Two weeks passed, quietly, gently, and to Evan's surprise, nothing had gone wrong.
No whispered mockery. No cruel pranks. No sudden silence when he entered a room.
Instead, he found himself slowly becoming… part of something.
Lucas walked with him to class. Robin and Chuin invited him to lunch. Kelv kept making weird jokes that made him laugh, even when he didn't want to. It wasn't anything grand. Just the little things, smiles, inside jokes, casual nods in the hallway.
Evan had never had that before.
And maybe that was why he started doing what he did next.
Each morning, he made a little extra when packing his lunch. Sandwiches, rice balls, stir-fried noodles, whatever he could manage. Then, without saying much, he'd pass half of it to Lucas during class or at lunch.
The first time he did it, Lucas raised an eyebrow.
"You trying to feed me into submission?"
Evan had blushed, looking away. "I just thought… you skip breakfast a lot."
Lucas didn't say anything. Just stared at the container for a moment, then took a bite.
He didn't thank him.
But he ate every bite.
And then the next day, when Evan handed him another box, Lucas took it without hesitation.
By the end of the second week, it had become a routine neither of them spoke about. Lucas didn't ask. Evan didn't explain. But every day, like clockwork, food would appear in front of him, homemade, warm, and always enough for two.
"Might as well," Lucas muttered once, between bites. "Free food. Who says no to that?"
But something in the way he looked at Evan told a different story.
---
It was Friday afternoon when Kelv nudged Evan during lunch.
"Yo. You ever watch us play?"
Evan blinked. "Tennis?"
Kelv smirked. "Obviously."
Evan hesitated. "Not really."
"Well, come today. After class. Lucas has a match next week, so we're doing intense drills. You can sit by the court."
"Uh… sure?"
"Cool." Kelv patted his back. "Bring snacks."
---
That evening, Evan found himself seated on a bench beside the tennis court, a light breeze ruffling his hair as the golden sun began to dip.
Lucas was already warming up, his movements precise, powerful, graceful in a way Evan didn't expect from someone who usually slouched in class and rarely smiled. His body moved with purpose. His jaw clenched in focus. Sweat glistened on his brow.
Evan watched silently, entranced.
The sound of the ball hitting the racket, the stomp of Lucas's shoes on the court, the way his muscles moved, it was like a different version of him. Stronger. Fiercer. Beautiful.
Evan didn't even realize he was smiling.
Behind him, Kelv leaned against the fence, sipping an energy drink with Robin and Chuin nearby.
"Look at him," Kelv said lowly.
Robin followed his gaze. "Lucas?"
"No. Evan."
They watched Evan for a moment. He hadn't noticed them. His eyes were locked on Lucas, soft, full of admiration, glowing, even.
Kelv let out a short laugh. "That boy's got it bad."
Chuin raised an eyebrow. "You think?"
"Come on," Kelv said, nudging Robin. "You see the way he's staring? That's not how you look at your best friend."
Robin smirked. "Well… if he is, it'll make things very interesting."
Kelv folded his arms, eyes thoughtful now. "Yeah. Just wait. Things are gonna get messy."
As the sun dipped lower and the sound of the game continued, Evan still sat at the edge of the court, eyes shining, completely unaware of the shift happening behind him.