When the Sun Stops Shining

Chapter Twenty-Five: Gucci and Tsukki

It was five minutes later when Yamaguchi crept over to the sheds, checking to see if Tsukishima was talking to anyone. The blonde was on his own. He was leaning against the shed, eyes closed and head up. He looked eerily peaceful, almost like a martyr that had come down from the heavens. If the sun had been out, Yamaguchi might have believed that to be true.

"I know you're there, Yamaguchi." He flinched when Tsukishima's eyes snapped open all of a sudden. His head lowered and turned to face Yamaguchi. "Come here, then."

The brunette obliged. He stepped through the slightly damp grass to join Tsukishima in leaning against the shed. "I think I understand why Kageyama spends so much time out here," Yamaguchi eventually said. "It's not near the gardens, where there's a lot of noise, but it's not too close to the actual prison either. It's perfect."

"Nobody came here before he did," Tsukishima said. "But now, we all come down here when we're pissed. He's starting trends now." A shaky laugh left Tsukishima's lips.

"Hey, Tsukki..." Yamaguchi pulled on his sleeve, drawing the attention of the blonde. He looked sad, really sad. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"With all this shit, I never had time for love." Tsukishima sighed. "Fuck. You know, I didn't even know I liked him that much until he suddenly stopped showing up to the lunch table. I'd gotten used to seeing him there. I don't know how to feel now. Do I give up on finding someone, Yamaguchi? How the fuck does a sadist like me find love?"

"You find another sadist."

"That's just disastrous."

Yamaguchi rolled his eyes and let go of Tsukishima's sleeve, stepping back so that he could look at the blonde properly. "Say... would you ever give Kuroo a chance?"

"You can't be serious." Tsukishima frowned. "The man's probably got ten different species of AIDS running about in his body."

"He hasn't been having sex recently. You wanna know why?"

"Because nobody wants to fuck him?"

"Oh no. People want to fuck him," Yamaguchi said. "But a couple of months ago, you said you would never go for a player like him. Right after that, he stopped having sex with people. Why do you think he's always going on about how sexually frustrated he is?"

"Eh..." Tsukishima rose an eyebrow at Yamaguchi.

"He's an idiot, but I think he genuinely wants you to give him a chance. I think you should talk to him," Yamaguchi suggested. "Although, don't do it in front of Ennoshita unless you want it to become a movie. Two Gays Become Gayer, written and directed by Ennoshita Chikara. And then the sequel, Two Gays Become Even Gayer."

"Actually, I kind of fancy someone making a movie about me." Tsukishima smirked. "And for the record, I'm not gay. I'm not anything. I just like anything that'll cater to me."

"Of course. You little sadist." Yamaguchi ruffled Tsukishima's blonde curls up, laughing when Tsukishima slapped his hands away. "Man, you really need to brush your hair. It's a surprise Kuroo likes you when you look like you rolled out of bed everyday..."

"Have you seen the man's hair? He looks like a rooster," Tsukishima responded crisply. "He makes me look like a supermodel. Even when I'm as scrawny as I am."

"Well, you know what they're saying. Skinny's the new super."

"I beg to differ."

"Whatever." Yamaguchi rolled his eyes. "You're going to stop sulking about now, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll talk to the idiot when we're working in the garden later," Tsukishima said. "Hey, Yama. What about you? Is there anyone you've got your eye on?"

"Have you forgotten? I've got a girlfriend on the outside. And a son," Yamaguchi reminded him. "I don't have time to be shacking up with prison sweethearts."

"Ah, shit. How's Kaname doing?"

"Mai brought him to see me last weekend. He's starting to grow more hair now. It's nothing like mine. It's jet black and it's quite curly. Kind of like your hair. I just wish I could hold him in my arms..." Yamaguchi's heart clenched at the thought. He missed his girlfriend, he really did. He missed Kaname too. He'd been thrown into prison while his girlfriend was eight months pregnant, so he hadn't been able to be there when little Kaname was born. It had devastated him. Yamaguchi had been given thirty years, so it would be a long time before he ever got to hold his little boy. He'd only served seven of those years so far.

"You'll get to hold Kaname soon."

"I don't know. Twenty-three years is pretty far away, Tsukki." Yamaguchi sighed. "Plus, I've picked up all sorts of unsavoury prison behaviour. I'm not going to be a good father when I make it out."

"Nonsense. You'll be a great father." Tsukishima tried to be supportive by ruffling his best friend's hair, but the motion felt awkward.

"Don't be supportive. It doesn't suit you."

"Shut up, Yamaguchi."

"Sorry, Tsukki." The brunette chuckled when Tsukishima clicked his tongue in irritation. Their becoming best friends had been inevitable the second they'd met. Their friendship had lasted several long years, even under all the immense strain of being part of a gang like Karasuno.

"But, seriously. If you keep being good, you can get early release. Plus, they always take time off your sentence if you're good. You haven't been given any shots; you haven't been to the SHU. Your sentence could easily be cut in half. You can go from serving twenty-three years to eleven and a half. You'll be able to get out by the time Kaname goes to uni."

"I don't know... I mean, if the boss is hanging out with that guy from Wakunan, I don't think it'll be good for any of us. Ennoshita's been really excited because of the court case with Nakashima, their leader. If that guy comes here and sees that there's a Wakunan with us, then shit's going to hit the fan. Next thing we know, we're all being thrown in the SHU." Yamaguchi looked genuinely distressed. "I just want to do my time. That's it."

"I'm sorry," Tsukishima mumbled. "It's my fault you're here."

"No. I chose to help you, Tsukki. Remember that."

"No. I shouldn't have let you. The second you told me that your girlfriend was pregnant, I should've let you go." Tsukishima slapped his forehead in irritation. "But, I was too drunk on my own power to see what was happening around me. The police were desperately searching for me, following the blood trail that you'd helped me to make... I guess I wanted to keep that trail going forever."

"I'd have been caught eventually," Yamaguchi insisted. "Just for being part of Karasuno. They got everyone. Everyone. Nakashima's the last gang member out there, I think. As of now, they've managed to contain all of Japan's most notorious gangs within these prison walls."

"It feels pretty small," Tsukishima murmured.

"Yeah." Yamaguchi exhaled, allowing himself to inhale that slightly smoky scent in the air. Then, he breathed it back out, allowing the carbon dioxide to roll out through his lips. The two men stood there in silence, thinking over their time in Fukurodani as the clouds slid past in the air.

Where did they go wrong?