Chapter Text
“The dead cannot be brought back to life under any circumstances, this is an irrevocable fact. And due to angels being the afterlife of humans, angels cannot be returned to their human state.”
Akaashi, Kuroo and Oikawa listened intently as Kenma boredly deadpanned his plan, his attention remaining on his PSP.
“Then what exactly is your plan?” Kuroo asked from the kitchen.
Kenma sighed, sparing the senior angel a single glance before turning back to his game. “The reason that angels cannot stay on earth is the repetition of death. Simply stop the repetition and angels can stay on earth for as long as they please.”
Akaashi gave him an unsure look. “I died of a heart attack. How do you prevent the heart attack from repeating?”
“Modern medicine is great.” Kenma shrugged.
Oikawa groaned, draping himself across the couch. “I thought it would be... more... dramatic!”
“I would also suggest strengthening your connection to the human world.” Kenma said offhandedly.
“What exactly would that entail?” Akaashi asked.
“Learning about your life as a human.”
The room grew silent.
“That’s...” Oikawa trailed off. “Dangerous.”
“You only believe that because it’s what you’ve been taught to believe.” Kenma said simply. He spared a glance up from his PSP. “It will work.”
“This is great!” Kuroo said, clapping his hands together. “We already have a place to start!”
Akaashi gave him a confused look. “And what exactly would that be?”
“Your natural athletic ability.” Kuroo shrugged. “We can start with high school and university level sports teams in the country.”
“That’s actually not a bad idea, Tetsu-chan!” Oikawa mused from the couch. “Except... there are thousands of sports teams in Japan. Where are we supposed to look?”
“We could start with volleyball.” Akaashi suggested, sitting on the armrest of the couch.
Kenma made a nod of acknowledgement. “Oikawa, Kuroo, go get this from the pharmacy.”
Kuroo lunged forward to grab the piece of paper from Kenma, stepping back to read it. “What will this do?”
“Stabilize my heart, I assume?” Akaashi asked.
Kenma simply nodded, attention still on his game. “Akaashi and I will do our research while you’re out.”
***
“You look antsy as hell.”
Bokuto looked up from the bench in the locker room to see Konoha standing above him, a lazy smirk on his face. “Huh?”
“You’ve been in this weird funk ever since that Akaashi guy took off.” The blond sighed, leaning against the lockers. “Were you really that whipped?”
“Wha?” Bokuto exclaimed, his cheeks heating up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“I thought he was just a pretty face and a nice hole to fill.” Konoha shrugged. “But you see more in him.”
Bokuto’s eyes lit up to a deadly fire. “Of course I do! He’s so much more than... that!”
“Woah, man. Just kidding.” Konoha defending, raising his hands in surrender. “I was right. You are antsy.”
Bokuto groaned, running a hand through his hair. “I can’t help it! Akaashi’s going through a really tough time and I can’t do anything about it!”
“Maybe you just need to get laid.” Konoha snickered.
“That’s not it!” Bokuto bellowed. “Someone I care about is going through something hard and... I can’t help him...”
“I know you like him, but it’s not like there’s anything you can do, whatever the case is.”
“It feels wrong...” Bokuto admitted. “That I can’t protect him right now.”
“You trust too easily. How do you know he won’t take advantage of you?”
“He would never take advantage of me.” Bokuto looked up at his friend, a bittersweet expression on his face. “He protects me too.”
***
“This is ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. What are we supposed to do if we get arrested? We’ll probably die if they confiscate the weird juice thing...”
“Oikawa, shut up.”
“I’m raising valid points!”
It was long after business hours in the certain university building Oikawa, Kuroo, Akaashi, and Kenma had broken into. They were currently sneaking through the halls, Akaashi in the lead, eyes peeled for the headmaster’s office.
“We’ll be fine.” Akaashi hissed.
The research Kenma and Akaashi had come across had led to this university. It was the only one in Tokyo with an ‘Akaashi Keiji’ on the volleyball team from twenty years prior.
“You didn’t have to come.” Kuroo whispered to the brunette. “It would have been easier without your whining.”
“Rude, Tetsu-chan!”
It was then that the sound of footsteps echoed through the hallway. Oikawa’s eyes widened in fear as Kuroo quickly opened a random door, pulling his three accomplices in with him.
Kuroo quickly turned the lights on, surveying the room. A small, single bathroom.
“This is certainly a setback.” Akaashi scowled.
Kuroo sighed, sliding down to sit on the floor. “We’ll probably be stuck in here for a while if security is still on patrol.”
Kenma crawled up onto the bathroom counter, next to the sink, pulling out his PSP.
“Is now really the time for games, Kenma-chan?” Oikawa whined, pacing in the small area.
Kenma simply ignored him.
Akaashi put his ear to the door, listening for the heavy footsteps of the school’s security guards. “He has the right idea. We’re stuck.”
Oikawa just groaned, continuing to pace. The brunette suddenly stopped, giving Akaashi and Kuroo a horrified look.
“Guys...” Oikawa began. “We’re in a bathroom...”
Kuroo nodded sarcastically. “Yes, yes we are. Fantastic perceptional skills, Oikawa. Way to go.”
Oikawa pouted. “I have to pee.”
Kuroo grimaced. “Just hold it.”
“I don’t think I can...” Oikawa shook his head.”
“Well, you’ll have to try.”
Kenma turned the faucet on.
“Kenma you little shit...”
After a few minutes, the guards had passed, and Akaashi had heard only silence on the other side of the door. He peeked out, scanning the halls quickly, before indicating that it was safe to exit the bathroom.
The snuck down the hall, wasting no time in finding the headmaster’s office. Akaashi picked the lock, opening the door to the small room.
Kenma, Kuroo, and Akaashi immediately went to work sorting through various files and old newspapers as Oikawa explored the office. It only took a few minutes for the brunette to grow bored of the dusty knick knacks and join Kuroo in searching through newpapers.
“Akaashi Keiji. Twenty years old. Vice captain and setter of the volleyball team. Honors student. Died of a heart attack.”
Oikawa and Akaashi peeked over Kuroo’s shoulders as the black haired angel read off the old university newspaper.
“This is over twenty years old...” Oikawa noted. “Will this be enough to tie him to earth?” He asked, turning to Kenma.
“Not quite.” Kenma responded, laid out on the floor surrounded by files.
Kuroo sighed, leaning back in the chair of the headmaster’s office. “What else do we need to find?”
Kenma rolled over, his eyes roaming over the ceiling. “I think it would be a good idea for him to visit his grave.”
“That’s kind of barbaric, Kenma-chan...” Oikawa grimaced, leaning against the wall. “To have to visit.. Himself?”
“It makes sense.” Akaashi responded. “That would strengthen the tie.”
“How do we know...” Kuroo mumbled, looking up from the newspaper. “Where he’s... buried.”
Akaashi stood up. “It’s simple. We just take a look around.”
“You want us to look around a cemetery in the middle of the night?” Oikawa asked.
Kuroo shrugged. “I’m down for it.”
“Then it’s settled.” Akaashi said standing up.
Oikawa groaned, walking over to the door. “This seems like a bad idea...”
***
For an angel, the concept of death was tricky. Depending on how a human lived their life, they either ended up as an angel, or a demon. They called the demon side, ‘the path of corruption’.
The purpose of guardian angels altogether was to keep humans from beginning on the path of corruption. One downside to being an angel on earth was being able to tell where each human went after death.
Kenma, Kuroo, and Akaashi had all experienced earth before, the corrupted spirits in the cemetery not bothering them as they searched.
However, Oikawa had never felt such a heavy, dark aura as he currently did.
After just a couple minutes of searching, the heaviness in his heart began to affect his health.
“Oikawa, you alright?” Kuroo called from a couple rows down.
Akaashi raised a hand in dismissal, leaning against a tree with his other. “I’m fine.”
Kuroo jogged over to him, a worried expression on his face. “It’s a lot to take in for the first time.”
Oikawa took a few deep breaths, looking up at Kuroo. “Are we doing the right thing?”
“What do you mean?” Kuroo asked.
The brunette sent a sad gaze to the hundreds of headstones in the cemetery. “There’s... there’s so much darkness here.” He choked out. “Earth is a terrible place.”
“I think you’ve got the wrong idea.” Kuroo chuckled, lifting his co workers arm and slinging it around his own neck. “Earth is beautiful.”
“Beautiful? How is this beautiful?” Oikawa asked, limping along with the taller male.
“Human beings.” Kuroo answered simply.
“They’re filled with bad intentions.” Oikawa muttered.
Kuroo knocked him on the head lightly. “Think about it. What is Akaashi doing right now?”
“Trying to return to earth...”
“But why?”
Oikawa gave him a questioning look. “Because he fell in love with a human?”
“Exactly.” Kuroo nodded, walking down the aisles the headstones yet again. “He’s doing this for love.”
“I still don’t see what you’re trying to say, Tetsu-chan.” Oikawa scoffed lightly.
“Kuroo-san! Oikawa-san!”
The two looked over to where Akaashi was waving at them, Kenma by his side.
“Did you find it?” Kuroo called.
Akaashi nodded, beckoning them over.
“I guess we’ll have to save the philosophy for another time.” Kuroo snickered, dragging Oikawa in Akaashi’s direction.
Oikawa just hugged, limping along.
“I don’t feel any different.” Akaashi noted as the two approached.
“That’s to be expected.” Kenma said quietly. “After all, you’re only strengthening your bond to earth.”
“Is that all, then?” Oikawa asked. “He’s just... able to live on earth now?”
Akaashi gazed down at the headstone with his own name carved into it.
“I’d say it’s strong enough for now.” Kenma mumbled. “He’ll have to spend some time researching and take good care of his heart though...”
“It’s not over.” Akaashi stated cooly. “But it’s begun.”
“You’re going through all this for Bokuto.” Kuroo mused, releasing Oikawa.
Akaashi nodded, looking up from his own headstone. “He’s certainly unique. When do you all plan on returning?”
“I’d like to get out of here as soon as possible.” Oikawa noted, leaning on Kuroo.
“Then this is where I say farewell.”
Akaashi looked up to his four co workers, a hint of sadness in his dark eyes.
“Wait, Aka-chan...” Oikawa gasped.
Kuroo sent the shorter male a bittersweet look. “We’ll never meet again, will we.”
“We will not.” Akaashi confirmed.
Oikawa tilted his head to the side in confusion. “Why? Once Bokuto passes on, Akaashi will return, won’t he?”
“That’s not how it works.” Kuroo hissed.
Akaashi changed his gaze from his friends to the night sky. “I should probably get going. I want to see him.”
He held his hand out to Kuroo, taken aback when the taller angel pulled him into a hug. Oikawa joined in as well, pulling Kenma with him.
“I’m going to miss your smartass comments.” Kuroo cried.
“Oh, that’s rich, coming from you.” Oikawa teased.
Akaashi pulled out of the hug, giving his friends one last look. “Thank you. Thank you for helping me.”
“Of course.” Kuroo saluted. “That’s what you do for your friends.”
The three took the potions and returned to heaven on the spot, Akaashi watching as they disappeared one by one. He stayed in the cemetary for a few minutes, simply pondering his current situation.
Until his feet began to lead him. He knew exactly where he was going, in both mind and body.
Which meant it wasn’t long until he ended up at Bokuto’s front door, out of breath, and thoughts buzzing through his head at miles a minute.
He frantically knocked at the door, barely able to contain his emotions as he heard the footsteps on the other side. The sound of the door unlocking seemed to move in slow motion, echoing through his skull and vibrating through his body.
He didn’t even have a chance to think once the door opened, strong, warm arms immediately embracing him. He wrapped his own arms around the figure, his shaking body seeming to calm down.
“Akaashi...” Bokuto cried out.
“I can stay.”
***
“I’m in trouble, aren’t I.”
Oikawa sat in the chair in Suga’s office, the angel in question right behind his desk.
“Of course you’re in trouble for breaking into my office without permission.” Suga said, leaning back in his office chair. “But that’s not why I called you here.”
“Why then?” Oikawa asked.
Suga chuckled lightly, fingers drumming absentmindedly on his desk. “Do you think Akaashi-kun is foolish for the decision he made? In going to earth?”
Oikawa thought for a second, leaning back in his chair. “Frankly, yes. I do.”
“And why is that?”
“He’s an angel.” The brunette stated simply. “He’s not supposed to live on earth.”
“Yet you helped him commit a sin.” Suga countered. “And why is that?”
Oikawa shifted nervously in his seat. “I.. don’t really know.”
“You know, but you won’t admit it to yourself.” Suga teased. “Akaashi was once an angel. He chose earth over heaven. He is now, a fallen angel.”
“That’s a sin.” Oikawa pointed out. “It’s envy.”
“You don’t understand the code we live by.” Suga rebutted, leaning forward over his desk. “You don’t understand the teachings.”
Oikawa gave him a confused look.
“Love is not a sin. And pure, untainted love is most definitely not a sin. Akaashi-kun may not return to heaven, but what he did isn’t wrong.”
“All sin is wrong.”
“To err is to be human.” Suga quoted. “And humanity is something we all long for.”
“So you’re excusing his actions?” Oikawa asked.
“Not quite.” Suga mused. “But I can’t say that I would have done differently, if put in his position.”
“Suga-chan, what are you trying to say?” Oikawa asked.
“Humans are full of love. And any sin committed in pure, caring, selfless love, is not wrong. It’s as simple as that.”
***
Akaashi woke up to an empty apartment.
He still hadn’t quite gotten used to living on earth, and he was still settling in with Bokuto. However, his time on earth was certainly pleasant.
He rolled out of Bokuto’s bed, where the older boy insisted he sleep as he took the couch, making his way to the small kitchen. The strong scent of coffee filled the small space, a mug already prepared for Akaashi’s arrival.
As he poured the bitter drink into the mug, the door burst open. Bokuto fell into the apartment, his arms filled with plastic shopping bags.
“Bokuto-san...” Akaashi sighed, walking over to the human.
Bokuto gave him a sheepish look, placing the bags on the table. “Sorry, Akaashi...”
“What are these all for?” Akaashi asked, taking a sip of his coffee.
Bokuto’s eyes lit up in excitement as he pulled a box out of one of the bags. “I was going to make you breakfast!”
“Really?” Akaashi asked, surveying the bags. “What’s the occasion?”
“You’ve been living with me for a week!” Bokuto exclaimed, dropping the box of pancake mix and pulling Akaashi into a hug.
The angel struggled to balance the coffee and the large man hanging off of him. “Bokuto-san, it’s only been a week.”
“A week is a long time!” Bokuto gasped, pulling away. “That’s... seven whole days! Seven whole nights under the same roof!”
Akaashi held in a small chuckle at the boy’s antics. “Will you be preparing breakfast for me for every seven days I stay with you?”
“Of course!” Bokuto said, looking awfully proud of himself. “You being here is always something to celebrate!”
“And why is that?”
Bokuto rubbed the back of his neck, a small blush forming on his cheeks. “Well... you already know....”
“I will always protect you, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi said, in a more serious tone. “I will always care about you. I want to stay here for a while more.”
“I’d like that!” Bokuto said.
Akaashi set his cup down, wrapping his arms around Bokuto yet again. “I promise, I’ll always be here for you. You’ll always have someone to return to.”
“That... means a lot, Akaashi...”
Akaashi looked up at wide golden eyes.
“I promise, I’ll never let you fall.”