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Kei was in his third year at Karasuno when he realised that he was truly, deeply, and irrevocably in love with Tadashi.
How he didn’t see it coming was a bit of a curiosity, to be honest. Then, Kei thought about how he spent a good half a decade repressing any emotions that offered him the slightest joy, and yeah, okay, he could see it.
It was a typical Wednesday afternoon. They’d been talking about how one of the girls in their class was making a fool of herself and Kei cracked one of his usual sarcastic quips⎯ but, for some reason, this one caught Tadashi off guard before he burst into laughter. Objectively, Tadashi’s laugh was nothing special. Just a laugh. An expression of happiness.
But Kei could see the way Tadashi’s eyes crinkled at the corners in warning for the laughter about to burst from his chest, the way he didn’t bother hiding his snorts around Kei because he trusted him that much, and it felt like Kei was seeing the stars in all their beauty for the very first time again. He wanted to bottle the sound and keep the memory locked tight in a pretty box, the kind that Tadashi would go ‘ ooh ’ over if they saw it in a storefront’s window. If Kei could sell the sound of Tadashi’s laugh, he wouldn’t because he was a selfish man and Tadashi’s laugh was as precious as diamonds.
Tadashi’s hair fell into his eyes and Kei had the urge to sweep it behind his ears, just like every time it happened, and wow, he should’ve realised that he was in love with Tadashi long before he did. They moved on to practice after that.
Kei barely had time to process the idea that he was in love with Tadashi and maybe always had been until much later that night. He’d spent the night scrolling through the tens of playlists he’d made over the years to represent Tadashi and their ever-growing relationship. Each one showcased Kei in a different form, but all of them held a unanimous theme: Tadashi was everything. Here it was, in the form of code on Spotify, the story and timeline of Tsukishima Kei falling in love with Yamaguchi Tadashi.
Kei liked to consider himself rational above all else; therefore, he was about halfway sure that Tadashi already knew of his feelings. For one, they’d always been able to understand each other implicitly without verbal communication, even when their friendship had been in its younger stages. For two, Kei already treated Tadashi the best compared to the rest of their friends. Surely, Tadashi read into that a little. Regardless of whether or not Tadashi knew, Kei resolved to showcase his appreciation more. Tadashi deserved to be wooed. Although Kei would never admit it, he was a bit of a romantic. Or, at least, he was a bit of a romantic when it came to Tadashi alone.
“What are we doing for practice today, Captain?” Kei wondered, voice little more than a murmur as he leaned down over Tadashi to peer at the plans the other boy held. He was close enough to feel the heat radiating from Tadashi. Any closer and his back would be pressed up along Kei’s front. Kei had always craved that kind of closeness with Tadashi; even when he resisted it from others. “Just the usual stuff. I need you running drills with Makahiro⎯ He’s still not quite syncing up and I want them all to be in good shape once we graduate,” Tadashi admitted. Kei could tell he was anxious about it⎯ even if Tadashi hadn’t been voicing his worries about leaving the team to fend for themselves after they graduated to him for the past two weeks, Kei would still be able to tell. There was just a hint of it at the edge of his voice, the kind no one but a best friend would be able to detect. Or maybe a vice-captain. Kei’s gaze slid from the whiteboard Tadashi held to Kageyama. He and Kageyama did have a surprising amount of camaraderie once they got past their first year together, but sometimes, Kei’s jealousy would flare up.
He’d never begrudge Tadashi his pick for vice-captain, especially when Kageyama was much more suited than he was to it, but since realising his feelings, their closeness bothered him. Kei knew he didn’t have much of a right to feel that way, considering Tadashi was loyal to a fault⎯ Including his platonic relationships⎯ and Kageyama had been smitten with Hinata since they’d met. “Makahiro has a keen sense of knowing where someone will move. Intuition. He just has to stop getting in his head so much,” Kei smirked. “Like someone else I know,” He teased and Tadashi groaned when he realised who exactly Kei was alluding to. “Shut up, Tsukki! You know I’m much better about that than I used to be,” He grumbled with an air of superiority. Kei snickered. Better than he used to be; sure, Kei could give him that. Tadashi still got stuck in his head, though, and Kei was always waiting to lead him out with a path constructed of careful praises and kind facts.
“How is it going with Katsu? I know he was struggling to do his jump-floaters reliably.” Katsu was a first-year Tadashi had unintentionally taken under his wing, a personal mentee of sorts. They weren’t supposed to have favourites, being the impartial third years, and to everyone else, Tadashi conveyed that ideal quite perfectly. Kei knew all about Katsu and how proud of him Tadashi was, however, encouragements and commentary spilt from his lips freely when they were alone. “He’s gotten so much better in the past few days, Tsukki! I think it’s that girlfriend of his… Gods, I can’t remember her name. Apparently, she talked some sense into him,” Tadashi said thoughtfully, that familiar gleam in his eyes that he got whenever he was excited. It lit up Tadashi’s hazel eyes like that of a galaxy and Kei was sure he would never tire of seeing it happen. “Huh. Like how you shook some sense into me,” Kei replied curiously and Tadashi nodded along before squeaking. “Wait, huh? I did not shake sense into you! I wasn’t that aggressive, Tsukki!” He protested and Kei just laughed, considering they both knew the truth. “Sure, Captain, whatever you say.”
Kei was sure there was something he was supposed to be paying attention to. However, his thoughts decided to be quite occupied by the broad expanse of Tadashi’s back. Their seating had changed throughout the years but they were infuriatingly never next to each other⎯ Kei got the feeling that all the teachers had seen them walk into class together on the first day of high school and immediately decided they were a troublesome duo. He sighed slightly and watched as the muscles contracted under the thin, paper-white cloth of Tadashi’s button-up. Kei could just make out the tattoo Tadashi had gotten a few months before, a cluster of stars and a moon with the kanji for ‘Tsuki’ underneath it on the left corner of his back. Tadashi said the name was because it meant moon, of course, and Kei chose to believe him, but a part of him was selfishly glad that his name would be on Tadashi forever. That line of thought got creepy fast, though, and Kei was always quick to banish it to the very back of his mind. There it waited to be examined under a close lens, but Kei was fantastically good at stifling his emotions, so it could wait for months or years.
He sighed again, heavier this time, and watched as Tadashi’s shoulders drew together. Kei smirked, unable to help it. Seeing a reaction like that, something so palpable, just because Tadashi thought Kei was a little upset was gratifying. Of course, Tadashi could just be adjusting his arms for a reason completely unrelated to Kei’s boredom, but he liked to think that it was for him. A few minutes later, there was a hand extended toward Kei behind Tadashi’s back, a familiar hand covered in little splotches of brown and pickpocketed with scars. Kei took the little crumpled piece of paper from Tadashi’s hand, chancing a glance at the teacher. She was occupied at her desk with her computer, meaning that they were probably supposed to be working on something . Despite his predicament, at least she wasn’t on the lookout for note-passing. He counted his blessings. Kei unfolded the piece of paper, reading it quickly.
You okay, Tsukki? (●´^｀●)
His lips tilted up at the corners, unable to resist the urge to smile at the little concerned face Tadashi doodled. He used kaomoji all the time while they texted and it was adorable to see him replicate it in real life. It was also gratifying to know that Kei’s suspicions had been correct and that Tadashi was genuinely concerned about him at the slightest provocation from Kei. Perhaps, a bit codependent, but Kei would choose to ignore that for the sake of his sanity. He wrote back his answer, ‘fine’ , of course, because his boredom was a trifle of a thing and he wasn’t going to bother Tadashi with it. It was just nice to know he cared. Kei reached out, gently tapping a divot in Tadashi’s spine. Tadashi startled but held out his hand and Kei dropped the note into his waiting palm, ignoring the stares they received from classmates. They should be used to it after three years of Tadashi and Kei finding every conceivable way to talk during class.
— – – —
Their graduation was in less than a few hours.
It didn’t feel real to Kei, still, even though he had his college and a somewhat stable job in playing for the Sendai Frogs lined up as soon as he got his affairs in order. It’d been decided unofficially that he and Tadashi would room together and then officially decided when Tadashi asked him a few weeks ago. “Your tie is all jacked up, you know,” Tadashi informed him diligently, not allowing Kei to get a word in edgewise before he was standing far too close and redoing the tie. Kei’s mouth felt dry as he took in the look of gentle concentration on Tadashi’s face. He toyed with the idea of telling Tadashi that he’d screwed up his tie intentionally, just to have him closer for a little while, but ultimately disregarded it. “Thanks,” Kei breathed out instead, catching Tadashi’s eye, and there was charged, palpable tension between them. It could’ve stretched on for a minute or for an hour⎯ Kei wouldn’t have noticed either way⎯ before Tadashi ducked his head with a sheepish smile and stepped away. “What would you do without me, hm, Tsukki?” Tadashi teased playfully. Kei shrugged.
“Go to graduation with a messy tie, I suppose.” That did it. Tadashi laughed, all traces of tension and nerves fleeing his body, and it was relaxing enough for Kei to smile, too. Tadashi exhaled, flopping backwards onto Kei’s bed. They’d chosen to hang around at his place instead of Tadashi’s because of how quiet it was. His mother was still at the hospital and since Akiteru moved away, Kei spent most of his time alone. Tadashi’s house, like usual, was full to the brim with his four little siblings and parents. They’d decided it would be more relaxing to hang at Kei’s house, but the nerves had gotten the best of them quickly. Kei’d been debating suggesting going back to Tadashi’s and enjoying the chaos his siblings offered, but then he’d mentioned his tie. Kei laid down next to Tadashi a lot more gracefully, sighing in contentment.
“Who are you going to miss the most?” They wouldn’t be that far from Miyagi, certainly not like Hinata or Kageyama, both slated for different countries entirely. Still, Tadashi got homesick more easily than most. Or maybe that was just Kei, considering he’d never really known what it’d been like to have such a close-knit family. “Ume, probably. I don’t want her to forget me,” Tadashi admitted softly and Kei frowned. Ume was only two years old and Tadashi had more or less helped raise her alongside his father because of…reasons. She was the brattiest toddler Kei had ever met but also the cutest and she treated Tadashi more like a parent than a sibling. “We’ll send her loads of pictures, ‘Dashi. She couldn’t forget you if she tried,” Kei replied confidently, nudging his shoulder with Tadashi’s own. Tadashi laughed and Kei smiled. “True! We’re going to take so many selfies that my phone storage will suck.”
Kei rolled his eyes with fond snickers. Tadashi was notoriously bad at deleting photos and was as sentimental as they came. He was sure if he scrolled far back enough there’d still be poor-quality photos of them when they were just turning teenagers when Tadashi had gotten his first phone. “What about you, Tsukki? Who will you miss the most?” Tadashi repeated. Kei sighed. The person he would’ve missed the most was right beside him, preparing to live with him in a short amount of time. “Don’t tell him I said this, but probably the King. They’ll both be so far away that I doubt we’ll be able to stay in touch for long… It will suck.” His answer felt selfish, somehow, sitting pretty in all its glittering shame next to Yamaguchi’s selfless one. But Kei had never been close with his mother, their personalities too differing, and Akiteru ruined their relationship long before he moved out. Even now, somewhat reconciled, it wasn’t like they were as close as they used to be. They’d never be that close again, Kei thought bitterly. “No, you’re wrong. We’ll stay in touch. Someone has to make sure Tobio isn’t surviving solely off of meatbuns.” Between the five of them, Yachi included, Tadashi was the most health-conscious. Yachi was a close second, with Hinata coming in third of all people.
With how conscious of his body’s needs and the quality of his hands, you would think that Kageyama would be more nutritious, but he was as bad as Kei when it came to food. As opposed to being extremely picky and having a small appetite, he would eat just about anything and had an unquenchable appetite. Tadashi had been aggressively taking care of him since their first year after they learned of how Kageyama was alone more often than not at home and barely knew how to cook anything more than an odd array of breakfast dishes and ramen. Kei supposed Tadashi had experience, considering how Kei’s home life was much of the same⎯ when his mother was home, she was asleep. Tadashi knew how to cook before he could read properly, far too used to picking up the slack over his four siblings when his parents couldn’t. “You’re lucky you have me, you know, Tsukki. Otherwise, who knows if you’d even survive your first year of college?” He wondered teasingly and Kei sighed with faux irritation.
Truly, he knew he was lucky to have Tadashi by his side. As much as Kei was emotionally stunted, he was no idiot. Anyone would be lucky to have Tadashi in the way he did. “I have something for you, ‘Dashi,” Kei hummed, sitting up and rummaging through the top drawer in his bedside table. Tadashi sat up as well, leaning against Kei’s side as he peered at the small box he held with interest. “I told you not to bother with a graduation gift, Tsukki,” He complained lightly. Kei could tell he was interested in the gift, regardless. “It’s not really a graduation gift. At least, it’s not for just you, so you can’t be too mad at me,” Kei replied stubbornly. Tadashi laughed at his mediocre loopholes, taking the box with gentle hands. It was a deep shade of blue and made of glass, flecked with spots of white and gold. It reminded Kei of the night sky, so it had instantly been chosen, without looking inside at the rings it held.
“Oh my gods, Tsukki! These are so pretty! They must’ve cost a fortune…” Tadashi glanced up from the rings, pouting at Kei, who shrugged. “They weren’t that much,” He deflected. Tadashi pursed his lips but didn’t prod at Kei, which he was thankful for. It wouldn’t take much more than a well-timed lip wobble and a ‘please’ for Kei to crumble. The rings, all in all, were fairly simplistic. Silver bands, one with a crescent moon as the centre, and the other with a collection of stars. Both shapes were filled with tiny faux diamonds, glittering anytime they caught the light. “They’re,” Kei cleared his throat. “They’re promise rings. I thought... You could wear the moon one and I’d wear the stars,” He explained, carefully keeping his tone neutral. He knew Tadashi got the symbolism behind it⎯ he had always been much more proficient in Literature, anyway, and the moon and stars metaphor fit them ridiculously well. The kanji for ‘Tsuki’ directly meant moon and Kei had compared Tadashi’s freckles to the stars enough for him to get the point (all of two times). Tadashi beamed. “Of course, Tsukki! You seem so nervous, silly, like I’d ever say no to you,” He nudged their shoulders together and Kei breathed a sigh of relief.
Tadashi returned his feelings. Perhaps, he didn’t say it outright, but how was Kei to know what was typical for Tadashi when he was in love? He’d always imagined that Tadashi was the type to shout it from rooftops, but it was fine if Tadashi was more lowkey, too. “Here,” Tadashi murmured, holding Kei’s hand in his own carefully as he slipped the ring onto Kei’s ring finger. Like engagement rings, Kei thought idly and instantly regretted it. His face felt like it was on fire . “There! Matching,” Tadashi cooed, holding their hands side-by-side, the difference in skin colour mildly startling. Tadashi had always been naturally dark and Kei was as pale as they came, not to mention the freckles, burns, and scars that spotted Tadashi’s hands while Kei’s were smooth and blank. Of the two, Kei preferred Tadashi’s, proof of hard work and a life already lived. Then again, that wasn’t much of a surprise.
“Matching,” Kei agreed. Like a real couple, now, officially. He couldn’t help the smile that curled his lips at the thought. At some point, they fell back onto Kei’s bed. Tadashi curled into his side, gentle humming escaping him as his eyes closed. “We shouldn’t sleep long, considering how soon graduation is,” Kei said, less insistent than he should’ve been. He was weak for the comfort of Tadashi’s body close to his. Kei wasn’t usually the type to fall asleep quickly, but next to Tadashi, who could fall asleep at the drop of a hat, sleep came easier. “We won’t sleep long,” Tadashi retorted, sleep taking off the edge of his tone. Kei stifled a yawn. He was sure they both knew Tadashi’s words had zero past experiences backing them, but Kei chose to ignore that and succumb to the sweet release of sleep. He wrapped an arm around Tadashi’s midsection, breathing in the scent of vanilla and sandalwood Tadashi carried around with him everywhere because of his detergent.
— – – —
“Tadashi? Are you home?” Kei wondered, slipping off his shoes at the genkan of their apartment. There weren’t any signs that led Kei to believe that Tadashi was cooking; he always played salsa music and mouthed along to the lyrics in Spanish, which Kei couldn’t understand. That was usually what Tadashi did when he came home but Kei could clearly see his shoes lying abandoned underneath his work overcoat. “In here,” Tadashi called back, quieter than usual, and Kei frowned. He walked into the living room, silently taking note of the trashy reality show on the television. Tadashi was curled under the big quilt Kei’s mother had made him years ago, depicting a night sky with the moon phases and astrology signs sewn onto the top. It was well-worn and well-loved and Kei adored seeing Tadashi curled underneath it. Still, it was only brought out on weekdays when Tadashi had a horrible day. After years of living together, Kei was all too accustomed to Tadashi’s habits. “Want to talk about it?” Kei hummed, dropping to sit next to Tadashi.
The latter shook his head, lifting the blanket so Kei could slip underneath. He was a bit too warm but knew Tadashi’s want to be close to someone mattered more than his comfort. “Okay,” Kei agreed, placing an arm around Tadashi’s shoulders, happy to go along with watching the soap opera on TV until he felt ready enough to talk. Sometimes, Tadashi didn’t talk at all, and that was fine, too. As long as Kei got him to eat something and to bed at a reasonable time, he chose not to worry about it. (Choosing did not mean he stopped worrying about Tadashi and his job, it simply meant Kei tried his hardest to ignore those thoughts when they prodded at the forefront of his mind.) “María’s wife switched places with her twin sister again,” Tadashi piped up and Kei snorted. “And Lucius is missing but no one can tell because emails keep getting sent to Pete, updating him on the trip Lucius took. Personally, I think Lucius is alive, but we’ll see.” Tadashi’s penchant for trashy novellas was more endearing than it was annoying.
They made it through a couple of episodes before Tadashi let out a heavy sigh, dropping his head to rest on Kei’s shoulder. “It was just a really bad day, y’know, Tsukki? Like, there wasn’t anything major that happened, just a day full of tiny bothersome things that built up over and over. Sorry I didn’t cook dinner,” He apologised sincerely, always putting everyone else before his own needs. Kei shook his head, placing a kiss on Tadashi’s forehead. “No. It’s fine, Tadashi, you shouldn’t feel obligated to cook dinner immediately when you come home, anyway. We can order takeout from that onigiri place you love and watch rom-coms until our eyes bleed. You deserve to rest,” He replied gently and Tadashi’s lips curled into a slight smile. “Really? We can order out from Onigiri Miya?” He asked in excitement and Kei stifled a laugh, nodding with vague amusement. Tadashi’s love for that place was nothing short of charming and adorable.
They did end up ordering Onigiri Miya, to no surprise of Kei’s. He could never remember the owner’s name (yes, because of jealousy) but knew that Tadashi had a long-standing friendship with the guy. It was a bit odd to think about exactly how many people Tadashi was friends with through their high school volleyball team to this day. Four of them lived on different continents and Kei had had to ward off international calls because, of course, the resident idiot duo wouldn’t use an app like Line or Whatsapp. Sometimes, he questioned how they managed to graduate and then he remembered the gratuitous studying both he and Yachi put them through. “How was your day at work, Tsukki?” Tadashi inquired, cheeks stuffed full like a chipmunk, and Kei rolled his eyes. “Eat your food before you ask me a question, Tadashi,” He grumbled and Tadashi laughed but did as he was told. After he’d swallowed the food in his mouth, he looked at Kei expectantly, awaiting his answer. Kei shrugged, picking over the meal he ordered. “It was fine. Boring, to be honest,” He allowed, trying to temper Tadashi’s insatiable curiosity.
Truthfully, Kei’s day had been good, which was incredibly rare for him. He didn’t have too many horrible days but most of the time they were boring, regular workdays that he couldn’t escape. Leading children around the museum to answer all their questions was the highlight, most of the time, and that was mildly pathetic, in Kei’s opinion. Today, however, they’d gotten a whole shipment of new artefacts in, and Kei was the one who got to catalogue each one and plan a display for them. But Kei didn’t want to make Tadashi’s day even worse by rambling on about how great his had been. He could always tell the story tomorrow when Tadashi was in a better mood. “Kei,” Tadashi said sternly, causing Kei’s eyes to lift from the impressive spread of all types of onigiri in front of them. He arched an eyebrow curiously. “Hm? What? C’mon, we got your favourite kind of onigiri and about five others, eat,” Kei insisted, knocking his shoulder against Tadashi’s own.
“...You don’t have to lie to me, you know, Kei. Just because my day was horrible doesn’t mean I’m gonna get annoyed if you tell me about yours. I asked and I want to know,” Tadashi replied firmly, nose wrinkled as he gave Kei his signature Disapproving Captain Stare™. Kei withered under it like always, visibly recoiling and pulling away from Tadashi’s touch. “Okay, sorry,” He apologised with a pout, eating his onigiri in sullen silence. Tadashi giggled, the atmosphere lightening instantly. He poked Kei’s cheek with his pointer finger, luring Kei’s gaze back to his face. Tadashi’s eyes crinkled at the corners as he beamed at Kei, cheeks stained with cherry-pit red, and Kei’s heart thumped in his chest. He looked back down at his plate, his ears burning. The words were there on the tip of his tongue⎯ and it would’ve been so, so easy to give voice to them. To let them hang in the air, pretty and sharp as glass, waiting to be shattered or carefully accepted. Kei swallowed.
They hadn’t exchanged ‘I love you’ s yet or even a kiss, which Kei didn’t mind. He could live without kissing, especially considering Tadashi was still just as affectionate as he’d been in high school. However, Kei had been itching to confess his love for a couple of years now. He held back out of fear and worry that Tadashi would feel pressured to say it back, but now he knew better. There were a million different little ways Tadashi said he loved him throughout their days and Kei had determined that he wouldn’t put anything in harm’s way if he finally gave voice to the words that plagued his every thought. “I love you,” Kei said simply, looking into Tadashi’s pretty brown eyes. They widened and Tadashi coughed, nearly choking on the bite of food he’d had in his mouth. Kei rolled his eyes with fond exasperation, handing his boyfriend a glass of water absentmindedly. It would do no one any good if Tadashi choked to death during what was supposed to be a romantic moment. “You⎯ What?” Tadashi wheezed after he’d taken a drink and Kei snickered. “Calm down, Tadashi. You act like I confessed a murder or something, for gods’ sake,” He murmured in reply, rubbing soothing circles on Tadashi’s back.
The man’s face was a sight to behold, flushed darker than before, a wobbly smile in place. Kei’s heart squeezed in his chest. After years of the sensation, he knew to relax into it and let it be. “Sorry, Tsukki, you just caught me off-guard!” Tadashi apologised with a brilliant smile. Kei nodded in response. “You don’t have to say it back, I don’t want to pressure you. It just felt right,” He explained calmly. The last thing he wanted was for Tadashi to draw into himself like he had the habit of doing whenever Kei was too overly affectionate. Sometimes, Kei wished Tadashi would tell him outright what he was uncomfortable with, but there was no way he was bringing that conversation up himself. He was better than he’d been in high school but there were still some lines Kei couldn’t cross when it came to emotional vulnerability. “No, but I do! I love you, too, Tsukki!” Tadashi admitted earnestly, looking at Kei with shining brown eyes, and Kei flushed red from the tips of his ears down to his neck.
“Oh,” He sighed in relief. “Well, that’s⎯ right, then.” Kei knew he was making a fool of himself a little but it was incredibly unfair how Tadashi still had the ability to make him malfunction even after years of dating. Tadashi giggled, leaning into Kei’s side. “Yes, right,” He agreed, playfully mocking Kei’s wording. Kei huffed, reaching out and yanking gently on the strands of hair that always stuck up no matter how Tadashi styled his hair. “Ow, Kei!” Tadashi yelped, leaning out of reach of Kei’s hand. He snickered, giving Tadashi a triumphant smirk. “That’s what you deserve for making fun of me,” Kei sniffed importantly. Tadashi rolled his eyes, swatting at Kei’s hand when he tried to tug on the cowlick again. “It’s not my fault you’re just so easy to make fun of, Kei,” He replied with an innocent grin, ignoring the way Kei glared at him. Kei sighed heavy and exaggerated. “What did I ever do to be stuck with you, hm?”
— – – —
“I don’t understand why you’re nervous if you and Tadashi really have been dating for ten years. Maybe you should’ve asked sooner, actually,” Kageyama drawled disdainfully, entirely no help, which Kei should’ve expected. It was his fault for not having any intelligent good friends. Not for the first time, Kei contemplated hanging up entirely and calling Akaashi instead. He managed to propose to Koutarou, so he must’ve done something right, even if Kei was sure that Koutarou would’ve accepted any kind of proposal as long as it was from Akaashi. “You’re ridiculous. Can you see the rings?” Kei asked snappishly, ignoring the worried look the ring vendor shot them. Kageyama grumbled something he couldn’t hear and proceeded to ignore. “Yeah, can see ‘em. You should’ve asked Yachi for help with this, she knows what Tadashi likes,” He retorted and Kei rolled his eyes. “You followed at Tadashi’s heels like a lost puppy for two years⎯ You know what he likes. You’re just uncomfortable because you don’t wear jewlery,” Kei grumbled in annoyance. Kageyama sighed.
“He’ll want it to be romantic, you know,” He said thoughtfully and Kei glowered despite the fact that Kageyama couldn’t currently see him. They were videochatting, courtesy of their differing countries and time. Kageyama was facing the counter and the three pairs of rings laid out atop them. He was supposed to be choosing an engagement ring, not giving Kei unsolicited advice on the proposal he’d already planned out (perfectly, if Kei may add. He knew Tadashi’s tastes well enough). “I know, idiot. I’m not stupid, unlike you,” He retorted sarcastically. Kageyama huffed. “I’m trying to make sure Tadashi doesn’t have a crap proposal, sue me,” Kei resisted the urge to roll his eyes again. Tadashi always told him that one day his eyes would just get stuck like that and he’d have to live life blind. It was the kind of thing a child would believe but Kei tried to heed Tadashi’s underlying sentence anyway. Here he was, listening to Tadashi without Tadashi even being anywhere near him. Gods, Kei was whipped.
“Tadashi likes silver but his skin tone matches better with rose gold tones… I’m not sure what kind of stone,” Kageyama said casually. Kei blinked, somewhat confused and surprised. “...Why do you know what kind of gold goes better with Tadashi’s skin?” He prodded hesitantly. It wasn’t like he was worried Kageyama was in love with Tadashi or anything, it was just a very weird thing for someone to know about someone else. Kei didn’t know what metal went better with his own skintone, let alone Tadashi’s. “Miwa did a couple ads for rings and gave me the leftovers she didn’t want. She was very particular that mine went better with silver because I’m so pale, so obviously it must be the inverse for Tadashi,” Kageyama explained, sounding surprisingly smart. Kei snickered. “Okay, then. I’m going to do a moonstone because Tadashi always goes on about how those are his favourite,” Kei hummed, waving over a salesperson.
— – – —
Tadashi yawned as he sorted through the keys on his keychain, their apartment door staring him down with its drab grey colour. He hated the colour grey but they were allowed to repaint it, so he had to suffer. He couldn’t wait until they bought a house. Tadashi paused, eyebrows furrowing. They? Of course, his inner monologue had instinctively included Kei, as it was prone to do after years of living together. He shook his head as he put the key into the slot, reminding himself that Kei would eventually want to move out and into the home of his future partner. Even though they were just best friends, Tadashi adored living with Kei, and it was hard to keep in mind that it was all temporary. He frowned, taking the key out of the door. It was unlocked, which was odd. He got home from Kei regularly and whenever Kei got off earlier, he was usually sent a text. Tadashi took a deep breath, trying to control his thoughts. His instinct was to go straight to worst case scenario, which wasn’t beneficial at all. He slipped of his shoes in the genkan, noting silently that nothing was amiss. It calmed his racing heart.
“Tsukki?” Tadashi called out, padding through the hallway and into the living room. He froze, eyes widening as he took in the sight that awaited him. Fairy lights had been hung up, stretching from wall to wall and emitting a soft, orange-yellow glow. A bouquet of yellow waterlilies caught his eye next, resting in a tall, thin vase. At the base was a large order of fries dumped out on a plate, steam still rising from them. Tadashi’s eyes drifted from the coffee table to the man waiting on one knee, sucking in a sharp breath. Kei was wearing a pretty navy suit with black accents, one Tadashi had never seen before, but the large part of his attention was occupied with the open ring box Kei held out expectantly. His heart was racing as furiously as it had been when he opened the door, but not for the same reasons. “What…? Kei? What is all this?” Tadashi stepped closer, tears stinging at his eyes.
Kei shrugged, a smile on his lips and the kind of warm affection Tadashi was used to seeing in his golden yellow eyes. “What does it look like, Tadashi?” He asked slyly but with none of his usual bite, sounding far too endeared. Tadashi put a hand over his mouth, stifling a sob. Kei’s eyebrows drew together and he stood up immediately, the ring and its pretty box slipping somewhere unseen. He folded Tadashi into a tight hug, resting his chin atop Tadashi’s unruly hair. “Is something wrong?” He asked and Tadashi cried harder, burying his face into Kei’s chest. Kei, wonderful, beautiful Kei, didn’t push, just held Tadashi closer. After a few minutes, Tadashi’s sobs had died down somewhat and his fries grown cold. “Tadashi?” Kei asked helplessly and Tadashi sniffled. He pulled his face away from the safety of Kei’s hug, knowing he was likely blotchy and horribly red. “Sorry, Tsukki,” He apologised, sounding stuffy. Kei frowned. “I didn’t mean to ruin your practise proposal.”
“Practise…? What,” Kei said flatly. Tadashi looked up from his feet, seeing nothing but confusion and hurt on Kei’s face. Crap, he didn’t mean to mess up this badly. “Your⎯ Your practise proposal. I didn’t mean to ruin it,” Tadashi reiterated, hoping his best friend wouldn’t ask why he’d burst into tears over something that was clearly just Kei asking his opinion on his proposal. For someone else, who wasn’t Tadashi. Tadashi blinked back the tears threatening at the corners of his eyes. He was trying to be a good best friend here, couldn’t Kei see? “Do you want another one?” Kei asked, confused. Tadashi wanted to scream that no, he didn’t want another run through this practise proposal, and that he might pass out if he had to go through it again. “I thought⎯ We’ve been dating for so long, I thought you were tired of waiting,” Kei admitted listlessly, rubbing the back of his neck, and Tadashi gaped at him. What. “What?!” Tadashi screeched in shock. Kei winced, arching an eyebrow. “It’s been a decade, Tadashi, sue me for thinking you might want to move our relationship up a step,” He muttered, steadily growing more annoyed. Tadashi could see it in the set of his jaw and the way his eyes tightened at the corners.
“We… We aren’t dating? Tsukki, what? You⎯ You don’t like me like that!” He protested instinctively. Kei froze, staring at Tadashi with icy fear in his eyes. “Yes, we are,” He disagreed vehemently. Tadashi shook his head.
“We haven’t even kissed! What⎯ When’s our anniversary, then, if we’re dating?” He challenged, arching a brow high, and Kei huffed. “I don’t appreciate this weird test. Our anniversary is the same as our graduation anniversary⎯ You accepted the promise rings and then we moved in together through college,” He explained, causing Tadashi to blanch.
“Um… Tsukki… Don’t hate me, okay⎯” Kei frowned. “Why would I hate you? I’m trying to propose here,” He grumbled in frustration and Tadashi laughed weakly. “I didn’t realise we were dating.” Kei blinked and then blinked again slowly. Tadashi shifted his weight from foot to foot, nervously fiddling with his fingers like Kei did. (They’d interchanged and intermixed habits after so many years of being together.)
“You didn’t realise we were dating. You don’t⎯ Oh my gods, Tadashi, ” Kei groaned and Tadashi winced. “I’m sorry!” He squeaked. Kei shook his head, reaching out and pulling Tadashi’s collar so he could pull him into a surprisingly soft kiss. Tadashi smiled against Kei’s lips, pulling away a few seconds later. “Does that make my intentions clear, then?” Kei asked, huffing, and Tadashi beamed. “Sure does, Tsukki!” He nodded vigorously to support his words and Kei laughed, going in for another kiss.
— – – —
“I can’t believe that’s how you guys got together,” Hinata commented, eyes wide as he looked back and forth betweenn Kei and Tadashi, who just laughed. “Yeah, me neither,” Kageyama agreed with much more visible exasperation than Hinata, who simply seemed amazed and astonished. Tadashi grinned, nudging shoulders with Kei. The blond rolled his eyes, holding his hand palm-up under the table so Tadashi could slide his snugly atop it. They interlocked fingers, Tadashi giving Kei’s hand a light squeeze. “I told you he was in love with you! And you didn’t believe me!” Yachi cried accusingly, pointing her finger in his face as she swayed sightly from side to side. Tadashi laughed with a nod. “You did, Toka, good on you,”
⎯end.