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To say Tsukishima was struggling would be an understatement. He’d woken up on the Saturday morning, and was feeling okay, he really was. He found it strange with his past week of going to bed at 3am, but he wouldn’t question it. His alarm had woken him up at 6.03am as usual and he had turned it off. But the bed had felt strangely empty and he looked around.
Kuroo wasn’t in bed, and that was normal on a Saturday. He had volleyball coaching duties to attend to and that was normal; Tsukishima was used to that. He woke up at 5am, left just before Tsukishima’s alarm went off and headed off to deal with his coaching duties.
Bokuto was asleep next to him, curled up and hugging a pillow. That was normal. Bokuto didn’t have to awake and out of the house until 10am and he normally woke up at around 8.07am to be ready for volleyball practice.
Akaashi wasn’t asleep next to him, laid out and breathing softly. That was not normal. The curtains were open, which was an Akaashi thing to do, and that wasn’t normal. Tsukishima frowned and then his 6.13am alarm went off and he quickly hushed it.
Standing up, Tsukishima quickly went to the bathroom, and washed his face and hands before he moved to the living room. It was empty. Akaashi’s jacket wasn’t on the hanger. He wasn’t here.
Tsukishima immediately felt himself withdraw, shocked, scared. He felt lost and uncomfortable in his own body. Blinking a little, he quickly moved across the room to make a cup of coffee before his routine spiralled out of control and he started getting Bad. He let the kettle boil, he dropped in a heaped teaspoon of coffee, he put in to level teaspoons of sugar, and poured milk up to where the curve of the spoon met the handle. He poured the hot water in and stirred his coffee exactly eight times. He put the spoon in the sink and then moved across the room.
Seating himself in the middle of the couch with his legs crossed, Tsukishima took exactly two sips of his coffee and then put his mug down on the coaster. The little velociraptor on his cup stared at him and Tsukishima smiled a little. Noticing Rex on the coffee table, Tsukishima frowned. Rex shouldn’t be in here – he should be in the bedroom, on the nightstand where he could reach him when he needed it.
Tsukishima picked him up and stared at the note attached to the tip of the cuddly toy’s tail. He picked it off. He blinked and then slowly stood to fetch his glasses from the bedroom. Tsukishima returned, crossed his legs as he sat down on the couch again, and picked the note up again.
Kei,
I’m really sorry I’m not here this morning. Something came up with the first edition of my new manga, and the publishers have called me this morning. I had to leave and be there for six am :(
I know you hate interruptions to your routine, and I am so sorry that I can’t be there for our usual morning cuddles. This couldn’t be avoided and hopefully I can get out by around 1pm so we can curl up and watch our usual shows then!
Stay safe, Kei.
Keiji xx
Tsukishima scanned the letter a few times and then set it on the coffee table. His hand found the remote and he turned the television on with a frown. He flickered through the channels before he found National Geographic and then settled down with Rex in his lap. He picked up his coffee and had one sip and then rested it on his knee, his slender fingers curled around the cup handle to stop it falling off. The documentary he was watching faded into another one, and another one was half way through when the sound of the toilet flushing made him jump.
Tsukishima stared at his cold cup of coffee, still perched on his knee, and then looked up at Bokuto, heading into the kitchenette, yawning.
“Where’s Keiji?”
Tsukishima wordlessly pointed at the note on the coffee table in front of him and stayed still until Bokuto saw him. The man-child walked across the room and picked it up to read, heading back to the kitchenette to finish making his coffee.
“You gonna be okay without Keiji here, Kei?”
Bokuto looked back to catch Tsukishima’s nod. Bokuto hesitated. Tsukishima never took change to his routine too well, especially one that happened an hour before it started. Frowning, Bokuto sipped his coffee and leant on the kitchen side.
“I was gonna go shopping when I’ve drunken this. Is there anything you need?”
“I’m almost out of comfort tea.”
Bokuto made a noise in his throat. “Raspberry and pomegranate or mango and peach?”
“Both.”
Bokuto raised an eyebrow. Kuroo had been shopping just like Friday, and Tsukishima had gone through that much tea in just over a week? Come to think of it, Bokuto remembered waking up a few times in the past week as Tsukishima clambered into bed; he’d simply thought he had gone to the toilet, or gotten up to get a drink but now it all clicked.
“Tsukki, have you been pulling all nighters again?”
Tsukishima’s shoulders hunched ever so slightly.
“Tsukki we all sat and talked about this-”
“-I get Bad when I’m overtired, I’m aware.”
Bokuto frowned. “Why were you up all night, Tsuks?”
Tsukishima looked back, and Bokuto was swept up in those hypnotising golden-brown eyes. “A make up artist was doing YouTube streams and I wanted to watch them, but they live on the other side of the world so some sacrifices were needed.”
Bokuto sighed a little. “Couldn’t you have just watched them back in the morning?”
“It’s not the same.” Bokuto realised just how… neutral Tsukishima’s voice was and frowned.
“Are you withdrawing?”
“That seems to be the general feeling.”
Bokuto frowned and walked across the room. He put his coffee cup on the coffee table and then slid onto the couch next to Tsukishima. He sighed and moved up a little.
“You’re one of the most important people on this entire planet, to me at least. Did you know that?”
Tsukishima’s eyes widened but they didn’t move from the television.
“I mean it. Out of all 7 billion people on the Earth, you, Testu and Keiji are the most important people in my entire life. You three are my entire universe.”
A blush covered Tsukishima’s cheeks and he looked away, staring at the floor on the other side of the living room, doing his best not to look at Bokuto.
Bokuto chuckled. He reached out to take hold of Tsukishima’s hand and squeezed it. It took a moment for him to squeeze back, but the gentle pressure was there. Tsukishima looked up. His eyes showed no emotion; as though his eyes were dead, but Bokuto didn’t care. It was the usual when Tsukishima was emotionally withdrawing from the world.
“I want you to go to bed at your weekly routine time tonight, alright?”
“If you wish.” A cold statement, almost robotic. Bokuto would have winced, but that was months ago when he wasn’t used to Tsukishima’s withdrawing. “But I would like to stay up and watch another live stream by Kat Von D-”
“You need your sleep, Tsukki, or you’re going to be exhausted on Monday and have a breakdown at university and have to come home, and I know you hate missing your classes because of your autism.”
Tsukishima’s shoulders slumped and he looked back at the television, letting go of Bokuto’s hand.
“If that is what you wish, then.”
Bokuto frowned a little and moved to pull Tsukishima against his chest. He wasn’t at risk of an overload, his bodily cues said he was just, as Tsukishima put it, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
“Tell you what; since you can’t have your usual cuddles on the couch with Keiji this morning, why don’t I take you shopping? Didn’t you say you wanted to get some new make up because you hit… paint?”
Tsukishima smiled, a very tiny one, but it was there. “I hit pan on my Anastasia Beverly Hills Pro Series Contour Kit. And I need some new matte lipsticks.”
“… Whatever you said just sounded like a foreign language to me.”
“Well, I did recite it in English so.”
Bokuto burst into laughter and Tsukishima stood, slowly. He drunk the last of his cold coffee, scrunching his nose as he did so.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m getting dressed so we can go shopping. You did just offer.”
“Yes, but you didn’t accept it.”
Bokuto snorted and got up to follow Tsukishima through to the bedroom. His movements were stiff, as though he was working on autopilot and Bokuto frowned a little. Tsukishima seemed so… sad when he was like this and Bokuto just wanted to hug him tightly.
Bokuto pushed the urge away and dressed himself and before he waited for Tsukishima. He grabbed his jacket. “You bringing your headphones?”
Tsukishima made a soft noise in his throat and slipped the headphones around his neck, making sure each ear was at a comfortable length so his neck didn’t feel like it was being choked. Bokuto followed Tsukishima into the living room, grabbed his keys, and then they headed out.
-xox-
“Aaaaaaaaa!”
Bokuto turned around at the sound of Tsukishima’s vocal stimming with an eyebrow raised. They’d just walked into the local drug store, and Tsukishima had disappear immediately to the make up aisle. Bokuto had followed, looking at the different hair dyes on display on the opposite shelves.
“Coo!”
Bokuto smiled at his nickname from Tsukishima – Tsukishima had trouble saying his name when he was in an overload, when he needed Bokuto the most and had ended up saying Coo. When he had come to and they had all chuckled over it, Tsukishima decided he would call his owl obsessed boyfriend Coo. Bokuto still loved it.
“Coo!”
“I’m here, I’m here.” He stood as close as he could to Tsukishima, peering at the lipstick in his hand. “I don’t even know what I’m looking at but that’s a pretty golden tube.”
Tsukishima tched and rolled his eyes. “This pretty golden tube is the new Milani Colour Statement lipstick. This colour is Sangria. But they’re cream and not matte.” Tsukishima ran the curve of the lipstick across the back of his hand and even Bokuto could say that the colour suited Tsukishima’s skin tone.
Dejected, Tsukishima put the tube back and then immediately went silent, eyes scanning the other lipsticks on offer.
“This says matte on it and it’s dark purple.” Bokuto pointed to a long, frosted glass tube and a golden handle and Tsukishima might as well have been an eagle with how quickly he swooped in to get it.
“Oh, it’s Gerard Cosmetics. They’re a good brand but they did some shitty things recently.” Tsukishima slid the lipstick back into it’s slot. “I’m not keen to buy from them.”
Bokuto nodded and bent down to look at the lower stocks of make up, before pulling out a small frosted tube with a red lid.
“Tsukki?”
“Put that back this instant.”
“Lime Crime?”
“Mhm. Put it back. The creator dressed up as… a not too loved war president for Halloween one year. Like I’d support that.” Tsukishima rubbed the back of his head. “She apologised for it but I’m still irked by it.”
“If it’s who I think it is, I can image why.” Bokuto put the lipstick back hastily and then stood back, hands in his pockets. This was Tsukishima’s domain.
Bokuto turned back around to look at the hair dyes before aaaaaaaaaa.
Bokuto turned back around to see Tsukishima’s foot tapping quickly on the floor as he undid a tester for another purple lipstick.
“That’s liquid, not matte.”
Tsukishima tched. “It dries matte, Coo, keep up!”
Bokuto watched Tsukishima swipe the purple lipstick over his skin and admired the colour. “That would definitely look good on you.”
Tsukishima glanced around before shhing Bokuto. He would wear make up gladly around the house and a small amount to events with Akaashi, but it was still a secret and he was uneasy for other people – people that may be unaccepting to it – hearing about it. Male make up artists weren’t as rare now-a-days, but Tsukishima still got incredibly uncomfortable.
Bokuto saw the small smile on Tsukishima’s face before he turned away. God, he could kiss that smile all day.
Bokuto forced himself to turn away and grab his usual silver hair dye before glancing among the rest of the row. He kind of wanted to change the black of his hair, mix a new colour with silver.
“Come on, Coo!”
No time to choose, Tsukishima was ready to leave.
“I thought you needed to get a new pan or something.”
“It’s called a palette, Bokuto!” Tsukishima huffed. “I can order one offline, I want to go home.”
An idea formed in Bokuto’s head and he smiled, sweetly. “You go and pay, Tsukki; I’ll be right there, promise.”
Bokuto heard the tch the younger made and he rolled his eyes. He stood and turned around to glance over at the make up again before his eyes fell on the pretty golden tube again. He picked a case up and checked the side. Sangria. That was the one Tsukishima had stimmed over, wasn’t it?
He was walking when he saw something that said Anastasia… something. That was the thing that Tsukishima had said he hit pan on. What the heck hitting pan was Bokuto didn’t think he’d ever actually know. He looked over the shelves to see the top of Tsukishima’s head at the counter.
It was a pro series.. something kit and Bokuto scanned for something that might have resembled the slim black box – Tsukishima’s voice in his head, it’s called a palette, Bokuto! - and he recognised it. Contour kit? He was pretty sure that was it.
Grabbing one of the rack, he headed to the counter, where Tsukishima was finishing and turning to go and stare at the nail varnishes when Bokuto got there. He slipped the make up onto the counter, making sure his back blocked the till counter from Tsukishima’s field of vision.
Paying quickly, Bokuto almost died at the price – the palette had come to 5522.19¥ on it’s own – and then chucked it all in his backpack. Well, he chucked his hair dye and the lipstick tube in, he remember Tsukishima’s voice in his head. Again.
Treat my palettes with respect, Coo! Seriously, if you crack that, you’re paying 7500¥ for a new one!
Bokuto hastily shoved the palette in his pocket and then went to join Tsukishima.
Tsukishima walked off without even looking at him, eyes wide as he tilted his head to some noise Bokuto didn’t hear.
-xox-
By the time they had gotten back to the apartment, Tsukishima had completely calmed down, and was pretty much himself. He had seated himself on the couch with his sketchbook full of weird faces – they’re face charts, Coo! It’s what we use to create make up looks before doing them on someone’s face! - and Bokuto found his phone had seven missed calls. Four were from Akaashi and three from Kuroo.
Oops?
He had to stop leaving his phone at home. As Bokuto unpacked the one bag of food shopping he’d managed to get before Tsukishima’s whining to go look at the make up had gotten unbearable, Bokuto hit Akaashi’s contact to call him.
“Finally!”
Bokuto sighed. “Hi Keiji, it’s good to hear from you! How’s your day been?”
“Kei’s snark is rubbing off on you.” Bokuto could hear Akaashi rolling his eyes. “My meetings have been a lot of yelling, headaches, and crappy coffee. Where have you two been?!”
“Tsukki was withdrawn this morning so I took him food shopping with the promise of getting some make up later.”
“That’s great! How’s he feeling now?!”
“He’s curled up on the couch doing face charts. I think he’s back to his usual snarky self. Lucky for you.”
Akaashi laughed down the phone. “Did you cancel going to volleyball then?”
Bokuto stared in horror at the 10.34am clock flashing back at him. “I totally forgot! I have to go do that now, immediately, goodbye Keiji, have good meetings I love you bye.”
Bokuto hung up and furiously sent a text to his vice captain – I totally forgot 2 message u bro! My bfs sort of sick + he wants me 2 stay at home!! Sorry been looking after him all morning – and then relaxed on the side.
“Tsukki.”
“Mhm?”
“Look in my backpack.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s a surprise for you in there.”
Tsukishima paused in the delicate strokes of his make up brush and looked around to stare at Bokuto with a raised eyebrow. Bokuto said nothing. Tsukishima tched, unhappy he was being distracted, but he went over none the less.
“Oh beautiful silver hair dy-”
Bokuto burst into laughter when Tsukishima went silent. He pulled the golden tube out of the almost empty backpack and stared up at Bokuto. “You got me this?”
Bokuto nodded with a smile. “I also got you something else.”
Tsukishima stood up with a raised brow, but happiness was radiating out of his eyes. “What?”
Bokuto beckoned him to the small kitchenette counter and then leaned over. “Kiss me and you’ll get it.”
“You’re such a dweeb.” Tsukishima rolled his eyes but leant down to press his lips gently against Bokuto’s.
It was a gentle kiss, soft with just gentle presses of each other, pushing their weight forward a little. Bokuto’s hand moved to gently cup around the back of Tsukishima’s neck, holding him tightly. They stayed the way before they had to escape for air and Bokuto smiled a little.
“I love doing that.”
“Mm… so do I.”
Bokuto grinned his usual charming grin and then there was a small clack as he put the palette on the counter.
Tsukishima’s eyes went wide and he start bouncing on the heels of his feet. “You got me the Anastasia Beverly Hills Pro Series Contour Palette?!”
Bokuto grinned. Foreign language whether it was English or Japanese. “I sure did, Tsukki.”
“This is so expensive.” But he leaned over the counter again to press a kiss to Bokuto’s lips. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”
Before Bokuto knew what was happening, he was being dragged to the couch and he happily let himself be pulled across the room. He settled on the couch and Tsukishima immediately opened the new palette, picking up a new brush. He leant against Bokuto as he worked on the weird face – face chart, Bokuto! - and Bokuto smiled.
Occasionally, Bokuto ran his hand through Tsukishima’s hair. Occasionally, Tsukishima would lean back to smile wide at Bokuto. Occasionally, they’d both lean in for a small lip peck.
Sure, getting used to Tsukishima’s autism had been hard for Bokuto at first, but he wouldn’t have his relationship any other way.can you make a sequel? where their relationships already progressed, specially between Kou and Kei. :))