𝐆𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐄 (𝐓.𝐊𝐄𝐈 𝐗 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑)

[.𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟏.]

ganymede : chapter 11

the end of the school day seemed to come so quickly. for the first time in months, you dreaded going home from school. you fiddled with your fingers, looking at the entrance of the school library as if it were a toxic beast. 

it was monday. you were tired. why not just go home? it's not like tsukishima would want to see you either, so you should just do the better thing for the both of you guys and not see him. 

but that was such a cowardly move, you told yourself. 

bartering back and forth with yourself, you trudged into the library with distaste dripping from every step you took. maybe it wasn't too late - you could go wait for yua at the volleyball gyms, maybe watch them play for a bit...

this morning, you were so excited to see tsukishima and tell him the news that you like him too, but now it seemed like quite a chore. it could also be very possible that yamaguchi was lying, just to mess with you. maybe tsukshima put him up to it - maybe he just wanted to see you make a fool out of yourself or something. 

anything was possible, and you hated that. 

"... are you coming inside?" a quiet voiced asked, and you looked up. speak of the devil, the familiar boy stood in front of you, dark circles gracing the bags underneath his eyes as he held three textbooks in his hands. he looked worn out, possibly from lack of sleep. 

"i don't know" you wanted to say, and walk off all suave. but, of course, as a first year high schooler, it was impossible to look cool. so, you shrugged it off with a quick mumbled of, "yeah okay."

tsukishima let out a sigh and pushed past you. 

sometimes, when you break ice, it builds back even stronger the next day. the cold nights could build it back up and strengthen the shell, making sure that it never melts or breaks again. it's a form of instinctual protection, a reassurance that it was always this strong, always this brave. it's a cheap attempt at erasing the fact that it ever broke in the first place. 

could that happen with moons? ganymede, the ever so big moon with the ever so strong ice shell, did it try to play off cracks like it was nothing? did it ignore the blood-curdling shattering of its shell as it exposed its true self to the other party, even just for a bit? or was it just as big of a shock to himself as it was to the others, embarrassed at its true fragility?

all these questions you wished to ask ganymede himself, but for some reason your voice was lost at his gaze. 

you dragged your feet across the pavement, following tsukishima into the library. 

just as you expected, it was an awkward silence over the both of you. 

until ganymede did break its own shell. it was self-destruction. or was it out of love? out of passion? was it finally tired of sitting by himself, longing the touch but never getting it?

it was perhaps, the wise choice for him. 

"about the question you asked on saturday," he spoke up, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. 

"oh. yeah?" you said shortly, cutting off your sentences quick before you started rambling nonsense and said something you'd regret. 

"what's your answer?"

"huh?"

"you asked me if i liked you, but let's reverse the roles for a bit," tsukishima offered, trying very hard to keep his expression neutral. you could tell from the way he forced his mouth to form a line, suppressing a possible smirk or frown. 

you rubbed your forearms, biting the inside of your cheek as you refused to meet his eyes. you swore that you were going to break at his glance, so to play it safe you decided to look away. 

"please answer."

you didn't know if he had said that, or if you were telling yourself this. 

"i'm so bad at stuff like this," you laughed, playing it off like a joke. tsukishima didn't laugh, his face stoic and set. 

"you know what, though? when i first met you, i thought you were really mean and i didn't like you. and also, i thought you hated me as well. but uh... you know, you started warming up to me. i'm not sure if you noticed yourself, but i did. and you were slowly getting nicer and nicer, and i started liking you more and more, and before i knew what was happening i just straight up asked you if you liked me. which was a really stupid move, i thought. so, my answer is... yeah, i like you. i like you... a lot," you explained, realizing that now you were finally looking into his honey colored eyes, and instead of breaking at it, you noticed that you were drawn to it. it was a comforting gaze he had set on you, one of admiration and maybe (just maybe) love. 

"wow," tsukishima muttered, his voice smaller than ever. sincerity was woven through his words as he started to speak, "i don't have something as heartfelt as you do, and frankly i kind of hate that. i thought you were annoying - sorry, i still think you're annoying. but slightly less than before, if i'm going to be honest."

how anticlimactic. 

tsukishima leaned forward in his chair, just a little bit, to see you slightly better. his eyes were focused strictly on your mouth, as if anticipating any more words. 

"i don't have anything else to say," you said, your words barely above a whisper now. 

"i don't either."

and slowly but surely, your fingers intertwined with his long ones as you sat in the library in comfortable silence. 

yes, high school is awkward and stressful (romance being no exception to these adjectives), but isn't that the beauty of it all?

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a/n : we're nearing the end to the short story of ganymede! thank you for all of the support along the way!