He never quite understood your love for flowers. They were just as meaningless to him as most things in the world. Quite similar to humans, flowers are born from a seed and continue to grow until their day of passing. To Tsukishima, there was nothing about them that was worth adoring.

"Look how beautiful they are, Kei!" you would exclaim as the two of you would walk past the local flower shop on your way back from school.

"Uh huh," was his typical reply as he would keep on walking by, not even bothering to give the shop a second glance.

"Can we go inside today?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

That heavy puff of air would be released from your lungs in a sign of annoyance as you crossed your arms. Just because you were dating him didn't mean you loved everything about him, especially not his carefree attitude that nearly drove you crazy. "Fine. Then I'll just go in by myself."

He would roll his eyes at your stubbornness but nevertheless, follow you in any way. Despite his dislike for flowers, what he did enjoy seeing was the overjoyed expression that would appear on your face when you walked past the various rows of vibrant plants. Nothing brought a smile to your face quicker than seeing the beautiful, iridescent colors.

"Welcome back," the usual clerk would say as she tended to the shop, recognizing you instantly. You always made it your routine to stop in the shop once a day, occasionally buying a few flowers for yourself.

Like every other day, you would wave back at the clerk as Tsukishima put his headphones on. It's what he would usually do to keep himself busy since you insisted so much to look over every inch of the small shop. The clerk couldn't stop her eyes from following you as you walked around. She admired your dedication to regularly check back in to see what new plants had arrived. It wasn't something many people did and it's what made you special.

"You know," the clerk said, "I see you here quite often buying flowers. Pick out any flower you want and it'll be on the house."

Your smile grew impossibly wider in delight. "Oh, thank you!"

As happy as you were from the offer, picking out just a single flower proved to be a difficult feat for you. They were all far too beautiful for you to choose a favorite. Moving over to Tsukishima, you pulled off his headphones, earning an annoyed glare from the blonde-haired man.

"I need help picking out a flower, Kei," you whined, wrapping your arms around his neck.

"Just grab a rose or something," he muttered. He leaned over you and grabbed the red rose from the container. You scowled at the flower in hand.

"Roses are so basic. Pick something else!"

He rolled his eyes at your antics but obliged anyway. Skimming his eyes across the rows of flowers before him, he didn't stop looking before his eyes landed upon a specific flower. Removing your arms from him, he made his way over to the flower and pulled it out from the container. You watched him curiously as he handed the yellow tulip to you.

"Interesting choice," the clerk commented. "While red tulips symbolize undying love and adoration for your significant other, yellow tulips represent a bitter-sweet love; an odd, yet special love. It's a love you feel that you can't explain with mere words; it's a romance lacking any logic, yet you love them anyway."

You beamed at Tsukishima who, for the first time since entering the shop, smirked. "That sounds about right."

You shoved him playfully after hearing his words and he embraced you into a hug. It was a rare show of affection for him and you cherished every second of it.

Even to this day, Tsukishima still finds himself thinking back to that day; thinking back to how happy you looked.

* * *

Tsukishima refused to give you flowers no matter what special occasion it was. That yellow tulip was the only flower he had ever given you and you always kept it with you. You did your best to keep it alive but eventually, like all flowers, it wilted. You didn't dare to discard the dead flower, though. No, you preserved what you could of it. That single flower reminded you of a day you spend with Tsukishima that you never wanted to forget.

It was only on the day of your two-year anniversary that he finally gave in. Normally on a special occasion such as that one, he would shower you with kisses and cuddles to make up for the lack of affection in normal circumstances. This time, he wanted to make the day as special for you as he possibly could. He absolutely despised flowers, but he was willing to do whatever it took to make you happy starting with going to that flower shop you adored.

The same clerk came out the second she heard the bell above the door ring and smiled when she recognized him, his expression as unreadable as ever. He obviously looked out of place as he walked past each row of flowers.

"Do you need some help?" the clerk asked as she walked out from behind the counter.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked away, refusing to look her in the eye. "Yeah," he mumbled.

"Is it for that girlfriend of yours?" she inquired, earning a nod as a response. "How has she been? Is she still sick?"

"No."

Realizing that she wasn't going to get much else out of him, she changed the subject. "Well, what's the special occasion? And do you have anything in mind?"

"Anniversary and just do whatever you think would look nice."

Without saying anything more, he put his headphones on the clerk went to work in the back, already knowing exactly what bouquet she should make. It was much different than most bouquets she made, but it was fitting for this certain couple.

Before long, Tsukishima removed his headphones when he noticed the clerk walking toward him holding the bouquet made up of red and yellow tulips as well as a few baby's breath stems. He couldn't help but smile when he saw it, remembering the day he picked out the yellow tulip for you and how overjoyed you looked.

"The red and yellow tulips together offer a great message. Despite how your love for her may have no logic behind it, it's still as strong as any other love and it has no limits."

He gave her his thanks and handed her the money owed before exiting the shop. The message conveyed in the bouquet was stronger than any words he could possibly give to you. He could only hope you liked his small present to you.

* * *

He didn't know why, but he was nervous as he approached you. Never before did he find himself this nervous, not even before a game. He always managed to maintain a calm demeanor even under the most strenuous situations. Despite that, he still found his hands shaking against his will as he gripped the bouquet tightly.

"Happy anniversary, [name]," he said. "Hope you like the flowers. It was almost painful to be in that shop so you better feel lucky that I love you."

He chuckled to himself and tears pooled in the corner of his eyes. Normally, he would swipe them away. He wouldn't dare cry in front of someone, especially not you. But now, he didn't have the strength to hide his emotions.

"Normally, we would just be curled up together on my bed and I'd be kissing you. If only we could go back to that. I wouldn't have to get these damn flowers."

There was no response from you - not that he was expecting anything different. He felt his chest tighten and he knew he couldn't be near you much longer. The pain he's been trying so hard to conceal was rising. The last thing he needed was more looks of pity from his teammates.

With a single tear rolling down his cheek, he leaned down and placed the bouquet of flowers right on top of the wilted tulip that was once yellow.

Everyone who walked past your grave would see that his unlogical love for you would forever be undying.