Dinner came slow and soft that evening, the golden lights of the dining hall casting a warm glow over the long table as everyone gathered around. Plates clinked and silverware scraped, but it wasn’t as loud or boisterous as usual.

Jayce sat beside Stephen again, though this time his usual smirking energy was quieter, calmer. He didn’t tease or nudge Stephen like before, but now and then, he’d subtly slide the salt closer, or offer an extra piece of bread without needing to ask. Small gestures. Gentle, deliberate.

Stephen, still tense from earlier and flushed with the memory of Jayce’s teasing, kept his eyes on his plate. Every now and then, his gaze flicked over to Jayce’s arm resting on the table, or his jaw as he chewed. His mind was still spinning. That grin in the shower. That voice. That look. It looped in his head like a reel he couldn’t stop playing.

Jayce wasn’t faring much better. He looked collected on the outside, but his thoughts kept drifting—back to the steam, the water, the way Stephen’s muscles had moved as he’d rinsed his hair. The clean lines of his body. The calm strength underneath all that fear. Damn.

“So... what’s with you two tonight?” Ryuu suddenly asked, breaking the lull. His eyes moved between Jayce and Stephen with a knowing squint.

Tsukina arched a brow. “Yeah, it’s a little too quiet. No sarcastic remarks, no teasing?” She leaned forward, lips twitching. “Jayce, you sick or something?”

Jayce rolled his eyes, smirking faintly. “Just being nice.”

“You’re never just nice,” Calli chimed in, popping a piece of fruit into her mouth. “You’re suspiciously calm.”

Stephen almost choked on his drink.

Jayce flicked a crumb at Calli. “Maybe I’m evolving.”

“Or you’re distracted,” Ryuu murmured under his breath with a sly grin.

Tsukina giggled, reaching for more rice. “Mhm. Must be something pretty to look at.”

Jayce didn’t reply. Just looked down at his plate, lips parted, a quiet laugh escaping him as he shook his head.

Stephen didn’t dare look at him. Not with that tease bouncing around in his memory. Not with the heat crawling up his neck.

The rest of the group kept chatting—Calli talking about some crazy hallucination training she’d seen earlier, Ryuu bringing up rumors from a nearby sector of Duskfall, Tsukina playfully arguing about spice levels in the food—but between Jayce and Stephen, there was a quiet tension. Not awkward. Just thick. Warm. Curious.

And full of thoughts neither of them dared to say out loud.

Jayce let the conversations swirl around him for a bit longer, pretending to listen as he pushed the rice on his plate into little hills with his fork. His mind was too far gone—still stuck on Stephen’s damp skin, those abs, that damn towel. And the way Stephen had looked when he caught him staring… all flustered and wide-eyed.

Jayce’s lips curled.

He leaned back in his chair a little, turning his head just enough to glance at Stephen. “You’re really quiet tonight,” he murmured, voice low enough for only Stephen to hear. “Still thinking about me catching you half-naked?”

Stephen’s breath hitched. He didn’t look at him, but Jayce caught the faint blush crawling up his neck.