Rated: K Description: Just a cute little drabble where Nodoka decides to be just a little selfish.
There was a steady thumping as the train car traveled from station to station. Outside the windows the sun was sliding lower and lower in the sky and before long it would be hidden behind the horizon. The lights were already on in the car.
All this went unnoticed by the the cars lone occupant, a late day at the Library Expedition Club had resulted in her catching the days last train back to the dorms. In her hands was a heavy leather bound book she was deeply absorbed with. A simple but captivating translation of a foreign legend. She was always gentle with books but this manuscript was an especially old one and valuable.
So engrossed in this particular tome was she, that she completely failed to notice when a second passenger boarded the car, or when the new passenger quietly took the seat next to her. In fact it wasn't until he spoke to her that she noticed him.
"Hello, Nodoka-san," he said, the words snapping her out of the book instantly as a sudden panic worked its way up her spine. She turned her head to see a slightly bemused smile under a pair of bright round eyes. She swallowed her panic long enough to squeak out a polite, "Hello, Negi-sensei."
She quickly looked around the car and realized for the first time that it was completely empty. It was hardly the first time she had stopped paying attention to her surroundings because of a good book but she hadn't expected to her crush to suddenly appear. A yawn brought her attention back to her young teacher sitting beside her.
His eyes half closed and he seemed to be swaying gently from side to side. "Are you alright Professor?" she heard herself asking. "I'm fine." he said in a groggy voice, "the faculty meeting just went on a bit long today." He struggled a moment to keep his eyes open but before long he was dozing silently. The sight brought a smile to Nodoka's lips. She took in his young features and tousled red hair. No one would argue that the boy was anything but cute.
Then the train car was was shaken by a slight bump and the unconscious professor was leaning against his petite student. Her whole body locked up as her face flushed crimson. Her book slid from her fingers before flopping closed on the floor. Her mind was blank.
Her teacher was still sleeping and Nodoka decided against waking him up. She caught an earthy scent coming off of him as her muscles began to relax. His body seemed to radiate a kind of warmth. Nodoka spared a moment to wonder if the warmth was a result of his (very literal) magic. She decided she didn't care as she rested her head on his. In the back of her mind she knew she needed to pick up her book and check that it wasn't damaged. But she also knew that the motion would wake Negi, and she didn't want to end the moment quite yet. Besides there was only one more stop before she would have to get off anyway. She wasn't sure how Negi would react when he noticed she had been letting him use her like a pillow but she didn't care. Maybe this one time it wouldn't hurt to be just a little selfish.