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I.
"Don't go," were the first words Kei murmured on that Sunday morning, eyelids heavy as he looked up at Tetsurou, whose hands worked on buttoning up his white, wrinkled up shirt.
Tetsurou glanced back at him, back at his long limbs partially hidden beneath the blanket they had shared, and a soft, morning-weary smile crept up to his lips. "You know I have to, Tsukki."
All the must-do's and can't-do's weighed heavily in the air, and Kei sighed into his arm as he rolled on the bed until his face was planted into the pillow. Tetsurou snickered quietly. Kei was adorable when he sulked. "You gonna miss me?"
He didn't expect an answer really; Kei was more private, more conscious and awkward about his emotions. It didn't matter, since Tetsurou knew how he felt regardless.
"Yeah, I will."
Tetsurou's fingers slipped from the collar of his shirt out of the sheer surprise, and he turned his head to look at Kei's form on the bed. Noting the redness of Kei's ears, Tetsurou felt a comfortable warmth blossoming in his chest; the joy of catching Kei's kinder honesty.
"Oh, Tsukki," he murmured, voice unsteadier than he'd have liked. What was he to do, though? Kei made him melt in such a devastating way. "You know how to make a guy wanna stay."
Kei made a low, embarrassed grunt.
"I'm serious," Tetsurou murmured, practically skipping over to the bed before seating himself and gentle rubbing at the back of Kei's neck. "I do want to stay with you, Kei."
Kei finally turned himself so that he could look up at Tetsurou with squinted eyes, face still relaxed from sleep. He didn't have to say anything for Tetsurou to know what went through Kei's head right then.
Tetsurou grinned down at him, heart swelling with premature longing at the thought of going back to university.
"Love you lots, sweetheart," he murmured before leaning down to kiss Kei's pale, thin lips that were warm and surprisingly gentle. Dry, too, but Tetsurou didn't mind that.
Kei's lips twitched against his, mostly in annoyance towards the term of endearment, but they returned the kiss sweetly, kindly, eagerly, and Kei's hand moved into Tetsurou's hair as he sighed something incomprehensible against Tetsurou's mouth.
Tetsurou would miss this later when he'd get back to his dorm he shared with Bokuto (who had his own case of distanced relationship, but not as bad as Tetsurou's).
"Don't call me sweetheart," Kei breathed out when he broke the kiss, out of breath and out of time.
"Okay, okay," Tetsurou smirked, "love."
Kei headbutted him for that, but even the pain couldn't stop Tetsurou from laughing and feeling utterly contented.
(In train, he thought about the fleeting gazes and touches and movies spent cuddled up against each other. He thought about Kei's cold hand in his and the secret smiles Kei thought he didn't see.
Tetsurou thought, this might really be love.)
II.
Tetsurou sent him stupid photos at the worst times.
The times being, well, mostly the times he was walking with Yamaguchi, either in the morning to school or in the afternoon from school.
This day was no exception.
"Is it from Kuroo-san?" Yamaguchi asked, a knowing smile stretching on his lips when Kei fumbled with his phone.
"Ugh."
"It is," Yamaguchi concluded and leaned over to try to get a look at whatever Tetsurou had sent Kei this time. "Show me, Tsukki!"
"It's probably just something stupid with Bokuto again-" Kei grumbled as he managed to get the photo up while Yamaguchi clung to his arm and walked on his toes. "..."
"Doesn't look like Bokuto-san," Yamaguchi teased him gleefully, though a pale flush settled over his freckled cheeks.
"...Shut up, Yamaguchi." Kei didn't bother to reply to Tetsurou and tucked the phone back into his pocket, willfully ignoring the heat on his own face.
The photo had been a selfie with Tetsurou kissing Kei chastely on the cheek, lips curled up in a grin against Kei's pink cheek, and with Kei looking like he'd rather be anywhere else than there.
It had been their first sort of photo together, if all the ones from Tetsurou's third year of high school weren't counted. (And they weren't, because they hadn't been together back then, even if Tetsurou had looked all too smitten in the spring nationals.)
Kei had seen it many times before, because Tetsurou kept sending it to him every now and then with varying messaged.
This day's message was: thinking of u and me and what i wouldn't do to be close to you.
Later, safe in his room away from everyone else, Kei took out his phone and texted Tetsurou back. you try to be smooth but it just isn't working for you, tetsu.
Tetsurou would receive it and read it and smile knowingly, because Kei only called him Tetsu in the most affectionate of ways.
Then Tetsurou would proceed to bury his head into a pillow and try to breathe, since Kei always succeeded in leaving him a mess with every little thing he did or said.
III.
Tetsurou brushed his lips against the screen of his faithful laptop, closing his eyes and listening to Kei's breathes through the Skype video call.
He wished he were kissing Kei instead.
But alas, it was a school week, and Tetsurou's whims were not easy to fulfill with Miyagi several hours away from his university.
The heavy feeling in his chest didn't fully go away when Kei huffed irritably. "It's not like you can actually kiss me by doing that, you know, Tetsu."
Tetsurou pulled away from his screen and laughed sheepishly as he gave Kei a fond look. "Why must you ruin all my romantic fantasies of my laptop turning into you if I give it a kiss?" he asked ruefully, leaning his cheek against the calloused palm of his hand. "I haven't breathed the same air as you in a while."
"Everyone breathes the same air, Tetsu." Kei rolled his eyes, but his lips twitched hesitantly before pulling down into a sulky expression.
You miss me too, Tetsurou thought fondly, endeared by the subtle changes in Kei's expression.
"You know what I mean."
"...I suppose."
"Kiss me, Tsukki?" Tetsurou puckered his lips invitingly, and Kei made a face of utter disgust.
"That looks gross. Stop that. I'm not kissing my laptop screen."
"You know I won't be able to Skype you for a while after tonight because of midterms, so… if you're sure, Tsukki."
Kei sighed, the sound muted and slightly off coming from Tetsurou's speakers. "You definitely won't get one when I come see you, asshole," he threatened, but both knew it was a futile one as Kei was just as deep into their relationship as Tetsurou.
"I'll just kiss you myself, then," Tetsurou murmured gleefully, taking a quick photo when Kei's face got closer to the screen, an embarrassed frown clinging to his features.
When back to his chair, Kei gave Tetsurou an unimpressed stare. "You took a photo of my face."
"Of course."
"You're… ugh. Tetsu, stop that."
"It's 'coz I miss your pretty face and your prettier self."
"That deserves a pillow to the face, Tetsu."
"And the prettiest smile from my favorite Tsukki?"
Kei snorted, but the smile was there before he could fully control his face, and Tetsurou grinned happily. "There it is. Thank you, Tsukki." My moon and stars, he thought, but that was best left unsaid lest he wanted to make the ache in his chest grow stronger.
IV.
Tetsurou shivered despite the thick jacket he wore as he glanced at his phone. Kei's train was just about to arrive, according to the glowing digits on his phone screen, and the thought brought a smile to his face.
Tsukki, Tsukki, Tsukki. Soon he could breathe in the person instead of his name.
The sounds of the train reached him, and Tetsurou looked up. God, he'd see Tsukki again after weeks… He could see Kei's expressions up close instead of through a shitty Skype connection. He would be able to brush his thumb over Kei's mouth and cheeks; he would be able to flick at his nose before kissing it.
Just as his thoughts went to that direction, the train screeched to a halt, and soon after the passengers began to flow out. Quite a few of them, actually, but it was Friday afternoon after all.
He caught sight of Kei after a few moments of hesitancy, and with a wide grin he jogged to Kei, who kept looking for Tetsurou in turn.
"Tsukki," Tetsurou breathed as he wrapped his arms around his beloved boyfriend, "you came." Kei froze for a moment, but he returned the hug, lowering his head against Tetsurou's shoulder and sniffing at his jacket.
"Of course, I did promise I would." Kei sounded mostly tired, with hints of something even gentler. It was still a novelty to hear such undertones in Kei's voice, and Tetsurou relished in it every time. "Happy birthday, Tetsu."
"You remembered," Tetsurou breathed out in surprise as his arms squeezed Kei tighter against him.
"I have a perfectly working memory, thanks," Kei muttered huffily into his shoulder, bumping his cheek against Tetsurou's. "I didn't get you a present, though-"
"What are you talking about?" Tetsurou snickered as he leaned his head back and made Kei look at him too. Tetsurou's lips curled into a genuine smile as he watched the flush of cold on the tip of Kei's nose and the thin lines of his mouth. "My perfect birthday present is right here with me now," he said quietly, so that only Kei could hear it, before leaning in to press their lips together like how he had been wanting to during the time they hadn't seen each other in reality.
His hands went up to feel Kei's cheeks, cold underneath his touch - maybe Tetsurou's fingers were frigid, too - but the slow-burning heat of their kiss made the chill of the weather seem irrelevant. Caressing at Kei's face like it was a treasure (it was, actually), Tetsurou hummed softly into the kiss and licked at Kei's lower lip, not to search out a way into his mouth but to feel the tender skin.
Kei's mouth moved against his at Kei's own leisurely place, careful and precise as always, but the quiver of Kei's lower lip gave the emotion away.
"Love you," Kei breathed against Tetsurou's mouth between the first and the second kiss. "Love you, Tetsu."
And if that didn't make Tetsurou sure, right then and there, that this was a real deal, then nothing would.
"Best birthday present," Tetsurou murmured again, feeling his own face flush from the intensity of the emotion that shone in Kei's soft brown eyes. "I love you too, Kei."
It was amazing how much a few heartfelt words could do to a person, he later thought when Kei and he were back to Tetsurou's dorm and ate the take-out they had ordered. Truly amazing.
V.
November 18th's morning had a sleepy Kuroo Tetsurou step out of the bedroom and discover Tsukishima Kei already awake and sitting on a couch while eating a piece of strawberry shortcake, eyes boredly staring at tv commercials.
It was a domestic scene, uninterrupted by Bokuto who was still holed up in his room, probably sleeping long into the afternoon before sneaking off for some Akaashi-time.
Tetsurou couldn't help but stare as something warm flooded into him once more: sharp, concise feeling of happiness for having Kei there, within a manageable distance he could close whenever he wanted before Kei would have to go back to Miyagi prefecture again.
He was still half-asleep and shaky-limbed, but god if he didn't want to hold onto this scene and memorize it until every little detail would seep into his core.
"What are you staring at?" Kei sounded just as tired as Tetsurou felt as he turned his head to look at him. "Your bedhead is atrocious." Kei didn't sound pissed, just sleepy tired that meant Tetsurou could get away with more things than normal with his love.
"Rude. I just woke up." Tetsurou leaped over to the couch, pressing himself against Kei. "Without you by my side to warm me up, too."
"I was hot," Kei shrugged as he brought a spoonful of cake to his lips.
"You always are, though," Tetsurou commented off-handedly, and Kei nearly choked on the spoon.
"Don't say that first thing in the morning," Kei groaned when he managed to swallow the spoonful of cake down. Tetsurou laughed, voice hoarse from recent sleep, and stared at the cream that lingered on the corners of Kei's mouth.
"How can I not?" Tetsurou hummed, eyes taking in the way Kei licked at his lower lip clean of the cake, just missing the pieces at the corners. "I really like you, Tsukki."
"I know," Kei grunted, shoving a spoonful of cake into Tetsurou's mouth. "Stop drooling, Tetsu. It makes you look like an ass."
"An attractive one, I hope," Tetsurou hummed against the spoon before swallowing the tasty treat Kei had graciously offered him.
"No," Kei denied with a huff as he leaned to put the plate and the spoon onto the small table located just before the couch. "Stay still," he told Tetsurou, who had been about to tackle Kei with morning kisses.
"Tsukkiiii," he whined. Can't live without morning kisses, he wanted to say, but he knew what Kei's response would be.
He didn't get the chance to say it either, since Kei's mouth captured Tetsurou's lips and attention in the next blink of an eye. That fact itself was enough to leave Tetsurou dazed and wondering if he was still in a dream - Kei didn't often instigate physical affection.
Part of it was out of self-consciousness, Tetsurou figured - Kei wasn't an expert in the area, and sometimes his kisses were too toothy and harsh, and maybe that bothered him a little, since he allowed Tetsurou to take the lead more often than not..
Silly Tsukki, Tetsurou wanted to tell him as Kei's lips gently coaxed him to return every bit of the kiss. I love you and your kisses and every little thing you do.
He thought about the way Kei's eyes sometimes crinkled when he tried to suppress a smile or a laugh.
About the way Kei fiddled with his fingers when he was worried and anxious.
And Kei wasn't the only self-conscious one out of them, no, Tetsurou acknowledged that as he moved with the kiss, with Kei, and cradled Kei's cheeks lovingly while Kei's hands rested on the sides of Tetsurou's neck. Kei could probably feel the quickening beats of his heart.
Don't wanna lose you, Tetsurou thought as he smiled gently at Kei once the other pulled away, out of breath and the crumbs of cake gone from the corners of his lips.
I wanna keep this boy, Tetsurou thought in the same breath as his smile widened as Kei laughed breathlessly, out of giddiness probably.
"Happy birthday," Kei told him once he got his own breath evened out, looking a tad uncomfortable at his own burst of almost-giggles.
"Not anymore," Tetsurou corrected, eyes crinkling with mirth.
"Somewhere in the world it still is," Kei shrugged before looking away at his piece of strawberry shortcake.
"True that," Tetsurou agreed as he flopped over to bury his head on Kei's legs, ignoring the startled yelp from his lovable boyfriend.
"Get off."
"Nah."
Kei sighed as he ran his long fingers through Tetsurou's messed-up hair. The fingertips felt nice against his scalp, and Tetsurou nearly purred. "Turn around so I can feed you some of that cake, then. Idiot."
"Whoa, you're sharing your cake?"
"You'll buy me some later anyway. Won't you, Tetsu?" Kei smiled down at him - half a smile, half a smirk - and Tetsurou swooned. Inwardly. And outwardly.
Oh man, I love you so much, Tsukki.