니키. love language

chapter five.

v.

One thought continues to circulate in your mind throughout the whole event: my shoulder hurts like hell.

Having been treated as a pillow could've been hell enough, but when you shook the idiot awake and all he did was shoot you a mocking smirk, you had just wished that you could burn all the foolish thoughts that roamed your head a moment ago.

Crazy. You were going crazy.

He was certainly not crafted by heavenly beings, more like carefully sculpted by the fallen angels that had nothing better to do than to lead mortal beings into temptation and to roam the underworld. Your gaze at that moment could've passed off as a devil – with eyes that were burning red with fury. Ni-ki could imagine the fume coming out from your nostrils, all you were missing was those red horns on your head.

From a distance, you could catch journalism club members take quick shots of the student council, including you. Your eyes meet the teen's once more, and you quickly turn away, not wanting to start another silent feud.

The dean said that you should be on your best behavior, [Y/N]. As much as you want to wrap your hands around his neck to possibly cut off his air supply, you might just need to hold that thought back for a couple of hours.

Your focus soon returns to your responsibilities as you quickly carry the goods that you were going to give away. A silent gaze remains on you, watching you carry out your part.

"Hey, you seem to be watching a special someone too intently." The teen hears from his side, turning to make eye contact with Jennie. A smug smirk is plastered on her face, knowing that she caught him straight in the act.

A scoff makes its way out of his lips, shaking his head. "She just looks. . . stupid."

"Mhm, sure." Jennie drawls, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Might wanna hand her this, she's working a bit too hard."

Ni-ki fixates his vision back to you, simultaneously raising a brow. "Why don't you do it yourself?"

"I think I have to help, uh, Jay out with some things." Is the final thing that she says before quickly trudging away, not even letting him come up with a reply.

His gaze peacefully follows your figure and comes up with a strange thought. He's never realized. How. .  serious you were? How foolishly hardworking you were, not even halting for a single second. It was like time was something that you had to chase, and he could obviously see it from the sweat trickling down the back of your neck. You did seem exhausted, yet you didn't stop.

Like an epiphany has suddenly smacked him on the back of the head, for a split second, he stops.

All he thought was that you were a shallow being, only relying on your position to reap the undeserving gains that came along with it. But he was wrong, completely and utterly in the wrong. For the times that you have faced him with that cold look, for the moments you have shot him with a proud gaze, he's discerned that it was due to the fact that you held such high regard for yourself – because you knew you lived up to it.

It was strange, a peculiar feeling encapsulates his chest, and he feels warm and fuzzy. As if fireworks had gone off inside his stomach.

Ni-ki has never seen any of it in that way.

It's like in an instant, a few things decided to snap into place, like they were there before, and he was just too blind to notice it. Blinded by his judgments and hatred.

What was that feeling? Was it . . . admiration, perhaps? Newfound respect? All that he knew that it was annoying and that he wasn't used to seeing you in a different light.

He approaches you, hastily tossing a small towel towards your hands. You look down and quickly grip it, wiping the sweat that has accumulated on your forehead.

"Next time," He mumbles. "Don't work so hard. The other members of the student council are here for a reason." The last part is barely a whisper, and before you could ask what he was saying, he quickly lifts his camera and takes a quick shot of you.

Any feelings of gratitude that might've been present earlier have completely diminished, and now you were barely stopping yourself from pulling him by the hair.

"Asshole." And the teen smiles.

If he surrenders to his absurd thoughts, he might just start to do weird things. Actually, telling you to not overwork yourself was already a weird thing, he's just stopping it from happening again.

What was happening to him? A heap of thoughts was currently driving him nuts.