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‘1:53 AM’ burns into Tsukki’s eyes, the neon numbers almost insulting him. He had been glaring at the clock on his bedside table for the past hour, hoping that it would bore him to sleep (It didn’t). A tired sigh makes its way from his chest and he turns onto his back for what feels like the hundredth time since he got into bed. Tsukki wasn’t usually one for staying up late unless he had something to be doing. He had left behind the novelty of staying up past bedtime in middle school, and he didn’t care for feeling groggy or run down the next day. But of course, here he was; awake and staring at his ceiling while Yamaguchi slept quietly beside him.
Yamaguchi had been asleep since his head hit the pillow, only whispering a small goodnight to Tsukki and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek before curling into him. Even before they got home Tsukki had to keep him from falling asleep on the train back from Sendai, as much as he wanted to let Yamaguchi drift away with his cheek pressed to Tsukki’s shoulder as the glow from the streetlights illuminated his face when they flickered through the windows of the train. It lit up every little freckle and the soft edge of his jaw.
That thought made him smile as he watched Yamaguchi’s chest rise and fall, barely there breaths moving between his lips and brushing against his hands, both wrapped close to his face. Tsukki brings his gaze to them, soft and clean apart from a slight bump on his middle finger that makes Tsukki remember that he must still hold his pens a little too hard when he’s writing, just like he did in high school. It makes him chuckle softly.
The pink hue that graced Yamaguchi’s hands and cheeks from earlier in the day had now faded away. Tsukki remembers cursing him for not bringing a pair of gloves with him when he met him after his morning training. Yamaguchi had just brushed him off with a grin and reached up to fix Tsukki’s scarf before leaning over to press a kiss to his lips. His nose was cold, and it made Yamaguchi laugh a little when he pulled away. Tsukki turns onto his side again to face his sleeping boyfriend, who stirs slightly at the movement and nudges towards him. Tsukki freezes for fear that he’d woken up Yams, but the other man simply stops to lay a few inches closer to him. A sigh of relief escapes him and he settles back into the bed slightly.
He thinks back to earlier just after Yamaguchi came to pick him; they had made their way to a small but popular cafe with a line that led out the door and wrapped around the side of the building. Tsukki heard him sigh loudly and looked to find a small pout had formed on Yams’ face.
“I didn’t think it’d be this busy! I’m sorry that we have to stand in the cold,” he said with a small smile.
“It’s no big deal, I think most of these people are here for lunch anyway considering it’s almost one.”
Yamaguchi had huffed and shoved his nose into his scarf as they waited. Thinking about the way he pouts when he’s angry made Tsukki’s chest tingle. He always looked so damn cute like that.
When they finally got inside, Yamaguchi said he was going to order first so that Tsukki could save them a booth. Tsukki spotted one in the corner and made his way over. He looked around the cafe as he sat down; it was fairly small but well decorated, there was a lot of greenery like ivy and various potted plants, and they hung a few abstract coffee related art pieces in groups on the walls. It was surprisingly busy, with almost every table occupying a young couple or group of friends laughing and chatting over tea and coffee. He even spotted a few people sitting alone on their laptops or with their noses in a book. Tsukki found he liked the hustle and bustle of the cafe. It was almost like white noise to him. He had been flicking through Twitter when Yamaguchi came over to the table with a tray. Tsukki raised an eyebrow at him before he directed his gaze to the two cups sat on the tray alongside a piece of shortcake with two small forks.
“I thought you were going to order for yourself, Tadashi,” he already knew a blush was settling across his cheeks.
A bright smile stretched across Yamaguchi’s face as he set the tray down. “Just wanted to treat you, bug!” he shrugged. “Gotta look after you, don’t I?”
The blush on Tsukki’s cheeks deepened, and he nodded before looking down, flustered. However, he wouldn’t turn down iced green tea when it’s offered to him. That would just be a waste, of course. So they sat, sipping their respective drinks as Yamaguchi complained about a Professor who was; ‘a huge asshole and obviously against him getting a passing grade.’ Tsukki had little to contribute, but he was content with watching Yamaguchi throw his hands around and talk shit about this random Professor; he immensely enjoyed whenever Yamaguchi would passionately talk about anything . Sometimes he would stop to check that Tsukki was still listening, to which Tsukki would give a nod and he would start right back up again, completely enamored.
Another look over his shoulder tells Tsukki that it’s now 2:09 and he accepts that he’s missing his first class tomorrow morning. A sigh escapes him and he looks back to Yamaguchi, who’s still sleeping soundly. It’s no surprise he was out like a light. After their drinks in the cafe, he had brought Tsukki to what seemed like a million stores in the local shopping outlet. He walked behind Yamaguchi for most of it while he pointed out pointless kitchen gadgets, funny slogans on shirts, and bed linens he suggested for-
“-when we move in together, Kei.” He had said it so casually that it took Tsukki a minute to process it. Even as he thought about it in bed, his stomach twists with butterflies.
"Y-yeah, they’re pretty.” He managed, “We could put some red pillows with it, maybe.”
Yamaguchi seemed to like the idea and talked frantically about colour matching and the other rooms that they’ll have in their home. He hadn’t seriously thought about the prospects of them moving in together, but now that he was alone with his thoughts, it made sense. They’d been together since high school, and with both of them on the home stretch of their last year in college, it seemed like the perfect time. Tsukki looked at Yamaguchi again and imagined waking next to him every day, in his arms, his hair messy and eyes still full of sleep. He thought about painting the walls of their own apartment, about making breakfast together and dancing in the kitchen to whatever was on the radio. He smiled as he pictured Yamaguchi sitting at a desk in their shared room, that furrow he gets in his brow when he’s trying to concentrate. That thought almost made him laugh. An image of Yamaguchi and him falling asleep on the couch together then popped into his mind, Tsukki would feel him running his fingers through his hair while he laid across Yamaguchi’s lap. All these little mundane moments crossed his mind one after another and he realised he was going to build a life with this man.
He was going to build a life with Tadashi Yamaguchi.
Tadashi, who fixes his scarf, who knows his order for every cafe and restaurant they’ve been to, who remembers his class schedule and tries desperately to keep him in line, who isn’t afraid to hold his hand when they walk together, the one who always ran to him first, who kissed him proudly on the court after their final match in third year, who comes to every Frogs game and cheers the loudest for Tsukki. The one who still runs to Tsukki first.
Tadashi. His Tadashi.
Tsukki doesn’t realise that he’s been crying until he feels a sob bubble up from his chest and leave his throat, he tries desperately to hold it back but it slips out before he can stop it. Unable to stop the next either, his hand flies to his mouth to silence himself. As he reaches up to wipe the tears from his eyes, his wrist is stopped by a gentle grip, and he looks up to find Yamaguchi looking at him with a worried expression.
”Tsukki baby, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” He whispers, reaching up to run his thumb under Tsukki’s eyes to wipe the tears from his face.
A small hiccup comes from Tsukki and he moves towards Yamaguchi, wrapping his arms around his frame and pressing his face into the other man's chest. He kisses the top of Tsukki’s head and holds him close, letting the other tangle their legs together as he whispers words of comfort. They stay like that for a while, the comfortable silence surrounding them until it’s broken by a whisper.
“I’m so happy it’s you,” Tsukki manages, his voice quiet and hoarse.
Yamaguchi is quiet for a second before he places his hand under Tsukki’s chin and presses their lips together. It’s slow, soft, and Tsukki can taste the subtle mint on the other's tongue. After a moment they pull away, their foreheads resting against one another. Tsukki can feel Yamaguchi’s hand resting on his cheek and a blush rushes across his cheeks.
“I love you, Tsukki,” he says, his voice is soft, it makes Tsukki smile.
“I love you too, Tadashi.”
At 2:39 AM, Tsukishima is finally asleep. His head is against his boyfriend's chest, just barely listening to his heartbeat; steady and slow.