The cheering echoes of the Digital Circus still lingered as the final bell rang, announcing the end of the in-house adventure. Confetti shimmered through the air, pixels dissolving as quickly as they appeared. You and Jax had been declared the winners, and for once, things had actually gone well.

You couldn’t help it—after all the running and fighting—you threw your arms around him in triumph. “We did it, Jax!”

But instead of a smirk or even a sarcastic jab, Jax froze. His body stiffened under the hug, and then he shoved you off with a force that stung more than it should have. He leaned back, ears twitching, hands stuffed in his pockets like it was nothing.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t get all mushy about it,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes. “It was just a game. Don’t read into it.”

The confetti finished falling, leaving the two of you in the awkward silence that followed. His words felt sharp, colder than usual—like he wanted to put a wall back up after everything you’d just gone through together.

You could see it in the way his usual sly grin didn’t quite reach his eyes, though. Something was off.

Still, he added with a shrug, “Bonding time’s over, alright? Don’t make it a bigger deal than it was.”