And just like that....
The quiet day Daniel thought he'd have?
Was already slipping out of his control.
Again.
But this time,
He didn't stop it...