synopsis; assigned to tutor louis, a charming but hopeless idol failing spanish class, y/n expects stress — not feelings. but somewhere between after-school lessons and teasing conversations, louis starts becoming a little more than just her student.
tags; reader x kpopidol!louis first kiss teasing fluff wc; 1011
notes; ok i wrote this two days ago when i was having a fever and was severely bored, so bare with me. it’s also only semi-proofread and english is also not my first language so i’m open to recs! media naranja means something like “my better half” in spanish, it’s a cutesy inside joke between me and my best friend (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)
he was as busy as it could get, a kpop idol. popular too.
she was your typical school girl, excelling though. popular but unknown at the same time.
and so, she got assigned to tutor him.
and somehow, she wasn’t even surprised.
the classroom door opened with a slow creak before louis finally walked in, looking like he had just escaped a schedule that lasted three days too long. hair slightly messy, hoodie half-zipped, expression far too relaxed for someone who’s known to outdo everyone when it comes to languages but still fails high school spanish class.
he dropped into the seat across from her like the chair belonged to him.
she didn’t look up right away.
just flipped a page in her notes.
“you’re late,” she said calmly.
“i know,” he replied, like it was irrelevant information.
then he leaned back slightly, watching her instead of the papers.
“you know,” he said, voice easy, “at this point you could just do it for me. i could pay you.”
she finally lifted her gaze.
“you know, at this point you could also just try not failing.” she replies in a mocking tone.
then smiled a little, like that was funnier than it should’ve been.
another pause settled between them.
not uncomfortable… familiar too quickly.
he tapped his pen lightly against the desk.
looked at the worksheet like it had personally offended him.
“it’s not even that hard,” she added, softer now. “you just don’t try.”
and instead of arguing, like he usually did, he just watched her for a second longer than necessary.
like he was trying to figure something out.
after that, tutoring became routine.
tuesdays and thursdays after class.
sometimes in empty classrooms.
sometimes in the library when teachers kicked them out for arguing too loudly over verb conjugation.
occasionally over text when louis conveniently “forgot” assignments five minutes before midnight, claiming he was too busy with his idol duties.
most of his messages looked like this:
💬 how do you say “i’m suffering” in spanish
💬 if i fail this class i’m blaming you personally btw
he started showing up on time.
he stopped trying to copy directly from her notes and started asking actual questions instead.
sometimes surprisingly thoughtful ones.
“why does spanish sound nicer when you say it?”
“because i pronounce things correctly.”
there were small things she noticed too.
like how he always brought two drinks without asking what she wanted because he’d already memorized her order.
or how he started saving the seat beside him before she arrived.
or how he looked for her first whenever he walked into a room.
like seeing her there made the rest of the day easier somehow.
one afternoon, rain tapped softly against the classroom windows while louis rested his head dramatically against the desk.
“i’m never understanding this language,” he mumbled.
she glanced over her notes.
“you’re being dramatic again.”
“you literally got an eighty-two on your last quiz.”
he lifted his head slightly.
“only because you explained it.”
“that’s the point of tutoring.”
“no,” he said quietly, still looking away. “i think that’s just you.”
her fingers paused briefly against the page.
now looking at her: “everything makes more sense when you’re around.”
silence settled between them for a moment. comfortable silence. dangerous in a way neither of them wanted to acknowledge yet.
then he smiled suddenly. teasing.
“that sounded smoother in my head.”
she laughed before she could stop herself.
and louis looked unfairly pleased about being the reason.
like they had slipped into each other’s lives without realizing it.
by the time finals approached, louis barely complained about spanish anymore.
their last tutoring session ended later than usual. the school hallways were quiet, sunset spilling warm orange light across the desks.
louis sat beside her this time instead of across from her, one arm lazily resting against the back of her chair while she packed her things.
“so,” he said, “does this mean you’re abandoning me now?”
she zipped her bag closed.
“you passed. my job here is done.”
she rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway.
for a moment, neither of them moved.
then louis spoke again, quieter this time.
“there’s a phrase i learned for you.”
“media naranja.” he said, butchering the pronunciation.
her breath caught slightly at the charming phrase. not because she didn’t know what it meant.
like it meant something now.
“kinda fits, doesn’t it?”
she tilted her head slightly.
“you comparing me to an orange?”
that earned a laugh out of her.
and louis looked at her the same way he always did when he managed to make her laugh — like he’d won something.
“you’re ridiculous,” she murmured.
“yeah,” he said easily. “but i’m right.”
the silence afterward felt more awkward than usual somehow.
his eyes flickered briefly toward her lips before returning to her eyes again.
“louis,” she started softly.
heat rose immediately to her face.
his smile softened at the reaction.
then, slowly, he leaned closer.
just enough to give her time to pull away.
but nervous and inexperienced.
like something they had both been circling around for weeks without saying it out loud.
when they pulled apart, louis stayed close enough that his forehead brushed lightly against hers.
“does this mean i officially passed spanish now?”
she laughed quietly. “barely.”
with the way he was looking at her now, soft and fond and entirely too happy with himself
it felt good enough for her too.