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"What color do you think describes my personality?"
He slips his glasses off, wiping sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.
"Does it matter?"
Typical. You pout and hand him a granola bar. You always grab an extra one in the morning before you leave just for him. "Can't you just answer?" He graciously accepts the snack and proceeds to starfish on the floor. Tsukishima is not someone who is vocal about his gratitude, but you can tell by the way his usually icy expression softens and his shoulders relax at the sight of your gesture that he is thankful. His hair is matted to his head with sweat. On anyone else you would find it gross but with Kei you somehow think it's cute. Yeah he's stinky but...he looks kind of hot all worn out and panting. Not even 'kind of.' More like completely hot. Literally and figuratively, but not like, ill. God you have it bad.
The blonde inhales deeply and catches the scent of amber and starflower amidst the stench of sweat and salonpas that usually occupies the gym. It's a fragrance that's uniquely you and at this point he thinks you've managed to pavlov dog your way into his heart with it from the way his head spins with pleasure whenever he catches a whiff. Tsukishima finds he doesn't mind very much at all if that is the case.
You watch his eyes flit to the ceiling, a thoughtful expression on his face as he chews. He's tired today, Daichi's drills more demanding than usual due to an upcoming match with some local school. You'd listened to Kageyama and Hinata enthusiastically crow about it in passing all week. Maybe that's why he's suddenly so lenient with your nonsensical questions today? Usually Kei is a no nonsense guy when it comes to your eccentricity. Very rarely does he cave and play along without much resistance and even then it's not without a sharp remark or a grimace. Though you loathe how he can render you speechless with just his sharp tongue, it's something you've come to love and look forward to. His quick wit make you proud to know him. It's even better when it's being used to defend you or Yamaguchi. You rock yourself back and forth on your heels, eagerly awaiting his response and his usual moxie.
"Blue probably," he sighs, crossing his arms behind his head as extra cushioning against the gymnasium floor. You try not to think about how much his hoarse exhausted voice affects you or how his lithe body is stretched out before you like a damn buffet. He's long and glistening in the LED lights, honeyed skin stretched over lean muscle. Still skinny and pliant, but at the same time hardened with discipline and fervor. God his face has no blemishes and you wonder briefly if he would drop his skin care routine if you asked. You pray he doesn't just use a 3-in-1 Axe soap bar and call it a day.
"Is that all?"
You snap out of your reverie, cheeks burning. "Uh, no no, w-why blue?" you fumble, handing him a bottle of water from your bag. God why does your voice tremble like that when you're flustered. Tsukishima darts his eyes away from you, trying not to think about how cute it is when you stumble over your words. He's more attracted to strong personalities, despite how they clash with his own. He respects a hard and outspoken demeanor, which is typically what you express...except for moments like these where you're caught off guard and absolutely precious. Everyone else knows you as the ambitious and sunny student with a tough attitude, but in these moments alone with Kei you're all that and also a dork. Selfishly he thinks he would like to have that side of you all to himself forever. He pushes the thought away to answer your question.
"Some dinosaurs are depicted with blue skin." he snorts as he sits up to take a swig of your water. There we go! Back to our regularly scheduled Tsukishima Snark™. You can't help the big stupid grin on your face. "How very on brand of you," you bite back, kneeling to sit with him. "Y'know it would be cute and all how you're still stuck in your third grade dino phase if it weren't for the fact that you're a grown ass man." He shrugs as he takes another fat sip, smirk playing on his lips. God he loves you.
Oh.
He loves you.
Tsukishima freezes, heart beating in his damn stomach. The water in his mouth suddenly tastes sweet on his tongue. The air in the building must be sugar coated too because boy does inhaling it feel like touching God all of a sudden. Amber optics become rose tinted the second they land on your visage, staring right back at him with the same moonstruck look. Have you been staring this whole time?
God yes, yes you have. The second your eyes meet you look down to your lap, twiddling your thumbs like a nerd. You can't help it. You love the way his profile looks- the way his practically everything looks. Even when he's got a shit eating grin on his face, satisfaction through the fucking roof as your blood is boiling.
Tsukishima just smiles at your silence, a real genuine smile that could make stars cry- whatever that means. He looks down as well, just happy to be with you even in the awkward silence. It feels so foreign and surprisingly scary...and yet so right. Dizzy with delight, Tsukishima steadies his fluttering heart as best as he can with a few breaths and takes another sip of water. When it's right, it's right.
•
"Hey, I uh...actually I have to tell you something."
"Me too."