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.
My classmate brought me to his front door, silencing me from making any sort of sound that would give away my presence to any unwanted attention.
"So, you need to follow these instructions to the letter. I'm going to check if the coast is clear and make sure my family don't know I'm back. Then, I'll lead you straight to my room which is up the stairs at the end of the hallway. You will make no sound and try not to bump into everything. I suggest you take off your shoes before you enter to save time."
Tsukishima told me beforehand it will be better if his mother and brother don't know about me staying over which I reluctantly agreed with--we don't want them getting the wrong idea. And also, if I made myself present, it would mean letting them in on my current situation which would only make matters worse. With that being said, I submissively took off my shoes and let my bare, clothed feet touch the cold concrete ground.
"Ok." He took a deep breath with his hand pushing of the handle of the front door, "Don't come in until I say so."
I nodded quickly, watching as his body disappeared into what appeared to be the main hallway of the house.
This whole situation feels like a teen manga when the girl sneaks into a boy's house like a lovesick teenager without the parents knowing. I feel terrible imposing on his family like this, however, and if they find me we will both be in serious trouble. I probably should have just slept on my moist and cold front porch.
I thought about what my mother day once she realises I'm gone. She'll be occupied, sure, but leaving without permission probably wasn't the best solution to our problem.
Suddenly, I felt a large hand grab my wrist and pull me inside, the warmth of the house hitting my face instantly. My eyes quickly adjusted to the dim lighting that towered over the empty hallway, softly illuminating the modern layout of this new environment. Various plants were scattered around in various corners; interestingly designed patterns gave the interior an aesthetically pleasing finish; the doors were all bruce wooden, as well as the window panels and the wall of cupboards on the right-hand side of the entrance; and the floor was sleek and polished, running through to the next room. If I had to sum it up, it would be traditional but modern.
Tsukishima held onto me tightly, dragging me down into a crouched position, signifying me to keep low and still as he closed to door behind me.
"My mom is in the lounge while I suspect my brother is in his room. Just to be safe, keep an eye out." He whispered very close to my face, playing along as if this was mission impossible. I would be lying if I said this sudden touch and closeness didn't make me blush, even for a moment.
I nodded again, watching as his golden eyes panelled over my body and stopping at the two bags weighing on my shoulders.
"Tsk, here. Give me your sleepover bag so you don't drop it." Tsukishima slung the bag over his back, letting go of my wrist, taking off his shoes while starting to make a move to the stairs right in front of us.
I kept my eyes on the broad back before me, listening to the sounds of our feet softy touching and making their way up the wooden stairs with absolute caution. I made sure that my movement wouldn't cause any unwanted noises and checked behind me frequently, and so did Tsukishima, looking to see if I was still aware of my surroundings. The top level of the house was simple: just one corridor with four doors leading to different rooms--the one at the end being our destination. The two doors were shut--the bathroom and his mum's room--however no noise came from any of them. One door was open, however, which I presumed to be his mysterious older brothers as it was a typical design for an older boy living space; the bad thing was he wasn't in it, making his whereabouts unknown, only causing our caution to rise. Randomly, the floorboards would creak at the weight and speed of our bodies, stopping both of us in our tracks and our breathing to halt immediately, only then to carry. At the last leg, Tsukishima placed his hand at the crook of my back, speeding up his pace and forcing me to enter through his bedroom door and into the large space.
"Hey!" I harshly whispered at his immediate actions, stumbling as the new softness of his bedroom carpet comforted my feet.
"Shush!" Tsukishima retorted, closing the door at once, "Good, we didn't get caught."
He placed my bag on the floor carefully. He immediately began to shift around the room, taking off his school jacket and neatly folding it over his white desk chair, and sat on the edge of his bed, clutching his hands together in a reserved manner, "Don't just stand there--make yourself at home."
Tsukishima's somewhat soft tone had come out of its shell when we we're officially alone in his environment--I guess the comfort of his habitat makes him more at ease.
"Okay."
Tsukishima's room was spacious and organised, accommodating more than just a plain bed and a desk like I imagined; I could see that the various items he had displayed on shelves and bookcases said a lot about his otherwise private and reserved personality. For example, to the right of the door was a black desk, matching the overall aesthetic of the dark furniture, which, on top, stored a collection of CDs, magazines, workbooks, computer and PSP game cases all neatly upright in assigned places. Most of the franchises and bands I had never heard of, leaving my eyes to wonder over the magazines which all seemed sports-related, coinciding with the yellow and blue Mikasa volleyball that was to the right of the attached shelf. Above this, two more glass shelves were nailed into the cream coloured wall, acting as a showcase for the most adorable collection I had ever seen: dinosaurs. Two plastic figures of a T-rex and a stegosaurus dominated the display, as well as a real-life fossil was taken right from the ground that was encased within a protective glass box. A framed picture of a print of his baby feet, another of a dinosaur underwater and a Burnout Syndromes CD case were just more artefacts to add to his child-like display. My heart just warmed at the fact that Tsukishima has a soft spot for dinosaurs.
In the centre of the room was a chabudai table, holding stacks of school books and papers--an indication he mostly uses this for doing work and revision instead of his desk. On the furthest side to the door, he had a twin-sized bed with a dark blue duvet tucked between the wall and the wooden frame; and like most, he also had a headboard that housed various essential items. Stuffed closely to his blue pillows, a green plushie burrowed itself into the fabric, looking quite old however plumped with filling. The only form of decoration consisted of a rather old looking dinosaur chart and a solar system diagram pinned to the wall at the foot of his bed, looking as though he forgotten to take them down over the last couple of years. And lastly, a built-in closet ran from corner to corner on the far wall, left to the door. Slightly ajar, I could see clothes stacked and hung from a metal bar without creases or misplacement, and several cupboards for storage consisting of blankets, books and unwanted items. I was in awe at how I misinterpreted his bedroom--I expected something completely different.
Immediately, without hesitation, I stood in front of his dinosaur display. "Dinosaurs!" I exclaimed quietly, both in shock and excitement at the newfound trait I leant about Tsukishima.
"God, you're like a 5-year-old." He got up from his bed.
"I'm not the one with dinosaur figures." It was finally my turn to be patronising to the king of condescension.
"They are just childhood toys."
Slowly, I brought my finger to caress the face of the t-rex figure gently to feel the rough edges of the skin, however, my hand was instantly swatted away by an overprotective geek.
"No, no, no, you'll break it."
"Oh man." I chuckled, watching as Tsukishima glanced lovingly at his untouched dinosaur in all its prehistoric beauty.
There is no way it's just a childhood toy.
"Why do you like dinosaurs so much? Tell me about them."
"Why would I tell you?"
"Because I want to know more about the person who's house I'm staying in?"
He gave me a disgusted look and scoffed, "I like them because they're big and full of history. Happy, Hoshiko?"
I snickered again, "Is that it?"
"If you're trying to get on my nerves then it's working." The blond four-eyes stated.
"Please? You know mostly everything about my life now, so it wouldn't hurt to tell me why you like dinosaurs."
Tsukishima paused, avoiding my irritating face, and looked at his prize possessions once again. "Here: to make you shut up."
With every once of care he could master, Tsukishima gently brought down the stegosaurus figure in his two hands, cupping it as if it were a small puppy. He held it at my eye level, gesturing for me to take a closer look and to feel the spikey figure. I ran my pointer finger along the jagged spine, up and down the various bumps and scales until I reached the end of the tail. I softly pocked at the face and where the mouth was engrained into the plastic, then once again ran my finger from the head to the end.
His golden eyes never left my intrigued face; he was entranced at the way I handled his possessions with absolute respect and softness, without any sort of harsh criticism or snarky jokes--if it were the other way around, he wouldn't be able to contain his teasing nature.
"I've liked them ever since I was a kid, even as a baby, because my brother did too. I was mostly taller than everyone in my old school, so I related to them in a way. That's why my favourite was the brachiosaurus: it exceeded every other dinosaur in height until I found out that the tallest to ever exist was the Sauroposeidon." His voice was like silk and butter, describing his childhood passion like it was the most interesting subject--unnecessarily adding the fun fact at the end just so he could let out his inner nerd to someone who was willing to listen.
I looked up and caught his eye, "You must feel like a Brachiosaurus all the time then."
"Especially when I'm around you."
I paused, "What's the smallest dinosaur called?"
"Parvicursor."
"I guess that's me then."
"I guess you are. A mere pathetic creature compared to the Brachiosaurus."
At the corner of his mouth, a small smile started to form; it wasn't a smirk or a result of a condescending remark, it was a genuine curl of his, normally stern, lips. I think this is the first time I have seen it in the light, something so rewardingly amazing. Maybe talking about things he is passionate about it the key to his kindness.