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He stood outside of your school as he watched the graduating students file out, one by one. His hand was in his pocket, a velvet box brushing the pads of his fingers as he waited. His heart was racing and he remembered feeling the same way when trying to pluck up the courage to introduce himself to you. Although he was so nervous he felt like he was going to vomit, he couldn’t help but be happy he managed to do it.
“Tadashi!” He heard the shout of his name as you walked out of the building, hurrying toward him. Your hair was longer than when you first met and a flower was pinned to the lapel of your uniform blazer. You had officially graduated high school and had plans on going to the same college your boyfriend of four years attended. He was barely able to prepare himself before you launched at him, arms tight around his waist. He took no time in hugging you in return, pressing a kiss to your forehead before smiling down at you. You stood on your toes to brush your lips against his own. He offered you a small bouquet, cheeks tinging pink as you excitedly accepted.
“Ah, it’s finally over!” You said as you walked beside him. “I thought for sure I was gonna fail final exams.”
“But you didn’t.”
“Pft, yeah. Only thanks to you.” You nuzzled him, knowing without looking that he was rolling his eyes but smiling all the same.
He was barely a first year when he first saw you. You were in the arcade he liked to go to, even back before he had Tsukki and the others in his class teased him. You wore a school uniform he didn’t recognize, a white and plaid dress with short sleeves and knee socks. You were standing before a rhythm game, eyes narrowed in concentration as you tried to tap the buttons before you in sequence with the screen. Your combo grew higher and higher when it broke as the phone in your pocket buzzed. You groaned in anguish, swatting at the buttons which now glowed tauntingly, before taking it out and reading the caller ID.
He was too far away to hear what you were saying, but watched as you picked up your school bag and hurried out the automatic doors. You barely brushed by him as you rushed out and he swallowed thickly, heart thudding almost violently in his chest. He wandered over to the machine you anguished over earlier and noticed something on the ground. An abandoned charm, the string snapped in two. He wondered for a moment if it fell off your bag before slipping it into his pocket. Maybe he would see you again. Maybe he would say hi.
It was a couple of months later when he managed to utter a handful of stuttered words instead of just watching from afar. This time you stood before a claw machine, worrying your bottom lip between your teeth as you tried to snatch up a yellow rabbit that rested underneath a bright purple pig. Each time it’s ear would slip out of the pink claw’s grasp and you’d be forced to put another palmful of coins inside.
Yamaguchi sighed as he fell of the platform in his game, the pixelated letters spelling out ‘Game Over’. He glanced to the side and watched as you huffed and crossed your arms before picking up your bag to try your luck at another machine, any other machine.
He wasn’t sure when he got to his feet, he only realized it when he found himself slowly walking over to where you stood. “U-Uh, hey.” He said, wondering if you heard him amidst the sounds that came from all the games around them.
You paused as you checked your phone for the time, looking up and locking eyes with the freckled boy. You closed your phone and smiled, lifting your hand into a wave. “Hi.”
He swallowed thickly as he walked forward a bit more. “Um, I...I’m pretty good at those...I can help, if you want.”
You glanced at the machine behind you and then back at him, “That’d be awesome! Do you really think you can do it?”
For a moment he questioned his judgement. What if he messed up? What if he dropped the toy and made himself look like an idiot?! You reached into your bag to grab your wallet when you heard the sound of coins sliding into the machine’s slot. He grabbed onto the joystick and began to move the claw over toward the prize you coveted. You watched as the claw lowered down to grab onto one of the legs, tugging it out from under the plush pig. You grasped onto his arm as the rabbit was dropped down into the prize slot, the machine ringing victoriously and a mechanical voice calling out, ‘Good Job!’
He pulled the plush animal out and handed it to you, clearing his throat as he blushed. You grabbed onto it and held it to your side before you wrapped your free arm around him, “Thank you thank you thank you!” You said, punctuating each pair of words with a squeeze around his middle before releasing him. “You’re so nice.” You side with an impossibly wide grin.
It was then that he realized just how close you were, less than an arm’s length away. And that it was him that put that heart aching smile on your face. “What’s your name, anyways?” You asked him.
He cleared his throat again before glancing away slightly. Even though he nearly towered over you something made him feel so small. “Yamaguchi Tadashi.”
You told him your name in response with the slightest tilt of your head before your phone began to buzz like it did before. You adjusted the hold on your rabbit before taking it out, tapping the green button. “Hello...okay I’ll be right out...okay bye.” You sighed as you tucked it away. “That’s my dad. I guess I’ll see you around Yamaguchi-san.”
He nodded and lifted his hand in a wave as you bid him farewell, leaving the arcade and sliding in through the open door of a nice black car. Before it shut you locked eyes and grinned wide. It was only after the car had sped away that he remembered the charm he was holding on to. He glanced at the crane game and puffed his chest out slightly. Maybe next time he’d try and ask you out on a date.
After school practice went on as normal, with the exception of their manager being gone much to the dismay of her two worshippers. On the other side of the gym door, amidst the sounds of the ball hitting against the floor, was noise. Much more than usual. It was only during break that it almost became too loud to ignore any longer.
Peeking out the door the team saw crowds of middle schoolers traveling in packs, each group lead by a different third year holding a flag and giving a tour. It was an open campus, showing what kind of schools the students could apply to. Just as they glanced out they watched Kiyoko walk along, leading a group of all girls. Yamaguchi’s heart throbbed slightly. He recognized the uniform they all wore, you had worn the same thing almost all the other times he’d seen you. For a moment, he wondered if you were amongst them. He didn’t know your year, but he still could hope.
“(Y/N) come on! You’re gonna get left behind you know!” A voice from the crowd called out and he watched as you came jogging up to join them.
“Sorry, sorry, I got distracted.” You chuckled, sticking your tongue at your friend as they elbowed your side. You glanced around at the campus as you walked with your friends, not particularly paying attention.
Yamaguchi swallowed the knot in his throat as he set his water bottle down, “I’ll be back, I need to use the restroom.” He said, standing and walking toward the door, slipping out.
Your group walked around the corner, Kiyoko’s soft voice calling out where you would be going next. You saw a flash of white from the corner of your eye and saw Yamaguchi nonchalantly walking along. Your eyes grew wide and a smile stretched your lips. “Yamaguchi-san!” You called out, waving your arms.
He jumped slightly, glancing around as though he didn’t know the exact spot where you stood before making eye contact with you. Slowly, he walked over, telling himself to not look too eager to say hello. You scampered forward and grabbed onto his arm. “I didn’t know you went to school here!” Your eyes were shining as you looked up at him and he honestly wondered how you didn’t give him cardiac arrest by this point.
“Yeah. I’m a first year. Have you, um, thought about coming to Karasuno too?”
You shrugged, “My dad wants me to go to some fancy academy. I just went along because the rest of my class was going. You know, if I knew you were going here I probably would have tried a little less on the entrance exam.” You gave a cheeky smile.
Wait.
Did this mean…
You liked him too?
“Hey, (y/n)-chan...do you want to go out?” His face was bright red and he was asking you out in front of all your peers and he could feel the stare of his team from a few hundred feet back. But he knew that if he didn’t say it now it just wasn’t going to happen. Especially if you went to the academy you were talking about, he had read about it before. It was elite and only the smartest with lined pockets managed to make it in.
Yet here you were, nodding eagerly. “Yes!” You took out your phone for him to put the number into. “Text me, I’m not busy this weekend.”
You held your phone to your chest after he gave it back, bouncing on the balls of your feet before standing on your toes, pecking his cheek before rushing to get back. You turned and waved, giggling as he lifted his hand to the freckled flesh your lips touched.
He almost dreaded going back to the gym, knowing that he would be bombarded with a thousand questions and questioning glances from Tsukki. But, it didn’t really matter. He was going to go on a date. With a girl. With a really pretty girl who liked the same games that he did. It seemed like, for the first time, things were genuinely going his way.
He got to your meeting spot early. Stupidly early, almost an hour. But he was excited and wanted to make sure he wasn’t late, that no matter what happened, he wouldn’t be late.
His back was against the wall of the arcade building and he saw you running to meet him. Your hair was pinned back and you wore a soft, flowy blouse and shorts. He sat up fully when he saw you, awkwardly patting his hair and clothes. In one hand he held a flower. He thought for a moment if you would think it was cheesy. But it was his first date, he may as well over prepare.
He held the yellow tulip out for you to take and you couldn’t help but giggle, taking it into your hand, your fingers brushing against his. “Thank you.” You said, entwining your fingers with his own. “So, where to?”
The very air was tinted blue as you walked through the aquarium, hand in hand with the taller boy. No matter where you looked you saw all manner of fish and sharks and eels gliding through the water. You looked at the glass as a few cuttlefish swam by, small tentacles propelling them along. Out of the corner of your eye you saw Yamaguchi looking at you, squeezing your hand slightly as though he was worried you’d take off in a moment.
“Hey, Yamaguchi-san...if you were a fish what do you think you’d be?”
He chuckled at your sudden question. “Pft, what?”
“What kind of fish do you think you’d be!” You repeated.
He shrugged and thought about it for a moment. That was a question he’d never really thought about before. “I don’t know, a seahorse maybe?”
“Seahorse?”
He nodded, “They don’t really bother anyone, they just kind of go along minding their own business. They aren’t really noticed, but no one hates them either…”
“Hey, for the record seahorses are my favorites, you know.” You said with a small pout. You set your bag down and the flower next to it before taking both of his hands in your own. “I think they’re cute and unique and fun. They’ve been a favorite of mine for a long time now.” He suddenly wondered if you were talking about the fish at all anymore. From the way you sheepishly avoided his eyes, it became clear that you were talking about him. “You know, I’m really happy you asked me out.” Your voice was quiet now and you were almost alone in the glass corridor.
“Really?”
You nodded and slowly met his gaze. “Really.”
From the way you were looking at him he wondered if he should lean in. It seemed like the perfect moment to kiss you...but you were already picking your things back up, sliding your hand back into his, and starting to walk. He wondered if he missed his only chance.
Over ice cream you talked about your lives outside of school. He told you about his family, about Tsukki and the volleyball team. You told him about how it was just you and your dad, who you didn’t see very often since he worked a lot. But you didn’t mind because he always made up for it somehow. Taking you out of town for a week, coming home with surprise gifts and a weekend off.
You and him were perched on the edge of a fountain and he was happy to just listen as you rambled about your dad, school, your friends. Without thinking he raised a hand, wiping a smudge of strawberry ice cream from the corner of your mouth. The sun was beginning it’s descent, the sky starting to take on a purple tinge. He swallowed the last of his cone and stood up. He should get you home before it was dark. “Hey Yamaguchi-san?”
He turned around and you were standing on the edge of the fountain, standing taller than him for once. You waved for him to come closer before leaning down, your arms around his neck. He was a breath away and you didn’t move any closer, you didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. If he didn’t kiss you earlier maybe he didn’t want to…
His lips were surprisingly soft as they pressed against yours. His eyes were closed and his nose was slightly scrunched, as though he thought he may mess up if he so much as breathed wrong. You leaned into him, completing the embrace. His arms moved around your waist and he stepped back so that it was only him supporting your weight. Slowly, the two of you moved back, as far as you could in your position, and looked at one another. Your face felt burning hot and from the color of his cheeks you could tell he felt the same heat. Yet you both still smiled, the heart racing follow up to a perfect first kiss.
You were standing at the meet up spot where you would get picked up, Yamaguchi waiting with you. “Did you, um, have a good time?” He asked as though the date hadn’t been a complete success.
“A fantastic time.” You said, hugging his narrow waist. “Next time I’ll plan the date okay? We can take turns. Does that sound good?”
He nodded and softly stroked your hair from your face. “Sounds great.” You saw the headlights of the familiar car approach and stood on your toes, pressing a quick kiss to his chin.
“I’ll text you later, okay?”
He nodded and watched as you got in, the car driving down the street.
As he started walking his phone chimed. Looking at the screen he saw a text from you.
‘Can I call you Tadashi?’
He walked alongside you, even taller than he was back then. He held onto your hand like he had a thousand times before, listening as you talked about how excited you were to actually start going to school with him. It was something he looked forward to too. He would get to see you every day as often as he wanted to. You could get coffee together, work on homework together, anything. You’d just be a few minute walk away instead of a significantly longer drive.
Standing in front of the fountain you remembered the memories. First kiss, first time he said he loved you, first make up after a fight. It held an entire past for the two of you. “Why’d you bring me here?” You asked, looking over and furrowing your brow when you saw he wasn’t standing any longer.
He took a deep breath as he knelt before you, “(Y/N), I love you. I was so happy when you agreed to date me I honestly thought I had died. Good things like that never happened to me. But here you are, years later, still together with me. Every day, my heart throbs like it did the very first date and I have to pinch myself to remember that this is real. That I’m not dreaming.” He cleared his throat as he took out the dark red box, opening it. “And I want to keep living like this, with you, going forward. Will you marry me?”
He found himself nearly tackled to the ground as you lay on top of him, arms around his neck. “Yes, yes, yes!” You squealed, propping yourself up on your hands above him. “Tadashi, I… You just made me so happy.” You said, wiping under your eyes. Sitting back on your knees, Yamaguchi sat up and took your left hand, sliding the ring on. It was simple, a solitary diamond on a gold band but it meant the world to you.
You took him back into your arms and you hugged each other almost too tight, getting as close as possible to share the moment. You nuzzled into his cheek and he chuckled, pressing kisses into your hair.
It was dark as you took the train back to your home, hand in hand with your newfound fiance. The lights outside raced by but you paid them no mind, you were too busy looking at your ring, looking at him.
His hair was a touch longer too, partially held back with a band. His ears had a handful of holes in them, black studs poking through the skin. Yet in the face he looked the exact same. Freckles that he hated littering lightly tanned skin. But you loved him, you wouldn’t change him for the world. After all, that’s what he was now. Your world.