Work Text:
The tradition starts off during one of their weekly sleepovers at Kei's house, both boys bouncing up and down from excitement because Akiteru had informed them of a comet that flew across the night sky. That night, they set up sleeping bags and a tent in Keis' backyard, planning to stay up all night just to watch the comet. Unfortunately, their 8-year-old bodies were worn out from the school day and had fallen asleep before they even got to see the astronomical phenomena. The two promised each other they would stay awake next time! However, after asking Akiteru and doing a quick online search, they learned comets aren't all that common and only appear every five to ten years. They promised each other again to stay best friends long enough to see the next comet together. Hopefully next time they won't fall asleep before seeing it.
Since then, every sleepover is spent with an hour or two of being outside and looking up at the stars, wondering what each one meant.
Kei remembers one night: they were thirteen, laying on the grass with the summer breeze passing over them and Tadashi had never looked so beautiful under the moonlight. His eyes looked at the sky in amazement and admiration, stray hairs flying across his face and his freckles... God, Tadashi’s freckles looked like his very own stars. Kei wanted to count and connect each freckle, to create their own constellations and have their own stories for each one.
They lay next to each other on the grass, pinky fingers brushing and giggles filling the air. Tadashi pointed at the stars, a wide smile on his lips as he found constellations he had learned about in a book.
“Look, Tsukki! That one’s Ursa Major. It’s said that Zeus was a cheater and had a son with Callisto, but Hera got so mad that Zeus had to turn Callisto and Arcas into bears and tossed them in the sky. That’s why the stars make a bear shape! Isn’t that crazy?”
Honestly, Kei couldn’t care less about the scandals the Greeks made about their gods. Still, he nodded along to each word Tadashi spoke, laughing at his excitement and rambles.
“Since when do you care about Greek mythology? I thought you were into those wizard books.”
“I still am, but I thought it’d be cool to know about the stories behind constellations. Akiteru told me about a few, but I wanna see which ones I can find and identify.”
Kei simply hums, glancing at Tadashi as his eyes never leave the sky. Kei couldn’t help but think ‘ What a dork… ’ as if he wasn’t just as much of a nerd. Even so, Kei couldn’t tear his eyes away. He noticed new things each time he did this; the bump on Tadashi’s nose from getting hit in the face with a volleyball, the dry skin on Tadashi’s lips after anxiously biting them during tests, the stubborn cowlick that always stuck up no matter how much product was used. Tadashi glances back at Kei before making a face and laughing. God, what a laugh…
“Do I have something on my face, Tsukki? It’s probably a mosquito bite. I keep picking at it, it just itches too much to leave it alone!”
Tadashi groans and scratches the bug bite on his face. Kei turns away, hiding his flush red cheeks from Tadashi. As if on cue, Kei’s mom opens the backyard door.
“Boys, come in! It’s going to start raining soon and I don’t need you dragging in mud all over the floors!”
With that, Kei and Tadashi stand up and gather their things to head inside. Kei still has a slight blush across his fair skin, though Tadashi doesn’t notice nor question it, simply continuing to ramble while Kei happily listens. They finish the night in Kei’s room after watching Jurassic Park for the millionth time, laying in the same bed without a care. It was a common occurrence as Kei’s mother had told them it was time for sleep, but they continued whispering in the dark, keeping their giggles and voices down until eventually slipping into a deep sleep. Just as usual, Tadashi falls asleep first, his snores accompanying the hum of the fan in the room. What was unusual this time around was that Kei did not sleep immediately after. He stays awake, frozen under the blankets as his eyes fix on Tadashi’s face in the dark. His heartbeat increased and his palms got inexplicably sweaty. There was no explanation for it, but this was the night Kei realized that he had fallen for his best friend.
…
On another instance, Kei isn’t able to remember much, the day was a blur. They were thirteen as they sat in Kei’s room. There was a strict silence among the boys as they had just come from Akiteru’s final volleyball match. Kei and Tadashi had been so excited until they searched for ‘Tsukishima’ on the jerseys of the players on the court, only finding Akiteru across the stadium. Akiteru didn’t dare come out of his room and Kei didn’t dare speak to his older brother. Tadashi was unsure of what to do; he had no siblings, especially not ones that lied for years about their position in a sport they’d bond over. Tadashi picks up his backpack, tugging on Kei’s wrist.
“Let’s go to my house. My mom’s working late so we can watch a movie on the tv.”
It was clear the boy was doing his best to help his best friend, getting him out of the house. Kei nods, stands up and grabs his bag, stuffing in a sweater for later. The air felt thick, suffocating as Kei and Tadashi passed by Akiteru’s room. Kei peered inside, a total mistake as he saw his older brother knelt over on the floor, gripping his team jacket as he sobs, all his volleyball magazines and trophies on the floor. Kei walks faster, doing his best to forget the sight, but it’d be something that stays with him forever. Kei goes downstairs, letting his mom know he’d be spending the night at Tadashi’s before she nods and kisses the top of his head. The two boys walk in silence, the sky turning dark as they head to the Yamaguchi household. It was a few blocks down, nothing too crazy.
Tadashi didn’t want to talk, unsure of what to say after all the mind-shattering events from earlier; though he seemingly forgets as he looks up and sees the stars. He glances back at Kei, nudging him with his arm to look up. They pause for a moment, seeing the usual constellations that Kei forgot most of the names to. Kei sighed softly, leaning his head down to rest his forehead on Tadashi’s shoulder.
“Thanks, Yamaguchi.”
Tadashi looks back down at Kei, surprised by the sudden soft tone compared to the usual sarcasm. He smiles a bit, not saying anything in return before Kei stands up straight again and they continue walking. The air between them cleared up a bit and Tadashi felt okay talking. Kei needed the distraction and Tadashi was like the courtroom jester, ready to serve the tense king. Kei only paid half attention to the ramblings about some band Tadashi found, still replaying the scene of the tournament in his head. It’s not like Tadashi minded, anything for his best friend. They arrived at the house, leaving their shoes by the entrance and going in. As usual, the house was empty; Tadashi’s mother usually worked the night shift at the hospital and entrusted Tadashi to remain out of trouble, which he did for the most part. The boys went through their routine: dropping off their bags in Tadashi’s room, ordering a pizza for delivery before plopping on the couch to select a movie. They argue about what movie to watch.
“We’re watching Lord of the Rings.”
“What? No way, Yamaguchi! It’s like a million hours long.”
“You always pick Jurassic Park, but you don’t hear me complaining!”
“Yes, I do hear you complaining, you’re not subtle about it.”
“Okay, but we still always watch it! You’re on my court now, Tsukki! Now get comfy while I grab the DVD… and no talking during it!”
Kei simply rolls his eyes, but doesn’t fight it anymore, getting comfortable on the couch with a cushion under his head and a blanket over his body. Despite Tadashi’s ‘no talking’ rule, he manages to pause every 20 minutes to spill behind the scenes facts. Not that Kei minded, not one bit as it got his mind off the earlier incident. Just three hours ago, Kei argued about how the film dragged on and on, only to be sitting up straight on the couch with his jaw dropped and tears in his eyes as the movie ended. He turned to his friend only to be met with tearful eyes and a knowing grin.
“I know, I know! And you didn’t wanna watch it.” Tadashi rolls his eyes playfully, getting up and cleaning the living room before his mother gets home.
“Shut up, Yamaguchi.” The words were all bark, no bite, especially considering the tears he was wiping away from behind his glasses before following suit and helping clean a bit.
“Sorry, Tsukki!”
The two headed back up to Tadashi’s room afterwards, Kei laying on the bed as Tadashi paced around his room, showing his copies of the novels and map of the fictional continent of Middle-Earth. Eventually they’re both worn out and lay in bed together. Neither talk about the tournament or the unbearably silent ride home. Neither talk about how Kei will deal with the news or seeing his liar of a brother at the dinner table every evening. Neither talk about how the school or practice will be now that Kei’s inspiration for the game turned out to be a lie. They lay together, Tadashi playing music from the band he mentioned earlier at a low volume before inevitably falling asleep first. Kei looks at Tadashi with heavy lids before pressing his head against the other’s.
“Thanks, Tadashi.”
…
The winter wind howled, but the sky looked as clear as ever. It may have been under 0 degrees outside and there may have been a solid four inches of snow, but that did not stop the stubborn pair of best friends. They built a fire, roasted marshmallows and, yet again, looked up at the moon and stars. The moonlight was hitting Kei's cheekbones, contrasting with the shadows on his face formed by the fire in front of them. The two boys huddled together in their bundles of jackets and blankets, refusing to go inside because this is what they always did. Kei looked and felt so soft like this: rosy nose and cheeks, glasses fogging up, and snarky comments about their teammates. It was the week after they won against Shiratorizawa at the Spring High Preliminaries and after Kei found out he was invited to the provisional training camp. Everything was perfect; the closeness and the warmth they radiated off each other, the comfortable silence they'd spend time in as they looked at the sky, the silly stories they would make up about the stars. Nothing could have ruined this moment… until Hinata, Kageyama, and Yachi show up uninvited to the Tsukishima household.
Kei’s eye twitched as his mother came out into the backyard, allowing the rest of the first years to step onto the back porch. The three were holding their backpacks and bundled up in coats and scarves. Tadashi mutters under his breath, looking at Kei with wary eyes, waiting for the blonde to snap at the idiot duo. Yachi laughs nervously, stepping in front of Kageyama and Hinata.
“Sorry for interrupting your date! Yamaguchi told us you two were having a bonfire tonight and… these two kinda invited themselves and dragged me into it!”
Kei turned to Yachi; eyes widened. He didn’t know where to begin; Yachi calling it a date, Tadashi blabbing about their plans, the idiot duo inviting themselves without question?! The vein in his forehead was about to pop and his eye twitched again, about to yell at the two until Tadashi stepped in.
“It’s alright, you’re here so grab a seat and some blankets. Tsukki’s mom is making hot chocolate, I’ll let her know we’ll need some extra mugs.”
With that, Tadashi gets up from under the warm blankets, subjecting Kei to the cold and idiocy as Kageyama, Hinata and Yachi sit around the campfire and start warming up. He leans over the fire and stares at the duo, Yachi being spared for being involuntarily dragged into their antics.
“If you two think you’re staying here, you’ve got another thing coming. How could you possibly be so stupid that-” He’s cut off as Yamaguchi comes back and moves under the blanket, his head on Kei’s shoulder to share body heat. It was as if a flip was switched and he sank lower into the seat, the blankets tucked under their weight to prevent the heat from escaping. He continues muttering and cursing lowly, dropping snarky comments as usual. It doesn’t take long for Hinata to get antsy from just sitting, listening to Yamaguchi talk about the stars. He shoots up as he notices a volleyball in the corner and smiles brightly, Kageyama following suit as they start practicing passes. Kei rolls his eyes and Yachi simply watches, Tadashi still occasionally pointing out constellations. Kei makes a few offhanded comments, Tadashi joining in without a second thought and making Yachi laugh.
“That freakish duo must be a couple of neanderthals if they’re practicing in this temperature.”
“As if you’re actually surprised. They’re volleyball idiots; put a ball in front of their faces and they’d be entertained for hours. At least they’re burning out their energy before bed…”
The duo continues practicing until Kei’s mom calls them all back inside and they all pick up their blankets, putting out the fire and heading inside the house. They all sit around the table, Kei’s mom smiling and making friendly conversation with her son’s new… friends? It starts getting a bit loud, Kei’s mom asking about their positions, roles, previous matches and such; Hinata gets overly excited, Kageyama bickering occasionally with Hinata.
Tadashi and Kei step back outside to finish their hot chocolate, only Yachi noticing. They don’t restart the fire, simply sitting on the bench of the porch with their mugs and blankets, Tadashi’s head on Kei’s shoulder. The moment is quiet aside from the muffled laughter coming from inside.
“You alright there, Tsukki? I saw your forehead vein almost pop when you saw them. Poor Yachi, I can’t imagine how they managed to wrap her up in this.”
His voice is quiet and soft as he laughs, his breath showing in the air. Kei elbows his side and rolls his eyes, still looking at the stars.
“Shut up, Yamaguchi. I can’t believe you told them in the first place.”
“Hey! I only told Yachi about it because she asked if I had plans over the break. Not my fault the two nosy dummies overheard.”
Their fingers laced together under the blanket, saving their breath from the cold and drinking up their hot chocolates. They occasionally pointed out stars and constellations, making snarky comments before deciding the cold was unbearable and heading inside once again. The conversation continued as if they had never left, only Yachi noticing yet never mentioning anything.
It was eventually time for bed and as predicted, Kei did not allow them to step foot in his room, making them sleep in the living room while Kei and Tadashi took his bedroom as usual. Yachi goes to brush her teeth at the same time Tadashi, nervously apologizing again.
“Sorry again for ruining you and Tsukishima’s date again… I told Hinata and Kageyama it was a bad idea, I really did! Ah, I just hope Tsukishima isn’t too angry about it all…”
Tadashi almost choked on the foamy toothpaste before spitting and rinsing out his mouth to clarify.
“We aren’t dating! This- we aren’t dating, Yachi. Besides, we do this often, it wasn’t so bad having someone else here…”
“You aren’t?! Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to assume! I just thought that- well, I saw when you two… Agh!! I’m really sorry, please don’t tell Tsukishima!”
Tadashi laughs nervously and shakes his head, a faint blush across his freckled face.
“No worries, I won’t mention it. I’m glad you came tonight, Yachi!”
She laughs and smiles, but Tadashi can’t stop thinking about the incident. Yachi goes back to the living room and sets up the extra blankets for herself as Kageyama and Hinata are snoring in their sleeping bags on the floor, tired out from practicing passes in the freezing cold.
Tadashi knew he liked Kei as more than a friend for a long time now, but he hadn’t expected for their new team manager to notice almost immediately of spending time together. He goes back to Kei’s room, lying next to Kei in bed. They had both heard Yachi mistake their friendship for romance, unsure of what it meant exactly. The room was dimly lit by the bedside lamp as they talked in bed before sleeping. Kei’s glasses were off, but he still faced the other in bed.
“Yachi thinks we’re dating, y’know.”
“Mmh… I heard her earlier. Did you say anything?”
“Just told her we aren’t dating, and she shouldn’t worry about tonight.”
They both felt a bit deflated by the reminder that they were not dating, but neither ever had the balls to actually confess. Instead they lay in bed, facing each other so closely, feeling the other’s breath on their skin.
“Yamaguchi…”
“Tsukki, I-”
They spoke at the same time, getting slightly flustered and apologizing.
“Sorry, go ahead.”
“No, no! It’s nothing…”
“Yamaguchi, I hate when you do that. Just tell me before I fall asleep…”
Their eyes were closing, and Tadashi shook his head, moving close and leaning his head on Kei’s shoulder.
“Mmm… I forgot, I guess… Night, Tsukki.”
“Whatever… Goodnight, Yamaguchi.”
…
The team just finished volleyball practice after school, but it was time for the third years to clean out their gym lockers. Years upon years' worth of trash and jerseys accumulated. They’d be graduating soon and certainly didn’t want to leave it for the last day when they’re stressing over the ceremony and last-minute details. It’s been two years since Daichi had passed on the torch as captain, ultimately landing in the hands of Ennoshita, passed to Tadashi.
It’s also been two years since Yachi figured out that both Kei and Tadashi were hopelessly pining over the other without ever thinking of confessing. Neither of them spoke about their feelings for the other, but everyone knew they were meant to be. Their own friends were tired of their constant pining and wondering if they would ever confess, even the freak duo was aware enough to poke fun which was never a good sign. Poor Hitoka, she’s been dealing with Kei and Tadashi’s mindless flirting and wondering if the other thinks of them as more than a friend. She was sick and tired yet could not do anything but watch from afar.
They head into the clubroom, each third year opening up their lockers while Yachi sits by the window having already cleaned her locker weeks ago. Kei’s locker is tidy with only a few class assignments that never made their way to being tossed in the bin. Shockingly enough, Kageyama’s locker was tidy with graded assignments to keep hidden from his parents and a small kit to keep his nails tidy and filed. Definitely nobody was surprised when Hinata opened his locker, and a mountain of clutter came tumbling down.
There were homework assignments, empty cartons of milk, old, dirtied jerseys all consigned to oblivion.
“Jesus, Hinata! That’s disgusting, it smells like a rat died in there!”
“Chances are a rat did die in there. How do you live like this?”
“C’mon! It’s not that bad… tell them, Yamaguchi!”
“I will not be part of this, please just clean your locker… and sanitize it properly. I don’t want the next group of students that use these lockers to catch some weird disease.”
Hinata was defeated with comments from his teammates, everyone groaning and covering their noses from the stench of the clutter, not even their captain could come to his defense. Tadashi opens the cubby and kneels on the floor, starting to clean out the storage locker. Kageyama continues to bicker with Hinata while Kei sits on the floor next to Tadashi, glancing at the old clutter on the floor. Tadashi drops a book on the floor without a second glance, an atlas of the constellations and mythological tales. Kei picks it up, flipping through the pages and laughing at the fact that it’s been years since either of them have looked through the book. Tadashi had memorized most of the stories when they were younger, barely needing to search through the index to find the names and stories.
“You still have this old thing?”
“Huh? Of course I do! We used to love these stories, remember? I guess I left it in my locker back in our first year and forgot to take it back home.”
Kei hums and nods to himself, thinking back to their decade-long friendship and how long he’s been in love with his best friend. Yachi witnesses the whole thing, rolling her eyes to herself. Despite how long it’s been and how much has changed, Kei and Tadashi continued their stargazing ritual, even including Hinata, Kageyama, and Yachi sometimes, though the first two usually invited themselves against Kei’s wishes. He thinks back to the numerous opportunities he had to confess, each time ruined and interrupted one way or another… but not tonight. With Yachi’s incessant pestering and Kei’s impatience, they’d come up with a plan to finally confess before their graduation ceremony in a few days. They’d both be going to universities in different cities and Kei needed to make the most of their time left together.
The sun lowers in the sky and the third years are walking home together, Hinata forced to carry a bag loaded with his garbage, Tadashi carrying a few books and jacket he had left a few weeks back. Tadashi talks over strategies with Kageyama and Hinata for their final match, a practice match with Nekoma one last time. Yachi and Kei fall behind, going over the details to finally, finally confess to his best friend. Tonight was the night, Hinata and Kageyama won’t be around to disrupt, and Yachi will make sure of it. Kei and Tadashi will order food, his mother was working late, and his brother was still out of town for another week; they’d have the house to themselves, and Kei will be able to spill out the words that have been straining his throat for the last five years. Hinata and Kageyama take a turn at the stoplight with Yachi, walking her to the bus station while the duo continues on to the Tsukishima’s household. They dump their things in Kei’s room before heading back to put on Tadashi’s choice of horror movie while they wait for the sky outside to darken and their food to arrive. Everything was going according to plan; food was on its way, sitting close on the couch with Tadashi’s head on his shoulder, fingers laced together between them. It was all perfect, until…
“Surprise! I’m… home? Woah, what’s going on here , huh?”
Every hair on the back of Kei’s neck stood up, his left eye twitching at the sound of his brother’s voice. He feels Tadashi flinch away at Akiteru’s accusatory tone, his hand pulling away and standing up from the couch to greet Kei’s brother. Akiteru sets his bags down, putting him in a playful headlock and ruffling his green hair.
“Tadashi! Look at how tall you are, captain . What’s Kei got planned tonight, huh? House to yourselves, gettin’ cuddly on the couch…”
Kei’s face flushes bright red, immediately pulling Tadashi from Akiteru. This was supposed to be the perfect night; his brother coming home early and picking on him about being a little too close on the couch was not part of the plan! Akiteru laughs and daps up his brother, nudging his side. Even if Kei never talked about it, Akiteru always had a feeling their friendship was more than what they claimed. Of course, it certainly didn’t help that he had caught the two practicing kissing when they were in middle school. “It was just for future practice, y’know,” was all Kei could say in defense, never looking his big brother in the eye. Kei rolls his eyes before retorting, cheeks still reddened.
“We were just watching a movie and waiting for our food to arrive-”
“Oh, was that an invitation? Very kind of you, Kei! I’ll put my stuff up and meet you back here.”
“What? That’s not at all- Hey! Where are you going? That wasn’t an invitation to ruin our night!”
Akiteru picks up his luggage and walks away to his old room, leaving Kei stuttering and Tadashi patting his back.
“Just leave him be, it’s nice that Aki came home early to surprise you! It’s not like tonight was anything super special. It’ll be cool to have your brother around before graduation.”
With that, Kei somehow ended up third wheeling with his older brother and best friend. He felt his eye twitch and chewed on the inside of his cheek as he watched Akiteru put his arm around Tadashi’s shoulders while sitting on the couch, sharing food and catching up. Akiteru knew exactly what he was doing; irritating his younger brother, seeing how far he could possibly push Kei before he did something about it, yet the moment never came. Tadashi ended up falling asleep on Akiteru’s shoulder, leaving Kei on the verge of pulling his hair out of frustration while Akiteru laughed at him.
“C’mon, Kei. Take your boyfriend up to bed.”
“He is not my boyfriend-”
“Still?! Damn, if you don’t get it together by your ceremony, I’m gonna owe Saeko a night’s worth of drinks and you know she drinks like a monster. For the sake of my wallet, get it over with soon.”
Kei was flabbergasted at his brother’s admission to gambling on his and Tadashi’s love life, though was unable to come up with a response as Akiteru shook Tadashi awake just enough to make him walk on his own. He sighs and shuts off the television, leaving Akiteru to put away leftovers and wait for their mother from her night shift while he walks a half-asleep Tadashi up the stairs to go to bed. He realized just how off the rails his plan went and how they never even got to stargaze; Yachi will probably stress over this for the next week. Poor Yachi, spectator of everything against her will. They stumble up to Kei’s room and get in bed, Tadashi craving warmth under the duvet and clinging to Kei, his arms around the blonde’s torso as he falls back asleep and snores almost immediately. Kei groans softly and pulls Tadashi closer, his face buried in dark green hair as he mumbles.
“For the record, Yamaguchi… you cared about constellation myths… I just liked listening to you talk. Still do. I’ve spent years doing so and I want to spend the rest of my life just listening to you.”
To Kei’s surprise, Tadashi shifts and blinks slowly, leaving Kei frozen in place before Tadashi groans and falls back asleep.
The next morning, Tadashi acts as if nothing happened, and Kei drops the subject. Safe to say that Saeko burned a hole through Akiteru’s wallet that week.
…
Kei was so over it. He was over the distance and barely seeing each other and hearing about dates his best friend was going on when it should have been him. He was on his weekly video call with Tadashi as he goes on nonstop about a date he went on last weekend. It was getting harder to bite his tongue, but he knew better than to blurt anything out now. Tonight’s call was particularly difficult for whatever reason. Kei could not wait to leave the call, no matter how much he loved his best friend.
“Hey, uh, Yamaguchi, I’ve gotta wake up early for my interview tomorrow for my museum internship.”
“Huh? Oh, right! Sorry, Tsukki! Well, I’ll let you go… are we still meeting up before Yachi’s party?”
“Next month, right? Yachi’s birthday party. Definitely next month. I’ll talk to you soon, Yamaguchi. Goodnight.”
Kei hung up without giving Tadashi a chance to respond, immediately calling Yachi. He knew she was busy with her new girlfriend, but he didn’t care, not when he was suffering!
“C’mon… pick up, pick up… Yachi! Oh, thank God, I need to talk to you. I feel like I’m going insane- are you listening right now?”
“What happened to a simple ‘hello, how are you’? Why does every conversation with you now start with you losing your mind?”
“Right… Hey, Yachi. How are you?”
“I’m great, thanks for asking. I’m almost afraid to ask how you are considering it sounds like your blood pressure is spiking.”
“You can’t hear someone’s blood pressure rising over the phone, that’s not how it works.”
“Do you want to talk about what’s wrong, or would you prefer I hang up now?”
“It’s Yamaguchi! He’s… He’s dating! He’s going on dates like every other weekend, it’s killing me.”
“Well, what did you expect? No offense, but you two are dumbasses. I mean, how did Kageyama and Hinata figure out their shit before you two? And they’re across the world from each other!”
“Don’t compare us to those idiots, it’s not that simple.”
“It is that simple! Look. My birthday party is coming up soon and the best present you could give to me is the gift of peace and tranquility, meaning you quit whining to me and grow some balls!”
There was a beat of silence from Kei’s end, he knew Yachi was right. He knew she was losing her patience as well, telling him to grow some balls was like a warning from Yachi; the calm before the storm.
“Fine. You’re right, I know.”
“Of course I’m right! Now if you’ll excuse me, my girlfriend and I were in the middle of watching a movie, so… bye! Good luck! Kanoka says hello!”
The call ends and Kei is left in his dorm, despising the anxiety in his stomach at the mere thought of properly asking Tadashi to be his date. He decides to sleep on it, having to wake up early to go to his internship interview. Somehow, the interview that could potentially determine Kei’s future was not as nerve wracking as the thought of confessing his feelings to his best friend of over a decade. A few days pass and Kei gets the job. Weeks pass and he does not confess to Tadashi, Yachi’s patience running thin with each call she gets from Kei. Eventually it's the Friday night before the party and he has yet to ask Tadashi to go to Yachi’s party as his date. Everytime he tries to gain the courage, his tongue gets twisted and his stomach aches, cracking his fingers from nerves; creating an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach as he takes the train back to his hometown. The commute is four hours more or less, giving Kei more than enough time for his preparations while trying not to hurl on the floor in front of the three other people on the train. He arrives in Karumai soon enough, finishing his last call before heading back to his childhood house. He greets his mother and brother after not seeing them in forever, dropping his bag by the entrance. They catch up for a bit before the inevitable question,
“So, Kei, seeing anyone?”
His brain short circuits at the question, shaking his head and trying to change the subject, ultimately failing.
“Nope. Been pretty buried with school, but I started a new job. It’s at a museum and the director is a genius. I’ve been studying his papers in some classes-”
“Oh, I thought you surely would have been dating Tadashi by now!”
Et tu, mother?
“Tadashi?! Why do you say that? We’re just friends. He’s been busy too, not to mention we’re in different schools now so not much time to see each other in person.”
It’s a touchy subject, that much she could tell and thankfully she dropped it. She, Kei and Akiteru had lunch before Kei left for his room to get ready. He didn’t say much about where he was going as he went out the door, borrowing Akiteru’s car for the night. If Akiteru or their mom noticed Kei's blush or nervous knuckle cracking, they'd ignore it in silence. He confirmed Tadashi was back in town and made ‘last minute plans'. Kei shows up at the door, pulling Tadashi out the house and into the car.
“Tsukki! Not even a ‘hello’? Take a guy to dinner first!”
“Well, where do you think we’re going?”
“Coach Ukai’s convenience store to grab onigiri?”
“Oh c’mon, you don’t think I have something nice planned? We’ve been apart for months!”
“Aw, you missed me, Tsukki? Let’s go! I wanna see where you’re taking me.”
It was all strangely going according to plan. It was all like old times as though they’d never spend time apart. The pair go to dinner just a little outside their town, catching up on details that went over their heads during their usual calls. Walking a few blocks around the restaurant, grabbing drinks at a nearby bar. Half an hour turns into an hour, quickly turning into another, time passing quickly. They’re together in a booth, sitting way too close and draping themselves over each other. With tingling fingers and warm skin, Tadashi wraps an arm around his best friend’s shoulder, looking up at him with dazed eyes and a smile that could kill a sober Kei in an instant. His words are slurred, face flushed, and his breath smelling like alcohol when he leaned in to kiss Kei. Of course, he pulls away at the last second and laughs, resting his head on Kei’s shoulder, eyes fluttering shut.
“Alright, c’mon, let’s get you some water and back to the car before you pass out here. I’ve got one more place I wanna take you to.”
He drags the drunken Tadashi to the bar to grab some water before stumbling out of the bar, holding him up as they walk back to the car. Tadashi drunkenly mumbles something Kei is unable to decipher, helping Tadashi into the car and putting the seat belt on for him before going around to his seat. He watches as Tadashi chugs the water, groaning and leaning his head against the window, no doubt feeling dizzy. Tadashi’s words are slurred and dragged on, interrupted by giggles.
“Tsukki… missed you. ‘s soooo boring without you. ‘m always bored n lonely…”
“I… missed you too. Drink up your water, I need you sober for this next part. Or mostly sober.”
“Hm? Finally makin’ a move on me, Tsukki?”
“Shut up, Yamaguchi.”
“Sorry, Tsukki!”
“Feeling better now?”
“Yeah, I think the water helped. The walking too. I’m still a bit dizzy, but sober-ish enough to not be throwing up everywhere.”
Kei simply hums in response, lacing his fingers with Tadashi’s and starts the car. He doesn’t say what’s next on the itinerary, just driving to the next location. He parks outside a dome building before helping Tadashi out of the car. It’s fairly late now, nearing midnight and the building is closed. Tadashi frowns as he sees the lights out and an empty parking lot.
“Tsukki, what’s going on? You’d tell me if you were going to murder me in some weird building, right?”
“Sure, Yamaguchi. If I am to murder you, I’ll give you a heads up in an email.”
“Aw, but I suck at checking my email!”
“Sounds like that’s your problem. Let’s get out the car now.”
“But it’s closed.”
“Just trust me!”
Tadashi pouts and gets out of the car, only stumbling a little as Kei helps him out, walking hand in hand towards the darkened building. Kei unlocks the front door, laughing as Tadashi looks at him with a strange face.
“You have a key to a dark building, but you’re not murdering me?”
“Shut up, Yamaguchi.”
“Sorry for being cautious, Tsukki!”
Kei rolls his eyes and turns on the lights, revealing the interior to be a planetarium. Various shades of blues and purples, billions of stars and moons light up the ceiling. Tadashi’s jaw drops at the sight, Kei guiding him to their seats in the center of the floor with a smile. Tadashi still felt a bit dizzy, giggling in awe of the surprise as his eyes took in the sight.
“How… did you manage this? Are we even allowed in here right now? Tsukki, I-”
“I work at a sister location of this museum in Sendai, and I happen to be on good terms with one of the museum managers, so they let me borrow a key for tonight.”
“Why’d you do all this?”
Kei takes a seat next to Tadashi, arms linking and Tadashi’s head resting on his shoulder, eyes lit up and reflecting all the stars in the projected universe. Kei takes out his wallet, pulling out an old folded up page from Tadashi’s favorite book when they were younger. He’s unsure how long he’s been holding onto the page, unsure of why exactly he’s held it on for so long, but he has. It’s Tadashi’s favorite constellation when they were younger, Libra; the ripped out page explained the myth of how the pattern was held sacred to the sun god of Babylon, seen as the patron of truth and justice. Tadashi laughs at the gesture, unable to believe the attentiveness to detail Kei had.
“Okay, okay. What’s the meaning of all this? Why do you still have that paper!”
“Tadashi… I’ve been holding onto this for as long as I can remember. I’ve also been in love with you for as long as I can remember. It’s taken me so long to even come up with the courage to tell you and I just hope I’m not too late. You’ve been my best friend for as long as I can remember and I’ve been meaning to tell you an embarrassingly countless number of times, but every damn time I get interrupted, so… this is me confessing to you.”
There was a beat of silence, Tadashi’s lips parted, his skin illuminated by the colorful lights projection. He opened his mouth, moved his lips, yet no words came out. It was a possibility he was still a bit tipsy. It all worried Kei, his eyes widening and a million thoughts running through his head.
“Uh… Yamaguchi?”
Tadashi couldn’t speak, couldn’t think of doing anything but wrap his arms around Kei’s neck and crush their lips together. Kei’s heart rate increases, eyes fluttering shut as he falls under the sensation of Tadashi’s warm lips against his. He tumbles back against his reclined seat, pulling Tadashi on top of him and his fingers tangling in the silky green hair. A small groan leaves Tadashi’s throat before pulling away and laughing, the pair’s foreheads pressed together.
“You’re an idiot, Tsukki… I’d never choose anyone else; I’ve waited my whole life for you.”
Kei pulls Tadashi in once again, one hand cupping his cheek while the other arm wraps around his back, barely giving Tadashi time to react. Tadashi relaxes into his touch, his fingers ghosting over Kei’s jawline. It had been months, years that they wanted to do this and never had the courage. Tingles wash down Kei’s spine as their lips meet, first with the utmost gentleness, then with the hunger of a starved man. Before continuing any further, Tadashi pulls away again and laughs.
“Is there anything you want to ask me before we keep making out?”
“Geez, when’d you get so cool?”
“Have been for a while. C’mon, ask me!”
“Yamaguchi… will you be my boyfriend?”
“Pfft, now imagine I said no.”
“It’d be hard to believe considering we were just kissing. Can you answer so we can keep going?”
“Yes, Tsukki. I’d love to finally be your boyfriend.”
Kei laced his fingers in Tadashi’s fingers once again and kissed his best friend for the third time that night but kissed his boyfriend for the first time.