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tw literally falling
she had a great big heart but very little grace. everytime she fell in love, she landed on her face
🗓 ⌜ tedious tuesday ⌟ ┈─❟
Being clumsy isn't a best trait. Being clumsy means you have to watch everything you do. Not being clumsy is the opposite, which means that if anyone ever told you had to act like this, you'd probably tell them no thanks and leave it at that. But here you are, standing in the middle of the hallways and feeling like absolute crap because you tripped over your own feet.
It would have been funny if you weren't in so much agony, though.
This was the worst. You know your foot was probably bruised or something. Probably. There were so many different possibilities that you couldn't even count them.
Maybe the whole ankle was sprained, or maybe it was just twisted up in the wrong place. And then there was the possibility that you had broken a bone, but if you did that, your parents wouldn't be very pleased about that either. Oh, wait, what if they're already mad at you?
What if your ankle is actually broken right now and you're going to have to spend all day limping around with painkillers in your arm and a cast on your leg, and that will make everything worse?
Oh, god, what if—
Someone clears their throat. Well, you doesn't recognize who it is. They might as well not have spoken at all. It takes you a few seconds to realize that someone is actually talking to you. At all. “Are you alright?”
You look up, your eyes wide as saucers. A boy, dressed in his standard school uniform, stands before her. He has a book tucked under one armpit. His eyebrows are raised, and he looks more concerned than anything else. Which makes sense, considering how bad off you must look right now.
He's still so cute. Your face heats up instantly for reasons that definitely aren't due to physical pain. “Um... yeah? I'm fine, thanks, T-Tsukasa-kun...?”
He blinks, clearly unsure what to make of that answer. Then his expression shifts to one of mild amusement. The corners of his lips tug upward.
“You don't look fine.”
“Ah...”
Your gaze darts downward again. Now you feel really stupid. Of course he's worried about you. Everyone is. You should've guessed that. Why wouldn't everyone be worried when someone falls flat on their face?
“I'm okay, Tsukasa-kun, really. Just a bit of a mishap, that's all,” you say. “Sorry about bothering you with this mess. I'll get out of your way.”
The boy shakes his head. He reaches out to grab hold of your shoulders, and surprisingly enough, you let him. As soon as his fingers touch your skin, his brow furrows. “You shouldn't apologize for getting injured,” he tells you firmly. “It isn't any of my business whether or not you want to talk about something like that, so I won't push you for an explanation. However, if there was anything I could do to help you feel better, then I certainly wish I could.''
His eyes flicker down to the ground again, his cheeks tinged slightly pink. You wonder why he's even worrying about you. It's probably because your ankle isn't broken after all, but... maybe he does care. Maybe he's just nice. Maybe he likes helping people.
Who knows? All you know is that his touch sends butterflies fluttering through your stomach. Or maybe you're imagining things... maybe you need to sleep more.
You smile at him shyly and try to hide it by ducking your head again. “Thank you, Tsukasa-kun. You didn't need to, but thank you anyway.”
Tsukasa seems to notice that you stopped moving and released your arms. He clears his throat. His cheeks turn a shade darker. “Of course I should. I know you must feel terrible. I hope whatever happened wasn't too serious?”
“No, nothing major, I promise. Just some bruises. I'll be back in class tomorrow morning, no problem!” You hope that sounds reassuring enough, but judging by the way he stares at you again, you aren't doing a very good job of hiding your panic behind your smile.
He still doesn't look convinced. You grin a bit grimly. So much for reassuring.
Tsukasa sighs heavily, his hands falling to rest on his hips. “If you say so. Just don't go running around tripping anymore, okay? I'm pretty sure that's what your ankle is trying to tell you. If not, then you're probably just overreacting.”
You chuckle softly at that. “Yeah, no kidding. Thanks again.” You give a little wave and turned to leave, but before you can take two steps away from him, Tsukasa calls your name. You turn around. You see the tips of his ears turning red again, which makes you blush too.
He scratches the back of his neck sheepishly. He opens his mouth as if he wants to say something, but then closes it again without saying anything. For a moment you think he's forgotten what he wanted to ask, until finally he says: “Walk home safe, okay? I-I would walk you home but... Knight's have a late practice today.”
You blink for a moment before nodding, smiling at him in reassurance. “Thanks, Tsukasa–kun. See you tomorrow, okay?” He nods back at yoh, looking a bit relieved, and you leave the room, walking down the empty hallway back towards the stairs.
This time, you're determined to make sure you don't trip over yourself again, your heart beating so fast because of a red-haired knight.
