“Morning.”
Bryce blinked at him, then at their hands. He didn’t pull away. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” Sage said.
They got up slowly and had separate showers, then coffee. The normal things they’d done before their relationship had changed course. Bryce bumped his shoulder by the sink, and Sage put Bryce’s mug closer without thinking.
By ten, they split for classes. Bryce had Bio, and Sage had circuits. He zipped his jacket, then checked he had his notes and the work he needed for his class.
“Lunch?” Bryce asked as they hit the door.
“Workshop at twelve,” Sage said. “I’ll text.”
“Okay.” Bryce hesitated, then leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to the corner of Sage’s mouth. “Have a good one.”
“You too,” Sage responded and watched him go.
***
The lab was a wash of fluorescent light and half-finished builds. The prototype’s LED refused to behave. Gage stood over it with a pencil behind his ear and a puzzled look on his face. He crossed his arms over his chest and sighed.
“Your board’s sulking,” Gage said.
“It’s the resistor,” Sage muttered. He swapped it, checked the meter, and watched the readout settle where it should. “Fixed.”
Gage made a ta-da motion. “Everest saves the day.”
Sage cleaned up the leads and taped down a wobbly cable tie. Work steadied him, and he needed it right then. Last night kept replaying in his mind, but being here settled him. He could live here most days if he were allowed to.
Gage leaned in, his voice low. “So. You and Bryce.”
Sage didn’t look up. “What about us?”
“Dan can’t keep his mouth shut,” Gage said. “The closet story’s doing laps. Just—you two looked…not annoyed.”
Sage checked his pulse with an annoyed kind of curiosity and found it normal. “We weren’t.”
“Cool,” Gage said and meant it. “Are you happy?”
Sage looked up. “Yeah.”
“Okay,” Gage said again and let it drop. He slid a packet of wipes over. “You’re bleeding through the bandage.”
Sage peeled it back, seeing a thin line of red where he’d caught it earlier. “I’ll live.”
“Try not to drip on the 5-volt rail.”
They worked. By noon, the LED chain behaved. The TA signed their checkpoint and told them to tidy. Sage washed his hands, re-bandaged the knuckle, and checked his phone to see Bryce had text him.Done at 12:15. You done?
Sage responded.Yeah. The lab problem has been defeated for now. Meet outside?
It took Bryce less than a minute to reply.On my way.
Sage packed up, slung his bag over his shoulder, and stepped into the winter day. The cold air bit deep, and he shivered, pulling his coat closer. Students streamed past, and he spotted Bryce cutting across the quad, black hair under a beanie, shoulders loose in his jacket. He raised a hand without thinking. Bryce saw him and changed direction.
“Lunch line’s a mess,” Bryce said. “Walk?”
“Walk,” Sage agreed.
