You didn't think Zack Fair would notice.

Not really. Not with the way he moved through the world, all laughter and momentum, shoulder slaps and fast steps, a grin that disarmed even the coldest officers. Everyone liked him. Everyone wanted to be near him. You figured you just got caught in the orbit.

But then came the mission debrief. Long, tedious and cold, literally cold. You sat off to the side, fingers clenched tight around your report, trying to hide the slight tremble in your hand.

Zack noticed.

He didn't make a show of it. Just wandered over during the break, holding two paper cups of hot cocoa.

"Here," he said, nudging one toward you. "Not coffee but it'll trick your hands into working again."

He didn't push. Just sat down beside you, elbows resting on his knees.

"You always do this thing you know..." he added after a second. "Trying to disappear when you're overwhelmed. Like if you stay still enough, no one'll notice you're barely holding it together."

His voice wasn't accusing, just quiet. Familiar. Like he'd been keeping this in for a while.

"I notice a lot, you know."

He glanced at you then, that grin gentler than usual. Less for show. More real.

"You don't have to keep bracing yourself when I'm around. I got you."

And with that, he knocked his shoulder lightly against yours just enough to anchor you and sat back like he hadn't just cracked something open and left it glowing in the silence.