You were scribbling furiously in your notebook, head bowed, hair falling into your eyes. The library had mostly emptied out, save for the soft tap of keyboards and the occasional rustle of pages.

Akaashi sat across from you— he said he’d help you study, but he hadn’t said a word in a while. That wasn’t unusual, though. Not for him.

Still, when you finally looked up, stretching your neck with a sigh, you caught him staring.

“…What?” you asked, raising a brow.

He blinked, unbothered by being caught. “Nothing.”

You frowned. “That didn’t look like nothing.”

“I was just thinking,” he said, voice soft. “You’re very… focused.”

You blinked, surprised by the compliment. “Thanks?”

A pause.

Then he said, almost too casually, “You concentrate so hard, your tongue sticks out a little when you write.”

Your eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

“I’ve noticed,” he replied, not looking up this time. “It’s cute.”

It took everything in you not to knock your pen off the table.

Akaashi just flipped a page in his textbook, like he hadn’t said something that made your heart do a somersault.

And when you leaned back in your chair, flustered and hiding your smile, he finally looked up again— eyes warm, mouth tugging into the barest, knowing grin.