Almost

Chapter One

"Tsukki," Yamaguchi whispered, his voice sweet and soft. "Look at that." He raised an arm, pointing up at the swirling sky. His eyes were fixed ever so carefully upon a certain cluster of stars above them. The same cluster of stars reflected in his eyes perfectly, almost as if they were being projected upon a dark body of water.

Tsukishima tried to suppress his smile as his gaze fixed on his best friend. The moonlight illuminated his freckly skin. It bathed him in a milky light, covering him in a glow. It made him look like a celestial deity. There was no doubt about it: Yamaguchi was absolutely gorgeous, and the moonlight only emphasized that.

Yamaguchi sighed happily before letting his arm fall back to his side, nuzzling himself in the comfort of the grass.

The night was fairly warm, but a distinct midnight breeze danced through the trees, brushing their faces ever so lightly.

Yamaguchi turned his head to look at Tsukishima, who had been staring at him, completely lost in his eyes. The ones that held thousands of galaxies and still managed to shine brighter than any star up there.

"Tsukki," he giggled softly. "Look at the stars, not me, silly." A smile spread across his face as he turned to look back up at the sky. Tsukishima kept looking at Yamaguchi. How could he not? "Oh, Tsukki, the sky! Isn't it just beautiful?"

"Yeah, it is. It really is," he replied quietly, though the way his voice went all quiet and soft indicated that he wasn't just talking about the star scattered sky.

"Tsukki!" Yamaguchi gasped in awe, clutching at his best friend's wrist before pulling his arm up to point at something above them. A bright light flew across the sky; A meteor. "Look at it!"

The gleaming streak lit up the sky as the two boys stared up at it in amusement. It was almost as if a star fell straight out from the heavens and down to earth... Just like Yamaguchi.

Tsukishima had heard people describe their significant others as fallen angels. He thought that was absolute bullshit. It didn't make sense. An angel without wings would just be a normal person, right? So why go around complimenting your partner by saying they're completely average and like the other seven and a half billion inhabitants of earth?

Then came the shift in how he viewed his best friend. It had taken months, maybe even years to happen, but when it did, it changed a lot.

Tsukishima couldn't even pinpoint when it happened or how or why. It just did. It wasn't a big realization he just woke up one day with; it was several small things leading to a slow change of perspective. A change of perspective that shook his entire world upside down.

But when he finally came to terms with his feelings, he started to realize other things too. He realized why people wanted to compare their loved ones to something good, but saying Yamaguchi was a fallen angel was like calling him average. Which he most certainly was not, no matter how many times Yamaguchi tried to protest otherwise.

Tsukishima couldn't exactly put his feelings into words. He couldn't find a specific word to communicate how much he longed for his best friend, one to say all the feelings inside him. He didn't have an extensive enough vocabulary for that. Honestly, he didn't even think a word existed that managed to condense all of these powerful emotions properly.

But, if he had to choose a way to describe Yamaguchi, he'd go with 'Yamaguchi is like the stars.'

The stars, the very objects of his best friend's raging passion. Maybe the reason Yamaguchi liked the stars so much was because of all the things they had in common. It was actually quite ironic how many similarities Tsukishima could think of. All ones that Yamaguchi was completely oblivious to.

It might have been a bit overused and cliché, but for once in his life, Tsukishima didn't mind that.

He was shaken from his thoughts by a hitched breath from the boy next to him.

He stole another glance at his friend, who kept staring intently at the sky above them, excitedly awaiting something. Tsukishima bit his lower lip, suppressing his smile.

The only thing Tsukishima knew Yamaguchi to be so excited about was volleyball, but now, gazing at the kindled excitement that lit up his green eyes, he wondered just how deep Yamaguchi's interest in the stars went.

"Look! Tsukki look up at the sky," Yamaguchi exclaimed without peeling his eyes away from the stars.

Tsukishima was slightly hesitant to look away from him, but he couldn't disobey his friend's excited requests. When he finally looked up, he was extremely glad he did.

The sky was streaked with hundreds of meteors. The sight itself was enough to draw all the air from his lungs. There was something about the way the meteors slashed through the swirly sky that seemed almost... magical.

The starry night itself was a sight to behold. The sky was an ombre of various shades of dark purple and black, bleeding fluidly into each other like paints upon a canvas. It was scattered generously with stars in a way that reminded Tsukki only of Yamaguchi's smiling face. But then, the meteor shower added a whole other level of beauty, making the glowing sky look completely ethereal. It was almost comparable to Yamaguchi's beauty. Almost.

He nuzzled into the grass below him, feeling their delicate touch grazing over his arms and his legs, his back and his neck. They were so soft, and though they were a bit cold, it felt good.

Tsukishima sighed, letting out all his worries. He could save those for another time. One where he wasn't swimming in ecstasy, absolutely enraptured by the glowing sky. He let go and let himself be drowned in the moment.

He could worry about things later. For now, he was going to enjoy the present. He was going to enjoy stargazing with his best friend under the streaky sky. He was going to enjoy the grass on his back and the chilling breeze that dusted his skin ever so lightly. He was just going to enjoy this.

I'm sorry that this chapter is a bit short. This is sort of like a chapter to test the waters before diving in headfirst. Anyways, thank you for reading, good luck and I hope you continue!

Word Count: 1084