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Pounding on the window at two in the morning would be terrifying in pretty much every circumstance except the current situation. Because currently, Tsukishima is glaring at Yamaguchi through the window like he had personally insulted the boy’s dinosaur collection. And of course, as all good best friends do in the face of unexplained rage, Yamaguchi fully considers pushing Tsukishima out of the tree he’s been climbing since they were ten years old — and not for the first time in the six years since then.
But like all good best friends do, he opens the window anyway and lets the boy hop through. Yamaguchi’s immediate thought is this choice being a mistake when Tsukishima turns before he can even ask what’s happening.
“I blame you !” he snaps. “Fix it.”
Yamaguchi blinks at the demand before offering an eloquent, “Huh?”
“My heart! You messed it up!”
“Tsukki, what are you–”
“Kageyama Tobio! The King! The asshole I tutor every week because he can’t grasp basic English vocabulary words, and has the math comprehension of a snail in primary school !”
There are no questions to be asked at this point. The mess of nail polish and snacks and hair accessory on the bed is pushed aside as Yamaguchi sits down while Tsukishima digs trenches into the carpet with his rapid pacing.
“Tell me why I looked at this absolute buffoon this afternoon, after being asked to stay an extra hour because his dad got caught up at work and it’s kind of a far walk — he really shouldn’t be waking so much, do you know how far the school is from his place? It’s ridiculous, how does he even do morning and afternoon practice with all that extra exercise? It’s insane! Anyway,” he snips, shaking out his arms and nearly whacking the brand new floor lamp, “point is! He asks if he can stay, and I say yes! No hesitation, none! And you know what else?!”
Yamaguchi shivers with contained laughter as Hinata and Yachi peer around the open bedroom door, eyes wide and disbelieving. He shoos them away when Tsukishima makes another round on the floor.
“What’s that, Tsukki?”
Tsukishima’s hands fly in the air. “I asked what he wanted to do! And he said–” He flattens his hair and puts on an over-exaggerated grumpy face, cheeks getting a bit red. “‘Didn’t that new terrible horror movie come out?’” The mimicry of Kageyama’s voice is spot-on and nearly breaks Yamaguchi and the two eavesdroppers. “‘You said you wanted to see it, and it sounded awful, so it’s perfect.’”
Laughter falls out of Yamaguchi until Tsukishima whips around to glare at him. He gets an angry finger wag.
“This is no laughing matter, Tashi!” Yamaguchi nods and schools his face into a very grim expression with a serious nod. “I actually enjoyed watching that god awful movie with *Kageyama ‘The King’ Tobio! It was awesome, we’re even going out for coffee next week to study! Because I suggested a coffee shop that had a new coffee I remembered he liked. ‘Specially because of that coffee and the fact he enjoys that stupid shitty coffee. Things are amazing.” Tsukishima’s terrible glare is really more of a very red, very flustered pout. “And it’s your fault! ”
Despite his best efforts, there was no hiding Yamaguchi’s giggle. “So, what you’re saying is: it’s my fault that you have a crush on Kageyama?”
“Duh!”
Hinata is the first to break in the hallway, Yachi quickly following as they fall into a heap of giggles and laughter in the doorway. Tsukishima stiffens, the red spreading down his neck as he huffs. He buries his face in his hands, and Yamaguchi knows all too well that he’s wearing his This Is It, This Is How I Die expression. Still, he couldn’t help but laugh.
When Tsukishima starts for the window, he scrambles to block the path, taking deep breaths to control the laughter.
“Wait, wait! Tuskki, just wait.” Yamaguchi offers a genuine smile in response to his best friend’s scowl. “We know how to help! Really, we do, I promise.”
This somehow stops Tsukishima’s best efforts at pushing him out of the way.
Yachi comes up to his side, Hinata flanking the other. “We already have some ideas,” she chirps.
“And I know him like the back of a book!” Hinata offers.
Tsukishima gives him a flat look. “It’s ‘I know him like the back of my hand’ or ‘I can read like him a book.’ Numbskull.”
And wow, that is — despite the flat face — the least flat of a tone Tsukishima has used in a while to explain something he finds simple. It makes Yamaguchi smile more, even as Hinata flails at the insult.
There’s still plenty of progress to make, but it looks like the first year ship is about to sail!