Choosing different routes to class for a few days seemed to be paying off. Jake kept his guard up, prepared for violence at every turn, but his attackers had been laying off him recently. It was only a matter of time before he got tagged again, though. 

Packing up their bags after Lit class, Damien peered over at him. “You seem a little tense. Are you okay?” 

“I’m just… stressing.” Jake winced at the understatement, knowing full well that Damien could read that much from his face. 

“Jake…” Damien ran his fingers through his hair, leaving the strands in disarray. 

“Not here,” Jake cut him off unceremoniously. “Maybe ask me later.” 

Squeezing his elbow, Damien shot him a pained smile as they went their separate ways for the day. Although there were a few minor incidents in the hallways, Jake made it to his next class relatively unscathed. It seemed too easy. Mages wouldn’t just give up like that. And that’s what had him the most worried. 

————————

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Jake smacked his forehead against the coffee table. Behind him, Damien had taken over the whole couch, his notes spread out in a color coded disaster.  

“Learning through forced osmosis?” Damien asked, barely glancing up.

Glaring dramatically, Jake huffed out a sigh. “You think you have jokes.” 

Carefully moving some of his notes out of the way, Damien scooted closer. He rested one hand on Jake’s back, peering over his shoulder at the questions on the screen. 

“If this was anything other than your Accounting class, I could probably help with this,” Damien grumbled. 

“Yes, you’re so smart. Flaunt your intelligence somewhere else, you show off.” 

When Damien laughed, Jake relaxed a little, a tiny bit of his frustration easing. It was such a relief to have someone he could trust. That he appreciated his quirky humor was just a perk. 

“I honestly thought I understood it in class, but I just got all these practice questions wrong and I don’t know why. Why?” He stretched the last word out, going back to slowly thumping his head on the table. 

Long fingers slipped around his upper arms and Jake immediately stilled, heart beating erratically in his chest. Shifting behind him, Damien rested his chin on Jake’s shoulder, wrapping him in a hug. 

“Why don’t you take a break for a few minutes?”

His hushed voice sent chills down Jake’s spine. Half afraid to move – not wanting to break the spell – Jake only nodded. The gentle intimacy of the moment was a much-needed reassurance after the prior year. A reminder that not everyone wanted him gone. 

They stayed there for a few minutes before Damien broke the silence, his voice barely above a whisper. “Jake, do I make you uncomfortable?” 

Jake let out a quiet, breathy laugh. “No. I’m just awkward.” 

He felt Damien smile against his neck, nuzzling even closer in the stillness that surrounded them.

“Okay, good. You can be awkward. I don’t mind.” Damien let out a quiet yawn. “Might have to be done with homework for the night, though. I’mma fall asleep right here.” 

“You’re gonna hurt yourself if you fall asleep there.” He twisted around in Damien’s arms so they were facing each other. “C’mon,” he said gently, reaching up to brush his fingers through Damien’s dark hair. 

Smiling sleepily, Damien made a contented noise in the back of his throat. “Mmm, I like that.” 

Jake felt the heat rush to his face but didn’t stop. “For real, though. Go lay down so I can head back to my dorm without worrying about you.” 

“Or you could just stay here,” Damien offered, still holding on to Jake, trailing one hand up and down his spine. 

“Not tonight.” Jake ducked his head to hide his smile. “I have class first thing in the morning, remember?” 

“Fine, be all logical.” 

The overwhelm crashed over him with no warning. Glancing away, Jake fought down the panic that was ruining this moment. He knew he was safe with Damien, but after associating physical contact with pain for so long, this was too much all at once. 

It only took a few seconds for Damien to realize something was wrong but as soon as he did, he released his hold on Jake, sitting upright to put a bit of space between them. 

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, watching Jake through half-lidded eyes.

“It wasn’t you,” Jake responded quietly. “I really do have to go, though.” 

“Okay. Text me when you get back? Even though I’ll probably be asleep by then.” Reaching out, Damien hesitantly brushed his fingers against Jake’s hand with a sleepy smile. “G’night, Jake.” 

“Will do. Goodnight, Damien.”