Chapter Text
Tsukishima Kei,
Words cannot express how much my life has changed with you around. Not to be cliché, but your friendship, and later your love, made the clouds part. I could see the sun. I could bask in the fleeting and silver moonlight.
Little did you know, I would stare as you smiled, even to the point of me wondering had I lost my mind. Your smile was a rarity and a beauty. If you had told me on the day we met that I would fall madly in love with you, I would have laughed. After all, how could I love someone I just met?
~*~*~*~
"Tsukishima-kun?"
"Huh?"
"I was wondering you and Yamaguchi-kun would like to eat with (Y/N)-chan and me?" Himura Yuro looked at the blond with expecting eyes. She shifted between her feet, nervously. As for Tsukishima, he just put back on his headphones and looked back out the windows. It seemed like this was his usual behavior as Yamaguchi didn't seem surprised. Perhaps a little disappointed? Worried? He did look like the kind of guy that would be mildly upset that his friend was an asshole shut-in.
(L/N) (Y/N) giggled behind her gaping best friend. "I told you you should have asked Yamaguchi-kun. He seems like the friendlier one." (Y/N) wrapped an arm around Himura's back. Glancing at Tsukishima, she rolled her eyes. Even she saw this outcome coming, and that was saying something. She wasn't the most socially aware person after all. "So, Yamaguchi-kun?" the girl asked, turning towards the green-haired male. "Want to eat with us? Yuro-chan's been waiting to make new friends since we graduated from middle school. Says it's a part of the high school experience. I think she's just been watching too many American rom-coms"
The brunette pouted and smacked (Y/N)'s hand. "One, you make it sound as if I want to leave you. Two, leave my movie taste out of this, thank you very much."
"I know you would never leave me, Yuro-chan. And your movie taste is shitty but respectable"
Yamaguchi stares at the two of them and laughs quietly. "Of course, I will eat with the two of you. Though, I don't think Tsukki is up for it."
"Let him do what he wants. Perhaps, he'll join us later."
"Yeah, just hurry up and leave," Tsukishima said, quickly. His eyes caught (Y/N)'s before flickering over to Yamaguchi's. "I've turned the volume all the way up, and I can still hear your damn voices."
Yamaguchi, again, had a look of worry on his face. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay, Tsukki?" he asked his best friend. Something told (Y/N) that this wasn't the first time this happened, though. There was something in the way that Yamaguchi almost doted on his friend. Perhaps they were just close. Close in the way that you would do anything for the other person.
"I said it's fine."
Yamaguchi sighed. "You heard the man. I'll come with you."
"Yay! Let's eat on the rooftop!" Himura shouted with her fist in the air as she led the way over to their desks on the other side of the classroom.
"What's this? Another part of the high school experience?" (Y/N) asked while ruffling the taller girl's hair.
"Shut up! Don't tell you hadn't thought about it because we both know that's a lie."
(Y/N)'s laughter rings throughout the classroom. "Maybe, but I'm not obsessed with it like you are. Let's just go eat. I'm starving." The girl grabbed her bento box off of her desk and waited for the other two first-years. Yamaguchi and Himura struck up a conversation that she didn't care to listen to.
Instead, (Y/N) stole another glance at the blond boy. His Somy headphones rested gently over his ears. His pointer finger tapped to the beat. His arms were crossed over the other. His mouth was pressed in a fine line.
She knew that he would be the character in a shoujo manga that the girls all seemed to like. But, he was untouchable. So untouchable that only the main female lead could really talk to him and understand him. She was not that character. She would never have the courage to make that decision to let herself go and break down someone else's walls.
Normally, she wouldn't have even thought twice about a guy that didn't seem to like anyone. She wasn't going to invade anyone's space if they wanted to be alone. But, (Y/N) knew sooner or later, Himura would be talking to him again. Her best friend wanted to know everyone in the class, after all. That damned High School checklist.
(Y/N) sighed and rolled her eyes at Tsukishima. 'Why must everything be so difficult?'
~*~*~*~
"(Y/N)-chan! Can you help me with the systems of equations part of the homework? I don't remember how to do it." Himura pouted as she laid her face down (Y/N)'s desk. Her black hair fell off the desk like a waterfall. In her right hand was the paper the teacher gave the class for a refresher from all the years of middle school math.
(Y/N) twirled Himura's hair and laughed. "Of course, Yuro-chan! We can't have you failing on the first day!"
Himura looked up at the (H/C)-haired girl with sparkles in her eyes. "Really?"
"Really."
"Oh, thank you!" Himura wrapped her arms around her best friend and giggled.
The rest of the people in the classroom chatted. Some worked. Others pulled out their phone and texted. They had a short break before the next class. Most of their teachers were giving them reviews of the past few years. Others gave out a syllabus and started teaching right away. Overall, the day was fairly easy, and they only had one class left.
(Y/N) was glad of how easy it was. Modern Literature class was chill. The science teacher seemed like a lot of fun. History was the same as always. Math was easy with it being just simple Algebra. Only English was left.
Himura always had trouble with Math. (Y/N) was there to help her, but her mind was like a squirrel's when it came to math. She could hardly remember formulas.
(Y/N) on the other hand loved math. Unlike Literature and English class, it made so much sense. It was straightforward and always had one right answer. She had enough uncertainty in her life, and she hated that it also had to be on her school tests.
"Now, Yoru-chan, there are three ways to solve systems of equations: Graphing, Elimination, and Substitution. Most commonly, you're going to do Elimination to find either the x or y, then, use that for substitution. Most teachers don't really want their students to do graphing.
"Look at the first problem. Where would 6x-2y=18 and -2x+8y=12 intersect?"
"Umm..." Himura placed the two equations on top of each other, times the second equation by three and canceled out the x's. After she found the y, everything went downhill. "This doesn't make sense, (Y/N)-chan! Why is the first problem so weird?"
"Ugh, tell me about it. Fractions in equations are the death of me." (Y/N) picked up the pencil and continued the rest of the problem. "See, the two equations would intersect at (42/11, 27/11)." She smiled at her work. Her math skills hadn't dwindled at all over the spring break.
"Oh my gosh, you got it right, (Y/N)-chan! Amazing!"
"Wow, you actually got it right. And here I thought you were just a simpleton with only food on her mind." Himura gasped. (Y/N) popped an eyebrow at the deeper voice. She could only assume the person who said that was behind her. A shadow was cast over her desk, and she could feel that it was someone tall.
Turning around, (Y/N) met the face of none other than Tsukishima Kei. He smirked when he saw her annoyed expression. She didn't notice it before but the blond was over 185 cm. It was a little intimidating. She swallowed and stood up. Looking up, she said, "You got a problem with me being smart, Tsukishima-kun? What are you even doing over here?"
"Yamaguchi dragged me over here because he didn't want to ask me for help." The boy in question stood behind his best friend and gave a small wave. It seemed weird that he wouldn't just ask Tsukishima for help. It could be just a friendship ploy, but after eating lunch with Yamaguchi, there didn't need to be such roundabout ways of being friends. Unless Tsukishima wasn't telling the whole truth.
"Are you sure that it was Yamaguchi that needed it? Could it be that you had trouble with that question? I'd be happy to help if you were struggling."
He clicked his tongue. "Don't think you're so high and mighty, shortie. Math can't make you any taller."
"Don't call me short." (Y/N) looked away. God, she hated that. Why was something as similar as that enough to hurt her ego and pride? Sure, he didn't know that the topic of her height was a sore spot, but even so, her mood shifted. Even Tsukishima was taken aback by it. Himura and Yamaguchi looking on started to panic a bit.
"Hey, hey, it's alright. I'm sure he didn't mean it," Himura said while glaring at Tsukishima.
"Yeah... Tsukki can be rude, but he's not serious about it," Yamaguchi joined in.
"Don't throw me under the bus like that," Tsukishima sighed. "Whatever. English starts in a few minutes. I don't have time to worry about this." He raised his hand as if to say goodbye and moved back to his seat.
(Y/N) really wasn't paying any attention to Himura and Yamaguchi as they tried to fix the situation. Sure, she knew they were trying to comfort her, but she didn't care. She was fed up with people pitying her. Tsukishima just hit a nerve, a nerve from the last year of grade school. Crazy how she can't just let the damn thing go.
"I'm fine, Yamaguchi-kun, Yuro-chan," (Y/N) interrupts. The two look at her expectedly. The girl shakes her head. "Really, there's nothing to worry about. Standing at 150.3 cm is just an insecurity of mine. I know he was just teasing."
"Are you sure, (L/N)-san? I can talk to..." Yamaguchi offered before he was interrupted by the teacher.
"Really? It's only the first day of school, and you're already unruly and not prepared." The bell rang as the teacher approached his desk. Yamaguchi waved and rushed to his seat. Himura did the same as (Y/N) stood in front of her chair. The class bowed and sat. "I expected more from a college-prep class. I hope you'll learn, and this doesn't happen again. My name is Aiwa-sensei and I will be your English teacher for the year. Let's go over all the materials we will be reading this year."
~*~*~*~
As soon as English class ended, (Y/N) gathered her stuff and headed out the door. One step into the hallway, and someone grabbed her wrist. Damn it, she couldn't just leave in peace. "(Y/N)-chan? Are you already leaving?" The (H/C)-haired turned to her best friend and tilted her head to the side. "Yamaguchi-kun invited the two of us to join him and Tsukishima-kun at a café not far from here."
(Y/N) looked past Himura to see the two guys looking at her. Their stares made her blush a bit, not used to the attention (and boy, was there a lot of it today). Tsukishima glared, though. This obviously was not his idea. Even if she didn't have places to be, she probably would have said no. She could feel the fatigue creeping inside of her. There was too many people met today, and too much excitement that it could last a lifetime.
Her hand scratched the back of her head. "I'm sorry, but I have a doctor's appointment. I'll have to join you another time." She removed her arm from Himura's grasp and continued on her way before yelling back, "Have fun without me!"
Perhaps another day she would have fun. Yamaguchi was nice enough and meshed well with their sense of humor. If only he didn't follow that prick of a man around. Tsukishima Kei was an enigma that she wasn't sure she wanted to know. But there was something that told her to keep an open mind.
Perhaps he was a kindred spirit.
~*~*~*~
"Doctor's appointment?" Yamaguchi asked Himura after they reached the shoe lockers. "On the first day of school?"
Himura shrugged. She slipped off her indoor slippers and switched them out with her outdoor shoes. "Probably an appointment with her neurologist. Oh! Maybe it's her last one. She did say she was having way fewer migraines in third year than in our second year."
"Oh! Sorry for asking..."
Himura laughed and placed a hand on Yamaguchi's shoulder. "You didn't know so there's no need to apologize."
"Hey. Let's hurry up before we're stuck behind everyone leaving," Tsukishima said. A scowl was written across his face.
He really didn't want to go to the café. It was a waste of time. But, he didn't have an excuse to tell Yamaguchi to get out of it. Himura seemed nice enough and seemed like fast friends with Yamaguchi, even though she was loud. She reminded him of his brother. Annoying in how much they cared about people. There was nothing stopping him from leaving. If he left them alone now, it would seem like a date. It would be great teasing material. But, he couldn't do that to Yamaguchi.
As for (L/N) (Y/N), he didn't really know what to think of her. She was like an excitable kid, but at the same time, like Yamaguchi. She seemed kind and hyper, smart it seemed. Tsukishima regretted calling her short. For once in his life, he left like he shouldn't have teased someone. The look in her eyes at that moment was the eyes of someone who saw Hell. Someone who had been pushed to the edge. There was an anger as well, like a fire to burn an enemy fortress or your life down.
It was a look he knew well.
Why would one simple word of short cause such a reaction in her? Perhaps, Tsukishima was looking too much into it. But, there was a hunger. There was a yearning to help this girl that he just met that day. Perhaps, it was because, in that moment, he saw someone different.