We don't need words

"I'm back, " Tsukishima called out, he dropped his bag on the floor and locked the door. He took off his shoes and slipped on his home slippers. He noticed the woman hard at work, he smiled softly and quietly walked up to her. She was typing a report, he sat down beside her and just quietly looked at her. Yachi, on the other hand, had not felt his presence looking at her, she continued her work, grumbling a bit.

"You spelled that wrongly, " She was startled by the familiar voice so close to her ear and the hand that pointed at her computer screen.

"Kei-kun! Since when did you come back? " Yachi said, turning to her side to his blank face, he was so close. Tsukishima tilted his head.

"I've been here for a while now. You were busy with work so I just let you be. Anyway, this letter should have an 'a' after the 'e'," Tsukishima explained, She turned to the computer and corrected her mistake. Tsukishima got up and stretched.

"I'll start preparing for dinner. " He said. Yachi stared at the tall figure walking to the kitchen.

She reminded herself that it had been almost 4 years since they have been living together. She wondered how they've managed to stay in the quite comfy apartment for so long. It wasn't like they both didn't have the money to get their own apartments, things kept coming up and in the end, they both never really left. Not that she didn't mind, she was happy that she was still close to her former schoolmate, maybe even still had those fluttery feelings even for so long. Although, she knew one day he would get a girlfriend and leave the apartment. But she would rather not think about it right now.

"Okay~" She hummed in response, she got back to her work, less focused this time. She furrowed her brows as she thought of something.

It was one of those moments that made her very confused. Is this what couples do? Maybe it is... But Tsukki was just her close friend and roommate, so it's normal for him to be close... right? It's normal for them to cook for each other, do laundry day... Even have fancy Friday where they cook together a nice dinner and pick out a movie to watch.

She slapped herself and ignored the thoughts, she heard a chuckle. She turned to Tsukishima who saw the scene.

"If you're losing focus, take a break, Hitoka," Tsukki called out, she flushed but reluctantly closed her laptop. It's not like she had to finish it today, she still had a few days left before the assignment is due.

She got up and walked to the kitchen to see what he was making. It smelled good and it made Yachi's stomach grumble. She stared at the boiling stew, she smiled happily. Tsukishima wasn't a chef or anything, but his dishes were always so comforting and warm, it was also very yummy and Yachi loves it when he cooks. Tsukki noticed the women and gave a small smile.

"Hey, could you help me set the table instead of blanking out?" He called out. Yachi snapped out of her thoughts and nodded. She took out the appropriate plates and utensils and set the table. Once she was done, she sat down and waited for him. Soon enough Tsukishma placed the dishes on the table. They both sat down.

"Thank you for the meal!" Yachi called out, starting to eat. She smiled in approval when the food touched her taste buds, it was right up her alley. Tsukishima looked at the girl, smiling. She ate her food hungrily, her cheeks puffing up.

"You got some rice on your cheek- here," Tsukishima said, leaning to her and wiping it away for her. She blushed but smiled.

"Thank you, Kei." She said, he also started eating. She noticed how his expression would change ever so softly, it's what she loved to notice from him.

The small brow raises, a twitch in his lips that just seems to hide his true smile, the ever so slightly glance that would make her heart fluttered out of her chest. Throughout the years, she would slowly understand Tsukishima's expressions and feelings. She knew what exactly he felt. Right now he felt relaxed and comfortable, and she's happy that he could achieve that with her.

They finished up and Yachi started to clean up, Tsukishima was going to help but she stopped him.

"You've already made dinner! I will clean up. Go and get some rest Kei-chan." Yachi said she carried the plates to the sink. She wiped the table clean, she turned around for a second and then she saw Tsukishima by the sink, starting to wash the plates, she puffed her cheeks.

"Tsukki!" She whined and walked to the sink, nudging him away. She pouted and frowned at him, all he could do is laugh.

"I'm sorry Hitoka, but let's just do it together." He suggested. She sighed, she knew he wouldn't do anything else but this, so she defeatedly agreed. They settled for Tsukishima washing the dishes and her wiping them clean. A comfortable silence filled them, their shoulders pressed together. She often let her mind think during these moments, about anything that popped into her mind. It was usually her relationship with the male.

She remembered being half his height during high school, luckily, over the years, she grew up just until his shoulders. They have grown quite a lot. She remembered how salty and gloomy he used to be, but now (maybe from her influence) he has become more open. She grew up too, she took up habits Tsukishima had. Her personality also got influenced by the salty french fry, she became more open to roasting people who deserve it.

She turned to the tall male and smiled, Tsukishima turned to her too and tilted his head in confusion.

"What is it?" He asked, she shook her head and went back to her task, grinning.

"It's nothing."

.

If you asked Tsukishima when he started growing feelings for her, maybe it was when he had an accident with his pinky finger during the fight with Shiratorizawa all those years ago. 

Specifically, when he saw her running to him, concern shown on her face. Or maybe those small breaks where she would usually spend her time with him, it wasn't something fancy or anything romantic. It was just them talking about anything random. Their likes and dislikes, one time they suddenly went to the topic of relationships, he accidentally admitted that he did in fact have a type of girl... And it matched her, luckily she wasn't so great at taking hints and encouraged him to find the one, even though he already did find that person, which is her. When he was in his college life, of course, he still signed for the volleyball team. Their college was quite a strong powerhouse, it also had Yachi's design classes that she had always wanted to go to. 

He had come to practice a bit early but that was alright, he could practice some serves and sets. Once his club officially started, he heard his name with a familiar voice.

"Kei!" He stopped to look, instantly his heart fluttered. He took all his strength not to smile. Everyone also turned to the petite girl. He glared at everyone, knowing she would feel self-conscious by so many tall guys giving attention to her. He walked to Yachi, making sure to block her view. He saw the woman visibly relax.

"You forgot your note's for your test later." She said, taking out his file and handing it to him. He gladly took it, he smiled and patted her head.

"Thank you Hitok-"

"I'm not done!" She said, casually hitting his shoulder. It didn't hurt him the slightest. She also took out his lunch box.

"You forgot to bring it again! Kei! You should worry about your health. I know you're very forgetful in the morning, but your stuff was already on the table this morning! You're lucky I have afternoon lectures! Don't get me started on your eating habit-" Yachi was cut off by Tsukishima bursting out, laughing. He couldn't help himself, she just looked too cute. He ruffled her hair again, she pouted.

"Sorry for worrying you, Hitoka. Thank you for bringing them to me," He said. Tsukishima won't tell her that he purposefully left them.

He grinned harder, feeling almost guilty. But then again, he wouldn't mind if she came a few more times this week, he wondered what item he should 'forget' next. Yachi sighed and stopped her ramblings.

"I'll see you at dinner then. Eat properly! Oh and Good luck with your test." She said, waving goodbye and walked away. He watched her until he couldn't see her bright blonde hair. Even with her gone, he could still feel his heart pounding hard.

He never really understood how to deal with these emotions, he just knew that he should control them and hide them away. But whenever he saw those eyes, the eyes that showed concern for him, it was hard for him to control his actions, he would force himself not to just kiss her right then and there. He was never the type to show his emotions, but it was hard to just keep his face in check whenever the short blond was with him. Many of his old high school friends already knew how smily he is with her, (is smily even a word?). He turned to his new volleyball teammates, they looked like they've seen a pig fly.

"T-Tsukishima smiled!" They all said in unison, he sighed and silently walked to his bag, placing the warm lunch, he knew Yachi warmed it up for him which he couldn't help but smile. The small details from the sweet woman could make him fall for her more every day.

He could still hear his teammate freaking out, he rolled his eyes but if this is what he has to deal with just to see her during practice... Then it isn't that bad.

"Hai hai! Let's get back to practice. Tsukki Kei might just blush harder than he already has~" He turned to his newfound friend, Kenjiro. 

It was a weird pair, but their lecture buildings were right beside each other so they had gotten closer these years. He silently thanked him. He sighed and got back to the practice.

After lunch, he would usually have enough time to see Yachi, but today he had to control himself and walk to the library instead. It wasn't like he would agree to it, but when he saw her text.

'go to the library and study! I will see you at dinner :)'

He sighed and gave in. if that's what she wanted, then he'll do it. So he grumpily walked to the library.

"Wahhh, fancy seeing you here, Tsukki kei~" He knew that nickname anywhere. He grumbled as he saw his newly made friend, Kenjiro Shirabu.

"Ah, Kenji Shi~" He teased. It was just a thing they did, teasing each other with weird nicknames. Kenjiro chuckled and sat with him. It was a weird duo, they were rivals in their youth years.

"Got a test today?" He asked, leaning to see his notes. Tsukishima sighed and nodded. Kenjiro chuckled and let the man whine.

"I'm guessing you haven't met Hitoka-chan during lunch~ Hehe, so easy to read you Salty Dino" Another one of his nicknames, sucks for him, he actually liked that.

"Yeah, how about you Keny-chan~ I see you eyeing-" Tsukishima was going to tease him, but Kenjiro panicked and covered his mouth.

"Shhh! She's here." He half-whispered, half-shouted. Tsukishima gave one of his mocking glare.

"Ha?? She's here???" He teased Kenjiro. Kenjiro gripped the other's shoulder's down to stop him from standing up.

"Kei, I swear to the loving lord if you do not sit down this instant-" Kenjiro warned, Tsukishima made a low chuckle, gripping Kenjiro's wrists and trying to push the guy away.

"Fu fu fu~ Or what Kenji-chan~?" He teased more, by now he forgot all about cramping his revisions, he loved teasing Kenjiro. But it was a two-bladed sword. Kenjiro laughed menacingly.

"Remember that love letter you were going to give to Hitoka? I still have it~" Tsukishima glared at him.

"Baka, you want to play like this? Well too bad! I have YOUR love letter to-"

.

"Gomen, Tsukki! I didn't know the librarian would kick us out!" Kenjiro said, sighing. Tsukishima also groaned and patted his friend's back. He has changed a lot during the years, he has more friends now. He considered Kenjiro a close friend of his, it was a weird bond, really was, he doesn't even remember when they start to be friends, but nonetheless, it was a great friendship.

"It's fine. Let's go." He just said. He liked the others' presence, it was like they were sharing the same brain cells... If they had any when they're together. Yamaguchi is of course his number one, but with Yamaguchi having a girlfriend, they couldn't find that much time together, they promised they'll meet up soon though, so it's no biggie. He turned to Kenjiro.

"How's med?" He asked, Kenjiro smiled and shrugged.

"It's easy, hehe." Another smart friend, Tsukishima was considered smart too.

His friends were all quite smart, well... except for the two idiots that just barged into his life during high-school, that's an exception though, so his friends were all smart. Maybe Kenjiro was the smartest out of all of them, his courses were all advanced and very hard, but he still manages to be at the top. Meanwhile, Tsukishima was doing Historical Science, specifically Archaeology. He isn't at the top, but he is certainly there, never going down below the top 5.

"Oh! Tsukki, I gotta go! Good luck!" He saw Kenjiro check his phone, wave goodbye, and sprinted off. He knew it was about the girl they were talking about, he chuckled and shouted a goodbye to him too.

.

He opened the door to their apartment, the smell of food hit his nose and his stomach reacted. He slipped off his shoes and grabbed his slippers.

"I'm home." his words slip, before he could say anything else Yachi already spoke up.

"Welcome home, Kei! Go wash up! I brought your favorite dessert today!" his heart fluttered at her response.

It wasn't like it was uncommon to greet each other back, but they never once did say they were home... Until today, maybe it wasn't that big of a deal, they've already said their 'i'm back.' or 'Are you here?' but home, the thought of calling her home. He blushed, he quickly walked past the kitchen and then to his room. He quickly washed up and went back. He told himself not to think about it too much. Yeah... it was normal for them now. Normal to call each other home.

He quietly sat down and just stared at her cooking, gradually he took a closer look, taking in everything. It wasn't his fault, his legs led him into the kitchen and then to her. She noticed him and smiled.

"I made some curry, I know you don't like it spicy so I just added only a few chilies." She explained, he nodded, staring at her. Her eyelashes, her cute nose, her rosy cheeks, her eyebrows, ears, lips. He loved looking at her, no matter what angle, she looked beautiful. He didn't know how long he was staring, but his thoughts were cut off by her own stare.

"Kei-kun?" She asked softly, her cheeks heating up a bit. He felt different today, not a huge difference, but it was different enough to take notice. He nodded

"You feeling okay? You're deep in thought again! You're like this when you don't eat enough. Wait- maybe you're sick? You have been flushed during your practice. Don't push yourself okay? Hold on, maybe I'll get the thermometer." She rambled on, she was going to walk to get the thermometer, but he grabbed her and shook his head.

"No... I'm just tired." He said softly. Yachi glanced at him, still worried. But she sighed and nodded.

"If you say so. Eat a warm dinner and have a nice warm bath, go to sleep early today, don't stress your body further." Yachi said, pushing him to the dinner table, he silently allowed her to do so. They ate their dinner and cake. (A little too happy with eating the strawberry cake)

He took a nice shower after her bickering about her washing the dishes since he should rest instead. He agreed again, it wasn't like him to easily agree, of course, he has agreed and allowed her to do things, but just the simplicity of picking up something from the store, washing the dishes, and not splitting the chores, but instead doing it together was his compromise. So he felt Yachi's more worried gazes when he agreed so easily today.

He stared at the bathroom ceiling. He doesn't know when this change started, maybe when she came to his practice today, or maybe missing her during his free period. Whatever it was, it was affecting something, it didn't bother him at all but maybe it was affecting the other.

"If only you know how much you affect me." He whispered, maybe one day he would get to tell her, tell her his feelings, and how much she makes him go crazy. It was so bizarre to him how much the woman pulled out emotions he never knew he could feel, whether it'd be worry, happiness, jealousy, she could do it all. And this change, he felt different towards the woman. Like he wanted to spend the rest of his life with-

"Kei? Did you sleep in the bathtub again?" He heard her soft voice. He looked at his soggy hands and got up.

"Y-yeah, sorry if I took too long." He lied. He quickly dried himself and put on his pajamas. He drained the water and hung his towel next to her's. He got out, the steamy air leaving the bathroom. He saw one of her worried stares.

"Kei... are you sure you aren't sick?" She asked, she tiptoed and placed her hand on his forehead. He grabbed her hand and shook his head.

"I told you, I'm not sick. Just tired, Hitoka." He flashed a half-hearted grin, he gently let go of her hand and petted her hair before going back into his room. He didn't have to acknowledge his heart beating faster, because at this point it was normal for him. He didn't have to stop thinking about her because at this point nothing could make him stop the woman from running around in his head and heart. Maybe he really should sleep early.

.

Yachi wasn't an idiot. Clumsy, yes. Idiot? No. So when she started noticing Tsukki's dazed gaze at her or anywhere else, she was worried he was sick. But then he started acting differently too, like whenever he does look at her, he was analyzing her, thinking of a next move or phrase to her. It wasn't like she was uncomfortable, just curious as to why her roommate was acting more different than usual.

Then she started noticing the small touches, maybe from handing her something or placing his hands on hers to cut the vegetables in the 'correct' way, or the way his hand would brush her's just a bit too long when they walked from the grocery store. She thought it was just accidental touches, but when he started to just try getting her attention or just get those little touches... It made her more flushed.

They sat at a cafe, both reading their own school materials. It was comfortable, but when she noticed his hand slowly moving nearer to hers, she wondered if it was just an accident or on purpose. She used to read him well, but nowadays he was confusing, she never truly knew what he'd do next. She stared at the other male, preoccupied with the notebook he had.

"Kei, wanna go sightseeing?" She asked, she didn't know why, but she felt the need to move. He glanced up from his reading and nodded. They packed up their stuff and finished their drinks before heading out. She really didn't know where to go, but when she felt his hand tug at the elbow of her sleeve, she saw him pointing at the museum. She smiled, at least his love for dinosaurs never changed.

They've been at the museum many times before, usually to just hang out and relive memories, so it was normal for them.

"Look Kei-kun, there's a new exhibit." She said, pulling him along. She smiled, seeing the new artifacts and the history between them.

"Wah, Kei look. It's about how dinosaurs laid eggs." She said, looking at the screen. They read it together.

"For dinosaurs having a big scary exterior, I wouldn't have known they laid such soft eggs. Right Kei?" she turned to him, he seemed to be thinking again. She bit her lower lip, she sighed and let the man be.

They walked around more, her worrying gaze getting more intense. In the end, they had walked out of the museum, the dark hues of the sky lit up by the bright city. Her mission to help Tsukishima was a failure. She looked at the tall giant in front of her, she couldn't hold it anymore.

"What is it?" She called out. Tsukishima stopped to stare back at her, confused.

"What do you mean?" He asked, She huffed, looking like he should have known by now.

"These few weeks... You've been so quiet. Well, you're quiet, but not this quiet. And then you would always start daydreaming, whether it's at home or outside! I'm worried, Tsukishima Kei." She stated, her hands shook a little but she stood her ground. There's no stopping her now. Tsukki stared blankly at her for a bit, but then he flushed, staring down at the ground.

"I-"

"No, I don't want that 'I'm fine' crap! Tsukki tell me!" Yachi whined, pouting her lips. Tsukishima blushed harder, he covered his warm face. "You have been staring and daydreaming like you're thinking about someone... and. And I'm not stupid whenever our hands touch... Or our shoulders bump... or when we're too close at the train home... Your short responses like you could lose control if you say anything more to me... and a-and when you look at me like you're analyzing me... what... is it Kei?" Her voice grew softer and softer until she was barely heard. But she knew he heard everything. She can't believe she just said all that... maybe she is dumb! Suddenly he laughed, a gentle and shy laugh. Nothing like she's seen before.

"You... You really know me." Was all he said to her, his gentle eyes landing on her, his smile that made her want to take a picture right then and there. The way his soft words spoke and just how much a single movement from him could already make her heart beat faster than it already is.

Right... Yachi Hitoka wasn't that dense, in fact, she was a genius reading the taller male, it was like her mind connected to his. She wasn't stupid but she also wasn't the type to assume unless he said it to her straight. Her mind finally clicked. Her confusion of reading him these past few weeks had suddenly gotten so clear... so so clear.

So when his eyes turned from the soft and gentle stare to a deeper and yearning stare right at her, she couldn't help the snort. She knew him the best after all. She already knew what he wanted, by the way, his eyes fixed at her lips, and him leaning down to her. She fought the urge to roll her eyes teasingly.

"Hey, Kei-chan." She said, teasing him further. He glanced back at her eyes, they were centimeters apart. "You know I won't just assume unless you tell me, you know?" She wanted to tease him, but her smile disappeared when she felt his lips right on hers. It was so gentle like he was making sure not to break her, but it was enough to mess her up. As quickly it started, he pulled away, smiling.

"I'm sorry. I'd rather do than say." Tsukishima said. She knew he was never the one with words, but he wouldn't just suddenly kiss you right out in public too. She blushed hard, her tease backfired. He grinned, grabbing her hand and pulled her along.

"Let's go home and cook dinner. I want your curry rice again..." He said it so casually, she bit her lips, trying not to smile. For someone who always needed a straight answer, Tsukishima was a ball of mystery just thrown at her when she least expected it, she didn't need to hear his words because he expresses it better in his actions. Maybe it's okay to just take a risk sometimes.

"Tsukki~" She called out, he turned to her. With a light pull of his hands, she planted a soft kiss on his lips. She smiled, it was her turn to make him blush. She giggled and saw the man's blushing mess.

"Let's go home!" She said. He fixed himself and nodded. They walked hand in hand, in a silence that was like a conversation to them.

Yeah, they didn't need words to say their love.