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there’s a fleeting moment where, as tadashi blinked into the darkness of his bedroom, he relished in the weight of kei’s head resting on his chest, tadashi’s own arms resting around tsukki’s shoulders, keeping him tethered close as if a loose hold spelled danger, like tsukki would dissipate without a trace. there was something so sobering about feeling the blond’s breath against his neck, warm and comforting, that kept him solid and steady in the real world, a calming reminder that all of it was reality, not just some dream his mind had made up as he dreamt like it had while he was in high school.
as he lay there, all-consumed by the warmth that radiated from tsukishima (whether the blond liked it or not), tadashi turned his head to steal a glance from the digital clock on his bedside table. the crisp blue numbers stared back almost blindingly, 6:00 AM .
tadashi couldn’t remember the last time he’d woken up this early naturally, having required the aid of an alarm clock since middle school. it always had been and probably always would be kei who could wake up at the right time without needed a blaringly loud alarm to make him roll out of bed, always out from under the covers first, leaving tadashi alone.
this time, though, it was the dark haired boy’s turn to lay still, pinned under his boyfriend’s weight as he slumbered peacefully, shoulders falling and rising gently under tadashi’s touch. there was something unplaceable about the moment, an indescribable feeling as he lay there in the dark, seeing nothing and feeling only tsukki, their bodies fused together so closely that he couldn’t tell where he ended and kei began.
the last thing he wanted to do was move, was wake kei up because the blond, usually first to rise and last to go to sleep, was sleeping so soundly; surely, it was a crime to wake him up from such a deep sleep when he was the one who deserved it more than anyone in the entire world, especially when he was working so hard between volleyball and his job at the museum.
instead, tadashi’s fingers found their way into kei’s hair, soft blond curls smooth under his fingertips, and his mind wandered aimlessly, entertaining no subjects of interest. thoughts of kei were all-consuming like a forest fire or a flood, and tadashi couldn’t bring himself to care in the slightest; they were the thoughts that lulled him to sleep at night and his first as he woke in the morning, blinking against bright sunlight. all he knew is that he was so deeply and wholly in love with kei and had been for years at this point.
minutes moved on like hours, creeping by slowly, and though he could have laid there under kei’s weight for the rest of his life, tadashi began to grow restless, feeling the energy of a good night’s sleep beginning to fire off rapidly across his synapses like lightning crawling through his bloodstream. doing his best not to wake the still-dead-to-the-world boy laying on top of him, he shuffled out from underneath kei’s weight gently, taking his time in doing so. when he successfully out of bed without rousing the blond, he made sure to pull the duvet up over his shoulders to keep the chill of an empty bed at bay.
sock-clad feet padded near-silently as tadashi made his way out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, mind set on a singular task: coffee. it had been a long time since he’d been up this early and though his skin was prickling with energy, his mind was lagging behind and caffeine was the only thing he could think of to jumpstart the damn thing, his mind fuzzy with sleep.
too absorbed in fiddling with the electric kettle on the countertop, he completely missed the second set of footsteps sidling up behind him until he felt strong arms sleeved in soft wool wrap around his middle, the warmth of kei’s breath on the nape of his neck. it had almost scared the hell out of him, the way tsukki could sneak up on him like that without any noise whatsoever; he’d always been sly like that, able to mask and hush his movements, to get around without making much noise.
“why’re you up so early, ‘dashi?” kei’s voice came, still dripping with sleep. his chin found its way to tadashi’s shoulder, watching over his boyfriend as he prepared his cup of coffee.
tadashi shrugged underneath him, waiting for the electric kettle to click off, signaling heated water. “dunno. just am. do you want some coffee?”
kei snuggled his face into the side of tadashi’s neck, reveling in the boy’s warmth that was only exacerbated by the sweater he’d wrapped himself in before he’d gone to bed the night before. “please.”
“of course,” tadashi answered, leaning his cheek against the top of kei’s head, strands of pale gold sure to leave an intricate net of imprints in his skin.
together, they stood, reveling in one another’s warmth and taking in the rich scent of coffee that wafted through the kitchen and permeated the entire apartment, making it seem even more cozy and homey than it already was.
when mugs were filled and coffee made to taste, only a little past six-thirty, tadashi and kei made their way to their balcony, sitting on the cold concrete and dangling their legs over the edge, feet swinging in midair, cool morning air chilling them right through. the sun hadn’t yet made its appearance over the horizon, but the sky was beginning its shift from the dark of night to the brilliant vivid pastels of early morning.
as tadashi took long pulls of his drink, he glanced over at tsukki, still drunk with sleep, his already pale hair nearing platinum blond in the blooming sunshine. he looked so much younger against the delicate shades of a newly brightened sky, flaxen locks practically blending in with the soft blues and purples and pinks just beyond him.
“what are you looking at me for?” kei asked, his gaze never breaking from the landscape, caught in a staring contest with the skyline.
the dark haired boy startled, shades of vermillion washing across his face as he tore his eyes from his boyfriend. “nothing. no reason.”
“i didn’t say you couldn’t, you know?”
tadashi’s eyes flicked to their peripherals, caught the ghost of a smirk waltzing easily across kei’s face, bathed in soft sunlight. “shut up, kei.”
the boy’s shoulders shook in silent laughter, his eyes shining behind his glasses as he held back his chuckles. when he stilled, his lifted his mug to his lips and took a sip of his coffee before he spoke once more. “i’m just kidding, tadashi.”
tadashi’s eyes rolled in playful annoyance, his foot nudging kei’s own in conjunction. then, leaning against the blond’s side, he took refuge in the warmth that radiated from him. “what do you wanna do today?”
kei hummed in thought, tilting his head against tadashi’s own. “i’m supposed to help set up a new exhibit at the museum today. wanna be the first person to see it?”
he brightened up then, dark eyes shimmering in the sunshine like a fire had been set alight behind them. he polished off his coffee and wound his arm around tsukki, resting his chin on the boy’s shoulder, his eyes still gleaming. “really?”
kei shrugged nonchalantly before turning to look at the man beside him, noses brushing against one another. “yeah, if you want.”
“sounds fun,” tadashi said, smiling brightly. “let’s do it.”
a wispy grin misted across kei’s face, lighting his bronze eyes up behind the black flames of his glasses. he leaned in, pressing a fleeting kiss to the tip of tadashi’s nose, and chuckled when tadashi’s nose crinkled in response.
“then that’s what we’ll do today.”