Work Text:
"Are you nervous?" Bokuto looked at Kuroo after hearing the question.
Was he nervous? He doesn't know. He was excited, that's for sure. After years of dreaming and months of making, he was finally opening his own bakery.
He had always dreamed of this day. Baking was something that brought him comfort and if everything goes well, he will be able to do that for a living.
"I don't know, I feel like I'm exposing myself doing this." Bokuto rolls his shoulders trying to get rid of the tension in them.
He had never baked for anyone outside of his family and close friends and, even though they always said everything he does is the best, he still has his doubts about that. It's not that he doesn't trust them, but they're kind of obligated to say that.
"It's going to go amazing, and if you feel like you're exposing yourself it's probably because you're putting your heart to this and that's worth more than anything. Besides your idea for an owl themed bakery is really good!" He hears Kenma right next to Kuroo and relaxes at his voice.
Kenma never says anything he doesn't have to. For that reason, Bokuto always likes to make him taste anything he bakes. He will always be straightforward, no "it's really good but–" and always "too much sugar", "not enough cream", "it's too dry", "it's boring". So having his approval on something always feels good.
"Okay, it's 8am. Time to open." Bokuto takes a deep breath before reaching his arm and changing the 'closed' board to the 'open' one.
"Now what?" Kuroo asks after a moment of silence.
"Now we wait."
The three of them just stay put in front of the door as if they're expecting a lot of people to come in at once.
"Do we wait here or...?" Kenma's voice is heard before Bokuto mumbles and goes to the counter.
Turns out, they don't have to wait for that long. Not even 5 minutes later, Bokuto's first costumer is coming in and after them, he wasn't able to stop for more than 2 minutes and only a couple of times.
Apparently the people who had seen all his hard work while building the store got really excited about experimenting his stuff and actually showed up on opening day after they asked and Bokuto told them when it was going to be.
"I'm exhausted!" Bokuto lets his head fall down on the table Kuroo is in.
"It went really good today, tho! You should be proud of yourself." He feels Kuroo's hand ruffle his hair.
"I am!" He smiles a little, hearing the front door opening again.
There was still 10 minutes before closing so that would most likely be his last client for the day. And what a day it had been.
"Is this closed?" Bokuto gets up in an instant turning to look at the voice's owner.
He stops for a moment, having to grab the chair he just got up from to prevent him from falling down on one knee and immediately propose to the man in front him. The beauty he was radiating was just too much. The way his hand passed over his hair, making it a little more messier than it already was, went straight to Bokuto's heart.
"Oh God..." He whispers before feeling a kick on his leg and hearing Kuroo coughing, making him snap out of it. "No! This is not closed. What can I get you?"
He sees the costumer looking through all of his cakes and pastries that were exposed for people to see and notices a small smile forming on his face.
"They all really have owls, oh my god, this is so cute." A little laugh gets out of his mouth and Bokuto feels like he's going to die with his heart beating so fast. "I can't choose, what do you recommend?"
The man looks at the owner, that soft smile still on his face and his eyes tender. For some reason Bokuto feels his cheeks heat up and swallows hard, completely forgetting everything he had ever baked and only focusing on the way the other's eyes looked tired but still had a light in them that not a lot of people did these days.
"We have uhm..." Bokuto looks quickly to the things he's selling before his eyes landing on the other's again. "A lot of things. To eat. Like cakes and cupcakes and stuff." He hears an angelic laugh.
"I see that. But anything specific you recommend? You were the one who baked them all, right?"
"Right! Uhm I think the triple salted caramel cupcake is really good, so I'll recommend that one." He gives his dashing smile.
"Well then, I would like that one!" Bokuto grabs a napkin before grabbing the cupcake carefully and beginning to put it in the bag. "Oh, can I eat it now?"
"Oh, of course!" He gives the cupcake to the man who takes it eagerly.
Bokuto sees him taking his phone off his coat and snapping a picture before putting it down and eating the little owl cookie on top of the little cake. Bokuto moves nervously in his place feeling like he's being judged for something as the man takes what he had baked to his mouth and bites down.
"Hmm..." The other's eyes close in pleasure as he groans. "This is so good!"
Bokuto breaths in relief seeing the man eating the whole cupcake in seconds. He cleans his face with the napkin and looks at the owner with a guilty smile on his face.
"It was really good..." Bokuto laughs a little at that.
"I'm happy you thought so!" He sees the other's cheeks going a little red as he looks down at the napkin and his mouth opening a little.
"The napkins have facts about owls? This is the best bakery ever." Bokuto hears him whisper and a feeling of pride fills his chest. "I'm Akaashi Keiji, I'm going to be coming here every day from now on!" Akaashi extends his hand to Bokuto to shake it and he does it without second thought while laughing.
"Bokuto Koutarou."
No doubt Akaashi actually kept his word. He would step by the bakery every day around the same time he did the first day and after 3 months and a half of going there, Bokuto was pretty sure he had already tasted all of his sweets.
"I want the oreo cupcake, please, Bokuto-san." Akaashi sweet voice spread around the bakery.
"Coming right up, Akaashi!!"
They were very well acquainted with each other by now. Akaashi always ate whatever it was that he asked for right in front of Bokuto so he could always praise him for it, so they would normally talk for a bit, for those 10 minutes before closing time came up.
"Thank you very much!" Akaashi pays Bokuto and starts eating the cupcake.
"So how was your day?" Bokuto asks after Akaashi finishes eating and once again praising him for how good it was and leaving that feeling of pride in his chest like usual.
"Pretty good! We finished editing the manga we've been working on, and for the first time, it's actually on time so it was really good!" Akaashi smiles. "How was yours?"
"It was amazing! It seems like every day more people come in and taste what I bake and it just feels really good!"
"As they should! Everyone should know about the existence of the best bakery in the world by now!" Bokuto smiles before seeing his phone light up with the notification of a new message.
Kuroo: Ask him out, ask him out, ask him! You have nothing to lose, bro, so just do it!
Kuroo: isn't that the nike slogan?
Kuroo: Just Do It!
Bokuto rolls his eyes as nervousness fills his chest. His crush that first day on Akaashi just got bigger throughout the months and he did nothing about it but talk to Kuroo every single day about it.
"Uhm, Akaashi?"
"Yes, Bokuto-san?"
"Would you like to uhm..." He clears his throat. "Would you like to go out with me?"
"Like on a date?" Bokuto nods, knowing the color red had taken over his face. "I would like that, yes."
He looks up, eyes wide. "Really?" Akaashi laughs.
"Really, I was actually wondering when you would ask me out."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, you didn't hide your crush very well." Bokuto gets even more red as he wants to close himself inside the bathroom with embarrassment. "But I did, apparently." Akaashi laughs a little more and Bokuto's heart skips a beat as he realizes what Akaashi had said.
He had a crush on me this whole time?
They end up going to the zoo on their date, grabbing a bite after it and having their first kiss on the porch of Akaashi's house.
That kiss became the first of many, when they started dating. Akaashi kept going to the shop everyday and started walking Bokuto to his house as well, house that eventually became theirs. Not after long, they both had rings on their fingers that expressed their love for each other and how they would spend eternity together.
"Daddy, daddy!" Bokuto looks at the door of his bakery that had just opened.
A little figure comes to his vision followed by his other dad with a tired smile on his face.
"Hey, hey, hey, my prince! What would you like to eat today?"
"Dad is the one that wants! I already eat a lot." The little boy taps on his stomach as if to say he's full.
"Hey, honey." Akaashi leans over and gives a quick kiss in Bokuto's lips.
"What can I get you?"
"I don't know, what do you recommend?" Bokuto smiles at that.
"Uhm I think the triple salted caramel cupcake is really good, so I'll recommend that one."