"You know, if you stare any harder, that textbook might catch fire," Kuroo teased, dropping his bag onto the desk beside you.

You sighed, eyes still glued to your notes. "Some of us actually need to study to pass, you know."

"Hey, I study," he said, plopping into the seat. "I just use my natural charm to fill in the blanks."

"Charm won’t get you through Mr. Tanaka’s biology exam," you shot back, smirking.

He leaned closer, the scent of fresh laundry and a hint of cologne wrapping around you. "Then maybe my genius best friend can help?"

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t hide the smile tugging at your lips. "Fine. But if you don’t pass, I’m not covering for you when you tell the team why you’re benched."

He clutched his chest dramatically. "You wound me. I’ll pass. And when I do, you owe me ice cream."

"Confident, aren’t you?"

"Always," he grinned, nudging your shoulder. "After all, I’ve got the smartest person in school by my side."

Somehow, you couldn’t tell if he meant the test—or something more.