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Yamaguchi knew he was ready. After all the years of pining for Tsukishima, he knew he could finally ask him to be his. And so here he was, with the smoothest and shiniest rock he could find in hand, trying to work up the courage to hand it over to the blond.
"Ts-Tsukki!" Yamaguchi exclaimed, trying to keep the boy's attention on him.
"What is it, Yamaguchi?" Tsukishima replied. To anyone else he would've sounded exasperated and annoyed, but Yamaguchi took this tone as a go ahead.
"I-um- I....here!" Yamaguchi stumbled over his words, before shoving the rock into Tsukki's hands.
"...a rock." He raised his eyebrow at the cool stone resting in his palm and looked back up at Yamaguchi.
"Y-yeah." The freckled teen looked like he was expecting something, but Tsukishima wasn't sure what he could possibly need.
"Thanks, Yamaguchi." Was all he said before sticking the rock in his pocket and returning to what he was doing before. Tsukishima knew that Yamaguchi tended to show affection in odd ways, as he didn't really understand usual social conventions, so he assumed the small rock was his way of saying 'I'm really glad we're friends!'
He didn't notice Yamaguchi still standing and waiting for something, and if he did he wouldn't have understood what he was waiting for.
So that's how asking out Tsukki went. Maybe he just needed to think about it? He didn't say no, and he still kept the rock... He might still have a chance.
___________
Yamaguchi sighed. This was so confusing. It's been three days since he asked Tsukishima out, and the blond hadn't said a word about it. He never understood how most people worked, and tended to be blind to their emotions, but he always thought Tsukki was the exception. But right now he had no idea what his best friend was thinking. Maybe he was just pretending it didn't happen? Does he not want to date Yamaguchi that bad?
"What's wrong?" Sugawara asked from where he was holding the other pole of the net as they rolled it up.
"I'm just...confused? I finally asked Tsukki out and he hasn't given me an answer. It's been three days, and he hasn't even brought it up once!" Yamaguchi sighed again.
"That's strange...even if the answer was no, I'm sure he would've said something. Maybe he's still thinking about it?" The two finished rolling up the net and carried it into the storage closet.
"That's what I thought too, but it's taken three whole days. I thought I did everything right, so I don't know why he's not saying anything!"
"How'd you ask him? Maybe he's confused about what you said?" Suga suggested.
"I gave him a rock! I spent hours looking for the best one, and he barely even looked at it! I did everything you're supposed to do, so I don't know why he doesn't get it. But he put it in his pocket instead of giving it back, so I really don't know if he was saying yes or no!" Yamaguchi slumped against the wall with a groan.
"You...gave him a rock."
"Yes! That's how you court someone, isn't it?"
"Yamaguchi..." Sugawara was at a loss. What put the idea in the kid's head that asking someone out required handing them a pretty rock? "But did you actually ask him?"
"No, that's what the rock is for? I thought you had asked out Daichi, surely you've been through this process before too."
"Where did you...hear this information? That the courting process involves rocks?"
"Well, I was watching this documentary, and it was about penguins, and the male penguin gave the female penguin a rock and she accepted it, and that's how they chose their mates." Yamaguchi stated this information like it was obvious. Suddenly his face fell. "Is that not...how all courting works?" His voice trembled a bit.
Oh my god... Suga thought to himself. These first years are going to be the end of me.
"Uh, well, you see, humans tend to just ask each other with words. Tsukishima probably doesn't know that's what you meant when you gave him your rock." Suga tried to explain gently. He was well aware of the fact that Yamaguchi struggled with what you were supposed to do socially, so he probably adopted the idea since it worked between the two penguins, and he figured it would be the same with humans.
"Oh my god..." Yamaguchi buried his face in his hands in embarrassment. How was he supposed to explain to Tsukki? He'd probably think he's stupid!
"Hey, don't worry! It was just a little mistake! I'm sure he'll understand!" In all honesty, Suga really wasn't sure if the blond would understand. He'd always been a bit rude...hopefully Yamaguchi was an exception.
“Should I...tell him what it meant? Or do it differently? What should I do, Suga?”
“Just talk to him. Try telling him what you meant.”
“What if he thinks I’m stupid?”
“Yamaguchi, he’s been your best friend for years I’m sure he wouldn’t think you’re stupid.”
“R-right. I’ll tell him.”
___________
On the walk home, Yamaguchi was jittery. Tsukishima had noticed him tapping his fingers together— his nervous stim— but didn’t say anything about it. If Yamaguchi wanted to talk to him about it, he would, that’s how it’s always been.
“Ts-Tsukki? Can I- Can I ask you something?” The greenette stuttered.
“What is it.”
“Um, do you still have that rock?”
“Of course I do.” Tsukishima scoffed.
“R-right, um, but do you know...why I gave it to you?”
“Because we’re friends?”
“N-no, because, um, it’s because....” Yamaguchi trailed off.
“Jesus, Yamaguchi, spit it out.”
“I like you, Tsukki! Like I like-like you! I-I was asking if you would date me!” Yamaguchi exclaimed, his face burning red. The two had stopped walking, Tsukishima out of surprise, and Yamaguchi out of embarrassment.
“Like a penguin?” Tsukki said after a minute. Yamaguchi’s face lit up.
“Yes! Exactly! So, um, would you, uh, would you be my boyfriend?” Tsukishima didn’t say anything, instead turning around and walking away. Is he rejecting me? What is he doing? Where is he going?
“Ts-Tsukki?” Yamaguchi watched as the taller boy bent down before turning back around and walking back to Yamaguchi.
“Give me your hand.” Shakily, Yamaguchi stuck out his hand, and Tsukki placed something round and cold into his palm.
“Sure. I’ll be your boyfriend. But you’re mine too, okay?”
Yamaguchi looked down at his hand and saw a smooth white stone in his palm, a bit of dirt in the crevices, and all in all, the most perfect rock he had ever seen.
“Ts-Tsukki...” tears began to well up in his eyes, and he flung himself into his now-boyfriend’s arms.
“Thank you...”
___________
And if the two, years later, ended up proposing to each other by presenting one another with shiny rocks, well, then that was their own business.