Xander did improve quite a lot, though he still struggled a little with long-term concentration even more than usual and brain fog. Still, his ear finally cleared up and only occasionally gave him a bit of trouble. His headaches were almost entirely gone, and he was allowed to drive again, with caution. He couldn't help with Ivy, but he did try to help while he was home by doing more chores and taking over as many things Daizi normally did as he could just to help lighten her load a little. He didn't know what else to do, especially when Ivy's wailing made his head pound like day one. Things were better, and he was looking forward to going to school, for once, if only to get away from Ivy's fussing. He felt a twinge of guilt at his desire to escape, but it wasn't like he was of much use, anyway.
Alec was acting a little odd lately and was having trouble sleeping thanks to his weird dreams, but since everyone else was dealing with something, he chose not to talk about it. It wasn't a big deal, and they weren't all nightmares. He blamed the stress. That, and going to school for two weeks straight without Xander was hard. He was immensely grateful for the day when Xander got to join him at school. When Alec was home from school, he took Ivy from Daizi to give her a break, walking her and trying to soothe whatever ailed her until her father got home. It wasn't exactly a happy routine, but they were managing. At least, the twins were managing.
That Tuesday at lunch, Alec praised Sloan's achievement with only a slight amount of envy. It must be so nice to skip finals! Xander didn't share his enthusiasm, though he did tell Sloan she had done above and beyond. Peter looked like he was about to fall asleep at the table and wasn't even looking at his phone for once. Between whatever he was handling and cramming for finals, not even his cheer could hold up. Even Toby and his skater friends weren't as rowdy as normal.