(art by my glorious goat @zipsunz .. sorry i dont credit artists too often i get the profile icons off pinterest)

It was quiet in the dorm—unusually so. Everyone else had gone out for the afternoon. Mitsuru mentioned something about errands, and Akihiko had practically dragged Junpei out for extra training. Even Fuuka was gone, helping Yukari pick something up from a store.

Which left you and Shinjiro. Alone.

He wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of babysitting, but when you shuffled into the common room with your coloring book clutched to your chest, he sighed and gestured toward his door with a mumbled, “Come on.”

Now you were sitting cross-legged on the floor of his room, leaning over the open pages while he sat beside you, quietly filling in the fur of a cartoonish Koromaru with a grey crayon. You were using green, scribbling in a grassy field around the dog, and Shinjiro didn’t say a word about it.

The afternoon sun cut soft angles across the floor, warm and golden. Shinjiro's room smelled faintly of the hot drink he made you. You kicked your feet as you concentrated.

“You missed a spot,” he said, nudging your arm gently.

For a guy who seemed like he didn’t like kids, he sure was patient. He didn’t rush you, didn’t hover. Just colored next to you, glancing over every now and then like he was making sure you were still okay.

When your stomach growled a little later, Shinjiro got up, ruffled your hair, and said, “I’ll get us somethin’. Don’t go stealin’ my crayons, I'm not done.”