Birdley

Susie flew out into the hallway with a crash like a bookcase collapsing, remembering she'd promised to bring Lancer comics yesterday. Noelle apologized softly and slipped away after her—she needed to help Miss Alphys distribute forms for the school competition. And so, there were two tables and two empty chairs opposite each.

Chris sat back, staring at the ceiling. His gaze was as blank as the document page on the screen. He didn't move for about three minutes, and Beardley began to suspect he'd fallen asleep.
Beardley sat straight, focused. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, a few centimeters from the text, but he didn't type. He looked at Chris, trying to see if Chris was looking at him. Chris wasn't looking.

"Well, that's it," flashed through his mind. "Noel's gone. I'm left with this... this silent guy who doesn't even blink. What should I do? Should I talk or not? If I talk, he'll think I want his attention. If I don't talk, he'll think I'm afraid."

Beardley made a short, strangled sound—something between a cough and an attempt to begin a sentence. Chris didn't react.

"Hey," Birdley blurted out, louder than expected. "Are you... are you even working, or are you just showing off how mysterious you are?"

Silence. Chris slowly moved his gaze from the ceiling to Birdley. A second. Two...

"That's it. I can't handle it. Where's Noel? What's taking her so long with those stupid uniforms?" He glanced again at the neighboring table.
Chris no longer looked at the ceiling, but at Birdley. Slowly. As if studying him. And something vaguely resembling a smile froze on his lips.

"What?" Birdley blurted out.
"Nothing," Chris replied. He turned back to the screen.

Beardley's heart was pounding somewhere in his throat.

"What just happened? Is he laughing at me? Should I say something? What if I start typing now, will he think I'm scared of his gaze? And if I don't start, will he think I'm incapable of putting two words together without Noel?"

He exhaled loudly and stared at the keyboard, feeling the blue feathers on the back of his neck stand on end with irritation.

association with blueberries
in love with Chris :3