Yamaguchi makes a promise to himself, before trying to reassure himself by writing the "Person" character on his hand before 'eating it,' as the idea usually goes.

It goes well(?).

For as long as Yamaguchi had known Tsukishima, he knew him to be a very touchy-feely person.

Yeah, as if. Tsukishima was one of the people who would rather hug a hedgehog before hug another person. It was just something that he didn't do.

It wasn't a bad thing, necessarily. It was just something that Yamaguchi had learned how to deal with as time had passed, something he'd accepted and even thrived on whenever he spent time with the tall blonde.

Even when the two of them started dating, Yamaguchi knew that Tsukishima didn't really know how to tackle intimacy, even the most minute shows of affection. Again, Yamaguchi didn't exactly love it at first, but it was one of many things that he still loved about Tsukishima. Even as emotionally constipated as he was.

While they'd decided to keep their relationship from the rest of the team, something that Hinata chose the exact opposite path of in openly revealing his relationship with Kageyama, it didn't mean that they weren't as close together as the setter and the shrimp.

In fact, from what Yamaguchi could remember, Tsukishima's first attempt at flirting was this: "If someone ever tried to tell me that I didn't love you, I'd shove my foot so far up their ass that I'd be kicking their teeth out."

Yamaguchi couldn't remember the last time he felt so amused, disappointed, and deeply moved all at once, all to Tsukishima's dismay. Yamaguchi loved doing everything he could to make his admittedly awkward attempts at flirting better than that, which wasn't a very high bar, all while somehow making a reference to it in the first place.

Long story short, Tsukishima was one of the most awkward people to be in a relationship with, but Yamaguchi loved every part of it. From the way he tried to comfort Yamaguchi whenever the pinch server was feeling down to the way that he'd always take a deep breath to resolve himself before sternly inviting Yamaguchi over in the most urging, yet polite request-ish way possible.

Yet, a problem that Yamaguchi had always danced around was the idea of intimate moments with his boyfriend. Not anything...that could definitely result in Yamaguchi being banned from ever entering their family's household, but just little shows of affection. Sure, Tsukishima ended up being the first one to actually say that he loved Yamaguchi, something which somewhat came as a surprise, but words of assurance and praises of somebody didn't have the same impact on Yamaguchi as hugs, holding hands, or gentle kisses on the cheek that he always hypothesized would make his knees weak.

Of course, he'd had nights where he thought about it absentmindedly before taking a solid five years only to get less sleep than he needed, but for it to happen was something he wasn't sure how to approach.

Though, today, he wanted to change that for the better. He wanted to take charge, to take control of the problem and solve it efficiently, like Yachi always seemed to do after she got over her initial panic for any given problem.

It's not like there was much of an issue with setting it up. In fact, Yamaguchi asked Tsukishima if he could spend time at his house the other day. Of course, when Tsukishima's family got word of the relationship, his older brother would not let up in the slightest. He'd go on all about how Yamaguchi was going to be his younger brother's savior, the one to finally bring him out of the shell.

Tsukishima, to this day, still gets shivers remembering the one time Akiteru had went: "Get the UwU's outta him!"

Needless to say, Tsukishima refused to let Yamaguchi come within 20 meters of Akiteru for the rest of their lives.

Yamaguchi quietly sighed, rubbing his hands together, painfully aware of how clammy they were. It wasn't as severe as a game; games were far more intimidating. The team, the other team, people in the stands all watching. Objectively speaking, Yamaguchi'd been in way more pressure-filled situations than what he was about to face.

However, in his mind, this was way worse than anything he'd ever faced in the history of ever. Even though he knew he could trust Tsukishima no matter what, and knew that he wouldn't judge him for doing something awkward or being unintentionally weird, this was different. He hadn't done anything other than high-five the boy, and occasionally poke him in the side to get his attention when he seemed to be zoning out.

He took a deep breath, shoulders stiffing.

I'll do this.

For the next five minutes, Yamaguchi would then be writing the 'person' character on his hand, as the belief went, to ease his anxiousness.

"Yo, Yamaguchi," Tsukishima blandly called out, his voice still getting through the window. "I'm here."

"Coming!" He loudly responded, his voice somewhat cracking. He wasn't all too used to raising his voice. He cursed under his breath, making sure that he had everything that he needed. Backpack for the eventual time that they'd spend studying, the mental list of new song recommendations memorized, even some of the sweets that he'd baked. Granted, Tsukishima always cooked something up for them when they got to his place, but the sweets were nice for a dessert.

Quickly heading down the stairs, he nearly tripped from clumsiness before seeing Tsukishima at his door. Power walking to his door, he opened it and smiled breathlessly, "Hi..."

Tsukishima cracked a soft smile, rolling his eyes lightheartedly, "You didn't need to go that quick for me. I would've waited for you." He set his headphones around his neck, pausing the song he was listening to as he casually strolled down the steps, Yamaguchi following close behind.

"You doin' good?" The blonde questioned, asking the same question he always did whenever he got to Yamaguchi's. It'd been their trusty conservation starter, since neither of them were extremely social butterflies.

Yamaguchi nodded, secretly glad that Tsukishima wasn't a super fast walker. With those long legs of his, Yamaguchi would've had to jog to keep up with him if he had been one of those speed walkers who bolted down the halls faster than speed guns could register and still called it a casual walk.

"I've been doing decently well..." Yamaguchi shyly stuttered out, scratching the back of his neck as he found what he wanted to say. "I-I've got a math project due in a w-week...could you-"

"Yeah, sure," Tsukishima interrupted. "Just don't expect me to go easy on you just 'cause I'm dating you." He coyly smirked, stuffing his left hand in his pocket, right hand dangling loosely by his side.

The freckled boy lightly chided, "At least be easier on me than you were on Hinata and Kageyama that one time." Unsurprisingly, Tsukishima snorted, clearly pleased at the memory.

"Oh, please. They deserved it," Tsukishima countered. "Besides, no amount of teaching would get anything through their thick skulls."

A thought popped up in Yamaguchi's mind, before it somewhat affected him without his knowing, "I-I m-mean, Yachi seems to be helping them, right?"

Tsukishima stayed silent for a moment, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly, "...Yeah."

Yamaguchi internally sighed before he continued.

"Hey, you okay?" Tsukishima questioned. Of course, unsurprisingly, under that cold exterior that Tsukishima always held for the sole purpose of the betrayal that he'd gotten over, but still subconsciously held on to, was someone who clearly cared. A bit too clearly, whenever his friends were involved.

Case in point, the first time Tsukishima tried to flirt with Yamaguchi.

Yamaguchi's heart was going quadruple time, and he could feel it in his cheeks. He was almost certain that Tsukishima was aware; his boyfriend was always hyper-aware of their surroundings, incredibly observational.

His mind wandered back quickly to only a few minutes ago.

I'll do this.

He steeled himself.

Taking a deep inhale, his mind went Fuck it, his body acting of its own accord.

His left hand, the same hand with the 'person' character on it, shot out, quickly messing around with Tsukishima's hands in a shaky fit before eventually settling in, fingers slowly intertwining with Tsukishima's.

Yamaguchi hesitantly looked up at his boyfriend, trying to gauge his reaction. He stifled a quiet laugh. He'd never seen him so shell-shocked before. He hadn't even seen him to the point of his eyes slightly widened in shock. He'd seen it when he was caught off guard, which wasn't all too often, but in shock was another thing.

Hesitantly shooting a smile his way, filled with doubt and uncertainty, he didn't expect Tsukishima's eyes to soften, responding with a soft, content smile.

His shoulders relaxed a little bit, somewhat accepting the sudden hand-holding with a gentle squeeze of his own, making Yamaguchi excruciatingly aware of the difference in the sizes of their hands.

"This feels..weird," he admitted, awkwardly chuckling. "Is that bad to say?"

Tsukishima tilted his head a little bit in thought, "I don't think it is. I do find it weird...but it's a good kind of weird."

"Okay, now you're starting to sound like Hinata."

"Now that's low."

"Tadashi...what are you doing?" Tsukishima asked, genuine interest mixed with a hint of concern in his voice. He seemed taken aback, though not put-off. Everything about his stance spoke more about his intrigue rather than himi being appalled in some manner. That was good in Yamaguchi's eyes. It meant he was being weird, but the comfy weird.

You know, the kind of weird you can have with only a certain person because you vibe with them on a certain way, differently from when you spend time with other close friends. It's a certain habit.

"I dunno, Kei," he admitted, glancing down at his predicament that he purposely put himself in in the first place. "You tell me." He had a shrewd smile on his face as he struggled to sit up, leaning against the bed and trying to push off with his feet, since his legs and arms were bounded by the blanket tightly wrapped around him.

Simply put, he looked like a sushi roll with the bland, almost seaweed-like color of Tsukishima's blanket wrapped tightly around him, a pillow stuffed inside each for a decently soft surface.

/

As Tsukishima exited the room to go to the bathroom, Yamaguchi waited tensely for the moment the handle snapped the door shut, the crackle of the door like a starting gun at a track race.

Hearing the handle was Yamaguchi's signal; Tsukishima was always an absolute speed demon when it came to using the bathroom while being one of the most meticulous people in existence to use it. Washing his hands for 20 seconds almost exact, properly drying his hands on a towel, every single thing honed to perfection, one of the absolute weirdest quirks that Yamaguchi found the tall boy to have.

Which was exactly why he couldn't slow down. He didn't have time to slow down. It was like focus time, every single particle almost stopping in Yamaguchi's eyes, his perception practically maxed out.

Resembling Kageyama in how quickly he honed in on a target, he practically had the sniper's crosshairs look at the blanket, knowing what he had to do as if it were his destiny.

/

Tsukishima hit him with a somewhat unimpressed look, holding back a remark he would've said to literally anyone else, before rolling his eyes in slight amusement, "You're weird."

"Mhm!" Yamaguchi chirped, a bashful smile coming alongside the slight blush peppering his cheeks to work with his freckles. "But you love me."

Tsukishima begrudgingly nodded, though the shorter boy didn't miss the glint of affection in his eyes as he got on the bed with a huff, crawling near Yamaguchi.

"So..." he hummed, lightly biting his bottom lip as his mind began to crank in curiosity that he'd never admit to having out loud. "Why are you wrapped up in this blanket, anyways?"

"I was..." Yamaguchi quickly realized that he didn't plan up an excuse at this moment, not sure that he'd even make it this far in the plan in the first place. "Cold?"

Tsukishima piqued an eyebrow, some of his bluntness seeping out, "That sounds dumb."

Yamaguchi sheepishly shrugged, before opening up the blanket a little bit, "Can you...uh..."

Tsukishima quickly caught on, though he'd never been asked for this before. He'd never known what sort of witty remark he'd make if someone asked him for a hug or any physical contact, and Yamaguchi hadn't even asked for it when he'd held his hand earlier. Not that Tsukishima minded, of course.

For the first time in a long time, Tsukishima was speechless. He'd not had to deal with something like this after they'd lost to Aoba Johsai, nor during the training camp since he was dealing with Kuroo's antics the entire time. Not only that, he wasn't all too social in the first place like Hinata, so he didn't have much outside contact with too many people outside of the first years, who'd he'd been dragged into eventually by Hinata after he needed to study.

His lips felt dry, voice caught in his throat. He felt a sense of...weakness? No, that couldn't be it Seeing Yamaguchi softly reach his arms outward seemed so soft, yet so hopeful for the teen. His shy, hopeful smile, eyes glancing to the side in embarrassment every now and then, the way that he somewhat shifted his position, and the fact that nobody was there to tease the two of them if they were to be seen, not even Akiteru? All of it...just seemed to add up. Logically speaking, it was perfect.

Yet, at the same time, it seemed like the most outlandish idea. Tsukishima didn't know how to feel. What to do. Usually, he was in complete control of every move he made. It was exactly why he'd been able to block attacks better than most others on his team, why he could manage to be so meticulous and efficient at the same time.

Now? It felt like his palms are sweaty. Knees weak. Arms heavy. Vomit on his sweater already.

He watched Yamaguchi, and as if in the same slow motion state that the incredibly shy boy had been earlier, had seen each molecule move individually, practically able to see Yamaguchi start to retract his arm by a mere millimeter.

He gulped mentally. He hated going outside of his comfort zone, often why he never talked to too many people, had opened himself up to people.

But this is Yamaguchi. A voice told him inside. Another millimeter, and Tsukishima could virtually sense the muscles in Yamaguchi's hands start to close his outstretched hands back into normally limp idle ones.

So? How does that affect it? Another voice told him. He saw the shyness in Yamaguchi's eyes, the entirety of it just now, ever so slightly, starting to be pushed to the side, inklings of regret trickling in. His heart pounded at it.

He. Is. Your. Boyfriend. The first voice told him. You love him. Even the gentle smile that he'd been met with multiple times, he could see it.

He could see the way that the slight upturn was about to be wiped off, like there wasn't a moment to lose before it happened.

Tsukishima could feel the strain on his body, yet he couldn't hold back anymore.

He couldn't see Yamaguchi sad. Especially not by his own hand.

Plink!

The gentle running of a drop, rolling down a dry path before falling off, splashing softly, almost silently.

Yamaguchi smiled, trying to stop himself from showing how quickly and forcefully his heart was pounding, very gently letting Tsukishima embrace him as he snaked the blanket around both of them yet again.

The moment he felt the gentle drop fall onto his shoulder was a different moment, something that made him slightly curious. He first assumed it was just something he'd felt, something that must've been in his head.

Yet, he felt Tsukishima's chest stop expanding and contracting, as if breathless, taken away. He felt another drop on his shoulder.

Yamaguchi slowly opened his eyes, finally realizing that it wasn't just a coincidence, what he'd felt the first time around.

He gently removed his head from Tsukishima's chest to look up at his boyfriend, before gasping worriedly.

"T-Tsukki?!" He quietly gasped, already feeling panic swell in his voice as he gently cupped his boyfriend's cheek out of instinct, knowing full well that he wasn't used to contact.

He felt the soft line of moisture coat his ring finger before slowly rolling onto his palm as the tears started to roll a little faster.

Making eye contact, however, seemed to finally snap him out of it, "I'm...crying?"

Yamaguchi blinked, before his confusion washed away, "Yes, Tsukki!" He nodded frantically, worry seeping into his expression as he pursed his lips. "What's gotten into you?"

"I...don't know..." he quietly whispered, eyes breaking away in slight embarrassment. "I...this..." he tried to find the right words, not used to being unprepared in a conversation.

"This...this feels nice..." Tsukishima quietly stated, but Yamaguchi could feel the weight it put on his heart, how much he was subconsciously holding back his words. It was fine. He knew from all the time he'd spent with Tsukishima that when he admitted that he even liked something, he liked it way more than he let on.

Yamaguchi lightly bit his lip, deciding to take the risk, "Of course it does, dummy." He had a shrewd, yet hesitant smirk on his face, which looked like, at least to Yamaguchi, it was able to somewhat calm Tsukishima down.

Tsukishima bit his lip harshly, to the point of almost drawing blood, before letting out a quiet whimper, "I missed this..."

Yamaguchi nodded firmly in understanding, before letting himself melt back into Tsukishima's arms. If anything, he'd be far more accepting of being embraced himself, but Tsukishima seemed like he needed something to hug in the first place.

Even though Tsukishima's arms were lightly shaking, and he was only, after a few minutes, able to gather himself to the point where the tears stopped, only coming down to occasional sniffles, it was comfy. It was nice. Because Yamaguchi knew that, even though Hinata was practically the team's mascot in bringing out smiles out of anyone, Tsukishima was able to open up to him. That Tsukishima...was happy, even if he didn't look like it. Even if he looked like a mess.

" I missed this a lot..." Tsukishima whispered tiredly, garnering a gentle smile from Yamaguchi.

"Well, you better get used to it," Yamaguchi assured him, voice slightly muffled by the sweater and the blanket. "'Cause I'm the type of person who loves cuddling."

Tsukishima gulped, before offering a shaky smile, though his voice was firm yet again, "...Good..."

Internally, Yamaguchi was pumping his fist.

So glad I did this.

Author's note:

If my notes aren't completely wrong, I'll be getting to the Iwahina request next!

If you guys have any requests, please tell me! I'll be getting to any request I get.

Sincerely,

SpiritBloodDragon