A Spark in the Darkness || lingorm ff

Close and Closer

Exams were approaching fast, and even though I liked to keep things chill, I couldn't ignore the tension in the air. Everyone was talking about study schedules, notes, and revision marathons. Normally, I'd just wing it, but this time? Well, I had a secret weapon: Lingling.

Lingling had been an amazing study partner so far, and I could feel myself getting better at this whole academic thing. Today, we'd decided to hit the books at my place. I knew that if we were going to survive this, I had to step up my game. Plus, I could offer snacks and coffee-anything to make the long hours of studying less miserable.

I sent Lingling a quick text:
Me: Come over after class? We'll crush this study session.
Lingling: Sure. But no distractions, Orm.

I grinned. Lingling always said that, but I knew she appreciated our little breaks just as much as I did. Maybe even more. A couple of breaks wouldn't hurt, right?

---

When Lingling arrived, I could tell she meant business. Her bag was heavy with textbooks, and her face had that determined look I was getting used to. But underneath that focus, there was something soft, something... different. It was like she was finally letting herself relax around me, and I loved that.

"Hey, ready to drown in notes?" I joked, opening the door wider to let her in.

She gave me a small smile, her usual shy one. "As long as you don't distract me too much."

I held up my hands in mock surrender. "No distractions, promise."

We set up in the living room, spreading our books and notes out across the table. I made sure to keep the coffee flowing, and every now and then, I'd sneak a glance at Lingling. There was something about the way she got so into her work that fascinated me. It wasn't just her smarts-it was her focus, the way her eyebrows knitted together when she was trying to figure something out.

"Orm, focus!" she scolded, not even looking up from her notes.

Caught. "I'm focusing! Just... on the wrong thing, maybe."

She shot me a quick look, a mix of amusement and disbelief. "You need to be serious for at least five minutes."

"Five minutes? I can do that." I sat up straight, pretending to be all professional. It lasted maybe three minutes before I cracked a joke about one of our professors' weird lecture habits.

Lingling laughed despite herself. "You're impossible."

"Impossibly charming, maybe?" I winked.

We settled into a rhythm-studying hard for a while, then taking breaks where I made sure Lingling got her coffee fix and teased her just enough to keep things light. Our breaks were fun, though. We'd talk about random stuff, like how ridiculous some of the exam questions might be or what we'd do when exams were finally over.

During one break, I noticed Lingling staring out the window, lost in thought. I nudged her with my elbow. "What's on your mind?"

She hesitated, and for a second, I thought she wasn't going to say anything. Then, she let out a small sigh. "It's just... it's nice having someone to study with. I never really had that before."

I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? You didn't study with friends in the past?"

Lingling shrugged, her eyes still fixed on the view outside. "Not really. People just used me to do their homework or help them study, but it wasn't... real. Not like this."

Her words hit me in the chest. I had always seen Lingling as someone strong, someone who didn't need anyone. But hearing this? It made me realize how much she had been carrying on her own. Without thinking, I reached over and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.