#nerd!5sos

he wasn’t necessarily in band, but nerd!michael found it his own little retreat from the tormenting classmates who often mocked him for wearing oversized t-shirts and ripped skinny jeans or teased him for his side-fringe that covered nearly half his face - it actually being long enough to reach his chin - and the band director didn’t mind at all. he often kept to himself, having only a few friends, but no one knew that’s where he spent his lunch periods, away from those that would pelt him with grapes from across the cafeteria, learning and practicing the chords to all of his favorite songs - often humming along to the melody or singing along in a hushed voice. you couldn’t help but notice the quiet boy sneaking through the double doors and into the room from day-to-day around the same time - a worried look on his face when he entered and an expression of relief whenever he left; eventually curiosity would get the best of you as you’d peek through the slim window to see the boy getting lost in a song, his eyes tightly shut, as he sang: “call me a name / kill me with words / forget about me / it’s what i deserve”. creeping inside the room, you kept close to the walls as he finished with the gentle strum of his acoustic guitar and finally opened his eyes. you never realized how piercing yet bright his green eyes were as if they observed the world with wonder, though you knew there was plenty of hurt behind those irises. you offered him a slow clap and strolled towards him - a shy smile on your face - whilst he had a look of humiliation on his own; he shuffled with his guitar and pick, trying to put them away, while mumbling apologies if he was taking up any of your practice time - he didn’t mean anything bad by it. with his back turned to you, you placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and felt him tense beneath your touch as you offered small praise over his rendition of one of your favorite songs - leading to you gushing over all time low. once his curious eyes met your kind ones, you felt your face flush for a moment before you leaned in for a chaste peck on his lips - his usually pale cheeks now burning bright red with and shy smile toying the corners of his mouth. mumbling an apology as the final bell sounded, he offered a small wave and asked if you’d like to join him tomorrow - as long as you weren’t doing anything; you’d nod your head and leave behind a wrapped brownie atop desk before heading to your next class.