#tendou fluff

“Oh, is there space between you and Wakatoshi? Hmm?” He leans in.

“Sure,” you squeak, tucking yourself further into the corner.

Tendou slides into the open space, throwing his legs over Ushijima’s without a care. You’re a little jealous, to be honest. Not that you want to cuddle with Ushijima. You’d just love to be as careless as he is. Or the other girls that got invited.

Ran, for example, just sat on Goshiki’s lap the moment she came in and if that’s not confidence, you don’t know what is.

-

“Pspsps,” Tendou whispers just five minutes after the movie starts. 

You already know it’s going to be some bad horror movie.

“What?” You ask, heart hammering in your throat. “Do you need something? Oh shit, am I in your space?”

“No,” he smiles wide. “You’re just fidgeting a lot. Are you okay?  Are you scared? You can hold my hand if you want.”

You swallow thickly, eyes flickering from his face to the screen where a couple of girls just decided to leave their broken-down car on a dark, deserted street in the woods.

“Can I?” You ask back. “I… I kinda need to do something with my hands.”

And then, to your utter horror, your eyes flick up to his hair. It’s long and red and looks extremely soft, even in the barely there light. It’s the first thing you notice every time you two cross paths and maybe it’s the darkness or the lack of space, but your mouth just opens on its own.

“Can I play with your hair?”

Tendou’s eyes open wide and you wish you could suck those words back into your mouth and make sure they’re never heard.

“Sure,” he croaks out then, which in turn elicits a round of shushing from the other people but Tendou just settles further down into the bed, resting his head on your lap. 

His eyes are open and on you, asking you if this is okay just as much as you hope it is.

The moment your hands are in his hair you know you’re done for. It truly is as soft as it looks.

The movie is soon forgotten as you part strands and braid little braids, rub soft circles into his skin, or scratch faintly at his scalp.

About halfway through the movie, you look down to find Tendou fast asleep, his face nuzzled into your thighs. 

You let him sleep, your hands now a little less restless, just patting his head like one does with a napping kitten.

- - -

“Hey!” You almost flinch back at the loud greeting. Tendou waves at you from the other end of the hallway, coming closer much too fast. “How are you? Sorry, I fell asleep last time.”

“It’s uh… it’s no problem.” You glare at your feet, unable to look him in the face.

“Are you sure? You’ve got really talented hands there-” Your head shoots up to catch his smile, surprised that it’s gentle and shy, not bold and boisterous as usual.

“You sure?”

“Absolutely. It takes a while to put me to sleep, usually. You can ask Wakatoshi.”

You don’t think he meant the last part literally, but Ushijima’s deep voice still rings out, half a step behind him.

“I can confirm.”

“Oh, well, I… you have really nice hair.” What a weird compliment.

But Tendou blushes a soft red, now the one taking turns glaring at his shoes until Ushijima nudges him in an uncharacteristic show of support.

“Oh, right. We’re uh… doing another movie night. Just our dorm, though, not the whole team. Thought you might want to come.”

“Another horror movie?”

Tendou’s eyes open wide. “No, yes, I mean. What do you want to watch?”

“Tendou wants me to watch the Classics,” Ushijima interrupts before you can figure out a movie that makes you sound cool. “He said I need to see ‘The Land Before Time’.”

“Ouch,” you pull a face. “I mean I’m in, but we’ll need tissues.”

Ushijima seems surprised by that revelation, turning to Tendou as if to confirm you’re right.

“I told you that it will make you feel things,” Tendou defends himself, looking at you for help. 

“Lots of things,” you agree. 

“So you’re coming? It’s tonight, right after we get done with homework, so we don’t get to sleep too late.”

“I’m in.”

“Great, it’s a date.” Tendou grins, blushing all the same. 

You just hope you’re not as easy to read as he is.

- - -

“Where’s Tendou-Senpai?” Goshiki asks from the door of the study room.

“Sleeping,” Ushijima explains just as you put a finger on your lips to keep the First-Year from waking your boyfriend.

It’s not the most comfortable way to nap, but Satori’s managed to stretch out over a few chairs, his head in your lap. 

And even though he claimed it was to help with your ever-present need to fidget, you know it’s just a ruse to hide that he hasn’t been sleeping well lately. It probably has to do with the fact that you’re both waiting for your acceptance letters, the one thing deciding if your relationship will have to go long distance or not.

“Oh, sorry. Takai-Sensei asked for him. I’m supposed to bring him back with me.”

You sigh. “And here I thought he could finally take a nap.” 

Gently, you rub your thumb across his chin, up his cheek, and his temple. It’s more of a massage than a caress and it doesn’t take long for Satori to grumble and whine.

“Sorry,” you whisper down at him. “Takai-Sensei asked for you.”

“Five more minutes?”

“Not now, but you can lay down as soon as you’re back, okay? Extra head scratches for you too.”

“Fine,” he huffs, dragging himself up just to rest his head on your shoulder for a moment, breathing against your neck. “You’re lucky you’re the sugar plum fairy of women.”

“I’ll take that compliment,” you laugh, kissing him back when he leans in for a peck.

- - -

The flight to Paris is long and the leg room basically non-existent.

If you had the money for more expensive seats, you’d have splurged, just to make sure Satori could stretch his legs.  

“It’s fine,” he tells you for the fifth time, bending in a way that doesn’t seem humanly possible. “You will just have to head-scratch me into oblivion for the whole flight.”

You huff, exaggerating your exasperation.

“Why do always I have to do the head-scratching? I know I’m a fidgety mess, but you could return the favor once in a while.”

“Can I?” Satori asks, more hope in his voice than you thought possible.

“Eh, sure, I…” You blink, a little surprised. “I didn’t know you wanted to.”

“Yeah, because I didn’t want to mess up your pretty hair. And I don’t know if I can do it as well as you do. But I trained with Ushijima, so I can give pretty good shoulder rubs now.”

“Oh, so you trained?” You ask, raising your eyebrows at him.

“Like I’d risk a chance to hurt you, sweet pea of the fair seas.”

The very first apartment you and Tendō got was rented, not bought like Younger You had naively assumed. It was small and cramped, with only one window having a nice view—the only other one had a view of the parking lot and a big towering building in front of it. Sunlight was scarce and the rooms were cold, which, you had to admit, was a good thing in the summer. And if Younger You had known that, on top of that, you spent most of your days at work or studying instead of kissing and cuddling your boyfriend, she would be deeply disappointed with adult life. As you were, too.

In spite of the long working hours both of you had, in spite of how little time you actually spent awake with each other, you were happy with having started a life with the love of your life.

It was in the little things, the little moments, in which you found a sense of domesticity, of joy.

Out of all of those moments, showers were your favorite. When you were together in the shower, you could pause time outside of your little bathroom and simply be with Tendō. All cares and worries pushed aside. All responsibilities on hold. It was a time of peace and intimacy, the kind that was all sweetness and solace. It was during your showers that you told each other about your day, shared your hopes, or basked in the quiet company.

No matter who got home first or how hot the day was, showers were a sacred ritual that were only shared, never taken alone. Sometimes he had to wait hours for you to arrive, but it never really mattered to him. As soon as you got home he would take you in his arms and bring you with him to the bathroom, peppering kisses all over you.

“I’m so tired,” he mumbled against the shell of your ear as he carefully undid the buttons on your shirt. His long fingers traced your body tenderly as he undressed you. Soft kisses made their way through your skin. Tendō rambled about his day as you returned the favor.

You got into the shower after him. Waited patiently as water rained on him. You massaged his back in the meantime, pressing away the stress of his day. 

And then Tendō forced you underneath the cold shower. A loud yelp left your lips as your skin was met with freezing temperature. Your boyfriend laughed as he fought back your angry, yet playful, punches.

“I hate you.”

“You love me.” He teased you, blowing kisses at you.

Once you relaxed, the cold water alleviated the heat emanating from your skin. Along with it, Tendō’s hands soothed the tension in your limbs. He massaged your back and shoulders carefully, lathered soap on you before letting you do the same for him. 

You sighed satisfied and allowed yourself to rest your weight against his chest. His arms wrapped around you and he rested his chin on your head. You felt the rumble in his chest before you heard his humming. Soft and sweet, the melody of your favorite song slowly made its way through the quietude. Turning to kiss his cheek, you joined him in the melody.

If Younger You could feel the love and warmth you felt at that moment, she would realize that it was all worth it– all the hours working, all that time apart– to be able to come home to this sweet piece of heaven.

Your own personal paradise.

He grins at you from across the table, as you savor the taste. 

Chocolates from him are always an experience. He likes to keep you on your toes and writes hidden messages in a language only the two of you understand. 

Your first clue is usually the packaging. Three round chocolates sit on a pristine white plate. The plate is from your shared apartment which means he made the chocolates at home. This means that this isn’t the type of taste testing you were expecting when he interrupted your work.

Your sculpture sits on the table behind you, a thick cloth hiding it from him. You know he’s probably taken a peak already, but it’s about the principle and your principle is to keep him on his toes as much as possible too.

Satori is beaming at you. He didn’t tell you which chocolate to try first - which is your second hint. But you don’t have time to think about that when the outer layer of chocolate melts away and a truly unexpected flavor hits your tongue.

You gag.

Satori’s hunched over in his seat, cackling at the face your making as you’re looking for your water bottle, a forgotten cup of coffee, anything to wash away that taste.

“Why did- What was that?” You rinse out your mouth but the taste stays. You take a breath and glare at your husband.

“Why did you put a pickle in a chocolate?”

He’s beaming at you. “Don’t pregnant women love that?”

There’s a quiet gasp and you realize it’s coming from you. 

“How did you find out-” You freeze as you realize that he’s got you - again.

“Satori!” You whine. “I was trying to surprise you!”

“Yeah?” His hand reaches out, his long fingers touching the side of your mouth to wipe away a stray droplet of water. “First, I am the guess monster after all. You haven’t had period cravings in far too long. And second, you shouldn’t forget that I take out the trash too. I saw your positive pregnancy test.”

“You could have just talked to me.” 

“Aww and pass over the chance to make you some delicious chocolate?” He doesn’t wait for your reaction, instead pushing the plate closer to you. “Try the next one.”

“Do I have to?”

He doesn’t answer you. At least not with words. But you can read in the way he slouches over the table, seemingly bored but his eyes are watching your every move. You can read it in the way his smile is a lot smaller now, the quiet and soft one he’s reserved just for you.

So you take the second chocolate and pop it into your mouth. This time you bite the outer shell, prepared for the same acidity as before. Instead, there’s the distinct taste of caramel and apple. You blink in surprise. Then it hits you.

“You did it?” There’s wonder in your voice and all the history you have with this man. 

Because back when you’d shared a Candy Apple on your first date, he’d promised to one day make your favorite sweet into a chocolate - your second favorite sweet.

And today he’s finally made it. A treat that means so much more. It’s fulfilling a promise, bringing back sweet memories in the face of an even sweeter future.

It doesn’t matter that there’s still the faint taste of dill pickle and chocolate left in your mouth as you kiss him. The sculpture behind you - you’re attempt at surprising him with your news - is just as forgotten as the third chocolate on the plate. It might be something disgusting or something sweet. But as he kisses you back you know that it can wait.

You’ve got all the time in the world together.