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It was the small things that made you so attracted to Akaashi Keiji, your school’s setter. His pale blue eyes were always so focused on the court, leading to the fact that people found him intimidating. But you didn’t.
You and Akaashi had been childhood friends for as long as you both knew, meeting at age 3 in the sandpit, and now at age 18 in your last year of high school. Akaashi had always been open to you; talking about volleyball at 5 in the morning, combing through your hair with his slender, calloused fingers. It was an action that was performed over the years and eventually turned into a habit. You didn’t mind though. It calmed your nerves, and his fingers seemed to navigate themselves to drawing shapes on your scalp, making you giggle in the process.
It wasn’t until your senior year that akaashi told you he liked you. Oh, how your heart leaped. You blushed profusely and confessed that you felt the same way, which in turn, made him blush. From then on, you had made it a daily thing for him to come over and study with you, eventually resulting in his fingers tangled up in your hair. You reminded yourself that most of your best memories included akaashi, even if he was your so-called ‘lover’ or not.
Your dates included the following: hushed whispers at twilight, laced fingers as you stared at the stars, small picnics as you gazed into each other’s eyes adoringly. It was to the point where akaashi had fallen so head-over-heels for you that he was starting to think he wouldn’t be able to pick himself up. Believe me, you felt the same way.
One drunken night after you two had graduated high school, he placed sloppy, wet kisses on your cheeks as he whispered sweet nothings in your ear, making you giggle like a high school girl again. He repeatedly promised that you were a huge part of his future and that he could see a life with you. He could see you being ‘the one’ for him. This, of course, made you blush uncontrollably. You could see a future with this man, and you were glad he felt the same way.
“I’m going to marry you,” he promised, words slightly slurred as he pecked you once again.
You believed every word he said, and you asked a few of his teammates to help pick him up and send him to your shared apartment, which was just a few blocks away. As soon as your heads touched the comfort of your bed, he gestured for you to come to lay on his chest so that he could play with your hair.
He had a habit of fiddling with your hair when he was stressed, but you didn’t want to push him any further this time since he was drunk. You’d ask him in the morning if necessary.
“You know, _____. I really, really, like you,” he muttered, his voice barely an audible whisper.
You nodded, sending the movement to akaashi’s chest as he sighed from the familiarity. you’ve been his rock, his best friend, his soulmate through all these years. Why hadn’t he confessed sooner? How much had he missed already? Guilt washed over him as he twirled bits of your hair with his long fingers. He realized at that moment, that you were his home. It wasn’t the moon shining on that it seemed like your skin was glowing. It wasn’t the content sighs that forced themselves out of your mouth. It was you, just you.
As he felt you playing with his fingers, which were now rested on your stomach, he felt all his negative thoughts dissipate. How was he able to find someone so perfect for him? He had no idea how to describe how he felt at that moment. He was simply infatuated with the woman laying her head on top of his chest, their breaths syncing together as their heartbeats still raced for dominance. He loved this girl, so much, and he would give her the whole universe if he could.
They lay there for an eternity, eventually falling asleep as their bodies moved in sync; it was almost like they were made for each other, their bodies fit perfectly together, like missing jigsaw puzzles. Their legs were entangled underneath the sheets, and akaashi felt as if he was finally whole.
The next morning, as you rubbed the sleep out of your eyes, a slight spark caught your eye. It was a sliver of something, and that something was placed somewhere on your fingers. Your eyes widened as you saw a silver band with a simple diamond resting on top. You quickly scrambled out of bed, rushing to the bathroom to see if it was really there. And it was. It wasn’t one of those flashy rings that you had seen at the jewelry stores over the past few years, but it was a simple one, with a singular small diamond placed on top of the thin band. It was perfect.
He really did it. When he said he wanted to marry you, you had thought that it would be far along in the future. But you knew he was the one, and you were thankful that he made a move before you would eventually pressure him to. Pride beamed in your heart as you smiled to yourself, the memory of him still running his hands through your hair from the night before. Akaashi Keiji was your home, and you had no plans of giving him up just yet.