Chapter Text
"Akaashi?"
Even though Akaashi hadn't heard that voice in two years, and hadn't been in Bokuto Koutarou's presence for four, he knew who had called for him even before he turned around. Even though his trademark black and white hair had been cut down to more subdued spikes and was in a more fashionable undercut, even though he was bundled up in a thick winter coat that hid his muscular physique, even though the way he had said Akaashi's name was at a lower volume than Akaashi had ever thought possible, it was still Bokuto-san. His trusted captain and ace during high school, one of his best friends, and the ex-boyfriend he had left behind when he had gotten a great job offer right out of college. Akaashi had never been one to put much stock in fate, believing that a person made their own luck and path in life, but there had been a time when Bokuto had almost made him think of such fanciful notions.
Of course their reunion would do the same, and of course it would be during one of the longest plane rides that Akaashi had ever been on, a sixteen hour flight from Los Angeles back to Narita Airport. The three hour layover in Hong Kong also suddenly loomed in his mind, and while he wanted to pretend like he hadn't heard Bokuto or was aware of him, he caught the seat number on Bokuto's ticket. Which was the one right next to him.
...Sometimes Akaashi wasn't sure if he had done something to warrant such coincidences in a past life or if his biting commentary was just that hilarious to some higher power.
"Bokuto-san." It felt a bit wrong to call him that after he'd called him Koutarou the last time he had seen him, but it was safer this way. He got up from his seat obligingly, letting Bokuto pass by him, trying not to note how his scent had changed. It used to be a clean linen scent mixed with sandalwood. Now it was something sharper, with hints of vanilla or lavender thrown in. It was sophisticated, something that even though Akaashi had admired and cared for Bokuto deeply, had never thought was synonymous with the other man. Four years is a long time to change Akaashi reminded himself, because he was sure that Bokuto was taking note of how different he looked. He had cut his hair shorter as well, a well tamed cut that only hinted to his wild curls, and he was sure his face was thinner than when they had last seen each other. It might be difficult to note anything else since Akaashi too, was bundled up against the elements, his scarf still tightly wound around his neck and covering the lower half of his face. Truthfully, Akaashi was a bit surprised Bokuto had recognized him at all.
"What are the odds?" Bokuto asked with a grin, that despite the time that had lapsed between them, was still the same. It was still the devil may care kind of grin that had always set Akaashi on edge or had set his heart racing. Now, it did a bit of both, and Akaashi offered up a polite smile in return, surprised by Bokuto's civility. They hadn't exactly parted on the best terms last time they had seen each other, but for all of Bokuto's weaknesses, holding grudges was never one of them. There had been more than one time that Akaashi had wished the other man would get angry, truly angry, but it had never really happened.
"Indeed. I didn't know you were even in the States." Akaashi said, taking his seat again, twisting his hands in his lap, far too conscious of how close they were. He would let Bokuto have the armrest, he decided, and he would do his best to stay stock still for most of the plane ride. He was used to sitting still for long periods of time, after all.
"Yeah! I was there for a match and a little sight seeing." Bokuto stated happily, pulling out his phone as if to show Akaashi pictures, when the intercom buzzed with the flight attendants starting their spiel about safety and turning all devices off. Bokuto shot Akaashi a small, sheepish look, one that Akaashi normally associated with Bokuto forgetting to do his homework or when he was being reminded to do a chore. He looked away, half fond and half exasperated.
After that, it seemed like the time window for any pleasantries they could have exchanged had closed, Bokuto almost immediately falling asleep against the window, his breathing soft and even. When he woke an hour later, he seemed more interested in watching a few of the in-flight movies than with speaking with Akaashi, which was fine with him. He had brought a bit of work with him on the plane to do, and though he finished it fairly quickly, he had also stashed two books into his carry-on to entertain himself with.
It wasn't until the fourth hour passed, and Bokuto had started jiggling his leg in a very familiar manner that they even spoke to each other. Bokuto took off his headphones, looking a bit apologetic and he managed to get out, "Bathroom-" before Akaashi was already moving. When he returned, instead of going right back to his movie like Akaashi had anticipated, he leaned back in his seat, shooting Akaashi a calculating look.
"It's kind of awkward right?" He asked, and couldn't help but be surprised that it had taken him this long to address the large, uncomfortable elephant between them. Had Bokuto finally learned tact, and who had taught him? Akaashi might owe him a drink. "I mean, yeah the last time we saw each other was even worse, but you're coming back home. I want us to be okay." He said it so sincerely, puppy dog eyes switched on for added effect. Akaashi was forced to remember how Bokuto had managed to talk him into more things than he dared recall.
"One one condition: we don't talk about our love lives, past or present." Akaashi said quickly, not sure why that condition was so important to him. He was sure Bokuto wasn't the type to compare himself to an ex to see who was 'winning' or who was 'losing' but Akaashi wasn't ready to admit to him he hadn't dated anyone seriously since him. He didn't really want to speak with it to anyone, if he could get away with it. Akaashi already knew as soon as he got back home his mother would set him up on a bunch of well-meaning blind dates that he would have to suffer through, and his friends had already alluded to setting him up with other singles. It felt too pathetic, and he wasn't looking forward to discussing his and Bokuto's past relationship. Even though an explanation was long past due. He had thought of reaching out several times these past years with an apology, but the time had never felt right and he had always managed to talk himself out of it beforehand. Perhaps he had been hoping he never would have to do so, but as with most things concerning Bokuto, his plans had been thrown in disarray.
"Deal, so long as we don't talk about last year's match with Brazil." Bokuto replied quickly, face pinching. Akaashi had to hide his smile, though it wasn't surprising that Bokuto was still smarting from such a terrible loss. He had followed his career every once and a while, and even now he could remember all the headlines about that match. Most of the newspapers had blamed Bokuto's sporadic performance in the first match as what had caused Japan to lose, but Akaashi had been a bit kinder ( and perhaps a bit more biased ) in his thoughts.
"Deal." Akaashi said, holding out his hand to shake on it like this was just another business transaction, a reflex he hadn't been aware he'd given into until Bokuto let out a laugh, joyous and loud. Before Akaashi could be embarrassed or explain, Bokuto shook his hand, his hand still just as warm and calloused and Akaashi remembered it. His lips quirked upwards despite his best efforts, and he let his hand fall back down to his lap, settling in comfortably. "Has your English gotten any better?" He asked, slightly teasing, wanting to have this conversation start on his own terms.
Predictably, Bokuto let out a little groan, tossing his head back unhappily.
"Why's that the first thing you ask?! Couldn't you have said something about how cool my hair looks now or how I haven't aged a day?" Bokuto complained, mock hurt, and just like that, it was like no time had lapsed between them at all.
"Your hair looks very nice Mr. Bokuto. You haven't aged a day." Akaashi told him in English, face as smooth and expressionless as ever, and it was worth it to see Bokuto put the back of his hand to his forehead dramatically. It was interesting to see how much of Oikawa Tooru's penchant for theatrics had rubbed off on Bokuto, and while one time it might have been a rub of salt into a wound, Akaashi wasn't bothered now. He hadn't been Bokuto's setter for a long time now, and he had made his peace with it even before he had to make his peace with not being anything to Bokuto.
"That is very kind of you to say Mr. Akaashi. I miss your old hair cut. This is too short." Bokuto said in slightly accented English, but it was leaps and bounds better than the incomprehensible mess that he had shouted at poor tourists when they were in high school and even into college. When his words sank in, Akaashi let a hand drift to his hair, a bit self-conscious.
"It was too much maintenance, in the mornings." Akaashi said, switching back to Japanese, because he had to admit he had missed speaking it and because he felt had teased Bokuto enough.
"I always liked your sleepy look." Bokuto said, carefree and easy, and it shouldn't have made Akaashi's heart stutter like it did, but well. He had always been weak to Bokuto's charm, and while outwardly Bokuto might have seemed like the needier of the pair when it came to compliments or attention, Akaashi had always been buoyed by his compliments. For all that others and Bokuto himself had said, Bokuto had never needed Akaashi, not really.
"Is that fashionable now? Like your hair cut?" Akaashi asked blandly, and it was Bokuto's turn to run his hand through his hair, laughing slightly.
"You don't like it?" He pouted, looking a bit self-conscious, but instead of spiraling downwards like he might have in the past, he seemed to keep himself steady. It was interesting, to see all the subtle changes in him that Akaashi might not have noticed if they had been together this whole time, but after gaining some distance and perspective from him, it was a bit jarring. But he supposed Bokuto couldn't have continued on as a professional volleyball player if he had to rely on his whole team to support him. Oikawa Tooru may be known as the Grand King of the court, and a magician when it came to getting players to do their best, but it shouldn't be necessary at that level to babysit a moody player.
"It's... different." Is what Akaashi settled on diplomatically, and that made Bokuto laugh again, and he nudged their shoulders together. The physical affection and lack of boundaries shouldn't bother him, but half of him wanted to scold Bokuto, to remind him of the delicate balance between the two of him, while the other part of him, well... It was best to not think of it.
"Always so diplomatic! I bet that helped you out at your company. I heard that they offered you a permanent supervisor position there." Bokuto said, and it was strange that Bokuto knew of such a thing, and that he could say that sentence without any bitterness. That he had kept tabs on Akaashi while Akaashi had done his best to keep his head down and forget. But he supposed that was just another difference between them: Bokuto would have been happy for Akaashi to know he was doing well, while Akaashi had only felt a twisting sort of blackness back in those early days. He had never wished ill on Bokuto, but to see him doing so well without him, to be so happy and to laugh so easily, had been difficult for him.
"Yes," Akaashi replied quickly, aware that the silence might have alerted Bokuto and worried him even after all this time, "but I've learned all I can there." Which was the... diplomatic answer he had been giving everyone when they had asked. It had been what he had told his supervisor, a strict but fair woman who had been so full of compassion it had been like having a second mother stateside. It's what he had told the Japanese branch of the company once he requested a transfer back home. It's what he had told his friends once he had alerted everyone of his return. And yet it wasn't the whole truth, not by a long shot. Honestly, he had been homesick. For his mother's cooking, for the silly jokes of his friends, and for the place where he didn't have to second guess every word that he spoke.
While Akaashi had carved out a good life for himself in the States, he couldn't help but feel detached from it all. He had gone in with the mindset it would only be temporary, and he had treated it that way. He hadn't made any lasting, real friendships with anyone, and he had only really socialized with his coworkers. The first and last year of his assignment had been the hardest, and when he had been offered a chance to sign on for another four years, he had balked. He had seen the four years stretch out before him, joyless, with each day a struggle as his loved ones and friends started to regard him as an occasional interloper in their lives, nothing more than a specter. Then where would he be?
Bokuto looked far too knowing at that small admission, and Akaashi added quietly, "And Saru's daughter is going to be turning two soon. I promised I would make it for that."
The distraction worked as well as Akaashi had hoped it would, Bokuto's eyes instantly going comically wide, and he reared back. "I forgot about that! Saru'll kill me if I miss it and I'm actually in Tokyo that day!"
A good few hours were spent speaking of their shared teammates and friends, and Akaashi tried not to feel envy as Bokuto spoke of the get togethers they'd had over the years, of the silly antics they had gotten up to, and more importantly, how most of his friends had managed to find someone they had been with for at least a year. He couldn't begrudge them, not when he wished only for their happiness, but it left him feeling a bit hollow.
As if sensing the change in mood, Bokuto started to tell Akaashi silly animal facts such as, "Did you know that wombats poop out cubes? Isn't that weird?!" or "Manatees control their buoyancy by farting Akaashi! With their farts!" And he couldn't help but laugh a bit helplessly at the weirdness of it all. Despite how much some things had changed, it seemed that just as many stayed the same.
---
"Where are you staying when you get back?" Bokuto asked eventually, after they had gotten bored of talking about the movies they had watched and what their favorite song was at the moment ( Akaashi had a feeling that Bokuto's favorite song was going to get stuck in his mind for hours or he would remember it at the most inappropriate time and be unable to stop from smiling ).
Akaashi had been in the middle of shrugging off his jacket, feeling far too warm to justify keeping it on, and he felt a bit silly to stay in it when Bokuto had shed most of his outer clothing hours ago.
"Yukie-san was kind enough to open her home to me." Akaashi stated, though in reality Yukie had told him in no uncertain terms if he didn't stay with her and instead bothered his parents ( who had also offered, but were enjoying their retirement ) or went to a hotel, she would hunt him down. Having seen her abilities all throughout high school, Akaashi had no choice but to accept, but he had always had a fondness for Yukie. Her cheerful nature and the easy way she wrangled people had earned her his respect, and it didn't hurt that she was also one of the few people he knew who was still single and would be a great shield in protecting him from both unwanted advances or questions.
"You're a brave man." Bokuto stated solemnly, even going so far as to put a heavy hand on Akaashi's shoulder. It was the first physical touch between them that had been on purpose, and of course Bokuto would do it as soon as he had taken off the protection of his jacket. His hand was as warm as it ever was, and Akaashi was glad that he retracted his hand quickly.
"Do you still owe her money?" Akaashi asked in amusement, turning to hide his smile when Bokuto squawked indignantly. Yukie had done quite well for herself, and she had told Akaashi once in confidence she had known she would be enjoy working in finances because it had brought her a great deal of joy ( and money ) lending out her allowance to people like Bokuto. Not only did she enjoy it, but Yukie had taken the lessons she had learned in high school and was doing quite well for herself. The pictures she had sent Akaashi of her loft had made it seem very spacious, and she was considering buying a house so she could fit be closer to her parents and grandparents.
'But only after I do everything I want.' Yukie had added, and Akaashi had been wary of the gleam in her eyes at that.
"No! I've paid it off a long time ago! I've gotten better about my money." Bokuto said, a bit grudgingly, as he sat back in his seat. The plane ride had been so pleasant so far that Akaashi had thought perhaps Bokuto's 'emo mode' might not be as bad as it had been, or as frequent. But this felt like the beginning of a mood. Akaashi could taste it like one could taste a storm in the air, electric and tangible.
"It has been a long time." Akaashi said softly, delicately, but perhaps he too had changed. It wasn't instinctual to immediately try to pull Bokuto out of a funk. What would the point be? He wasn't his setter or his boyfriend anymore. He had to remember that. Even if speaking with Bokuto had managed to brighten up this trip, it didn't change anything. It couldn't. "I suppose a lot has changed."
After being able to read every one of Bokuto's expressions for so long, when Bokuto's face became unreadable to him, it was a shock and made his stomach twist anxiously. Perhaps this had been a bad idea after all, and he was trying to formulate the words to suggest as diplomatically as possible that he should switch seats when Bokuto exhaled, leaning back in his chair.
"Yeah." A quiet Bokuto was a rare Bokuto, true, and it put Akaashi on guard like nothing else. He could be devastating in moments like these, and if his heart was already swayed slightly, a serious Bokuto could be his downfall. He watched as Bokuto took a deep breath to center himself, then he flashed Akaashi a wane smile. "But not everything! I bet you're starving right now."
It had always amused Bokuto how much Akaashi could eat, and in that sense he had been Akaashi's barometer for hunger. Bokuto would know before he would, and often was there with something to tide him over until they could eat a proper meal or he would have already long since insisted they go out to eat, arriving just in time for the hunger to really overtake Akaashi. Taking care of each other had gone both ways, and Akaashi had almost forgotten about that.
When he ducked his head instead of answering, Bokuto laughed, holding out the package of complimentary peanuts that wouldn't do much more than whet his appetite.
"Here, I saved these for you." As if sensing that this wouldn't be helpful in the least, he also dug around in his backpack underneath his seat, offering a few more energy bars. Akaashi accepted them tentatively, willing himself not to be touched. Bokuto would do things like this for anyone. It wasn't as if this meant Akaashi was special.
---
"Do you ever miss playing?" Bokuto asked casually during their layover, having insisted they get some real food to stick to their ribs. Unfortunately the airport offered little in the way of actual restaurants so they had settled on a pizza place. The rest of the airport was mostly stuffed full of souvenir shops, which might have made a liar out of Bokuto when it came to how he handled his finances. Bokuto had gushed over each different stuffed panda he had come across, and Akaashi had to remind him multiple times that there was no way that all of them would fit on his lap during the rest of the plane ride, and Akaashi wasn't going to offer his lap space up for any panda plushie, no matter how cute. It had seemed safer to agree to eat with him than leave him to his own devices.
The question wasn't as out of the blue as some of his other ones ( like if Akaashi had missed heated toilet seats during the winter or how many tattoos he'd seen that had weird Japanese phrases instead of what the person thought it said ), and he had been expecting Bokuto to have asked it far earlier. After all, volleyball was still such a large part of his life, and Akaashi knew he was still as passionate about it as he had ever been.
"Sometimes." Akaashi admitted, but he had made his peace with not being able to continue alongside Bokuto for quite some time now. Akaashi had always been pragmatic and a realist, if nothing else. "I found a few groups that play it recreationally, but it's not the same and I have found other interests now." Which might sound like an excuse to anyone else, but Bokuto only nodded along, trying to fit the pizza slice neatly into his mouth ( and failing ). Akaashi tried not to be charmed by it.
"So what kind of interests?" Bokuto asked around a mouthful of pizza, which helped him be considerably less charmed, but he couldn't help but smile anyway.
"Mystery novels." Akaashi stated briefly, sure that the mention of reading for pleasure would be enough to make Bokuto recoil. While he didn't do so outwardly, his expression turned into something more neutral. Perhaps Akaashi wasn't the only one who was diplomatic, now. "And crime television." Akaashi admitted, mostly because it had been fascinating to him how violent the States were compared to Japan. While it wasn't exactly crime free either, the fact that there were enough gory murders to warrant its own channel had been as disturbing as it was intriguing.
Bokuto laughed at that admission, reaching for the napkins between them. "I always thought you would be one of the best person to commit a crime with. Or solve one. You or Kuroo." Bokuto stated, and Akaashi wasn't sure if he should be flattered by that assessment or not. His past experiences had taught him that Kuroo was more likely to be on the wrong side of the law than not, but at least he was smart enough not to get caught. Then again, this had been during high school and college, and perhaps he had changed.
"Was he the one to convince you to get the tattoo?" Akaashi asked, trying to sound more biting than he actually was. The large, realistic great horned owl that had taken residence on Bokuto's back, wings outspread and eyes fierce, had startled Akaashi the first time he had seen the hint of feathers on his shoulders through his jersey. When he had taken off his jacket earlier, Akaashi had gotten a better look at it. Not that he had been actively looking for it, but it had sparked some curiosity. Akaashi had never thought that Bokuto would be able to sit still long enough for such a large piece, and he had never expressed interest in tattoos.
Bokuto rubbed at his shoulder a bit self-consciously, mouth curving up in a small secretive smile. "Nah, he tried to talk me out of it because he knew he'd have to go with me to each session and hold my hand." Their lack of boundaries when it came to physical affection had always been a constant, and long before he had started to date Bokuto, he had accepted it. Once, when he had broached Bokuto on the subject of why he and Kuroo had never dated, he had just laughed.
'Not all love has to be romantic.' He had said then, but had ruined the sentiment by making out platonically with Kuroo the rest of the night.
"Poor Kuroo-san." Akaashi said with a small shake of his head, and Bokuto only shrugged helplessly.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time! It was something to take my mind off of-" He stopped quickly, eyes wide as if he expected Akaashi to punish him for getting so close to negating their deal. Carefully, Akaashi took another bite of his pizza to give him something else to do, the silence awkward and heavy around them.
"Ah." Was all he could say to that, heart twisting. He had always wondered the meaning behind the tattoo, and had come up with a few theories when he had been bored, but he had always hoped it was something more positive than trying to forget heartbreak. Determined not to let that be the last of the conversation, Akaashi let his eyes meet Bokuto's. "Did Kuroo get one too?" Obviously relieved that Akaashi wasn't getting angry, Bokuto laughed louder than he normally would have, putting his forearm onto the table where 'oya oya' had been written neatly in small kanji down his arm.
"We got matching ones." He said proudly, and Akaashi had to put his pizza slice down so he could start massaging his temples to try to fend off the incoming headache.
----
"Are you going to be in Tokyo for long, Bokuto-san?" Akaashi asked tentatively, their flight on its last legs. Instead of focusing on the past as they had been, Akaashi wanted to know what his future held. It had been... nice to see Bokuto again, to talk with him. The books he had brought with him had been forgotten in his bag, and the only times they hadn't been speaking was when one or the other had inevitably fallen asleep. He had made the flight go by quickly, and Akaashi was hopeful that they could rekindle their friendship again. He had missed Bokuto's cheerful, overly loud, and engaging presence more than he had cared to admit. While he knew he had friends waiting for him back home, he wanted to count Bokuto among them. Perhaps it was overly optimistic of him, maybe they were just going to make the same mistakes they always made, but if anything, Akaashi felt like they had both matured.
"For a few months. I'll still be training, but it's the off season so I can catch up with everyone." Bokuto looked wide eyed and eager to do so, leaning forward in his seat to confide in Akaashi. "I mean it's great that I can video chat or call or text, but it's different than seeing people in person." Akaashi couldn't help the slight twist of his mouth at hearing that from Bokuto, and he knew it too, laughing softly and low. "I know, I know. You were right, as always."
"I didn't want to be right." Akaashi said quietly, not sure why he was getting so close to flouting the rule he himself had set. Before Bokuto could reply, he switched tactics. "What do you have planned?"
"Saru's little girl's party first, but then Konoha was talking about doing an old Fukurodani reunion, Yukie said I owed her a night at the bar, I need to stop by Kenma's and Kuroo's-" Bokuto said, listing off everything on his fingers, brows furrowed in concentration as he tried to recall everything that he had planned. It was a good thing then, that they had met on the plane and had time to feel each other out, since a lot of those events overlapped with what Akaashi had been planning. While Bokuto had been fine with him during the flight, it might have been a different story when other people or alcohol was involved.
"It's a good thing that we were on the same flight then. I'm going to most of those too." Bokuto glanced up at him, eyes wide and curious and golden, and Akaashi fought the urge to look away. There was something about Bokuto's gaze that had always felt like he could see right through people, could find the best in them no matter what. Sometimes Akaashi had worried that even someone like Bokuto would look at him and find nothing. "This might have been the best way we could meet again." Akaashi elaborated, and Bokuto's face broke out into a grin, wide enough to crinkle the skin around his eyes.
"It was nice to talk to you again. I didn't realize how much I missed it!" Bokuto said, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. It would only have been more honest if he had said he had missed- "I also missed you a lot, too." Bokuto stated as if he had read Akaashi's mind, as if he was still capable of doing so after all these years. Akaashi felt a small flush work itself across his face, and he had to take a deep breath to find his calm again. Bokuto was like this with everyone, it was nothing special. He had seen Bokuto break into a full sprint to tackle Kuroo and holler the same thing when Kuroo had left to use the bathroom for five minutes at a training camp. Akaashi must be starved for attention if he was willing to let something like that get his heart fluttering.
"It's been nice." Akaashi agreed tentatively, and before he could assign too much meaning to Bokuto's words, he flipped through a few of the in-flight movies. "I've always wanted to see this. Would you like to watch it with me?" It was a harmlessly fun superhero movie that he had little vested interest in, but he was sure it would suck Bokuto in for the rest of the flight. Hopefully it would give Akaashi enough time to become grounded again or at least to distract himself from how he felt his heart stirring. He had a sinking feeling it would go just as well as the last time he had tried to stop himself from falling for Bokuto Koutarou.
---
During their first meeting, the word 'fate' had never once been what he would have thought to describe it. Bokuto had been on the bench pouting while some of the upperclassmen cloistered around him to lecture him on his mood swings. Even then, Akaashi had seen how little effect their words had on the other boy, his eyes straying from the faces of his teammates to the volleyballs that were being smacked around.
Then Konoha had swooped down to introduce himself, beaming, and had taken the first years on a tour. After the tour they were allowed to do a few drills with some of the second-strings, and Akaashi had been assigned to Bokuto. Konoha had given him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.
His first impression had been that Bokuto had seemed far too downtrodden than his exuberant hair style would suggest, and he had believed that Bokuto would probably leave the team soon, considering his inability to play properly.
When he had left the club for the day, he hadn't given Bokuto a second thought.
---
Narita airport was a swirling vortex of energy, people on their phones clattering along with their luggage, helpful attendants corralling confused looking tourists this way or that.
For a moment, Akaashi felt a bit lost, looking around for Yukie's face in the unending sea of people. Just before he felt like he was drowning in noise and people, Bokuto came up behind him, shrugging his bag behind his shoulders. His presence was still as comforting as it always was, and Akaashi let out a breath he hadn't been aware he had been holding. Bokuto was only a few inches taller than him now, but Bokuto's eyesight had always seemed better. Fitting for a bird of prey, Akaashi supposed. He scanned the crowd briefly, before his face lit up, and he was striding forward before Akaashi was aware he was moving.
"Oh, there they are. C'mon." Before Akaashi could question who 'they' were exactly, Bokuto ushered him forward, the crowd parting naturally for him.
He spotted Yukie almost as soon as they were upon her, her expression just as blase as it ever was, and in her hands was a cardboard sign with his name on it. For some reason, it made him feel just as welcome as the hug she enveloped him in.
"Welcome home." She said softly, and Akaashi could only nod mutely. It hadn't really felt real, until this moment, that he was coming home. The flight with Bokuto had felt like some suspended reality where all they were going to do was eat terrible food and trade animal facts. Then flicking her gaze over to Bokuto, she quirked an eyebrow as if to ask 'are you okay?' for which he was grateful, but he would rather discuss with her out of his earshot.
He nodded to alleviate her worries, before turning to see why Bokuto had so rudely not greeted Yukie yet, only to get a front row seat to Bokuto kissing another man. A small, stupid part of him wanted to gloss it over, to believe it was just a good friend of Bokuto's. He had always been loose and carefree with his affection so maybe- Any feelings he had been carefully nursing, any thoughts of reconciliation went out the window when Bokuto turned to the both of them, beaming happily, arm thrown casually over the shorter man's shoulders.
"Akaashi, this is Kai! My boyfriend." He said, looking so happy and smitten that Akaashi could only bow dumbly to the other man, ( Kai, his brain supplied far too quickly, was not the other man ), blood rushing to his ears. He had been a fool to believe that someone like Bokuto wouldn't have moved on. He was charming, out-going, and good-looking. Of course he would have found someone else. For some reason, it felt like a betrayal, like someone should have warned him of this.
'You told him not to talk about his love life,' he scolded himself, feeling bile at the back of his throat, 'and you asked everyone at home not to give you updates on him. This is what happens.'
When he straightened, he gave the other ma- Kai, a small smile that he hoped hid how hard his heart was clenched in his chest, so tight and painful it might as well have been in a metal vice.
"It's a pleasure to meet you."