Protection - Kei Tsukishima fanfiction

three

The normal, angelic bell echoed throughout the school right on time to cue the arrival of the first break. The history teacher had punctually announced our 15 minutes of freedom, before swiftly leaving herself, insisting the rest of my classmates to do the same; walking around the halls, talking or even having the option to do some light studying before the next period. The sliding doors opened to the vast wilderness of corridors, exposing a wide range of unknown students and the volume to increase with the persistent sound of talking and laughter.

My forehead was against my table as I quietly continued sulking in the back corner, causing a venerable intake of oxygen entering my lungs as my nose pressed firmly against the wood. My sight was dark and any glimpse of light caused my fragile eyes to water and vision to become blurry. Under the desk, my heads were clasped together so tightly that my circulation seemed to be running slow, but that didn't encourage me to let go, not even for a second. My feet were crossed and my back was hunched in a way that created an ache to erupt in my spine

It's hard to admit this stinging failure. I screwed up so much, even after my confidence had skyrocketed to a level that was beyond my initial comprehension. I can't think. I'm so overwhelmed, from the moment I looked at the red ink, to right now where I feel the whole world is looking down on me with shame and second-hand embarrassment. Eighteen is what I scored out of one hundred, and a pass is eighty or above--I had no chance in succeeding, even from the very start. My revising didn't make a difference--I don't even think I was studying the correct information; it just adds to the countless other reasons as to why I flunked this test.

"So, Hoshiko, how did you do on the exam, or will I not be needing your email after all"

I ignored that comment as soon as it left his smirking lips. Tsukishima turned one-hundred-and-eighty degrees in his chair only for me to completely shy away from the question, earning a rather condescending yet angered laugh from the blond boy. After that, the silence was conveniently ordered by the teacher.

"I'm guessing that's a no. You always have the next exam to fail, right?"

And with that, Tsukishima turned around, and that was the last time he spoke to me within two days. It's been wonderful to avoid and not to be brought down by such negativity

Merely crying because of the intense light to my eyes, I turned my head to face the desk which seated a pleasant looking, brownish-green haired Yamaguchi, lazily reading a book in front of him as his head turned from page to page. He seemed quiet, but nothing out of the ordinary there.

Yamaguchi was on edge, however, checking the entrance now and then like a dog waiting for his owner to return. I observed from afar: whenever footsteps radiated from the sliding door, his bold eyes would automatically scan for a certain students' return. Even with little to no history with Tadashi, I knew exactly who he was looking for.

I decided not to stare, burying my face within the closure of my arms once again, praying and wishing for the fifteen-minute break to be over and done with.

"Tsukki!" Unexpectedly, the mismatching nickname echoed from Yamaguchi's desk in a fit of pure excitement, but obviously, it wasn't met with the same enthusiasm from the returning party.

"Mm." That was all Tsukishima said in return, the clicks of his shoes getting louder and louder with every step he took on the polished floors. Even with a delightful greeting as that, Tsukishima still remained blatantly stern.

"You took longer than usual. Where have you been?" Even with my head down, I could sense the broad smile from the freckled face boy.

"I went to the vending machine outside the gyms."

"Oh cool! What did you get?" It's refreshing to hear that even the smallest of things can make him beam, even if it is just a juice carton or something with no real meaning.

"I don't think it's really all that," There was a pause, "...important." Suddenly, Tsukishima hesitated with his cold comment and enhanced his silent persona. Yamaguchi followed his lead, pondering the reason for his out-of-character delay in his normally quick and witty comments. I wondered why at first, he's usually always prepared with whatever comes out of his shit-talking mouth, but something, or in this case someone, caught his self-interest.

I felt the metaphorical burning sensation of his golden-brown eyes as he scanned the sulking state of my body. Tsukishima turned to face the back, walking past his dedicated friend, right in front of my desk. I didn't look up; I couldn't make myself. It felt like my bones were glued in my current position, and I did not want to look at his haughty expression full of pride and superiority. If I could just ignore him for a second more, maybe he'll give up.

"I couldn't help but remember our little bet, Hoshiko. I'm sure you haven't forgotten as well." I could mentally picture him, hand on his hip, a smirk forming across his cheeks, and a dangerous aura surrounding him like a venomous mist. Tsukishima had the full intention of seeing my last nerve, but I stayed completely silent.

"The one where I said that if by a miracle, you pass this test then I'll consider sending you notes?"

Silence.

Tsukishima scoffed at the lack of acknowledgement he craved, "Look sulking like that isn't going to do you any good. You should at least be practising for the next test."

I would be revising, but I can't bring myself to do it inside his patronising bubble.

"Just tell me what you got, Hoshi. It can't be that bad." There wasn't an ounce of compassion, just a cold tone.

Tsukishima then sighed in defeat, however, he was not giving up, "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

"...eighteen..." I whispered into the fabric of my white shirt, muffling my voice successfully, but what good would it do.

"What was that?"

"Eighteen." Now, I cleared my voice, slightly lifting myself from the table.

"Wait, seriously?" Tsukishima questioned, holding back a haughty laugh with one hand on his quivering lips, "Wow, shorty, I didn't expect that. As I said, there's always the next exam, yeah?"

My blood began to boil with the rage I felt in my chest. This embarrassment fuelled something within me that triggered a fire of red to spread across my face and cause my hands to clench together in a freezy of uneasiness. This strategy of composure and silence was collapsing as every second passed and trying to rebuild it felt impossible as his snickering continued. So, without hesitation, I stood up, pushing off of the wooden floor with enough force to remove my chair from underneath my frame. Unfortunately, my selfish actions disrupted the room, but my brain was targetting something more important than what was around me

"How arrogant do you have to be?" I stated, both of our gazes meeting instantly, "I did bad on my test, ok? Obviously, my studying methods weren't as good as I thought, so now I have to deal with it myself. It was my mistake of ever asking for your help, so you can just leave it."

I paused, regaining myself, "And leave me to deal with my bad grades in peace. I will already get enough grief from my family, I don't need it from a patronizing classmate too."

Tsukishima looked down, the glare of the sun hiding his wide-eyed expression from my sudden outburst. He wasn't angry or threatened, or even embarrassed, he seemed pitiful looking down on me with his towering height. If anything, he was smirking from amusement and relief at the sudden change in my character, even if it did surprise him more than he wanted to admit.

"Look at that. I knew you had some rage in you, Hoshi. I was starting to think that you were going to bottle it all up and not stand up for yourself. I like it, way better." His voice had evolved into a more smooth and lower tone; it was almost like he enjoyed getting yelled at.

"What--

"You misjudged, hard, and you have to admit that is pretty funny."

I furrowed my eyebrows.

"So don't go wearing that confident mask of yours on your sleeve--it won't help your intelligence or your grades. I'm sure you'll get it right next time."

I can't tell if he was trying to give me advice or he was continuing to patronise me. Maybe he is just too heartless to help a low scoring classmate like me, even after I gave him the reaction he wanted.