Chapter Text
The one where Tsukishima causes the misunderstanding
In retrospect, Akaashi should have known better. Tsukishima is a good freshman despite his salty personality. And he seems smart enough. He should have no worries if he confides with him about something that is somewhat connected to Science.
But he still should have some reservations instead of just blindly agreeing. Because Tsukishima is a nice person despite everything—except that, he’s still Tsukishima Kei.
So, maybe, years later when it all clears, he would look back to this day and the days leading up to that moment and he would moan about his youthful foolishness.
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It is at the training camp when Akaashi began feeling insecure. It’s not anything about his volleyball skills or his physical aspects. It’s not even about his emotional stability or his mental peace. It’s just about his health.
Lately, there has been something going on with him that he finds strange. It’s not cancerous or a deadly virus, he thinks. He tried searching for it on the internet. He also tried asking his parents about it but they just both laughed and cooed at him, the audacity.
He wasn’t as concerned as he was back before. They happen fleetingly and irregularly. He still found himself with unbelievable concentration. He follows his routine without fail. He wasn’t as perturbed before because it doesn’t affect him much.
That was before his second year in high school.
The feeling only grew and grew until he has to double his effort to maintain the whole character he portrays. He couldn’t go around with sweaty hands, erratic heartbeats, and lightheadedness whenever he is in a particular situation or proximity of a particular person. That’s not him.
Akaashi Keiji cannot be easily swept by situations or a person into a behavior he cannot control even when he wants to. Except he is.
And, glaring at his captain across the gym, it only happens with him.
The first time it transpired, he could remember it clearly, was the day he was selected as vice-captain. He was swept into an embrace that is already very familiar and, since he was so used to it, he let himself be hugged, also overjoyed with seeing his effort be recognized.
“You’re the only person I know would be suitable for this, Akaashi.” Bokuto had said, a grin so bright splayed on his lips that Akaashi could have sworn he was blinded for a second, “I could not ask for anyone else.”
It wasn’t anything special. It was actually sudden. He blamed it on the hot weather and the aftereffects of the hellish training regimen Bokuto pulled on them. Because he felt dizzy then, his hands were clammy, and his heart has been doing an irregular pattern since Bokuto hugged him.
He dismissed it because he thought it was a one-time thing. He was wrong, as he sometimes seems to be with things concerning the unpredictability of Bokuto. Still, he ignored it because it wasn’t as important as training and studies and keeping Bokuto out of trouble.
He ignored it until it has become a leeching feeling that couldn’t be dismissed. Who would be able to ignore it anymore when it concerns his best friend? He shouldn’t be hostile to Bokuto. He does not mean harm for this to happen. He is also deeply unaware that it is taking place. He shouldn’t burden his ace about this. God knows what Bokuto will do if he learns this, the overdramatic idiot that he is.
So, he stews in his health problem in secret, something that had escalated even worse during the training camp. (Because Bokuto does not know what personal space is and Akaashi needs it if he doesn’t want to explode so Bokuto-san, please let me bathe in peace and please let me sleep alone in my futon.)
Akaashi worries his lips, eyes following the silhouette of Bokuto, aware that Kenma is looking at him weirdly because he is clutching at his chest like a sick person.
“Are you okay, Akaashi?” Kenma asks, tilting his head. Akaashi shakes his head in response, “I’m feeling unwell.”
“Unwell?” Kenma raises his brow, following Akaashi’s line of sight. His face relaxes with amusement when he catches the identity of the person Akaashi is staring at. Ah, Kuroo has explained this to him. He nods, playing along, “Then you should go rest.”
“I will. I just need for Bokuto-san to finish.” Akaashi says but he is rebutted by Kenma, his logic making sense to him that it persuaded him without being stubborn about it, “I think you need to go now if you want to breathe properly.”
It is only this time that he realizes the shortness of his breath. It could be alluded to his exhaustion from training but he has been resting for thirty minutes now. Akaashi nods and gets up.
He bids farewell to Kenma and Bokuto who whines at him, but he only explains that he’s too exhausted and hungry to wait. On his way out, he bumps to Tsukishima, the new addition to their training session.
He greets him before separating ways.
“Tsukki, do you think I should try this to increase my immunity to sickness?” He hears that freckled boy asks before he is out of earshot. Tsukishima replies, “No, Tadashi. Doing that will probably make you sicker. Too much vitamin D will cause you bone pain and kidney problems.”
Tsukishima’s voice is a bit condescending but Yamaguchi only laughs, complimenting Tsukishima’s vast knowledge. Akaashi pauses for a moment, he didn’t know that he will be well-verse with health-related issues.
He glances at the retreating figures of the tall blond and the forest-haired lad.
Maybe, he should…?
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He finds the opportunity to talk with Tsukishima on the fourth day of the training camp. Tsukishima has excused himself from practice after an hour and he had followed, repeating the freshman’s reason. He earned another whine from Bokuto but he only shrugs—hunger is a valid excuse to stop before he is completely depleted, he emphasized, his tone reminding Bokuto what happened when he was too hungry. The whimper he elicited is enough for him to take it as a go-sign.
Tsukishima is sitting with Yamaguchi at the leftmost table in the dining area. Without forgetting his manners, he asks if he could sit with them. Thankfully, Yamaguchi assured him even when the blond only raised his eyebrow at him.
He gets to have four spoonfuls before he finally presents his intention with a clear of his throat, “I need your help.”
“Me?” Tsukishima looks around, frowning when the older nods. He doesn’t want to be roped to another weird gathering. But when Yamaguchi nudges him slightly with his elbow, he sighs, “With what?”
“I think I’m sick.” Akaashi confesses. Tsukishima looks at him with the flattest expression, “Shouldn’t you go to a doctor for that?”
“My mother is a doctor and she says it was not a problem. But I think it is.” It’s a foolish statement and even Akaashi cringes when he hears his own voice. That is why he lets it slide when Tsukishima smiles patronizingly, “Your mother is a doctor who told you that it is not a problem but you still think you’re sick. Wow.”
“Listen, I know it sounds silly but I really think it’s a problem. My mother did not even examine me.” Akaashi frowns at the memory, “But I really do think I am sick. You see, I get lightheaded sometimes. I also experience shortness of breath. There’s a problem with the rate of my heartbeats too. They’re irregular, skipping a beat once in awhile.”
Tsukishima and Yamaguchi look at each other. It was Yamaguchi who broke the eye contact, turning to him with an unsure smile, “When do you experience this, Akaashi-san?”
“Whenever I am near Bokuto-san.” He says plainly. There’s a recognition settling on both their faces and Akaashi feels kind of relieve to see that they might have the answer to his problem.
Tsukishima smirks.
“Oh, that’s quite a problem you got there, Akaashi-san.” It was polite and one might think it’s nothing more than that. But politeness from Tsukishima comes with a price, Akaashi does not know that though.
“Yes, it is.” Akaashi agrees, glad that there is someone who understands. He sees Yamaguchi covers his face, his shoulders shaking. Akaashi raises his eyebrow at him but his attention returns to Tsukishima who has leaned on his hand, his smirk still present despite his courteous tone.
“And you’d been experiencing this for how long now?”
“Around the end of my freshman year?” He estimated and Tsukishima makes a small worried gasp, “That long? My, that’s not good.”
Akaashi sighs tiredly, “I know. Do you know what this is?”
“Yes, I do.” Tsukishima says with a serious look, “I’ve read all the symptoms for this sickness. You really don’t have to worry about this because it’s pretty mild. You don’t have a weak heart, right?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Then it’s okay. It’s just a simple case of arrhythmia.” Yamaguchi’s chuckles spill from his control and Tsukishima lets himself smile at the joke. However, Akaashi’s eyes have widen, his focus solely on the words that had left Tsukishima.
He knew it. He had done his research. And he had asked the school nurse what the symptoms for arrhythmia were. They all tied together. He clutches his chest, eyes staring at it.
After enough snickering, Tsukishima finally tries to mockingly clarify that he probably just has feelings for a certain captain. But when he looks at the other side of the table, it was already empty.
“Tsukki, oh no!” Yamaguchi says in alarm but Tsukishima shrugs, “I don’t think Akaashi-san is that much of an idiot to actually believe all that.”
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“Bokuto-san!” Akaashi pants when he finally found his captain. Bokuto turns to him with a smile, eyes adoring, and Akaashi feels that same irregular pattering in his chest. He bits his lips in worry.
Bokuto scrunches his brow when he sees Akaashi’s frown.
“What’s wrong?”
Without beating around the bush, he confesses his plight finally. Bokuto has quietly listened to him and he feels honestly lighter about it. But after a moment, Bokuto kneels down, fat tears running down his face.
“Akaashi!” He wails, “I’m so sorry for doing this to you! I’m the worst best friend ever. I did not know that I was doing all sort of things to you. I can’t believe you suffered because of me. I’m sorry.”
Akaashi blinks at the crying ace. His eyes soften at the spectacle, kneeling down as well and cradling the captain into a hug, he shushes, “It’s okay. It wasn’t intentional.”
“But if you only feel that way with me, should I never appear in front of you again?” Akaashi scrunches at the extreme idea and Bokuto wails louder, “I don’t want that! I don’t want to be separated from you! I want to be with you forever. Akaashi! What should we do?”
Every word is making his sickness worsen but Akaashi plows through, “I don’t want to do that either. I’ll be sure to take the necessary steps to cure this.”
They both stay that way, arms wrapped around one another in the middle of the pathway, Bokuto sniffling, and Akaashi reassuring that his sickness won’t ever separate them apart. It wasn’t until Hinata found them that they both try to untangle themselves, explaining to Hinata why they were hugging in the first place without spilling his sickness.
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Years later, Yamaguchi has to apologize for their behavior on that one fateful night during one of their training camps. Tsukishima has only rolled his eyes, muttering his obvious displeasure at being dragged to the drama.
How should he know that Akaashi could be so idiotic too?
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