They stood there for a while, the sounds of the campfire in the distance fading into the background. Everything else felt far away. The only thing that mattered now was Yamaguchi- his best friend, the one who had always been there for him, and the person Tsukishima realised he hadn't been there enough for in return.
"I don't know how to make it stop," Yamaguchi repeated, his voice barely a whisper now, raw and fragile.
"You don't have to," Tsukishima said quietly. "We'll figure it out. I'll help you. But you have to talk to me, okay? Don't shut me out like this."
Yamaguchi nodded against his shoulder, his breaths coming slower now, more even. "I'm scared, Tsukki."
"I know," Tsukishima replied softly. "But you don't have to be. Not with me."
Yamaguchi pulled back slightly, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand, looking embarrassed. Tsukishima could tell he was trying to pull himself together, trying to put up that composed version of himself that everyone else saw. But it wasn't something he could hide anymore.
"You don't have to pretend around me," Tsukishima said, giving him a small, tired smile. "I'm not going to judge you."
Yamaguchi sniffled, letting out a shaky laugh. "You're not exactly the comforting type, Tsukki."
Tsukishima rolled his eyes but felt a small sense of relief at Yamaguchi's attempt at humour, even if it was forced. "Yeah, well, you're stuck with me anyway."
Yamaguchi looked down at their hands, still loosely intertwined, and for a moment, he was quiet again, like he was thinking something over.
"Tsukki," he began hesitantly, "I know you said you liked me... and I didn't really say anything. Honestly, I don't know what I'm feeling right now, but... I don't want to lose you either. I trust you Tsukki, maybe we can figure this out together."
Tsukishima's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected that. He had prepared himself for the worst, but here was Yamaguchi- confused and scared but still willing to try.
"Together?" Tsukishima asked quietly, almost as if he didn't believe it.
Yamaguchi nodded, his smile still faint but growing warmer. "Yeah, together. I don't know what this is yet... but I want to find out. With you."
Relief washed over Tsukishima like a tidal wave, and for the first time that night, the tension in his chest eased. He squeezed Yamaguchi's hand, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "We'll take it slow. One day at a time."
Yamaguchi let out a shaky laugh, wiping the last of his tears from his face. "Yeah. I'd like that."
They stood in silence for a moment longer, letting the weight of the moment settle between them. The fire crackled in the distance, and the sounds of the others came back into focus, but everything felt different now. Lighter.
Tsukishima had confessed, something he never thought he would be brave enough to do. And while Yamaguchi was still fragile, still working through his own pain, there was hope. Hope that they could figure this out together, without losing what they meant to each other.
Yamaguchi nodded, and for the first time in a long time, Tsukishima saw something like relief in his eyes. Not the kind of relief Yamaguchi put on for everyone else, but something real. Something that said he wasn't carrying this burden entirely alone anymore.
They stood there for a few more moments, letting the weight of everything ease. Tsukishima could tell Yamaguchi was exhausted, physically and emotionally. He knew this wasn't something that would go away overnight. There would be hard days ahead. But for now, this was enough.
"Come on," Tsukishima said after a while, breaking the silence. "Let's head back to the fire. You need to sit down."
Yamaguchi hesitated, his hand still in Tsukishima's, but then nodded. He looked drained, his eyes red and puffy, his posture slumped. He didn't protest as Tsukishima led him back towards the group, where the others were still laughing, unaware of what had just happened.
As they approached the fireplace that had been set up, Tsukishima noticed a few glances in their direction, mostly from Suna and Kageyama. They didn't say anything, but Tsukishima could tell they knew something had happened. He wasn't going to explain it- not now, maybe not ever. This was between him and Yamaguchi.
No one else needed to know.
They sat down near the edge of the fire, away from the others but close enough that they weren't entirely isolated. Yamaguchi leaned slightly against Tsukishima, his shoulder brushing his, and Tsukishima let him. If anyone noticed, they didn't say anything, and Tsukishima didn't care.
Yamaguchi wasn't okay yet, but he would be.
As Tsukishima sat there, watching the flickering flames, he realised something. Yamaguchi wasn't just his best friend. He was someone Tsukishima couldn't lose. No matter what happened, he would do whatever it took to keep Yamaguchi from slipping away again.
He'd be there, even on the hardest days, because he knew Yamaguchi would do the same for him.
Because Yamaguchi, the most important person in Tsukki's world, was worth everything.
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THE END
A/N: Thank you so much for reading of you got this far!! I know it took me a while to get out these final few chapters, there's been a lot of change in my life and I wasn't able to write for a long period of time, I believe my writing style has changed too, hopefully for the better. Once again- thank you for reading + I love you all!!
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Save me (bxb)
Fanfiction"You're killing yourself slowly... you need to stop this Tadashi." "What if that's what I want?" Tadashi Yamaguchi, is on the Karasuno volleyball team, playing as a pinch server. He never had many regards for anything except volleyball, and occasion...
