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Akaashi slid down on the floor in front of his apartment door, exasperated. He leaned his head against it and covered his face with his hands. It’s been a day and the rain didn’t help whatsoever. His work day was rough as his boss was royally unforgiving about deadlines and the like. His car broke down and had to use the crowded public transit and get soaked as he walked the rest of the day. To top it all off, his keys to his apartment had fallen somewhere during the rough way home.
In conclusion, it was the definition of a shit day and now he’s cold, drenched, and locked out of his apartment. He tried contacting his landlord but to no avail; fucker has never been useful anyway. His patience was thinning and Akaashi Keiji had a lot of patience. Obviously, calling his friends wasn't an option because what if they’re having a shitty day too? He surely did not want to add on to that.
He figured he’d just break in when he’s mentally collected himself. Or sleep right where he was and hope hypothermia gets him before day break. He let out a deep sigh and dropped his arms on his side and he looked up at the ceiling.
“Sir?” A small voice called out.
He looked to his left and found a little girl with golden eyes and silver hair streaked with black. Akaashi wasn’t that fond of kids but this one could be an exception because she seemed polite.
“Uh, hi?”
“Are you wocked out?”
“You can say that.”
“Oh… Um, my daddy’s awmost home, I could ask him to hewp you? Or maybe you can sweep on our couch. It’s wainy and cold.”
“I- uh, that won’t be necessary. I don’t want to be a bother, besides, little kids shouldn’t be talking to strangers, you know.”
“I don’t think you are,” the little girl tilted her head to the side in the most endearing way, “I see you awound a lot. You’re always wunning.” She giggled, which made the burdens of Akaashi’s life seem a little lighter than it was a minute ago.
Akaashi let out a light chuckle himself, unable to hold it in, “Yeah, I’m a mess as you can see.”
“You look pwetty though. My daddy always t-”
“Hey, hey, hey, princess! What are you doing out here?” Interrupted a booming voice.
The little girl turned around and ran up into the arms of a tall man that could undeniably be her father. They had the same monochrome hair and eyes that could brighten a rainy day. Akaashi wondered why he’s never seen them in the building before. Maybe because he was always running…
“The pwetty man is wocked out of his house and needs hewp.”
“Does he now?” The man looked at Akaashi who was still on the floor, “Would you like to come inside?” He asked.
“I-uh-”
“Pwease? We can pway!” Pleaded the little girl. How could Akaashi say no to such an adorable kid? Maybe these two will be his day’s saving grace. He stood up from his position and faced them properly.
“Alright, I feel it’s illegal to say no to you.” He giggled then remembered the lack of introductions, “Oh right, uhm, Akaashi Keiji, by the way. Thank you for inviting me.” He bowed.
“No need for formalities! You’re our neighbour and that automatically makes us friends. I’m Bokuto Koutarou and this is Hoshino.”
“Ah, the name suits her.”
“Yep! My little star,” Bokuto looked lovingly at his daughter for a moment before turning back to someone that may possibly complete his constellation, “Let’s go in.”
With that, Akaashi gathered his things and followed the small family into their home. Bokuto set Hoshino down and watched her run into the living room after taking her shoes off.
“Thank you for inviting me, Bokuto-san. I apologize for my unkempt self right now.”
“Don’t worry about it! We all have our days. Would you like to borrow some clothes? We don’t want you getting sick now, do we? They might be a little big on you though.”
“I- uh… I guess. Thank you, Bokuto-san. And is your wife here? Maybe I can thank her too?”
“Ah, I am a single dad.”
“Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to-”
“No! Don’t worry, I get it a lot so it doesn’t bother me!”
“Ah, I won’t pry then. I’m still sorry for my intensitivity.”
Bokuto laughed light-heartedly, filling Akaashi’s senses with a blanket of comfort he needed, “Really, it’s fine. If you’re interested in knowing, I can tell you when my little girl is asleep. Now, let’s get you into something dry, yeah?”
“Alright, thank you again, Bokuto-san.”
Bokuto flashed a smile that could keep the rain away and led Akaashi into the living room, before disappearing to retrieve clothes for his guest. Akaashi awkwardly stood by the living room, not wanting to sit and ruin any furniture with his wet clothes.
“Akaamshi-san? You can sit, you know.” Hoshino offered as she was sprawled out on the couch.
“Ah, thanks, but I’ll wait until your dad gives me spare clothes.” He smiled.
“Oh, otay. You’re pwetty. You’re like a pwince and then you have those weally cool clothes!”
“I- Oh, hah, um- thank you, Hoshino-chan…”
Akaashi trailed off, not knowing what to say after that and hoped her father would come out soon.
As if on cue, Bokuto came out from his room with fresh clothes for Akaashi to change into. He was directed to the bathroom and thanked Bokuto profusely. He locked the door behind him and stared at his reflection in the mirror.
He looked like a mess, he looked tired and just about dead. He huffed as if his reflection did him wrong and washed his face. Akaashi quickly got changed and inwardly thanked whatever holy being was out there for shorts with drawstrings. He was obviously less built than Bokuto who looked like he could bench press five of him. He tied the string as tightly as he could and still, it hung a bit loose around his hips. Luckily, the shirt covered anything that may accidentally be revealed with one wrong move. Though his collarbones were royally exposed as one side of the shirt kept coming off his shoulders.
It couldn’t be helped and he was very thankful to be in something dry and warm. The scent from it was welcoming and comforting, bringing a great sense of relief to Akaashi. Once he felt like he was presentable enough, he emerged from the bathroom and met the other two in the living room. Hoshino was first to greet him and when Bokuto turned, his jaw almost hit the ground.
He didn’t realize the consequences of letting a pretty boy borrow his clothes would be this hot. He recovered as quickly as he could and offered to wash Akaashi’s clothes for him.
“Allow me to cook dinner for you two then. As repayment for all your kindness.”
“There won’t be any stopping you, is there?”
“Nope.”
“Fine then, at least let Hoshi show you where things are while I get these clothes going.”
“Sounds good.”
Hoshino gasped, “Let’s go, Akaamshi-san!” And got up from the couch and took Akaashi by the hand, dragging him to their kitchen. Bokuto watched everything unfold and couldn’t help but feel something spark in his heart.
“You chop fast… It’s like those people on TV!” Beamed the little girl. She was watching Akaashi cook up dinner and was visibly impressed with his skills. Akaashi only hummed in response, not knowing how to converse with a child, though it seemed like Hoshino didn’t mind as everything he did seemed to spark her interest. She was sitting on top of the counter and happily watched her new friend make her dinner.”
“You know,” She started, “daddy always wanted to meet you since we live next door.”
“Oh? How come?”
“He said it’s because he’s tired of being fwiends with old people.”
Akaashi let out a genuine laugh that made him close his eyes and face scrunch up in an adorable manner that Bokuto fortunately walked into.
“What are you two laughing about?” Bokuto questioned.
“Nothing, daddy!” Hoshino giggled.
Akaashi steadied his breathing, “Thank you for telling me that, Hoshino-chan.”
“Hehe. It’s our wittle secwet.”
“It sure is.”
“Wow, you two have just met and you’re already keeping secrets from me?”
Bokuto pouted while his daughter continued giggling. Akaashi’s heart warmed and seemed to have forgotten the unfortunate events of his day. The two of them seemed to relieve any sort of misfortune that Akaashi carried from today and made him feel at ease. Even cooking dinner for them felt like such a natural thing for him to do. It was almost as if-
“-he lives with us already! It’s like you two are mawwied.” He heard Hoshino say.
Both men’s faces turned a deep shade of red. Akaashi immediately put all his focus on his cooking while Bokuto frantically lectured his daughter as to why people can’t just say things like that. She was evidently confused but apologized nonetheless.
“I’m gonna go help Akaashi cook okay?”
“I watch!”
Bokuto planted a soft kiss on top of her head and joined Akaashi.
“Uh, sorry about what Hoshi said earlier-”
“Oh! It’s fine! No problem. Kids just say the darndest things, don’t they?” Akaasi nervously spewed out.
“Pfft- yes, they do. You sure you’re okay?”
“Ah, yeah. Just uhm… shaken up from today’s events, I guess.”
“I’m sorry you’re having a bad day.”
“It’s alright, I think. I’ll be alright. I just need to find another key to my apartment. Plus, you and your daughter have been doing a good job on making me feel better, so thank you for that.”
“I’m happy we’re making you happier. As for your door, I can help you pick the lock, and after, you can just have your locks changed and stuff.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re saying that a lot.”
“I really don’t know how else to show my gratitude.”
“You’re already cooking dinner for us, so that’s more than enough!”
“Okay, okay. I’ll do my best to stop.”
They both laughed and continued to work on dinner together while Hoshino watched from the counter. To her, she was seeing her father have a different kind of happiness in his eyes. She may be five, but she can tell the difference between her father’s moods. She watched the pair look like a domesticated couple that bring nothing but warmth and happiness into their household. She smiled fondly as she saw Bokuto smile a smile that she’s never seen before and hoped that she could see more of it. It was the type that made everything feel okay and happy.
She hoped that her “Akaamshi-san” can be around more often if it means she could see her father complete again.
Dinner came and went with compliments flying to the chef with gratitude. Akaashi and Hoshino did the dishes together while Bokuto cleaned the table. Afterwards, Bokuto got Hoshino ready for bed with the exchange of Akaashi being the one to read her bed time story. He happily did so, finding himself more comfortable around the small family. Bokuto sat at the otherside of her bed and listened just as intently as she did. Something about Akaashi’s smooth and calming voice was so entrancing and beautiful. Soon, the little princess fell into her slumber and the two men made their way to the living room.
“Ah, I should probably try and pick my lock and be out of your way.” Akaashi said sheepishly.
“Stay?” Bokuto blurted, “I-I mean, cause, you know… it’s late and I said I’d help you… and uhm, yeah. You know?”
Akaashi’s eyes widened and his heart skipped an unhealthy amount of beats.
“I- uh. Okay.”
“Okay!” Bokuto said a little too enthusiastically, though it brought Akaashi happiness.
And so, the two talked endlessly on the couch, sharing things about their lives thus far. Bokuto then mentioned that Hoshino’s mother had run away after her first birthday with another man and that she wanted nothing to do with them anymore. Akaashi expressed his anger through a flurry of quiet curses, name-calling, and a three minute rant as to why she made the biggest mistake of her life. Bokuto found it oddly endearing, but reassured him that he and his daughter are doing alright and that he’d tried dating again (both men and women) but found no spark in them.
“I’m sure you’ll find someone that can fulfill your needs. Not just yours, but for Hoshino-chan too. It’s not that hard to fall for both of you.” Akaashi said almost automatically.
“Maybe.”
“You will.”
And I really hope it’s me .
And I really hope it’s you.
They thought at the same time; a little secret they kept in the meantime.
The two of them continued their conversations, not realizing how their hearts were already calling out to one another. Akaashi became thankful that his day became shitty, otherwise, none of this would have happened. His only regret was not taking the time to get to know his next door neighbours and that he should take his time sometimes. Bokuto on the other hand, was unforgiving to himself for not introducing himself to Akaashi earlier or even yelling out a hello whenever he’d see him rush down the stairs. Had they introduced themselves before, they thought that maybe, they’d just be living in one apartment and have this night replayed under different circumstances.
I’m just happy I met you today, of all days, Bokuto-san.
I’m just happy I finally met you, Akaashi.
But none of them admitted that yet.
Either way, their unspoken words of a hope for romance were mutual, because even though souls don’t speak, theirs understood each other fluently, having their stars aligning in their own little galaxy within the small space of Bokuto’s apartment.