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Something was missing.
It was the beginning of winter break and Yamaguchi was in quite a predicament. He couldn’t put his finger on it. He was getting more and more frustrated as the seconds went by. He knew something was missing, but he didn’t know what.
He had been pacing his room back and forth for forty minutes. He was honestly surprised that the floor hadn’t split into two. But his pacing didn’t stop. So what was missing?
He had his favorite yellow blanket that Tsukishima gave him on their first date. They had gone stargazing and it was particularly chilly. Tsukishima, the prudent bastard, had bought and thoroughly scented the blanket for Yamaguchi specifically. He cherished that blanket and always had Tsukishima scent it every time he came over. So obviously the blanket wasn’t missing with it being tucked neatly on the mattress.
He also had his three favorite dinosaur plushies: Tatsuo the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Monterio the Mamenchisaurus, and Suki the Stegosaurus. Each one had their own special little story. Like how Tatsuo had to be our in the wash three times because Yamaguchi dropped it in a puddle on the way back home and a stray cat pissed on it when Tsukishima turned his back away to pulled Yamaguchi out of the puddle. Monterio has mismatching eyes because it was a carnival prize from a rifle game and Kageyama accidentally shot the toy instead of the target. At the same time, Tsukishima had shot a target prompting the vendor to give him the broken toy. Monterio was also his biggest toy. Suki the Stegosaurus had a special place in both Yamaguchi and Tsukishima’s heart, for it was one of Tsukishima’s oldest toys. It was still in good condition minus a small blue patch on its green body. Suki, who was named by Yamaguchi, was the gift Tsukishima gave to him on his 17th birthday. He treasures Suki dearly. The dinosaur trio was stacked at the corner of his bed.
The pillows were placed all accordingly. Two at the top, one beside the dinosaurs and five lining the edge on his bed. Yamaguchi has also strung up a mesh fabric around his bed, giving it a whimsical feeling. He had finally stopped pacing and was staring at the bed. What could he possibly be missing?!
“Tadashi,” his mother called from outside his door, “are you alright sweetheart? May I come in?”
“Oh, yes! Please come in! I need your advice.” Yamaguchi replied.
The door clicks open as his mom enters the room. Her crisp rain scent envelopes the room gently. She wraps her arms around Yamaguchi and rubs her neck against his.
“What’s wrong, my child? Is something bothering you?” Somehow her words brought tears to his eyes. He crumbles to the floor and wails. He bunches up the sleeves of Tsukishima’s moon sweatshirt and smooshes then into his eyes. Each breath felt restricted as he hiccuped. His mom pats his back. He’s so busy crying he doesn’t realize his dad had entered the room after ending a phone call.
“Oh, Tadashi. My sweet boy. Calm yourself and breathe as I do.” His father reassures while kneeling beside him. They all sat together in a huddle as Yamaguchi begins to calm down. His father runs his hand through Yamaguchi’s hair. His knees had begun to sting from kneeling on the ground, so the family moves to the living room. Though he was taller than his classmates, he fit snuggly against his dad’s chest as he cuddled him under a blanket. His mom leaves the room to make some snacks and drinks.
“Are you feeling better?” His dad asks. Yamaguchi shakes his head, still feeling the pressure of something missing. So his dad releases his scent: pine trees and vanilla. Yamaguchi relaxes slightly into the scent. Soon enough he’s floating on a cloud of content. He’s shifted so he’s sitting on some pillows with a blanket wrapped around him and some tea and his favorite snacks. Except there were no french fries.
“Tadashi? Have you been tracking your heat lately?” His mother asked.
“Well, it should be…” oh, how could he have forgotten. He lowers his head down.
“Oh Tada, it’s okay. Why don’t you go upstairs into your nest? I’ll bring these treats for you, okay?” His dad encourages. Yamaguchi gently nods his head and drags the blanket and pillow upstairs with him.
Wahhhh! What’s wrong with you, me? How could you be so stupid and forget your own heat?! How embarrassing. Even dad had to get involved! Ohhh I just wanna be swallowed up whole.
He arrives at his room and promptly plops on the bed. He grips the pillow between his arms and thighs with the blanket wrapped tightly around him. All he could think about was possibly sleeping the day off. He unbundled himself and folded the blanket. He placed the blanket and pillow right beside his bed just in case. He checked his mini-fridge in his closet for snacks and water. As he returned to his bed he couldn’t bring himself to go in. So he sat beside it.
There was a knock at his door. Thinking it was his dad, he called him in.
“You can come in, dad.” He sighed.
“Who knew you had a daddy kink? You’ve piqued my interest.” Yamaguchi quickly lifts his head.
“Tsuki~” he whines, scrambling up to his feet. There in his glory was Tsukishima Kei. He held a black duffel bag, a McDonald’s bag, his snacks, drinks, and wore a playful smirk. Tsukishima places the food and drinks down on Yamaguchi’s desk and drops the bag on the ground. He unravels his scarf and hangs it up. Yamaguchi immediately nuzzles into his now exposed neck.
“Tsuki~~” Yamaguchi repeats.
“Yamaguchi, I thought you had this under control?”
“My preheat wasn’t supposed to come until next week! I thought I had more time, Tsuki!” Yamaguchi groaned. A pair of hands rest on his waist and pulls him closer.
“Even so, you have to keep track of your cycle.” Tsukishima rests his chin on top of Yamaguchi’s head. A soft noise comes from Yamaguchi as he melts in comfort. Tsukishima wrangles their entangled bodies to the edge of Yamaguchi’s nest, knowing the very first rule is to always ask for entrance.
“Let’s get in bed, ok? Can we go in, Yamaguchi?” Yamaguchi responds with a soft groan of approval. Tsukishima lays Yamaguchi on the bed and grabs the food, drinks, and his bag.
“Tsukki, can we take a nap instead? I’m not very hungry right now.” Yamaguchi asks. Tsukishima places the items down by his bedside table and opens up the bag. He pulls out a t-shirt, two sweaters, and another blanket. Yamaguchi lunges at all the items and puts them in their respective place. Tsukishima then puts the bag away and reaches for the McDonald’s bag before entering the nest.
The two lay on the bed with Tsukishima propped against the bed frame and Yamaguchi nestled between his long legs. Tsukishima was feeding Yamaguchi the fries in the bag while Ice Age played on his laptop.
This was a side that Yamaguchi loved about Tsukishima. It was one he only showed to him and no one else. In fact, if the team were to somehow manage to see this side, Tsukishima would be certain that Yamaguchi would be the one to tear them all a new one. As Yamaguchi had stated in one of their more heated moments, “There’s no way in hell I’d let anyone see you like this.”
“Sometimes I think Manny is like you, Tsuki,” Yamaguchi whispers.
“Yeah right. What gives you that idea?” Tsukishima replies back, watching as Yamaguchi takes his hand and presses it against his cheek.
“Well, Manny has this very stubborn and cold personality to everyone like you. But as he warms up to people, that cold exterior sorta melts away.”
Tsukishima looks at the computer, watching as Manny and Sid meet the mom and the baby for the first time. He then looks back at Yamaguchi who’s staring at his with these star sparkling eyes. The green warmth of his eyes sends a tingle down his spine as he leans down to kiss Yamaguchi’s lips.
“I love you, Tadashi.”
Ah. This must be why my nest felt so incomplete. It’s because of you.
“I love you too, Kei!”