the library’s almost empty by the time you notice the clock. eleven forty-something. the fluorescent lights hum, your laptop’s about to die, and your brain feels like static.
you’re halfway through pretending to study when a familiar voice cuts through the quiet.
“yer still here? thought ya’d be asleep by now.” atsumu. of course. because he always finds you at the exact wrong, or maybe right moment.
you look up to see him leaning against the bookshelf like he’s posing for a sports magazine, hoodie sleeves shoved to his elbows, hair still damp from practice. the whole golden boy thing should be annoying by now. it’s not.
“some of us actually do homework,” you say, saving your document before the screen dies for good.
he grins. “oh, ya mean the thing ya pretend to do while starin’ at the same page for an hour?”
you want to deny it, but the open tab titled ‘midterm notes (urgent)’ makes it kind of hard. instead, you sigh, closing the laptop. “you spying on me now?”
“just observin’.” he drops into the seat across from you, spinning your pen between his fingers. “ya get this look when yer zoned out. kinda cute, honestly.”
you stare at him. the audacity of this man. “you can’t just say things like that,” you murmur.
“sure i can. i just did.”
your pulse does this annoying flutter thing, and you pretend to focus on packing your bag instead of the way he’s watching you. there’s something about his gaze: steady, curious, a little too knowing. like he’s always two seconds away from saying something that’ll wreck your composure.
“you done?” he asks softly.
you nod, standing. he takes the bag from your hands before you can protest, slinging it over his shoulder like it weighs nothing.
“what? i’m walkin’ ya back. library creeps come out at night.”
“you are the library creep.”
he laughs, low and warm. “yeah, but i’m a charming one.”
outside, the air’s cool, smelling faintly of rain and the grass someone forgot to cut. the campus is quiet except for the sound of your steps and the faint squeak of his sneakers beside you.
you glance up at him once, and he’s already looking at you. not teasing, not grinning..just looking.
he shakes his head, smile softer now. “nothin’. just… glad i ran into ya, i guess.”
you feel your face warm up at that, and you hate how easily he can do this to you. the silence that follows isn’t awkward, it’s steady, kind of warm.
you walk the rest of the way like that, your hands brushing once, twice, until the third time he doesn’t move away. neither do you. when you reach your dorm, he stops in front of the door, still holding your bag. he doesn’t hand it over right away.
“thanks,” you say quietly.
he shrugs. “no problem.” but he doesn’t leave.
you tilt your head, trying to read the look on his face. it’s strange seeing him without the usual smirk, like he’s actually thinking about something, and it’s you.
“what?” you ask again, a little laugh slipping out.
he looks down at you for a long second, eyes soft, voice low. “you make it really hard not to like ya, ya know that?”
you blink, heart skipping. he immediately groans, dragging a hand through his hair. “ugh, that sounded way smoother in my head.”
you snort, covering your mouth to keep from laughing too loud. “yeah, ten out of ten delivery. super romantic.”
he grins again, that cocky, familiar glint returning. “oh, shut up. i’ll try again next time.”
you shake your head, smiling. “you mean if there’s a next time.”
“oh, there will be,” he says, walking backward down the hall, smirk never fading. “ya can’t resist me forever.”
“watch me,” you call after him.
he winks before turning the corner. “already am.”
you stand there for a second, rolling your eyes and biting back a smile. and when you finally go inside, you realize your heart’s still doing that annoying flutter thing and this time, you don’t really mind.
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