Fighter || Lookism x Reader

11

Your phone buzzed on the coffee table, pulling you out of the YouTube rabbit hole you'd fallen into. You sighed, reaching for it, half-expecting some random notification, but instead, Zack's name appeared on the screen. You hadn't spoken to him much since... well, since the incident. Your stomach did a weird little flip when you saw his message.

Zack
I'm outside your house

You blinked at the screen, confused.

You
?? Why?

Zack
Come outside

You
Why?

Zack
I was just coincidentally in the neighborhood... Are you coming or not?

A grin tugged at the corner of your lips. Zack? Coincidentally in the neighborhood? That wasn't really his style. Still, you played along.

You
You can come up
My parents aren't home :)

As soon as you sent the text, you glanced down at your outfit—booty shorts and a tank top, comfortable, but now you felt a bit exposed. Your eyes flicked toward the mirror. "This is fine," you told yourself, though you still hesitated for a moment before deciding not to change.

A knock at the door jolted you from your thoughts, and you quickly went to open it. There stood Zack, his hands shoved into his jacket pockets, looking a little more tense than usual. He wasn't usually the type to get awkward, but today, there was something off about him.

"Come on in," you said, stepping aside to let him inside. He hesitated, just for a moment, before walking through the doorway. His eyes flickered around your living room, lingering a bit too long on the scattered textbooks on the couch.

"What were you doing?" he asked, his voice casual, but there was an edge of distraction to it.

"Studying for midterms," you replied, waving a hand at the books. "It's as thrilling as it sounds." You gave him a teasing smile. "Want something to drink?"

Zack's eyes darted to your legs for the briefest moment before he looked away, his face tight with an emotion you couldn't quite read. "Uh, no. I'm good," he said quickly, his usual confidence seeming to falter.

You quirked an eyebrow at him, unsure why he seemed so off today. "Are you okay? You're acting... weird."

He shifted, leaning against the arm of the couch, his gaze darting from your face to your bare legs, then quickly away again. "Yeah, just, uh, thinking about stuff."

You narrowed your eyes, trying to gauge what was going on with him. It was unlike Zack to be so distracted. "Stuff?"

"Yeah, you know. Life." He waved a hand dismissively, but you could tell there was more beneath the surface. "Just figured I'd hang out for a bit."

"Right," you said, dragging out the word, feeling more amused than concerned. "Just dropping by, huh?"

He shifted again, trying to regain his usual composure. "Well, I mean, it's not like I have anything else going on."

You raised an eyebrow, a playful smile forming on your lips. "Oh really? You must be bored out of your mind if you're here."

Zack tried to laugh it off, but it sounded strained. You couldn't help but feel something was off, as if he was fumbling through thoughts he couldn't quite articulate.

You sat down, tossing a textbook aside and leaning back into the cushions, looking up at him expectantly. "So, what do you want to do?"

For a while, you made small talk, and it felt easy, but the tension in Zack's demeanor lingered. He laughed, but it was quieter than usual, and his eyes kept flickering away from yours, like he was lost in thought. You brushed it off, attributing it to whatever had been bothering him.