( Okay. The good thing about playing with his food is that it completely pulls Shealtiel the rest of the way out of his defensiveness and dark thoughts. The bad thing is that it's kind of nasty, and Shealtiel shields his bowl from any stray foreign droplets, slurping up some of his own noodles with a slight lean to the side, away from Akira. )

...I'm going to ignore that you said you've been thinking about me. But, if you want me to like you so badly, then do something about it. We barely know each other.

( Why does he have to like someone immediately!! He thinks he's justified in this. )