Call Me... → TsukkiYama

Call Me...

"Hello? It's Kei."

A clear, cloudless sky spread above the town, already a deep midnight blue and dotted with a smattering of pearl-white stars. The air was crisp, icy tendrils of it sneaking past Tadashi's gloves and chilling his fingertips. He shivered slightly, but the cold wasn't the only reason. Hearing Tsukki call himself by his given name was so unlike his usual cool exterior, and so unfamiliar to Tadashi - who only knew him as "Tsukki" - that it made the freckled boy squirm.

"Yeah...practice just ended and I'm walking home with Yamaguchi. Yeah. Okay. Bye."

Tsukki slipped his phone into his jacket pocket and sighed. "Is your mom still worried?" Tadashi asked, turning towards his taller friend.

Tsukki's mom was always nervous about her son walking home in the dark after volleyball practice, even though he was already in high school and was getting fed up with her constantly checking his location on the GPS device she made him carry around. In exchange for getting rid of the tiny device that he had to clip to his bag like an elementary school student, they had agreed on a quick phone call after practice.

Tsukki nodded, adjusting the headphones around his neck.

"Does she mind me going to your house, then?" Tadashi asked, becoming slightly worried. He usually went to Tsukki's house one a week to work on homework together, since they were both in honours classes and Tadashi had more trouble staying on top of his assignments. Tsukki glanced at him, his glasses flashing in the light of the street lamps.

"No, of course not. She likes you." he replied, and then slid his headphones over his ears. Tadashi sighed in relief, but started when Tsukki suddenly entwined his long fingers with his, keeping a loose yet firm hold on Tadashi's gloved hands.

The brunette quickly relaxed into the touch, smiling to himself. He knew that Tsukki wasn't a talkative person, and that he preferred to stay like this, hand in hand in comfortable silence, the warmth exchanged between their palms pressed together the only conversation they needed. Tadashi also loved the light blush that always dusted his boyfriend's cheeks whenever they did so, and even though Tsukki would scowl adorably and tell him not to stare, he was always the one to initiate the hand-holding.

So that was how they walked, shoulder to shoulder, in their own little globe of tenderness, all the way to Tsukki's house.

"Ah, Yamaguchi-kun! Welcome!" Tsukki's mother smiled warmly at Tadashi as she held the door open for them.

"Hello, Mrs. Tsukishima. Sorry for always dropping by at such a late hour." Tadashi grinned back apologetically, arranging his shoes neatly by the door as he stepped inside.

"Oh, no problem, Yamaguchi-kun! As long as you two are safe. And you live right next door, so your mom doesn't have to worry at all!" the woman laughed as she hurried back to the kitchen. "I have some pasta on the stove, do you boys want any?" "I'm good," Tsukki murmured as he started upstairs. "Me too, Mrs. Tsukishima. But thank you anyways!" Tadashi called over his shoulder as he hurried after the blonde.

Tsukki's room was always impeccable, his clothes always neatly stowed in simple yet tasteful drawers, his books aligned in a straight line on his bookshelf, and posters of his favourite music bands arranged artfully on the walls. Tadashi sat down carefully on the floor, spreading his textbooks on the low table in the center of the room. Tsukki followed suit, and soon the two boys were working diligently on their homework, again in comfortable silence.

From time to time Tadashi would pause to take a quick peek at his boyfriend, since there weren't many situations during the day that had them sitting almost face to face across a tiny table. He got to study the finer features of Tsukki up close, like the way his pale hair curled slightly at the ends, or how his hazel eyes actually had flecks of gold in them, or the slow slope of his nose above thin lips and perfectly straight teeth. Sometimes Tsukki would notice Tadashi mid-stare, and give him a short "What?" or simply a questioning look, which would cause Tadashi to stutter "N-nothing!" and quickly avert his eyes. But even though Tadashi knew he was embarrassing himself by faltering like that, he couldn't bring himself to stop.