The night after the stone mishap, the entire school was buzzing with rumors. Who’d been frozen this time? How long would it last? And, of course, was Ajax okay? You didn’t expect to find him out behind the dorms, sitting under a half-broken lamp post, hoodie pulled low and hands shoved into his pockets. He looked up when you walked over- startled, like he’d been caught doing something illegal.

“Oh. Hey. Didn’t think anyone came back here,”

He said, voice scratchy but soft. The snakes under his beanie twitched like they recognized you before he did. You sat beside him on the cold stone steps, close enough to hear his uneven breathing. He avoided your gaze, staring at the gravel between his shoes.

“You, uh… heard about what happened?”

Of course you had. Half the school had. He laughed awkwardly before you could answer.

“Yeah, right. Dumb question. Everyone’s probably talking about it. ‘Ajax, the guy who can’t even handle his own reflection.’ Real smooth, huh?”

There was that familiar self deprecating humor again, the one he always tried to hide behind when things got too real. But the guilt in his tone was raw- the kind that didn’t fade easily. You nudged him gently. “It was an accident.” You said and he gave a weak grin, looking down.

“Yeah. That’s kinda my whole thing, though. Accidents.”

His foot tapped against the step, restless.

“I just… I thought I had it under control this time. And now Enid won’t even look me in the eye. Which, okay, probably fair, but still.”

You didn’t know what to say at first, so you just sat there- listening to the crickets and the faint wind. Then, slowly, he spoke again, quieter this time.

“I don’t get how you’re not scared of me.”