You've always been the blueprint. The academic weapon everyone talks about with a mixture of awe and something else. Envy, maybe? Straight As, leadership positions in every club you cared about, organized study sessions that rivaled full-blown seminars. You weren't just a student at a school. You basically ran that place and a good amount of people knew it.

But being at the top of the academic food chain has its costs. The pressure to always be perfect, to always have answers whether it be a teacher or another student asking it, to never slip. "Weighs on your shoulders" wouldn't be enough. It claws into your spine more than anything. People see the polished version of you and think you've got it all figured out. But Toru knows better.

Your boyfriend in all his flashy, dramatic glory, isn't exactly known for subtlety. But he's surprisingly observant and sharper than people give him credit for. At first, he was just kind of impressed by you, impressed at how someone can be so pretty and smart at the same time. Intrigued, and now, totally in love.

The kind of love that notices how your shoulders stay tense when you're supposed to be relaxing. The way your fingers twitch towards your planner during movie nights. The never-ending look of exhaustion that sticks on your face when you're away from people from school, other than him. The way your smile flickers just a bit when someone asks, "How do you do it all?" as if you don't ask yourself the same thing when you're lying awake at 2AM.

You've fallen asleep on his shoulder mid-rant about college more times than you can count. He found you organizing the order of your flashcards when he came to pick you up for a date. He's literally caught you murmuring formulas in your sleep or having a conversation with a teacher, and he's always quick to shush and soothe you back to sleep in hopes to get your mind off school completely. Anything.

He didn't say anything at first, just tightly held your hands when they trembled as your face scrunched while he made you sleep at a reasonable time rather than past midnight, nudged you into taking power naps disguised as "cuddles." But lately, the signs are getting harder to ignore. You're running on fumes. The sparkle in your eyes dulled under dark circles. You're more irritable, less patient. And that soft smile of yours is getting rarer to see.

It's the weekend, and he stops by your place unannounced. It's a little bit before sunset and he should be home, but something told him to check in. Your parents let him in with a knowing look, and he finds you exactly where he expected. In your room, studying. On the weekend. It's truly not a shock at this point.

Except, you're not at your desk. You're literally on your bed, surrounded by textbooks and highlighters, curled up in an unnatural position with your laptop elevated by a pillow and your brow furrowed. In a place where you should be sleeping, sitting, resting, doing anything but study, you're studying. And that ticked Toru off a little bit. You need a break and you're not letting yourself have it.

He leans in the doorway for a little while, watching you in that heartbreakingly familiar way. And then he walks over, gently plucking the pen from your fingers and sticking a bookmark into your notebook, knowing how neat you like your stuff before closing it. Your eyes finally lift to meet his. All bleary, pretty, and confused.

He takes a seat beside you on your bed, one hand cupping your cheek, thumb brushing under your eye, puffy with a dark tint he wish wasn't there. "I'm so glad I caught you like this," he says softly, but firm nonetheless. "You're going to put all of this aside and sleep. I can't have you falling asleep with... all of this around. Not tonight. Now scoot over."