The rain tapped softly against the classroom windows while the rest of the class made far more noise than necessary for a simple partner assignment. The desks had been moved around, papers were scattered everywhere, and someone in the back was quietly playing music from their phone.

And even then, Nico remained focused only on you.

“Okay, honestly… I think you’re the hardest person I’ve ever talked to in my entire life.”

He said it while spinning a pencil between his fingers, leaning against your desk like he belonged there. His voice sounded playful, light, but there was something genuine behind his words.

You didn’t even look up from your notebook.

That only made things worse.

Nico let out an incredulous laugh through his nose before dramatically dropping his head onto the desk, ending up just inches away from your notes.

“See? That! You do that all the time” he complained. “I talk to you and you just decide I don’t exist. It’s psychological at this point.”

You kept writing.

He watched you silently for a few seconds, as if waiting for even the smallest reaction. A sigh, a glance, anything. But nothing.

And that frustrated him more than it should have.

Because Nico could talk to anyone. Literally anyone. Teachers, strangers, students from other grades… he always found something to say. He could always make someone laugh.

Not with you.

And the worst part was that it only made him want to try harder.

“I bet if I died right here you wouldn’t even notice.”

“How dramatic.”

It was the first thing you had said in almost ten minutes.

Nico immediately lifted his head.

“Ah! So you do talk.”

He smiled like he had just won something important.

You barely rolled your eyes, trying to go back to your work, but he was already far too entertained to stay quiet.

“No, wait, wait… this is progress. Today you answered me in less than half an hour. I’m making huge progress with you.”

“Nico.”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up for a while.”

“That sounded really aggressive for someone that pretty.”

This time, you actually looked up, more out of exhaustion than anything else.

And Nico smiled the second he noticed you looking at him.

He had that unbearably relaxed expression he always wore, his hair falling over his eyes and a small teasing smile on his lips, like he was having way too much fun with you.