AGAINST THE RULES: their scentless omega Chapter 75: New Ethan ,old Hunter

"So if you look into this equation" the professor continued, chalk gliding across the board as formulas stacked one beneath the other.

The lecture hall was quiet except for the faint scratching of pens and the hum of the projector.

Lucian stared at the page in front of him.

The symbols blurred.

The numbers ant nothing.

Did you really think I changed?

No, Lucian. I only satisfied myself because you were just a scentless oga.

His grip on his pen tightened until his knuckles turned pale.

The mory replayed rcilessly , Hunter’s cold eyes, the deliberate cruelty in his voice, the way each word had been sharpened before being thrown.

Lucian swallowed.

What had changed?

Hunter hadn’t always looked at him like that. There had been monts , quiet ones, that felt real. Or at least Lucian had believed they were real.

Was that what he thought all along?

Was I just... curiosity?

His chest tightened.

Or had sothing triggered it? The war between families? The pressure? The upcoming marriage? Was that version of Hunter the truth... or just anger lashing out?

"So when we isolate the variable" the professor’s voice cut through again.

Lucian blinked, realizing he hadn’t written a single word in the past five minutes.

He forced his hand to move, scribbling sothing, anything , onto the paper.

Focus.

He needed to focus.

This was just a lecture. Just equations. Just logic.

But emotions didn’t follow formulas.

He shook his head slightly, trying to clear it, though the echo of Hunter’s voice still lingered like a stain he couldn’t wash away.

Around him, students nodded and whispered, absorbed in the lesson.

Lucian sat among them, outwardly composed.

Inside, he was unraveling.

Just then, a small folded paper slid onto Lucian’s open textbook.

He blinked and looked down.

’Are you okay? :)’ it read

He stared at the familiar handwriting for a second before glancing sideways.

Mason was already looking at him.

And smiling.

Not the obsessive, intense look he sotis carried , just soft concern. Normal. Casual, but still

Lucian hesitated... then allowed himself to smile back. He picked up his pen and scribbled quickly.

’I’m okay. Just thinking about the next ga.’

He folded it once and nudged it back across the narrow gap between their desks.

A few seconds later, it returned.

’Thinking about the ga when you have an exam in a month?’

Lucian almost huffed in amusent. He wrote again.

’Don’t worry. I won’t fail.’

The reply ca back dramatically underlined.

’Geniousssss!’

Lucian shook his head slightly, fighting a small laugh.

’Don’t say that. Besides, where were you during the tournant? You went missing for a long ti.’

Mason read it, paused for just a fraction too long, then wrote back.

’Was sowhere private. Don’t worry.’

Lucian raised an eyebrow and scribbled again.

Sus.....

’Mason bit back a grin.’

Haha.

Another pause. Then:

’Well now we should concentrate.’

Lucian nodded slightly and wrote:

’Yeah we should.’

The professor continued explaining formulas at the front, chalk tapping against the board rhythmically.

Lucian faced forward again.

And this ti, he was actually seeing the equations.

The tightness in his chest had loosened. The earlier sting of Hunter’s words dulled, pushed to the back of his mind by sothing lighter, simpler ,the comfort of a friend passing silly notes like they were still in secondary school.

For a mont, things felt normal.

And Lucian let himself believe that maybe, just maybe, he could keep it that way.

As the lesson ended, chairs scraped against the floor and conversations slowly filled the lecture hall.

Lucian packed his books carefully, sliding his notes into his bag, trying to move at a normal pace.

Just as he zipped it closed, a shadow fell over his desk.

"Lucian, got a minute?"

Lucian looked up.

Ethan

His eyes widened slightly. "Oh... Ethan. Is there sothing you want?"

Across from him, Mason’s gaze lifted instantly. He looked at Ethan , but Ethan didn’t even spare him a glance. Not one.

Under the table, Mason’s fist clenched tightly, but he couldn’t let his emotions spill just yet

Ethan slipped his phone out of his pocket and extended it toward Lucian. "I want you to take a look at what I did for our project."

Lucian froze.

"You... did the project?" The surprise in his voice slipped out before he could filter it.

He took the phone carefully.

He wasn’t going to lie , the assignnt had completely slipped his mind. Between the tournant, family tension, and everything else, it had been buried under chaos.

But Ethan rembered.

Lucian scrolled through the docunt.

It was structured. Clean. Thoughtful. The analysis was thorough, references neatly cited, argunts well built.

It was... really good.

Before this, whenever they had been paired together, Ethan had barely lifted a finger. Lucian would stay up alone finishing everything, convincing himself it was easier that way.

So what was this?

Why now?

Lucian glanced up at him. "This is... actually well done."

Ethan shrugged lightly, though there was sothing guarded in his eyes. "We’re being graded together. It’d be stupid if one of us dragged the other down."

Practical.

Detached.

But Lucian noticed the small details , the way Ethan stood a little straighter, waiting for his reaction. The way his thumb tapped faintly against the back of his phone.

He had tried.

That realization settled sowhere warm and uncomfortable in Lucian’s chest.

"It’s really good," Lucian said again, softer this ti. "Thank you."

For a second, sothing flickered across Ethan’s face ,relief? Satisfaction? It disappeared quickly.

"We still need to add the conclusion together," Ethan added. "If you’re free later."

Mason’s jaw tightened further at that, ’they are going to et? Not good’ he thought

Lucian hesitated , not because he didn’t want to ,but because everything between them felt fragile, like glass that could crack with one wrong word.

"I’m free," Lucian said finally.

Ethan nodded once. "Good. I’ll text you."

He took the phone back.

As he turned to leave, his eyes brief, very briefly , shifted toward Mason.

It wasn’t hostility.

It wasn’t friendliness either.

It was acknowledgnt.

Then he walked away.

Lucian stood there for a mont, thoughts tangled.

Ethan had changed.

Or maybe... he was trying to.

And Lucian didn’t know if that made things better.

Or more complicated.