Protection - Kei Tsukishima fanfiction

ten

 I had never been out this late before in the neighbourhood; everything seemed so different yet strangely calming as the new scent of faint cigarette smoke, passing whiffs of food and night life intoxicated my nose and filled me with adrenaline. Ever since I moved schools, I haven't needed to walk home in the dark from Karasuno high school, so the change in environment seemed unusual. I saw people I had never seen before; I viewed the familiar houses and buildings in a entirely new light; and my sense of direction under the dimly light roads became a distant memory: I felt ecstatic. However, these new sensations of being in the exposed streets of the night arrived at a bad and stressful time.

"Tsukishima, I can't afford a hotel." Eagerly, I was treading behind Tsukishima, stumbling and plodding with the weight and quick pace of the whole situation as the world felt like it was spinning. The beanpole stretched his long legs in front of me quickly, leaving me in the dust with an overflowing backpack filled with essentials I would need for the next school day, and even after that. 

After Tsukishima declared I wouldn't spend more time in the company of my mother and her guest, I was rushed out of the house. He ordered me inside with the objective to pack everything I would need to be ready in the morning: toothbrush, hairbrush, sanitary items and more as they were all crammed inside a separate bag to my schoolbag, which was also hanging from my aching shoulder. However, because of the rushed packing, I forgot to get to take spare clothes for the night or even remember certain school work. So, after a quiet lock of the door, and a hesitated walk down my pathway, I followed Tsukishima to wherever he would take me with the mindset that this was what was best for everyone, especially my mother, even just to get some time apart.

Me being the naïve person I am, I trusted Tsukishima to take me somewhere safe and not just the side of the road or a public café.  

"We aren't going to a hotel."  He stated, calm resonating from his voice like silk, a bulletproof plan running through his mind--not that he told me where we are going after walking for five minutes. He was practically gliding through the streets knowing exactly where our destination was.

"So, where am I going to stay the night then?"

He paused in his track, taking a few seconds as his scrunched up posture indicating that he was becoming flustered and my simple question made him nervous.

"You're going to stay over at mine," Tsukishima mumbled through his teeth, knowing exactly how creepy and forward the answer seemed. He tightened his fists into pulsating balls, letting his embarrassment fade away as a couple of silent moments passed, beckoning back his careless persona. 

"Oh, you don't have to do that. I don't wanna put that pressure on you or you're family." Of course, I knew that his intentions didn't have any ill will behind them; he wasn't luring me to his house to pray on me, he genuinely wanted to help. I could tell by the way he tensed up, and how his gritted his teeth in embarrassing agony like he was presenting a project to a classroom. Maybe he didn't even want me to in his company, however, it was just his way of making up for his harsh, past mistakes--as well as the tutoring.

"Look, I understand this is weird, but don't make it harder then it already is. Do you want somewhere to stay or not?" He was getting so flustered to the point that he seemed defensive.

"Sorry. Yes please." I replied quickly.

"Then shut up."

The Tsukishima house was located along a nice stretch of beautiful architecture, all surrounded by blooming trees and brick walls creating dividers and space between them. They were all big, family-sized abodes, glowing with interior lighting in the dark and displayed behind perfected front gardens. Pyramid roofs, traditional tiling and windows; they were what you would expect to see in a rural place like this. I was feeling a twinge of jealousy.