#library date

It’s Saturday morning, and you slowly wake up by some warm kisses on your cheeks and forehead. Your caregiver softly whispers “good morning, my sweet angel”, before gently lifting you in their arms. 

They make you your favourite breakfast while they let you watch cartoons, before changing you into comfortable but cute clothes, and heading towards the library like they promised you the day before. 

“What book my sweet pea, is going to choose?” They ask before kissing your cheek loudly, making you giggle. 

You wander through the library aisles, your little hand grabbing theirs as your eyes drift over the colourful books. The scent of new and old paper and the quiet hum of the library make you feel cosy and safe. And the warm presence of your caregiver makes everything better. 

After a moment of wandering through the shelves, you spot a bright illustrated storybook and point excitedly. Your caregiver smiles softly, their heart melting as the sight of your eyes lighting up. 

“This one, please,” you ask with your soft voice. 

“Such a great choice, baby.” They say as they pick you up in their arms, looking at the book you keep in your little hands. 

You find a snug corner with a cushioned seat, and they settle in with you perched on their lap. As they begin to read aloud, their voice gentle and soothing, you rest your head against their shoulder, letting the warmth of the moment wrap around you. 

By the time the story is over, you’re nearly half asleep, and they whisper, “shall we take this one home, sweet pea?” You nod softly, feeling nothing but joy in your little library date together. 

🧸.

He looked up when you sat down.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"You came."

"I said I would."

He pushed his glasses up. "I know. I just —" He stopped. "I've been looking forward to this all day."

"To studying?"

"To seeing you."

You felt your face warm.

"That's —" you started.

"Smooth?" he offered. "Romantic? Completely out of character?"

"I was going to say unexpected."

He shrugged. "I'm full of surprises."

You studied for an hour.

Well, you tried to. He kept stealing glances at you.

"You're not reading," you said.

"I'm appreciating the view."

"The view of my textbook?"

"The view of you."

You snorted. "That was terrible."

"I'm out of practice."

"You've never been in practice."

He laughed — a real laugh, bright and unguarded.

"Yeah," he said. "Fair point."

You got up to find a book.

When you came back, there was a piece of paper on your notebook.

You wrinkle your nose when you're concentrating. It's adorable. — S

You looked up at him. He was staring very hard at his textbook.

"You wrote this?"

"No."

"You're the only one here."

"Could be a ghost."

"A ghost wrote me a compliment?"

"Friendly ghost."

You folded the note and tucked it into your bag.

"I'm keeping this," you said.

"For evidence?"

"Because it's cute."

He went very still. "You think I'm cute?"

"Don't let it go to your head."

"Too late."

The library closed at nine.

You walked out together into the cold night air. He held the door for you. You didn't expect it.

"Thanks," you said.

"My mom raised me right."

"Did she also raise you to stare at people?"

"I'm not staring. I'm observing."

"What's the difference?"

"Staring is creepy. Observing is scientific."

You laughed. "You're impossible."

"And yet, you're still walking with me."

You ended up at the campus observatory.

He knew the code to get in — something about an astronomy club he'd joined freshman year. The dome was cold and dark. Above you, the sky was visible through the open roof.

"I used to come here when I couldn't sleep," he said.

"Does it help?"

"Sometimes." He pointed up. "See that cluster? Pleiades. And that bright one? Jupiter."

"You're such a nerd."

"I prefer 'enthusiastic learner.'"

"That's not a thing."

"It is now."

He was quiet for a while.

Then: "Can I tell you something?"

"Sure."

He looked up at the stars.

"I've been thinking about you a lot. Like — a lot a lot. To the point where it's kind of embarrassing."

"How embarrassing?"

"I almost walked into a door yesterday because I was thinking about the way you said my name."

You stared at him.

"Satoru, that's —"

"Pathetic? Yeah, I know."

"I was going to say sweet."

He turned to look at you.

"You're not supposed to agree with me when I insult myself."

"Then stop insulting yourself."

He opened his mouth. Closed it.

"That's —" He stopped. "I don't know what to say to that."

"You don't have to say anything."

He reached for your hand.

"I'm glad you texted me," he said. "That first time. I almost didn't."

"Why not?"

"I was scared you'd say no."

"And now?"

"Now I'm scared you'll realize I'm not worth the trouble."

You squeezed his hand.

"Too late," you said.

"For what?"

"I already think you're worth it."

He stared at her.

"Can I —" He stopped. Swallowed. "Can I kiss you?"

"Here?"

"Here."

"In the observatory?"

"I panicked and chose the place. You can choose the next one."

You laughed. "That's not how this works."

"I'm new to this."

He leaned in. His lips were soft. His hand was warm on your cheek. His glasses bumped your nose.

He pulled back.

"Sorry —"

You kissed him again.

He made a small, surprised sound. Then he kissed you back — deeper this time, but still gentle, still careful.

When you finally pulled apart, he was smiling.

"I've wanted to do that for a while," he said.

"Then why didn't you?"

"I was waiting for the right moment."

"And the observatory was it?"

"The stars felt right."

"That's very romantic for someone who called himself 'out of practice.'"

"I have my moments."

He walked you to your door.

"So," he said.

"So."

"Same time tomorrow?"

"Same place?"

"Same place."

He was still holding your hand.

"Satoru?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for tonight."

He smiled — soft and warm.

"Thanks for coming."

He kissed your forehead.

"Goodnight," he said.

"Goodnight."

He turned and walked away — but he looked back once. Just once. And then he was gone.

You woke up to a text.

You smiled at your phone.

You laughed and got out of bed.

A/N. part three will be their first actual date !! (not a study date, not a walk) — stay tuned. heh. 😼😼

P.S, this is js a quick work i made, sorry if its short!! 😭 i'm still moving houses ill make it up to u guys <3

shiny boi🦒: I’ve just arrived. Don’t be late pleasee, if someone asks for your seat I don’t know if I’ll be able to say no… :p

You chuckled to yourself as you looked at the screen, knowing all too well that Shinyu was extremely shy—and also didn’t know how to say no. 

You turned off your phone, slung your bag over your shoulder, and left the house. You’d planned to meet Shinyu that day to study. An exam was coming up and he, being the good boyfriend he was, was going to come along with you and, while he was at it, get a head start on his required reading for Literature while you drilled him on Biology.

The library wasn’t far from your house; in fact, it was closer than Shinyu’s own house. So, in less than 10 minutes, you’d already arrived and walked in. The smell of books filled your nostrils. It was a smell that reminded you of home. The library was like your second one. Your parents often joked that you only went from your house to the library and from the library to your house.

When you walked into one of the rooms, it was easy to spot Shinyu among the few (crazy) students who had come to study on a Friday afternoon. To be honest, you weren’t really in the mood for it either. But hanging out with Shinyu was always a plus for you, and you had to admit that you needed to buckle down for the exam…

You walked over to him, a happy little smile on your face at seeing that he had, indeed, saved your seat.

“Hi,” you whispered, setting your bag on the chair across from you. He, who had been focused until then, looked up from his book and turned his gaze toward you.

A smile spread across his lips. “You came earlier than I thought,” he joked in a whisper as you sat down.

You narrowed your eyes. “Don’t exaggerate— I’m not that late to places…”

“Ahem…” He nodded, feigning seriousness, but letting out a chuckle. “Well, at least you’re here now,” he said, resting his elbows on the table. “Shall we begin?”

You nodded, pulling out your biology notes. “Yeah. Hello, cells. Goodbye, mental health.”

Shinyu laughed again, fixing his gaze on you. “Poor cells.”

“Poor me, I’m made of them…!” you replied, and he laughed again.

You liked making him laugh; whether it was soft or loud, Shinyu’s laughter was perfectly distinguishable to you from everyone else’s. And you loved it. Probably one of your favorite things. An experience you’d recommend 100%.

You both laughed a little more, and although it took some effort, you eventually focused on your (diabolical) cells and their vital functions.

Time passed and the sky darkened. The orange lights from the lamps illuminated the tables (including the one where you were sitting now). It was late now, later than you usually stayed to study, and your concentration had decided to vanish completely from your mind. You’d tried, really. You’d tried to read the biology material for your exam the following Monday, but it was impossible.

As soon as it began, “The process of sporulation is one in which the cell…,” you had already zoned out the moment you read the word “the,” and in your mind you had gone off to enjoy a slushie on the beach in the sun. You sighed, feeling desperate, as this had already happened to you five times.

You rested your cheek in the palm of your hand and tried again, without success, but this time, instead of being on the beach, your gaze drifted (almost by accident) to the boy standing in front of you. You’d never met anyone with a better attention span than Shinyu — really—, and that’s why, on these outings you loved watching him. He wouldn’t notice unless you were being really obvious.

If making him laugh and talking to him were your favorite things, then it was watching him cautiously (without any weird undertones). Shinyu was particularly handsome; you’d known that for a long time. He had a small head, broad shoulders, and you were still trying to decide if his features were sharper or softer. When he read, he had a look of concentration where he pursed his lips slightly and focused his gaze solely on the page. If something amused him, his lips curved gently into a smile. If he disliked something, on the other hand, he would frown in a very funny way that made you smile. He jotted things down in the book quickly and concisely, and you didn’t even have to look to know that his handwriting was more angular and square than round.

Shinyu had a… different aura. You were used to loud, boisterous voices, to moments when silence felt like a giant wall separating two people. Your friends laughed heartily and filled that silence. You liked that. But you also liked what Shinyu made you feel: calm. With him, silence wasn’t a barrier but a pause to smile and look and look.

Sometimes you thought he resembled the ocean, the sunshine after a storm. Calm after a good shake, but full of life inside.

You found yourself staring at him a little longer than you’d promised yourself—something that happened often, if you were honest. And even though you tried to get back to the cell division (which obviously interested you a lot), your eyes kept drifting back to Shinyu, who was far more interesting than the processes of unicellular reproduction.

On one of those occasions, Shinyu caught you looking at him. He had already gotten quite far into his book, but in the last chapter he read, he had felt an intense gaze on him. He assumed it was you. It was always you.

He looked up, and what he saw was you, sitting across from him, half-reclining on the table with your cheek resting on your hand, as if it weighed a ton. Your hair was a mess, and you looked pretty tired. And yet, you looked as the prettiest person on Earth for your boyfriend. 

Shinyu raised an eyebrow. “(Yn)?” he asked, giving you a slightly judgmental but amused look. “You should be studying; you’re not focusing on…” he scolded you, leaving the sentence hanging, not knowing exactly what you were studying; though in reality, the fact that you were looking at him made him nervous—in a good way, for lack of a better word.

“The Shinyution,” you muttered, completely distracted.

“That,” he nodded, “You aren’t focusing on the… wait, what?” His eyes widened as he processed the information. “What do you mean with the Shinyution?”

You opened your eyes in surprise, now fully snapping out of your daydream. “In sporulation, sporulation!” you repeated, correcting yourself. Oh my gosh, how embarrassing!, you thought to yourself

Shinyu burst out laughing. 

Well, at least you’d made him laugh at the expense of your dignity… it was something. Still, you couldn’t help but blush from embarrassment.

“Don’t laugh!” you complained, though to your misfortune (or fortune), it only made him laugh harder. “That’s not fair! I can’t concentrate at this hour, and especially not if—!” You tried to keep shouting between whispers, though you fell silent at the last moment.

“Not if…?” he asked back. You suspected he knew what you meant, but he asked anyway. He was so mean.

“No, it’s nothing.” You denied it. Shinyu didn’t believe you for a second.

“Aham, and not if…?” he asked again, a smirk on his lips.

You squnited.

“Not if you’re here…” you whispered reluctantly. “Have you ever looked at yourself? You’re a walking distraction. You should grow a beard, wear glasses, and put on a hat like celebrities do. Maybe that’ll help me focus. Though you might still look handsome… Either way, you’re not helping!” You complained now, shaking your head.

And Shinyu, knowing fully you were saying it out of affection and frustration, burst out laughing. He laughed and laughed, and his laughter was so contagious that you ended up laughing too. It died down and became soft when people started giving him dirty looks because of the noise, tho.

“Sorry,” he said, bowing his head, apologizing to those who had told him to be quiet, while he kept laughing breathlessly, unable to stop himself.

His hand left the book, and he reached for your arm carefully. Shinyu laughed again, blushing like a pretty little tomato. He stroked your forearm, and then shyly intertwined his fingers with yours. “Come on, let’s go. It’s clear you can’t concentrate like this, and the people next to us are already giving us criminal side eyes—,” he whispered.

You laughed softly, closing your eyes. “Yeh, let’s go home before I embarrass myself more, please.”

© jellyluvsjihoon 2026. do not copy or repost. ask to translate. (cr for the dividers to @uzmacchiato)