Chapter Text
Kei and Tadashi, best friends since youth.
They had done everything together.
So close.
Too close?
How close is too close?
Close touches of the hand.
Sharing headphones.
Drinking from the same straw.
Longing looks.
Tadashi would stare at the back of his best friend's head during class, laying down on his desk he’d think about what they’d do after school.
We’re going to the corner store, then back to his place, and we're going to do homework.
Spending the entire class looking between the teacher and kei, he never questioned this, this is what best friends do. They admire they’re much cooler best friend all the time.
He then witnessed Kei fiddle in his seat, soft cracking sounds of his knuckles, then reaching slowly into his pocket to pull out his phone.
Tadashi took this as his cue to look away, maybe even work on annotating the text they were reading. But every couple seconds he couldn’t help but look up back at Kei as if he was going to disappear.
School went by painstakingly slowly, and the two walked side by side out the gates.
“Tadashi?” Keis soft voice startled him out of spacing out.
“Uh yeah?” Tadashi gave an awkward smile, trying to defuse whatever question Kei had brewing in his mind.
“Nothing. Let’s go to the store” Kei quickly grabbed Tadashi arm, dragging him along quicker to the corner store.
The bell rang in Tadashi's ear, the warmth from keis touch disappearing suddenly as Kei went off to browse the store.
Tadashi smiled from afar at his best friend trying to select a cheap pastry to buy. He himself made his way over to the drinks to fill up a medium slushie.
“What flavor?” Kei walked up with a bag containing two donuts in one hand, the other pointing over at tadashis now overflowing cup.
“Fuck-!” Kei snickered, reaching for some napkins and bringing Tadashi's messy hand closer to wipe off the slush.
“Stupid ass” he smirked
“Yeah yeah whatever.” He gently stole away the napkins and dried himself off. something in him missed the touch from Kei.
“So… cherry? So basic.” He snickered again and Tadashi rolled his eyes.
“Like you’re anymore original! You like cola flavor!” Tadashi wasn’t about to take slushie slander from the other. He grabbed a lid and straw and took his and keis snacks over to the check out.
As Kei began to pull out his wallet, Tadashi stopped him.
“I got it.”
Kei gave a confused look “you sure?”
“Yesss now don’t worry about it” he smiled, handing his card over to the cashier and bagging his items
“My what a gentleman~” the blonde teased
Grabbing the bag, Kei took out some headphones from his pocket, offering Tadashi one of the wires. Of course he took it, and they walked in silence until they arrived at keis house.
He fiddled around with the key before unlocking the door.
At this moment, for whatever reason, Tadashi felt the world stop. The way the sun reflected off keis pale skin was entrancing.
“Tadashi-“
“Oh yeah sorry.” Tadashi followed Kei in, handing him back the wire to his headphones and taking off his shoes.
Inside Keis room they sat on the floor, chatting amongst themselves and setting up the snacks they bought.
Cherry slushie, two donuts, one powder and one glaze, and a bag of mints Kei spent 5 minutes staring at back at the store.
He unwrapped a small white mint and popped it in his mouth, watching Tadashi take out his folder full of unorganized papers.
Kei slid closer and looked over his homework. Tadashi watched the others' golden brown eyes scan the document, his long light colored lashes batting every couple seconds.
“Tadashi-“
“Sorry.
“Are you okay?” Kei was looking right at him now, he was close enough Tadashi could smell the mint on his breath. “You’ve been acting so out of it today” his face was one of concern
“Yes yes I just didn’t sleep enough last night.” That’s a lie
“Really?” No
“Promise” im lying
“If you say so…” Kei continued to blab on about the homework they had, instinctively reaching over for Tadashi's slushie and taking a sip from the green straw.
“-Maybe we should just leave this for tomorrow” Tadashi snapped out of his head again, he watched Kei take off his glasses and set them on the table
“Wait what! No im in!” Tadashi jumped up and smacked his face.
“Uh didn’t seem like it” Kei sassed, pulling Tadashi back down to the floor with him.
“Eh- no! I’m so mega focased it’s crazy!”
“You sure something isn’t going on?”
I’m in love with you
Tadashi's eyes widened at his own thought. That was involuntary. He’s going crazy, him in love with his best friend. He takes back what he was thinking, it wasn’t his thought, he must have developed mind reading powers and just so-
“Tadashi!”
“What!”
“This is what I was talking about! I’m just worried about you dude!” Kei ruffled with tadashis hair, then slid his hand down to his cheek and that hand ligered for just a moment too long.
Tadashi immediately pulled the other closer, smacking their lips together. Keis eyes widened and pushed him off him.
“What the hell?!” His brows furrowed and regret seaped in.
“Fuuuuuuck-“ Tadashi covered his mouth with his hand. “Tsukki I don’t know… why I did that.”
He’s read about this somewhere before, where the hand is like an alien and you know what maybe that was his entire body or his mind was of someone else’s or maybe even-
“So is that why you’ve been weird?” Kei didn’t look angry, suprised may be a better word.
“Maybe?” He gave a sheepish look “I’m so sorry, I think I’m gonna head out now.” He started to get up but kei grabbed his wrist.
“N-no. You’re fine, it’s fine, sorry I yelled I was just shocked.”
“Uhh you sure?” His voice cracked
“Yeah yeah.”
Kei and Tadashi sat in silence, simply looking at each other, then away, then back to each other.
“So.”
“So..”
“Anything you wanna say Tadashi?”
“Nope.” He scooted away, Kei gave an irritated expression.
“God you’re so dumb” he huffed, he pulled him closer to give a peck on his cheek, then let go. Tadashi was silenced, looking at his best friend with wide eyes as he calmly got up and layed in his bed.
“You can go home now.” He said to him
“Well tsukki… it’s just-“
“You said you should be on your way, then be on your way.”
“You’re such a dick” Tadashi mumbled under his breath. “I like you, is that what you wanted to hear?” He exasperated, keis assholy attitude dragging him out of shock.
The blonde curled an eyebrow and gave a small smirk. “Really?”
“Yes really…” he sat at the edge of tsukishima's bed, not making eye contact.
“I like you too.” He smiled softly, Tadashi swiftly turned his head
“Yeah?” He grinned
“Yeah” Kei rolled his eyes.
“So are we dating?”
“What the hell? No? You haven’t even asked me on a date.”
“Wanna go on a date?” Kei kicked Tadashi off his bed
“Rehearse this tonight, ask me tomorrow” he laughed and Tadashi gave a half smile.
“Okay then, buttttt” he got up from the floor and gave Kei one last kiss on the lips before picking up his backpack aswell as his melted slushy and heading out of keis house.
“Goodnight Tadashi.”