Ugh You again~

Awkward

Two days passed in a blur of research and preparation. Tsukishima and I had been working separately on our parts of the project, and today was the day we had to present it. Our topic was the Cold War, a complex and multifaceted historical event that we had somehow managed to agree upon.

I walked into the classroom, clutching my notes, feeling a mixture of nerves and lingering confusion. The dream from the other night still haunted me, making it hard to focus whenever I thought about Tsukishima. I glanced over at him as I took my seat. He was already there, looking calm and collected as always.

"Are you ready?" he asked, his tone neutral.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied, trying to sound confident.

Mr. Toud called for attention, and the class quieted down. "Today we'll be hearing from Blackfire and Tsukishima, who will be presenting their project on the Cold War. You may begin."

We stood up and moved to the front of the class. I could feel the weight of everyone's eyes on us, and the tension between Tsukishima and me was palpable. We started our presentation, taking turns to speak about different aspects of the Cold War.

Despite our preparation, it felt awkward. Our interactions were stilted, and I couldn't shake the feeling of unease. I kept stealing glances at Tsukishima, but he seemed focused on his part of the presentation, his expression unreadable.

Halfway through, I found my mind drifting back to the dream. I struggled to keep my thoughts in check, but the memory of his lips on mine, the intensity of the kiss, kept creeping in.

"And that concludes our presentation," Tsukishima said, snapping me back to the present.

I blinked, realizing he had finished his part. I quickly wrapped up my section, and we both stood there, waiting for the class's reaction. There was a smattering of applause, and Mr. Toud nodded approvingly.

"Well done," he said. "You both covered the topic thoroughly. Now, if there are no questions, you may take your seats."

We returned to our seats, and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. The presentation was over, but the awkwardness lingered. As the class moved on to the next presentation, I found it hard to concentrate, my thoughts still tangled.

After Class

The bell rang, signaling the end of the period. I gathered my things, ready to make a quick exit, but Tsukishima caught up to me in the hallway.

"Blackfire," he called, his voice cutting through the noise of the crowded hall.

I turned to face him, feeling a mix of annoyance and something else I couldn't quite name. "What is it?"

"About the project," he said, his expression serious. "We did okay, but we need to improve our communication. It was obvious we were out of sync."

I nodded, knowing he was right. "Yeah, we do. I guess we just need to... talk more."

"Right," he agreed. There was a brief, uncomfortable silence before he added, "Maybe we can work on that."

"Maybe," I replied, not sure what else to say.

Just then, Sario appeared, her usual bubbly self. "Blackfire! There you are! I've been looking for you."

Tsukishima gave a small nod and walked away, leaving me with Sario. I watched him go, my thoughts still swirling.

"So, how did the presentation go?" Sario asked, falling into step beside me.

"It was fine," I said. "But it was... weird. I don't know, things with Tsukishima are just... complicated."

Sario gave me a sympathetic look. "Yeah, I can imagine. But hey, at least it's over, right?"

"Yeah," I agreed, though my mind was far from settled.

As we walked to our next class, I couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen next. The dream, the tension, the awkwardness – it all pointed to something unresolved between Tsukishima and me. And I had no idea what to do about it.