solid | tsukishima kei

nineteen.

Takahashi leaned back on the wall and gently placed her head back on it as well. Staring at the ceiling for a moment, she could still feel the faint shake in Tsukishima's body when he first appeared at her doorstep. Currently, Tsukishima was in the bathroom taking a shower and Ami, Hiro, and Kiko weren't home. They had gone out for the night to visit Hiro's parents in the Kanto Prefecture, Takahashi had stayed home because of school.

Making her way to the bathroom, Takahashi gently knocked on the door, "Hey," she said.

"Hmm," she heard Tsukishima's faint response.

"I'm going out for a bit," Takahashi replied, "I won't be long. There's some food on the stove, if it's cold by the time you come out then feel free to heat it up again."

"Hmm," Tsukishima replied again.

Takahashi pressed her lips together and made her way to her room. She pulled off her t-shirt and changed into a hoodie before grabbing Tsukishima's volleyball jacket and throwing it on over the top. Leaving quietly through the front door, Takahashi wasn't surprised to find Tsukishima's father standing outside the gate of her house.

When the door opened, the tall man turned around hopefully but he immediately looked crestfallen once he realized it wasn't Tsukishima. Takahashi kept her face neutral, she knew she was going to run into him the moment she stepped out of the house. She had seen him through the window and was counting on him not leaving.

"He's taking a shower," Takahashi said.

"I would like a chance to explain myself to him," Tsukishima's dad replied.

Takahashi shook her head, "I won't let you in. In fact, you better give me a pretty good argument as to why I shouldn't call the police right now."

Tsukishima's dad gave her a shocked look, "What am I doing?"

Takahashi cocked her head to the side, "Someone please help me, there's a strange man in front of my house and I think he's planning on breaking in. I'm home alone and scared, please help," Takahashi said in a scared voice. "Who do you think they'll believe?" she asked in a normal voice, "A scared fifteen-year-old girl, or a middle-aged man who's soliciting in front of her house?"

Tsukishima's dad shook his head, "What are you? His bodyguard?"

"His girlfriend," Takahashi corrected.

Tsukishima's dad obviously started to get annoyed by this conversation and stepped a bit closer to the closed gate in front of Takahashi's driveway, "Look, I just need to speak with my son, this doesn't have to do with you,"

Takahashi frowned, "I'm not letting you inside. It doesn't matter what you're going to say to him. Whether it's intended to make him feel better or to convince him that you'll actually stay, I'm not letting you in. Kei's not just my boyfriend, he's also my best friend. And regardless of how I'm connected to him, do you think that I would invite a complete stranger into my house?" Takahashi shook her head, "You're a grown man, get your head out of your ass and try to actually think logically."

Not once had Tsukishima's dad ever been spoken to so rudely, let alone by a fifteen-year-old girl whom he's known only because of a few chance encounters. If her points weren't valid, he might have been angrier. There was no way he would be able to see Tsukishima until he left this girl's house. Meaning there was no point in Tsukshima's dad being there.

"Just tell him that I came by," Tsukishima's dad said, "I hope it's alright if I come back in the morning to try and speak with him."

"Don't bother,"

Takahashi turned and found Tsukishima standing in her doorway. He wore a pair of slip-on and his hair was plastered to his forehead, a towel hung around his neck keeping his t-shirt dry. His face wasn't its usual neutral expression or smirk, instead, it was soft and quiet, almost sad.