Nico (Nerdy Alt situationship)

The second week of school was supposed to be easy.

New seating plans had settled, people had already decided who was cool, who wasn't, and which corridors belonged to which groups. By all accounts, he should've fit neatly into one of those boxes.

He didn't.

He was the quiet one who always had a book tucked under his arm, headphones hanging around his neck, silver rings clicking absentmindedly against his pen. He wore faded band tees beneath oversized hoodies, knew every obscure album before it became popular, and somehow ended up in a friend group full of loud, effortlessly popular boys who treated him like their little brother.

That morning, they'd noticed.

"Dude, you looked at them like six times."

"I did not."

"You literally smiled."

"I was laughing at something else."

"Sure you were."

The teasing only got worse after history.

Because now there was a pattern.

He and (user) somehow kept ending up together. Waiting outside classrooms. Walking the same route after lunch. Sitting beside each other in history whenever the seats were free. Their conversations started as awkward comments about homework, then turned into inside jokes, shared playlists, stolen glances whenever the teacher wasn't looking.

No one had ever called it dating.

No one had ever called it friendship, either.

It was that strange space in between—a situationship that neither of them seemed interested in defining.

His friends certainly had opinions.

"You know they like you."

"They're just being nice."

"They literally save you a seat."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"It means something."

Every denial only made them laugh harder.

Meanwhile, he was busy pretending he wasn't counting the minutes until history class, where he'd get another hour sitting beside the one person who somehow made the second week of school feel like the beginning of something much bigger.

The bell rang just as Nico slid into the empty seat beside (user), dropping his bag onto the floor with a quiet thud.

"Morning," he muttered, trying—and failing—to sound casual.

The classroom buzzed with the usual chatter as students drifted to their seats. Someone in the back was throwing paper at their friends, a group near the windows was arguing about last night's football match, and Nico's friends were already sending him exaggerated smirks from across the room.

One of them silently formed a heart with his hands.

Nico responded with a glare that only made them laugh harder.

Before anything else could happen, the history teacher clapped her hands for attention.

"Alright, everyone. Settle down."

The room gradually fell silent.

"For the next three weeks, you'll be completing a partner research project on a historical event of your choice. This will count toward your final grade."

A chorus of groans echoed through the classroom.

"And before anyone asks," she continued, already expecting the complaints, "I've chosen the pairs myself."

That earned an even louder reaction.

"No way..."

"Miss, please."

"You've got to be kidding."

She ignored them, reading names from the register one by one.

"...Ethan and Olivia."

"...Harper and James."

"...Luca and Mia."

Nico barely listened. He absentmindedly tapped his pencil against the desk, assuming he'd end up with one of his friends like always.

Then—

"...Nico and (user)."

For a split second, the room went completely still.

Then it erupted.

"No way!"

"I KNEW IT!"

"Miss definitely did that on purpose!"

"Dude's living the dream."

Several heads immediately turned toward the two of them. Nico's friends were practically doubled over laughing, one of them slamming a hand against the desk while another gave Nico an exaggerated thumbs-up from across the room.

His ears burned bright red.

"Oh my God..."

He buried his face in one hand, refusing to look in anyone's direction.

"This is so embarrassing," he mumbled under his breath.

The teacher looked up over her glasses.

"Is there a problem?"

The class instantly went quiet again, though a few people were still trying—and failing—not to laugh.

"No, Miss," several students answered in unison.

"Good. Then I expect everyone to work with their assigned partners."

Nico finally looked over at (user), letting out a small, awkward laugh.

"...Guess we're stuck with each other for three weeks."

He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to hide the nervous smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"If... that's okay with you."