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When Yamaguchi was bullied in elementary school, Tsukishima made sure the three older boys regretted every last word. Two years later, Tsukishima was the one to pull Yamaguchi from nearly drowning in the public pool after his leg had seized up. Yamaguchi owed Tsukishima another favor when he pulled an all-nighter to help finish a science project in middle school, winning the shy boy first prize the next day. And after Yamaguchi got publicly dumped by his first girlfriend at the eighth grade semi-formal, Tsukishima ignored the crown he was speculated to win in order to ditch the “boring dance” with the sniffling brunnette. The two ran through the rain, ruining their formal wear, and Tsukishima put up with Yamaguchi’s terrible taste in rom-com movies until both passed out on Tsukishima’s couch. When they got chastised about the reckless behavior, Tsukishima took the blame, telling their mothers it had been his idea to leave the dance. Ever since Tsukishima had been a child, he always been Yamaguchi’s protector.
But whenever Yamaguchi tried to thank him, Tsukishima never accepted.
“Don’t let them pick on you, idiot.”
“Learn how to swim if you’re going to go in the pool.”
“Who leaves a project until the last minute? Don’t be stupid.”
“She’s not worth crying over, you baby.”
Yamaguchi couldn’t say he blamed Tsukishima for his cruel words; Yamaguchi had never been great at taking care of his own problems. He had always let Tsukishima help him out, and though he tried his best to do the same, his acts were never as cool as the middle blocker. If he made his friend dinner, it didn’t taste great. When he tried to clean his glasses, he’s miss a spot or leave a smudge right on the lens. He tried to support him in volleyball, but even his abundance of cheers only seemed to irritate Tsukishima. And when he finally felt like he had managed to catch up with all of the favors he owed Tsukishima, the tall blonde did something else to help Yamaguchi. To protect him. The pinch server hated when his heart warmed each time his best friend came to his aid.
Yet he could never figure out how to thank him properly.
“You two really lucked out on your timing!” Yachi’s voice pulled Yamaguchi’s eyes away from his friend, who had his trusty white headphones placed over his ears. While Tsukishima lounged at the kissing booth, Yamaguchi struck up conversation with Yachi and Kiyoko at the payment table. In the hour that the two had been at the booth, they had only had a few customers, and all had been for Tsukishima. It had been over a half hour since the last customer and the entire area seemed deserted.
“Tsukki wanted this slot because he knew that most of our classmates would be at the annual talent show. Since it runs from 4:30 to 5:30pm, Tsukki picked the 4pm to 6pm shift. He’s really smart!” Yamaguchi praised his friend with a grin, Yachi letting out a soft laugh with a shake of her head.
“Why doesn’t it surprise me that Tsukishima would pick the timing with the least amount of work?”
“I don’t mind the lack of customers.”
“You’re not bored?” Yamaguchi quickly shook his head, his fingers playing with his cowlick while he let out a weak laugh.
“It’s much better than being swarmed with girls.”
“That’s true.” Yachi’s eyes lifted when she heard a loud cry in the distance, a slight pout forming as she slunk lower in her seat. “I really wanted to see the talent show, too. A few of my classmates are in it this year and I wanted to cheer them on.”
“Me as well.” Kiyoko’s soft voice made both first years look to the quiet woman in shock, her glasses hiding her lowered gaze. “But we promised we’d help with the booth.”
“I know,” Yachi sighed out, Yamaguchi looking between the two of them before he bit his lip. Taking a quick glance back at Tsukishima, he wondered if he should talk his plan over with his teammate. Then again, it hardly affected the blonde, so what was the harm in not talking to him?
“I could watch the money.” Once having both girl’s attention, Yamaguchi waved his hands in front of him with a weak smile. “I mean, I’m really good at math and there’s not a lot of customers at the moment. Even if we do get people, they’ll most likely be for Tsukki, so will it really be a loss?”
“Are you sure? We really shouldn’t be pawning our responsibilities onto you, though! Oh man, what would the coach think if he found out?” The sudden shout of the blonde made Yamaguchi jump back, unsure of what to say when the short woman yanked on her hair. “What if he makes us run suicides, or do squats, or serve fifty passes-”
“I don’t think he can make you do that if you’re not on the team,” Yamaguchi answered, hoping to ease his fretting friend.
“Then we’ll have to clean up the nets and the volleyballs all by ourselves!”
“Yachi, I don’t think he’s going to mind much. He knows you’re a teenager, and you’ve done so much for our team.” Yamaguchi rushed to console her, mentally wishing for Hinata to pop up to save the day. He was much closer with the blond, and though Yamaguchi liked to think he got along with the team, this was not his expertise. Seeming to notice the stress of the pinch server, the composed manager only sighed before she held out her phone to her fellow manager.
“I just emailed Takeda-san to inform him that we’re taking our break and Yamaguchi is taking over. If there are any emergencies, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi have our numbers and can call us.”
“Kiyoko-san...you’re amazing!” Yachi’s relieved tone shone in her bright smile, Kiyoko only fixing her glasses before she pushed to stand.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes, of course. Thank you for taking over, Yamaguchi. We’ll be back before your shift is over, okay?”
“Not a problem; go have fun.” He smiled while he waved the two girls away, his eyes only dropping back to the money booth after they had disappeared from sight. He had gotten the run down earlier from the girls on how the tickets and payment worked, the whole system seeming easy. Kiyoko had organized the money in the metal box, and each roll of tickets was left out for Yamaguchi to slip his fingers over. His eyes fixated on the black tickets at the stand, the earlier feeling of trepidation swishing in his lower stomach.
“You’re making more work for yourself.” The sudden break of silence made Yamaguchi jump and yelp, swiveling around to see a pair of golden eyes on him. Blushing at the girly noise that had come out of his voice, Yamaguchi coughed and rocked on his feet.
“You were listening?”
“I overheard some of the conversation when my songs were switching.” The headphones were now off the blonde’s ears, Tsukishima stretching his arms over his head while Yamaguchi snagged the money box and the tickets. He managed to juggle the objects between his arms as he walked over to the kissing booth, dumping them onto the counter with little grace. Tsukishima arched an eyebrow at Yamaguchi as he scrambled to the other side of the table, starting to organize the objects.
“It’s fine; I doubt anyone will want to kiss me, so I figure this is my way to contribute to the team. I don’t want to be the only one who isn’t doing something.”
“It’s cause you give off a little brother vibe to girls.” Tsukishima’s blunt statement made Yamaguchi sigh, not being the first time he heard the statement. It wasn’t his fault; in comparison to most of the members of the volleyball team, he wasn’t someone who stood out. Some of the team were big deals because of their skills, and the others had personalities which were larger than life. Though Yamaguchi had proven his worth with his float serve, it wasn’t enough to catch the eyes of the female population. And in all honestly, Yamaguchi was fine with that. It was just another reason he was an outcast in the love department.
“Sorry, Tsukki.”
“Don’t apologize for that; it’s not affecting me any.” A casual shrug from the middle blocker paired with the disinterested answer. There was a beat of silence between them before Tsukishima’s glasses tilted back to look at Yamaguchi. “And you provide enough for the team.”
“Not as much as you, Kageyama, or Hinata!” He shook his head quickly to reject Tsukishima’s statement, his brown gaze lowering to the row of tickets in front of him. “I’m still so far behind you guys. So if I can put in extra effort in during things like this, I feel like I’m closing some of the gap. Maybe then people won’t just see me as your sidekick. I want people to see me as my own person, too.”
“...Idiot.” Yamaguchi glanced up to Tsukishima to question his motive for the insult, but he froze at the slight smile quirking at the ends of Tsukishima’s lips. It wasn’t often that Tsukishima smiled, especially not at something Yamaguchi did. Did something Yamaguchi say make the middle blocker happy? The rush of warmth in his cheeks flooded his face at the thought, but he didn’t get time to ask about it before he caught movement from the corner of his eye.
“Is the booth still open?” A mousy girl glanced down at the two, her red cheeks nearly matching her hair in color. For a second she reminded Yamaguchi of their energetic spiker with her small stature and bright eyes, but he kept the thought to himself as he gave her a kind smile.
“We are, miss. May I ask which kiss you’re buying?” Her hands fumbled in front of her as she kept her gaze off of the two, nearly tossing the money into Yamaguchi’s face from embarrassment.
“A full kiss, please!” It was a surprising order from what Yamaguchi could only assume to be a first year, despite not knowing her name. Maybe she went to another school? The server wanted to keep his mind distracted on the subject of guessing who she was and not by how quick his body tensed at her request. He tried to keep his breathing from shuddering, but his fingers had a hard time pulling off the black ticket as he forced out his next question.
“And uh...who wou-would you like to...well…” He could feel the gaze of his friend shift toward him as he fumbled with the words he wanted to come out of his mouth. Why hadn’t he been able to keep his composure? Instantly the answer popped into his head, but he didn’t want to think about it with Tsukki staring at him. Luckily the girl knew the implication, her eyes darting over to the blond before she bowed her head politely. It seemed even she was left tongue tied by the situation. The only one who seemed normal was Tsukishima, who finally pulled his eyes away from Yamaguchi to acknowledge the customer.
“Thank you for your support.” If Yamaguchi wasn’t trying to settle his nerves, he would have scolded Tsukishima for his robotic response. This wasn’t supposed to sound like a death sentence! Instead the brunette closed his eyes, hoping to calm his heartbeat while his friend was distracted. The interaction between Tsukishima and the girl only lasted a few seconds, and by the time he opened his eyes, the girl had walked away. Yamaguchi shifted his attention back toward his best friend, who scoffed and flicked the black ticket toward the little pile he had accumulated. “This is dumb.”
“Don’t say that, Tsukki.”
“Why are you acting so strange?” The blunt question made Yamaguchi blink then widen his gaze when realizing the blocker had noticed his earlier behavior. Trying not to panic again, Yamaguchi stared down at the money in his possession, trying to smooth out the bills while he spoke.
“I guess I’m just not good at talking with pretty girls.”
“You speak with Yachi and Kiyoko fine. At tournaments, you have no qualms exchanging information with other managers.” Tsukki threw out the information like he was reading it off a piece of paper, leaving the server no time to think of an excuse.
“That’s, uh…”
“Just spit it out, Yamaguchi.”
“I just don’t want to lose my first kiss this way!” The loud shout made Yamaguchi drop his head, hoping his freckles would help disguise the flush on his face. His heart fluttered with the realization of his admittance. What had he just said?! Everyone in the club had openly talked about the girls they had kissed before; even Kageyama had partially admitted to kissing a girl (though it had only been Yamaguchi and Tanaka in the locker room when the setter said it). He knew he was the only one out of the entire volleyball team who hadn’t been intimate with someone like that. Tsukki had been kissed pretty early in sixth grade, and there was no telling how many other girls had kissed him since then.
And yet Yamaguchi had never felt the desire to kiss any girl he met. It was part of the reason his first girlfriend dumped him, though Yamaguchi had never told Tsukishima that fact. They had never even really discussed kissing until this embarrassing moment. Mortification filled his cheeks, though he tried not to think about it as he finally shoved the crumpled bills into the cash box. The lid closed at the same time that he heard a snort come from his side.
“It’s not the end of the world to kiss someone, idiot. I barely even remember my first kiss; they’re not that serious.” A soft pain nicked at Yamaguchi’s heart at the dismissive tone Tsukishima used. It was quickly over flooded by anger, and the shorter man jerked his head up to give his surprised friend a glare.
“Yes, it is! Maybe you think it’s childish or dumb, but I want it to mean something to me and the person I’m with. If I’ve waited this long for them, it’d be an insult if I just gave up now. I want to share it with one person, and I’m not ashamed of that, either!” He was sure his yelling didn’t seem as cool as he wanted it to while he was blushing and waving his hands around for emphasis. At the moment it didn’t matter what he looked like; he just wanted his best friend to understand him. Was it really bad to want his first kiss to mean something?
“Is this girl really that special?” Brown eyes refused to leave the golden gaze in front of them even as his best friend asked the too-close-to-home question. Yamaguchi swallowed softly, hoping his voice didn’t give away the identity of the person.
“Yeah, they’re my most important person.” Even if Yamaguchi couldn’t tell Tsukishima who he really wanted his first kiss with, he hoped his silent stare would express how important this situation was to him. Tsukishima held the long gaze for a few more seconds before his eyes narrowed and he looked away, fixing the glasses that had barely moved on his nose. The tension between the two felt more strained than ever before in their friendship, which immediately rubbed Yamaguchi the wrong way. He wanted to speak again, to apologize for yelling at his friend. But the words just lodged themselves in his throat, and so he sat quietly while flicking his fingers against his thigh. There was nothing more nerve-wracking than a fight with Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi could only hope the tension would ease sooner rather than later.
“My precious kouhai!” Yamaguchi’s head popped up at the familiar voice, a wave of relief falling on his shoulders when greeted with a familiar shaved head.
“Tanaka, good afternoon.” The second year sent a grin to the brunette as he stopped at the booth, his eyes glancing around the area and whistling.
“Man, you guys sure know how to chase a crowd away.”
“Be nice,” Ennoshita chastised, smacking the back of Tanaka’s shoulder before he turned his gaze on the two underclassmen. “Although I will admit it’s a bit quiet around here.”
“There’s a talent show going on that’s distracting most of the customers. I’m sure it’ll get busy when Noya and Asahi take over,” Yamaguchi replied, Tanaka’s eyes darting between the two before settling on the scowling blocker.
“Maybe it’s this guy’s face scaring everyone away.”
“First time I heard that one I fell off my dinosaur.” Tsukishima’s blunt reply made Tanaka growl, a smirk yanking at his lip when getting an easy rise from the spiker. Despite the earlier argument, Yamaguchi found himself laughing when Ennoshita yanked Tanaka away from trying to jump over the counter.
“You didn’t come over here to fight!” Snapped Ennoshita, seeming to knock some quick sense into Tanaka. It was rare to see the boy switch off his anger so fast without getting to punch something. So it made Yamaguchi’s shoulders tense when dark eyes glanced over to him, a more than sinister smirk on his face.
“That’s right! We came to congratulate our cute kouhai on his first upperclassman.” The statement was so random, that it had Yamaguchi blinking a few times before Tanaka snickered. “Don’t be shy, buddy. Tell your great senpai about how good it felt to kiss her!”
“Ki-Ki-Kiss?!” Yamaguchi squeaked out, jerking back from his leaning position when Tanaka flicked his forehead.
“Don’t play coy with me. Even if I find her cute, I’m more into the dark-haired beauties myself. A blond just doesn’t get me revved up like black hair, you know?”
“You’re speaking in riddles again. Get to the point.” Though Tsukishima’s snappy tone wasn’t unheard of when dealing with Tanaka, he tended not to involve himself in other people’s business. But here, no matter how much heat he put on his words, the middle blocker was obviously interested in Tanaka’s information.
“Maybe she hasn’t come yet,” Ennoshita supplied for the group, sending Yamaguchi an apologetic smile. “We ran into one of our classmates today, and she said she was really impressed with how you handled your serve in the last few games. She was asking us some questions about you like what year you were and your name.”
“Me?” Yamaguchi whispered, all traces of his earlier blush disappearing as a pale color covered his face. When Tanaka nodded, Yamaguchi squirmed in his seat, not liking the weird feeling starting to swirl in his gut. It only increased when Tanaka gave an obvious wink toward the pinch server.
“And your more than awesome wingman came in clutch for our pinch server! I let her know about the kissing booth being given to the Karasuno volleyball team, and she instantly wanted to figure out your shift.”
“There’s no guarantee she’ll come; she’s been known to be a little shy,” Ennoshita continued where Tanaka left off, seeming to recognize the widening of Yamaguchi’s eyes much faster than his partner. “But your shift ends soon, right? So there’s a chance she won’t show.”
“Aw, don’t be such a downer!” Tanaka’s hand shot out to ruffle Yamaguchi’s hair, laughing and giving the silent guy a thumbs up. “She was probably at the talent show with her friends. She’ll definitely show. And when she does, make sure to treat her real nice, okay?”
“Because taking tips about love from you would be wise?” Tsukishima made sure his smirk was seen after his comment, Ennoshita quick to wrap his arm around his easily triggered friend.
“And that’s our cue to leave. We’ll see you two tonight; good luck, Yamaguchi.” He knew it was rude not to respond to either of his senpais, but Yamaguchi couldn’t seem to focus enough to say goodbye. As if fate decided to play a sick trick on him, Tanaka had just confirmed his biggest fear. A girl who he had no connection to was going to be his first kiss. His hands twitched in his lap at the thought, though he closed his eyes to try and ignore them. Takeda-san had made it clear that if he felt uncomfortable with the job, he didn’t have to participate. If he wanted to ditch now, he could. But Yamaguchi knew that was the cowardly thing to do. If everyone else on the team could participate in the kissing booth tradition, then Yamaguchi could too.
“You’re thinking too much.” The blunt statement from his friend made Yamaguchi release the air he was holding in, his shoulders drooping as he glanced up to Tsukishima. He hoped his smile reached his eyes as he laughed, nodding.
“Sorry, Tsukki.” Tsukishima stared down at his friend for a moment before he slumped back against his seat, fingers tangling in the wire of his headphones.
“You can always tell her no, you know.” Yamaguchi couldn’t place his finger on the tone that Tsukishima used in his reply, but he tried not to think about it too much as he shook his head.
“I’m going to do it.” He tried to show his determination in his answer as he nodded, hands balling into the fabric of his pants. Ignoring what his clenching heart was screaming at him, he continued. “If everyone else can do it, I won’t back down either. I’m a part of this team so I have to. I’ll… I’ll have to give it everything I have!”
“...Tsk.” As elusive as ever, Tsukishima averted his gaze before he yanked his headphones up, immersing himself in his music. Yamaguchi didn’t take offense to the action; he knew music was Tsukishima’s escape. Though he wasn’t quite sure what the blocker was trying to avoid, he didn’t push it. It was better to just leave Tsukki alone when he was in a mood.
With only a half hour left of their shift, and the talent show over, more girls started to come to the booth. As always, they seemed to swoon over the brooding blonde, paying for their tickets and showering Tsukishima with kisses of all kinds. The scowl on his face seemed to stick with even more resolve than normal. Even when thanking his customers, Tsukishima refused to let his eyes or face reflect gratitude. He kept his headphones on, and only nodded at them to recognize their presence. Yamaguchi was sure it would sway women away, but the girls didn’t seem to mind. In his mind, it only further emphasized why he didn’t want to lose his first kiss in this manner. Even if Tanaka’s friend was kind, he had no idea who she was. There was no history; no chemistry to make the kiss fill his memory. She wouldn’t be the person who made him feel whole. And Yamaguchi wanted that almost as much as he wanted to prove himself to his teammates.
Distracted by his own inner turmoil, Yamaguchi didn’t notice the girl walking toward the booth. In fact, he didn’t lift his head until the charming tone he had only heard his best friend use sparingly floated into his ears.
“Thank you for your support.” The sentence was the same as always. But as Yamaguchi lifted his head to glance over at Tsukishima, he noticed something...different about him. His smile was alluring, his eyes keeping contact with the blushing blonde in front of him. The cold demeanor had evaporated instantly, and it seemed impossible for Yamaguchi or the girl to look away from him. While he normally found his best friend attractive, Yamaguchi felt his stomach clench at this new side of Tsukishima. Was the blocker...flirting? Yamaguchi glanced over to the girl who was eagerly pressing her lips to Tsukishima’s cheek, wondering if they were classmates. But from the worn out high school jacket she wore, she seemed a little older. Maybe a second or third year? She didn’t look familiar, but maybe-
“Tsk.” As soon as the blonde walked away from the table, a grimace lined Tsukishima’s face. His shoulders showed a shiver of displeasure as he dropped back to his seat, barely brushing the side of his palm over where she kissed to wipe away any left residue. Yamaguchi blinked at the return of his best friend, mouth hesitant to interrupt his attempt to clean his cheek.
“Tsukki?”
“What?” Bored eyes glanced over to him as if his personality hadn’t done a 180 at the drop of a hat. The look was so normal, that Yamaguchi wondered if he had dreamed the personality change.
“Oh, uh, nothing. Sorry!” The headphones were back on the blocker’s ears in a second, and Yamaguchi tried to ignore the weird feeling he got while reorganizing the money. Two more customers came in within five minutes, and Yamaguchi observed his best friend giving the two brunettes the same cold shoulder as always. At this point, the server was positive he was wrong about the previous interaction. Why would he single out one girl out of every other person in the festival? His brain was starting to settle on the concept until another girl came to the booth with a smile as bright as her golden locks. Before Yamaguchi could even greet the woman, Tsukishima was talking, enticing her attention away from the freckled boy with his sensual aura. Yamaguchi stared at the girl who was blushing in front of them, comparing her to the previous girl who had gotten Tsukishima’s charm. They looked pretty different, and Yamaguchi felt himself more confused than before. Once again the girl left after kissing his friend, and Tsukishima rammed his headphones onto his ears with a glare. This happened two more times, though Tsukishima made no mention of it. The chameleon act was giving Yamaguchi a headache and he couldn’t even explain why.
It was still bothering him when Noya and Asahi appeared at the strike of six. Yachi and Kiyoko were with the two, Yachi repeating an apology Yamaguchi knew wasn’t needed. The transition was smooth, and Yamaguchi waved to his upperclassmen before chasing after the taller blonde. Tsukishima hadn’t said much when the others appeared, even ignoring Noya’s comment of how he ‘looked like death ran him over’. In truth, the blocker did look a little more tired than when they had started. Business had picked up more at the end of their turn, but getting kissed couldn’t have zapped his physical energy, right? Then again, he’d never kissed someone, so-
“Oh.” Yamaguchi blinked at the sudden revelation, lowering his eyes to the ground in front of them. Without permission his fingers slid to his lips, which were pursed in a frown.
“What?” The weariness even limited the snap to Tsukishima’s voice, but Yamaguchi ignored it to glance up at his friend.
“Tanaka’s friend never came.”
“Did you want her to?” Instantly Yamaguchi shook his head, Tsukishima sighing and sliding his thumbs into the pockets of his pants. “Then don’t worry about it.”
“Ah, right!” Yamaguchi let out a laugh, waving at nothing in particular as he spoke. “I mean, even if I had seen her, I wouldn’t have known, right? All Tanaka and Ennoshita told us was she was in their class and blonde, so how would I-”
And just like that, the lightbulb exploded in Yamaguchi’s head. Blonde. The girl who wanted to kiss Yamaguchi was blonde. Just like each of the four girls that Tsukishima had blatantly flirted with at the booth. So stunned by his discovery, Yamaguchi almost forgot to walk. He probably would have completely froze if Tsukishima didn’t grab his wrist, sending him a weird glance while he yanked Yamaguchi toward a bench.
“Do you need to sit down or something? We just sat for two hours, you-”
“Tsukki?” Yamaguchi’s voice was soft despite the emotion ricocheting through his body. The two paused outside of the bench, thankful for the lack of commotion near the resting stop.
“What is it?” There was a slight annoyance in Tsukishima’s gaze, but it didn’t have the same effect as normal. Maybe it was because Yamaguchi could also see a new emotion bubbling just under the surface; concern.
“Did you flirt with those girls because you were worried about me? Or, uh...about my first kiss?” Instantly Tsukishima released the server’s wrist, trying to emphasis his scoff while he dropped to sit on the bench. As if to imply his lack of care, the tall blocker slumped back on the bench, hand shoved into his pocket to turn on his ipod.
“I shouldn’t have to protect you from a girl you don’t want to kiss, idiot.” He deflected the question, and for anyone but Yamaguchi, it may have worked. But the brunette had been watching his best friend for as long as he could remember, and knew that the barely there blush on the edges of his cheeks wasn’t a coincidence. Tsukishima’s glasses tilted as he stared down at the ipod, as if concentrating on what he wanted to listen to. His other hand looked relaxed as it yanked his headphones over his ears, his next sentence trying to overshadow his embarrassment with boredom. “Tap my shoulder when you figure out what you want to do next.”
He could hear the start of a song flowing in the headphones, showing Tsukishima was trying to tune out the world again. Yamaguchi stood in front of him, sure his cheeks were covered by more than his normal freckles. To everyone else, his best friend was self-centered and never did a task or favor unless getting something in return. The volleyball team always said Tsukishima was the cold shoulder of the group. And yet Yamaguchi had never felt that way. Tsukishima was always looking out for him, keeping his sharp gaze open for any problems or concerns Yamaguchi had. Then, without being asked, he would waltz right into the situation and help solve it without a word. Like it was just what was natural between the two. No matter what Yamaguchi did, Tsukishima would be there. He would never abandon the server, even if Tsukishima insulted him or did the task with a mock scowl and glare. So what if…
“Hm?” Tsukishima had to lift his head because of how close Yamaguchi was standing, his knees instinctively parting to make room for his friend’s legs.
“Thank you, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi watched Tsukishima’s eyebrows furrow as he read Yamaguchi’s lips, the music in his ears still too loud to hear the waver in Yamaguchi’s voice. When figuring out the familiar phrase, his mouth opened to rebuff the gratitude.
“Thank me by kissing your little crush so I don’t have to be burdened again.”
“...Okay.” Yamaguchi felt his body warm at the request, guiding Yamaguchi’s hands to reach out. He could feel how Tsukishima’s jaw tighten when his hands rested on his cheeks, focusing the blocker’s attention on Yamaguchi’s warm gaze. Letting the muffled music fill the silence between them for a heartbeat, Yamaguchi mustered up as much courage as his teenage heart could hold and closed his eyes. He pushed every negative and panic-ridden thought out of his mind before he leaned down with purpose. He went slow, expecting the pain of a punch or jab as he closed the space between their mouths.
But when his mouth quietly connected with the softness of Tsukishima’s, his focus fell on the feeling of a first kiss. He wasn’t sure if he was any good, and found that he didn’t want to know. Instead he focused on the feeling, enjoying the warmth spreading through his lips. Tsukishima’s mouth was soft, which contradicted the sharp words that normally came from his best friend. His lips didn’t have a particular taste, but it drew Yamaguchi in regardless. The pinch server knew he was pushing his luck, yet he couldn’t stop his thumbs from trailing up the pale cheeks in his possession. Tsukishima’s skin was warm, and seemed to grow even hotter at the innocent movement. Yamaguchi let a soft hum out in response, feeling it vibrate in Tsukishima’s mouth-
Wait...what?
Yamaguchi didn’t have time to process the new movement before the blonde shifted against him, his mouth pressing back against Yamaguchi’s. Long arms that Yamaguchi had admired from afar were now pulling him closer, his knees knocking against the bench. The surprise parted the brunette’s mouth, and Tsukishima took the chance to explore behind Yamaguchi’s lips with his tongue. The server gasped at the strong sensation, his body’s temperature skyrocketing at the fuzzy feeling pooling in his stomach. Tsukishima guided the tilt of Yamaguchi’s mouth to gain better access, and Yamaguchi felt his knees weaken against the wood of the bench. Tsukishima was skilled with his mouth, swiping his tongue along the trembling tongue of Yamaguchi before sucking his lower lip. Sensations the older boy were giving him were driving Yamaguchi mad. How was Tsukishima so good at this? Large hands pressed quietly to his hips, yet held him in a firm way that Yamaguchi knew meant Tsukishima wouldn’t let him pull away. Like he wanted the sparks between their lips to continue. Tsukishima’s tongue teased the frayed nerves of the pinch server, making his heart beat erratically.
The kiss became overwhelming, and Yamaguchi pulled back with a gasp as he felt his whole body shudder. Cheeks bright with embarrassment, Yamaguchi knew he looked frazzled. His hands had ended up on either side of the still sitting Tsukishima, curled into the wood of the back of the bench. It made him lean over his best friend, who peered up at him behind thick-rimmed glasses. Though Tsukishima hadn’t been unaffected by the energetic kiss (Yamaguchi hadn’t seen this particular shade of pink on the blocker’s cheeks before), his eyes never flickered with embarrassment or regret. Instead, they stayed steady on Yamaguchi’s panting lips before trailing up to his brown gaze.
“What happened to saving your first kiss for someone special?” If there was anything Yamaguchi could take pride in, it was the breathless tone that Tsukishima had used for his question. Had the kiss been good for him, too? Did he want to do it again? From the way he continued to hold Yamaguchi’s waist, the answer was leaning far away from disgust or regret. Letting his momentary pride encourage him, Yamaguchi gave a smile and pushed away from the bench, thankful his legs hasn’t buckled instantly from the lingering feeling of the kiss.
“I did.” Unable to meet Tsukishima’s gaze, Yamaguchi quickly looked back toward the festival. He could hear Tsukishima rise from his seat on the bench, so he rushed to speak again. “Oh, I think I see a stuffed dinosaur at that ring toss stall! I’ll go win it for you, okay?”
“...Don’t get excited over something so childish.” The warmth in his hand made the younger guy jump, the touch unexpected. He didn’t have time to think of the implication when Tsukishima entwined their fingers together, his other hand buried in his pant pocket while he pulled Yamaguchi toward the mentioned booth. “That’s how they get you to spend too much money.”
“Ah, right. Sorry, Tsukki!” Again, Yamaguchi got the sense that Tsukishima’s nagging words were meant to protect him. He unconsciously tightened his hand on the blocker’s, both stopping in line for the mentioned game. “Thanks.”
“Whatever.” A soft brush of lips against his temple made Yamaguchi blink, peering up to see Tsukishima looking at the previously mentioned stuffed animal. Or maybe just avoiding Yamaguchi, from the way his ears had reddened. His smile widening when feeling a soft squeeze back on his hand, Yamaguchi leaned closer to his blocker as he watched the kids in front of them play. Maybe Tsukishima would never stop looking out for Yamaguchi, and the pinch server would always be in his debt.
But at least now he knew how to thank him properly.