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The night is warm, and they’re covered in sweat. Those are the two things Kei absolutely hates about summer.
Practice has been tougher in these past few days. With nationals coming, they can’t allow themselves to slack off, each moment in court a precious one that they aren’t going to let go by easily. They’ll fight until the very end to be the only ones standing victorious with gold medals around their necks. The team’s well-deserved captain has been clearly overworking himself too, and the bruises all over his body are the most visible evidence, aside from the small but present pain he started feeling on his right shoulder. Tadashi needs a break, and he needs it immediately, or else it might be too late. The last thing they need right now is an injured captain right before the official matches.
The thing that’s weighing badly down his shoulders isn’t the burden of being a captain, not at all. In fact, that is something he’s stomaching rather easily. His vice-captain and boyfriend are helping him hold the pillars of the team, never leaving his side. Of course, a certain ball of sunshine is there alongside them and the team’s second and first years always succeed in cheering him up with praises and gifts. But it’s rather the fear of failure that has consumed his thoughts lately.
Being a third year already has it’s pressure, since it’s their last year on the Karasuno Volleyball team and last chance to taste sweet victory one more time to make sure people will remember the fallen crows have taken flight again. Tadashi hides that fear smoothly, and those who don’t know him well enough couldn’t be able to realize how he truly feels. Gladly, Kei knows every little piece of him, from his tip toes to the last strain of brown hair.
He promised to stay over Kei’s house in this warm summer night, where the skies are clear and the moon shines brighter, only to overshadow the stars around it.
Stargazing isn’t in their plans, anyway.
Not much after they arrive and greet all those who are in the Tsukishima residence -Akiteru and his mom and dad- , they grab two towels from the clean laundry and head to Kei’s room, only to have him turning on the AC seconds later. Tadashi is faster and sprints to the bathroom, locking himself in and slipping into the shower to take a nice and cold bath. Kei showers not long after Tadashi’s done using the bathroom, since he just can’t stand the sweat still lingering in his skin from practice and the warm weather.
Kei stops at the bathroom’s door frame, leaning his upper body to the right and shifting his weight to his left leg while drying his hair with a towel. He has his glasses off and sees a big blur laid on his bed, not leaving a single space for him to lay down next to it. And the lighting makes Tadashi look rather angelic -more than usual. Sliding his glasses on, Kei stares down at his freckled boyfriend, spread all over his mattress with nothing but sweatpants and a sleepy expression, not looking at anything in particular. Almost automatically, his eyes drift to the freckles found in his back that go all the way to his thighs and have always reminded Kei of small lost constellations. His swollen and red-ish right shoulder, result of the intense serve training he’s been doing in the past few weeks.
Eventually, he breaks from his trance and walks to the bed, throwing his towel on the floor and slightly poking Tadashi’s ribs, making him giggle and turn his head around to face Kei.
“Hmm, what is it?” Tadashi asks and stops giggling, only to have a weak smile taking over his lips. His eyes are a bit watery due to tiredness and lack of sleep, so he rubs his eyes and yawns, trying to stay awake.
Kei motions his hands up and down as if asking him to scoot over but it’s not very effective. “Yamaguchi, you’re occupying the entire bed. Scoot over.” He moves Tadashi’s leg to the side, just enough for him to sit on the edge of the bed.
He makes an unreadable expression, one similar to when he’s trying to solve a hard math equation and says “No” after a few seconds with a sweet and low voice. Tadashi turns himself around, his back flat against the soft fabric and chest facing up, his arms and legs still spread on the bed. He looks at Kei through the corner of his eyes and they look tempting and inviting.
A bit surprised, Kei takes the bait. He sighs in defeat and carefully climbs on bed, trying not to pressure any of Tadashi’s bruises with his weight and settles himself on top of him, in a way that their faces are close to each other, barely few millimeters apart. He takes a good look at his boyfriend’s face and only now realizes how deep the dark circles beneath his eyes are. He can’t help but frown and lean in closer, making Tadashi close his eyes. He gently kisses both his eyelids and the dark circles and the very tip of his nose. He moves up and trails a crown of kisses on his forehead, from one extremity to the other. Following down his temples, he arrives at his cheeks where his freckles are more present and beautiful. And he can easily name all lost constellations in there.
Not a single bit of skin on Tadashi’s face is left untouched by Kei’s lips and he feels it warming up, a slight blush rising on his cheeks. The two of them had their eyes closed this entire time and when Kei opens them he is welcomed by his lover’s lovingly gaze, one that could melt glaciers and end wars, while Kei’s sweet eyes are filled with hunger and desire.
Tadashi raises his hands and places them on each side of the other’s face, pushing him downwards and finally, finally kissing those thin lips he knows all too well. It’s a simple touch, a thing that lasts for mere few seconds, but it’s simply satisfying and reassuring for him. They break apart but not for long, since Kei eagerly kisses him again and it’s passionate, involving. Tadashi slides his hands from Kei’s neck to his blond hair and Kei takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss.
It makes them breathless. They get so caught up in each other as if they didn't need anything else -and they don’t. It’s the small things that were born from this relationship that they appreciate the most. Gentle touches on Kei’s back when nobody's watching. How their fingers intertwine almost immediately when they sleep. The softness of Tadashi’s skin and lips. None would let such things go by as if they were meaningless.
Once again, they break apart. Kei slowly slides his hands through Tadashi’s sides, only to rest them on his waist, tightening his grip a bit. He moves his head to the freckled neck, ghosting his lips over it, making Tadashi visibly shiver and a low noise escapes from his throat. He picks a soft spot right above his collarbone and sucks on it, just enough to leave a faint purple mark -not strong enough to be called a proper hickie.
Never leaving his lips off tanned skin, Kei continues to pepper kisses all over his neck and chest and specially on his bruises and shoulders, but once he reaches Tadashi’s stomach, he just can’t hold it in. Kei blows a raspberry into his belly. See, Tadashi is a very ticklish person, especially around his feet and stomach. And Kei has known that for probably the same amount of time he’s been teasing Tadashi about it.
Tadashi loses it and start laughing hard, trying to push Kei away but not succeeding much. “Tsukki, stop- stop!” He stops for just a brief moment to look up and sees a blushing and smiling Tadashi. The scene is almost too much for his eyes to handle and he smiles, only to continue tickling and blowing raspberries on him. “Oh my god, stop already!” He gasps for air “Kei, stop, stop, stop!”
And he finally does.
The silence suddenly invades. The laughter slips away, but the warmth feeling of it doesn’t fades, not the slightest. Tadashi slowly opens his eyes and relaxes his body. “Hm? What?” He says, as he realizes Kei is staring at him with a faint blush on his cheeks.
“You called me Kei.”
“And?”
“I liked it.”
He giggles and looks lovingly at Kei’s eyes, letting the sweet color of it take over his mind. “Kei.” Is all he says, and instead of stirring the fire in him, it calms him down and all the previous hunger in him left, as if a warm summer breeze had taken it away.
“Yes, Tadashi?” He replies, moving his body up so that they’re face to face.
Tadashi cups the other’s face and kisses his forehead, the faint smell of honey he is already used to invades his senses and he smiles wider. “I love you.” Unconsciously, he makes the most stupid-slash-adorable face.
Kei doesn’t resist and makes a ‘pff’ noise with his mouth, smiling seconds later. He takes off his glasses, putting it on the nightstand and lays beside Tadashi, placing one arm beneath his head, turning it into an improvised pillow, and the other pulling him closer as their legs intertwine and it’s just one big mess of limbs all over. Once they’re settled, Kei whispers to Tadashi’s hair “I love you too” and “Please take care of yourself, you matter a lot to me” repeatedly.
They close their eyes, and as simple as that, fall asleep in each other’s arms, sharing their warmth. There has never been the need to remind them how deeply in love they are, as that’s something they already do everyday of every month, never ceasing to end this cycle they hope to carry on forever.