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Heavy lids darted to the window. The first glow of daybreak set the sky ablaze, and the pale light that streamed through the curtains illuminated his hair into gold. He slung his bag over his shoulder and wrapped his headphones around his neck, tugging at its white cord as he made his way out the door. The sound of the front gate opening caused his ears to ache momentarily, but the distant chirping of the early birds quickly soothed him.
The leaves rustled in the gentle breeze, swaying in tune to an unheard song. Their shadows danced on the ground where he tread, the mess of their choreography melting into the puddles on the grey pavement. The houses that lined the street glowed in the sunrise, their rooftops glistening with leftover raindrops from the night before. A group of joggers sped past him, and the sweat that peppered their skin held a glimmer of their own.
When the blond reached a fork in the road, he braced himself for a hug that doesn't come. He raised his brows, disoriented for a moment. He glanced over to the other side of the intersection, craning his neck slightly in an attempt to see beyond the horizon.
Before he could realize what he was doing, his eyes were already fixated on a familiar veranda. When he managed to process the embossed script of the resident's name plate, he brought himself to a complete halt. He retraced his steps back to the end of the street, inconspicuously taking out his phone from his pocket. The weight was familiar in his hands. He redialed the last number he'd selected and the lump in his throat didn't leave, not even when the call got disconnected before the dial tone could ring.
He put on his headphones and continued walking to school. He zipped his jacket all the way to the top, preventing the chill from piercing his skin.
The squeaking of sneakers on gymnasium floors could barely be heard over the song that blared in his ears. He trudged over to the club room without so much as glancing at the other students and athletes he passed. The door was unlocked. T-shirts were haphazardly dumped over bags and jackets unceremoniously strewn across the floor, but he didn't put much effort in attempting to avoid stepping on any of them.
He set his things by his usual corner. The blond ruffled his hair and took off his eyeglasses, placing the specs inside a container and setting them aside. Palms face up, he left his hand to hang in the air for a good moment. When he turned to find that he was the only person in the room, he pursed his lips and struggled to navigate through his belongings, relying mostly on his sense of touch rather than on his blurry sight. When he finally managed to retrieve the sports goggles from his bag, he mentally cursed himself for not preparing them beforehand.
"Good morning, Tsukishima," their captain greeted when he entered the courts. "Go do your warm-ups so you can join the rest of the team for practice."
"All right," he nodded silently.
He rolled his shoulders and stretched his muscles before running for a few laps, only stopping to ask a towel from their club manager. When he slipped up and requested for two by mistake, the blonde flashed him an understanding smile.
"Do you miss Yamaguchi-kun?"
His throat ran dry. His face contorted as he spat, "What?"
"Ah, I-I mean, we all miss him," the girl stuttered, and it appeared as though she was retreating into herself. "But you're always together, so I figured that, well," she trailed off, voice wilting as she observed Tsukishima walk away.
When practice was over and he'd changed back into his uniform, his limbs grew sluggish and heavy. If his teammates had taken note of his lack of energy, they didn't think to comment on it.
He weaved through the campus hallways with a blank expression on his face. The students around him were rowdy and boisterous, but the walk back to class seemed quieter than usual. When the teacher gave a lab project to be done in pairs, he didn't think to ask anyone. He sneered at a girl's offer but was forced to accept due to lack of options. While it had been the first time he'd gone through an assigned experiment so smoothly, it felt strange to have an unfamiliar hand penning his name on the report sheet.
The lessons were dull, and the breaks in between classes dragged on. By lunch break, when he accidentally ordered two drinks off the vending machine, he could only massage his temples and sigh.
The final bell rang and he stood from his seat, mechanically putting away his things without much thought. He instinctively looked a few tables down, only to find an empty desk.
His heart sank, and Tsukishima swallowed despite his parched throat.
As he walked home, he opened and closed his fists, momentarily digging his nails into his palms.
His hands felt empty.
"Kei, you have a visitor!" his mother called out loud enough to be heard over the music he'd been playing. He took off his headphones and motioned to his door, but it had already flung open before he could get to it.
A sharp pain shot through his head. "Ugh, what the hell —"
"Tsukki!"
The blond covered his forehead just as a cold hand caressed the side of his face, urging Tsukishima to angle his face towards the other.
"Did I hurt you? Sorry, I was a little excited…"
He furrowed his brows at the freckled boy before him, taking in his disheveled hair and crooked shirt. "What happened to you, Yamaguchi?"
"Ah, I just got back from my trip, actually," he smiled sheepishly.
"Did your flight get delayed?"
The other boy raised his eyebrows as he nodded his head. "It got really delayed. My phone's been dead since morning and I had my charger packed in my check-in luggage, so it was a painful few hours. As if attending my cousin's wedding wasn't hectic enough."
"Are you sure you should be here, then? Shouldn't you be getting some rest or something?"
"That can wait," Yamaguchi dismissed. "I got you something from Otaru, by the way," he added as he handed the other boy a paper bag.
"Is that why you rushed here?" Tsukishima scoffed. "You didn't have to give it right now."
"I know," the other whispered.
Tsukishima opened the gift to find a small figurine crafted out of glass.
"It reminded me of you," Yamaguchi laughed softly. "It looks weird to see it again now. I was going to get you a music box but I wasn't sure if you'd be into that."
"Thanks," the blond said, a ghost of a smile on his lips. He displayed the gift on a shelf, its facets refracting the light every which way. It was impossible to miss the figurine's green glow, and while it wasn't the most anatomically correct, it stood out amongst the other dinosaur figures displayed around it.
The freckled boy gazed into Tsukishima's eyes. He slowly intertwined their fingers. "I can't believe it's only been a few days."
"Why?"
The grin on his face was playful yet mocking, like that of an adult witnessing a child's innocence. "I really missed you, Tsukki."
The blond had to cover his face with his free hand. "Shut up, Yamaguchi."