Chapter Text
Giddy
Noelle is exhausted long before the dance is over, but she treasures every shaky, misplaced step she and Akarsha share on the squeaky linoleum. She keeps hold of Akarsha’s hand a second too long to be normal, and mentally braces herself for the awful, wonderful mocking she’s sure to be in for.
Instead, Akarsha smiles at her. Just smiles. Not her idiot grin, but something different. Something almost painful for Noelle to look at. Noelle can’t help but meet her gaze, cheeks red and chest heaving.
Don’t make me say it again, you adorable little fool.
“Sorry to drag you away from studying.” Akarsha says after what feels like a week. It doesn’t feel like long enough.
“It’s f-” Noelle wheezes. “Fine, I guess. You’d have only bugged me about it if I didn’t.” Akarsha’s smile grows smaller as she looks down to her feet.
“I’d best get back to studying, then.” Akarsha says and starts flapping back to her seat in those ridiculous flip-flops.
“Wait, what I said before,” Noelle calls after her, heart pounding anew. Akarsha turns to look at her and the wave of adrenaline Noelle had been riding finally breaks. “Your choice of footwear was *utterly* unsuited for dancing. You must’ve spent half the time stamping on my feet.”
Lunch
“Where’s Diya anyways?” Akarsha asks as she helps herself to the spring rolls from Noelle’s lunch. “You never normally share your food with me like you do her, Frenchman. It’s almost enough to make a girl jealous.”
“She said something about having lunch with Min. Besides, it’s only right you be rewarded for finally showing your studies a modicum of earnestness.” Noelle replies, not deigning to look up from her biology textbook.
Akarsha leans across her textbook, hand over her mouth to conceal a conspiratorial grin. “If I show two modicums do I get your melon wedges too?”
Noelle huffs theatrically, barely keeping a smile off her face. She keeps her eyes down as she scribbles line after line of tiny, neat notes. “A modicum is an indefinite amount. Definitionally, you can’t show two modicums.”
Akarsha turns to a pair of blank sheets in her notebook and writes MODICUM on each of them in giant letters. For good measure, she also doodles a tiny Noelle face with a moustache and beret in the corner of one of the pages. She thrusts the book across the table, straight under Noelle’s nose.
“Look, two modicums!” Akarsha says. Noelle ignores her, and turns around in her seat away from Akarsha. “I showed you my modicums, please respond.”
Noelle half-turns back and rolls her eyes to meet Akarsha’s with her trademark look of disgust. “Get your modicums out of my face.”
“You admit I have two modicums! I win lunch!” Akarsha replies, dropping her notebook to grab at the little baggie.
“YOU CAN’T WIN LUNCH, THAT’S NOT A THING.” Noelle roars back, grabbing Akarsha’s wrist. Akarsha freezes in place, mind utterly wiped as she stares at where Noelle’s holding her. Her mouth dries. Her palm begins to sweat.
She doesn’t like you, you idiot. Stop it.
Noelle’s eyes wander to the little scribble dropped notebook. “Is…is this meant to be me?” she demands with a renewed scowl, dropping Akarsha’s arm.
“Of course Frenchman! I was gonna draw you with a lil baguette but it’d probably be too heavy for you.” Akarsha finds herself rallying at the chance to annoy Noelle. At least she can still have this.