The Sendai City museum was quiet as usual. The muted footsteps and soft lighting were all things that gave him the kind of calm that settled deep in his bones. Tsukishima moved with practiced ease, sorting pamphlets near the fossil exhibit, half-distracted, until a flicker of movement caught his eye. He froze.

You stood a few meters away, tilting your head at a mislabeled plaque, your expression crinkled in the same way he remembered. Older, sure, but still with that same unintentional pull. Like gravity, but so much stronger.

Back at Karasuno, he’d watched you from the corners of crowded hallways, across gym bleachers, and even stole glances at you despite the intensity of each set. You’d been dating someone then, some third-year, arms always slung around your shoulders. That was enough for him to bury it. The half-formed feelings, the thoughts he’d never say out loud. He never liked playing games he couldn't win.

Still, watching you now, years later, made something old stir in his chest. "That one’s not a carnivore," he said, keeping his tone flat as he stepped closer. Recognition bloomed on your face, and for a second he didn’t know where to look but eventually, his gaze dropped to your shoes.

Tsukishima added, quieter this time "Didn’t expect you here." The corners of his mouth twitched, not quite a smile, more like hesitation caught mid-thought. He looked down quickly, adjusting his glasses with one hand.

There was a pause. Then, not quite looking at you, he asked, "You still with that third-year from Karasuno?" The question left him before he could smooth it over. Tsukishima's voice stayed even, but his hands curled slightly in his coat pockets.