school project

everyone groaned at the mention of a project for class, but got more excited when they could choose a partner to work with. everyone rushed around to their respective best friends, while finney just watched people walk past him. everyone settled with their partners, and you too were left with nobody to work with. you cast a glance to finney, who was still stood up in the back of the class, and walked over to him. you'd seen him around in your classes and in the halls, but never really got the chance to talk to him. he was always rather closed off and got bullied a lot. you tapped his shoulder, and he seemed surprised that someone was wanting to get his attention.

"hey, finney, right? do you wanna be partners?" you ask, offering him a soft smile. he stared for a moment, still slightly shocked.

"no- i mean, yeah, yeah sure." he stammered, and you giggled a bit. he smiled a little in response. the two of you agreed to meet at your house to work on the project after school, and went your separate ways. you managed to sneak a few smiles at him in later classes, which he would see and immediately look back at his desk. you swore you could see his face get redder each time it happened.

by the time the day was over, you walked back home and waited impatiently for finney to arrive. you had the notes ready for researching the project, and got a head start on said research while you waited. by the time you heard the doorbell ring, you had gotten through a hefty chunk of the notes. you left your room to see if it was really finney, and indeed it was. he smiled at you when your parent let him in.

"hey finney! glad you could make it." you hummed. he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"sorry i'm late, i had to let my dad know i was coming." he explained, and you nodded.

"no worries. come on, let's get this project done." you led him to your room, where you both sat on the floor, side by side, sifting through notes. you explained what you'd already gather, and together you began writing. halfway through a page, you realized that he had scoot closer to you, to where your leg touched his. you felt warmth rise to your cheeks, but didn't address it. finney definitely wasn't going to address it either. so instead, you just let it be and continued with your work. if he noticed it, he would move away, right?

a good thirty minutes went by, and shockingly, finney never moved. neither did you. the minutes felt excruciatingly long and you just wanted so desperately to say something to him. you both reached for an index card on the project board, and your hand met his. there was a pause for the both of you. you could feel the heat radiating from his hand, and you could feel the sweat forming on his skin. was he really that nervous?

"s-sorry, y/n." he stammered, moving his hand away and wiping his palm on his pants. yup, definitely sweaty.

"it's okay, don't worry." you assured him, offering a kind smile. he stared at you for a moment, red powdered across his cheeks. he looked away when you held eye contact, biting his nail. you giggled lightly at his reaction, and your chest fluttered.

"you're adorable, finney." you said, not really realizing what exactly you had just said. he brought his hand to the back of his neck, scratching some and moving it down to grip his shoulder.

"thank you- um... y-you're really pretty, y/n." he blurted out, before peeking up and laughing in embarrassment. "i mean, not really pretty, just pretty, but i mean you are pretty and honestly you're probably the prettiest girl i've ever seen- i-i mean..." he said frantically. you couldn't help but laugh at his words. he kept stammering on, and you watched him speak with a slight blush on your face. after a moment more of him rambling, you decided that enough was enough, and you leaned over, planting a kiss on his cheek. he froze, all words he had been saying were halted and he looked at you. if his face wasn't red enough, it definitely was as red as it could be now.

"calm down, finney." you giggled again. "thank you, that means a lot." you hummed, before turning to your project nonchalantly. you could tell at the corner of your eye that he was still staring at you, dumbfounded. eventually, he regathered himself.

"y-yeah, you're welcome." he smiled, going quiet as the two of you continued your work.