Chapter Text
The game just ended, with Schweiden as the game winner. Akaashi turned to go, towards the stairs, the exit. The halls are packed, it always is.
"Akaashi!"
He heard a loud shout from across the room, people wondering where it came from, and started whispering excitedly as they saw.
He had numerous train of thoughts at the exact moment he heard the voice.
Bokuto-san? What could he possibly want? Why is he shouting my name? It sounds different, did I do something wrong? Was it because I hadn't watch him play last time?
Oh god—
Akaashi lets out a nervous smile, and slowly turned, ready to face the ace.
"Bokuto-san, what—"
He was caught off guard when Bokuto was suddenly right before him, inching closer and closer. Before Akaashi could ask what was wrong, Bokuto had already rested his chin on his left shoulder, slouching slightly.
Oh.
He blushes a bit, noticing the gathering crowd who are eager to see the star up close. They are whispering, some because of Bokuto, others wondering who he was, considering his proximity with the renowned player.
Akaashi recovers, lowering his face, and gently holds Bokuto's left shoulder.
"What's wrong, Bokuto-san?" Akaashi whispers, the crowd already dispersing, some still waiting if they can somehow get the MSBY's outside hitter's autograph.
He just hums, burying his face against Akaashi's neck more. And then muffled words came out, Akaashi could feel him muttering things he can't understand.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" He asked. They were still in the middle of the hall, a couple of passerby looking their way. Bokuto still against him, and Akaashi holding him steadily.
"Go out with me?"
The ace barely whispered, at the same time peeking up at Akaashi's face, his, still resting on the other's shoulders.
"W-what?" Akaashi could feel heat pooling on his cheeks, and his ears probably looking beet red.
Bokuto finally stood straight, just a little taller than Akaashi, and rests his hands on the latter's shoulders.
"Have dinner with me. Tonight."
"But Bokuto-san, you just finished a game. I know you're tired. You need to rest."
Bokuto's face was all serious, his brows furrowing, and a small pout on his lips. Akaashi saw this many times before, and had numerous ways on how to bring back the old him again.
But this wasn't high school. He changed. He's just an "ordinary" player now, and he had somehow gotten over his "shutting-down" phase. Akaashi didn't know what to do as Bokuto pouted more, his brows higher than ever, bright golden eyes reflecting his own.
"But I want to spend time with you!" Bokuto said, leaning in towards Akaashi, squinting his eyes. "Besides, you didn't come last time."
"Ah, I'm really sorry. I had tons of work." He looked away, as Bokuto was still leaning against him. "And, you really need to rest, Bokuto-san."
"But—!"
"We can do it tomorrow, or the next day. If you're free, that is." Akaashi smiled, the spiker's expression loosening up. "I just really don't want you to overwork yourself."
"Akaashi." Bokuto pouted, slouching a little again, making him look like a kid who was not given any gifts.
"Let's do it tomorrow then." Akaashi beamed, and removes Bokuto's hands on his shoulder.
"You should go back and change, you're still sweaty from your game." Producing a little handkerchief from his coat pockets, Akaashi wipes Bokuto's damp forehead.
"Then, definitely tomorrow." He's squinting his eyes again.
Cute.
"Yes, yes."
"I'll see you tomorrow." Bokuto still seemed hesitant to leave, eyes never drifting away from Akaashi.
"I'll see you, too." He smiled.
"Tomorrow." Bokuto pointed at him, walking backwards, still frowning.
Akaashi finally chuckled, musing at how adorable Bokuto looks right now.
He waved, and went on his way.
Somehow that night, they agreed to meet at the parking lot of Akaashi's apartment, with Bokuto fetching him for the dinner.
As Akaashi waited for the said man, he looked over himself one more time, conscious of what he looked like, and if he dressed too casually for the dinner. He wore a black sweater, topped with a gray coat.
His initial anxiousness lessened when a car pulled up, Bokuto emerging from the driver's side, dressed in a casual black jacket and gray sweatpants, a mask and cap covering his face.
He rolled his car keys on his hand and waved to Akaashi, the latter walking towards him.
"Akaashi." A sheepish grin found its way on Bokuto's lips as he lowered his mask, a light pink tint on his cheeks.
Akaashi smiled, acknowledging his arrival. "Bokuto-san."
The guy just stared at him, his eyes somewhat sparkling.
Oh. He didn't shout my name. Uh, now it's weird? He usually, almost all the time, drags my name out in a loud voice. I wonder what's wrong.
Bokuto might have realized that he's still staring at him, and lets out rushed words.
"Oh, I'm sorry- should we, should we, uh..." Bokuto is somewhat stuttering, his words getting inaudible, trailing off. He raised a shy hand to his neck and looked away, chuckling.
Akaashi, for the second time, thought that he looked really cute. And boy, what am I thinking?
Akaashi spoke up, motioning Bokuto towards his car. "Let's go, Bokuto-san."
It looked like I'm the one asking him out, oh my god.
"Ah, yeah, yeah. Haha, I'm sorry, I got carried away." Bokuto trudged towards the passenger's side, and opened the door for Akaashi.
"With what? Is something wrong?" Akaashi looked at the taller guy, a hint of worry in his voice.
"It's you." Bokuto muttered, barely over a whisper, eyes on everything other than Akaashi.
When he looked over, he saw Akaashi's confused face, a frown masking his pretty face. "Oh, nothing! I didn't say anything. Nothing. Haha."
He's acting really weird tonight. What the hell is wrong, did I do something wrong? Or was I the wrong one here? Should I just left him alone?
"Akaashi?" Bokuto peeked at his face, this time, it was his that had a confused expression, and his golden eyes were reflecting the light of the lamppost.
"We should get going." Akaashi said as he slid inside the car, passing Bokuto.
"Oh, yeah."
Bokuto settled on his seat, and started the engine up. He backed away and continued driving.
"Where do you wanna go? Is there somewhere you wanna go, Akaashi?" He had his eyes on the road, his low and, surprisingly, soft voice filling the insides of the vehicle.
"Not really, Bokuto-san. Anywhere is fine." Akaashi beamed at him, even though he knew the other can't see him. "But I assume you already picked a place for us to go?"
"Hm, yeah. I did have a plan for this night." Bokuto murmured, removing his cap.
And it just sank in, Bokuto was wearing a cap all along. And his hair, some strands were covering his forehead. And he just realized that.
What the hell. What the hell is wrong with me?
He can feel his cheeks heating up, but he doesn't know the reason why. He looked over at his driving companion, white and black locks in a complete disarray, and focused eyes on the road.
Oh. It's the second time I saw his hair was down, and oh. Why does he always looked breathtaking. Weird.
Come to think of it, it had been so long since they were together, let alone being alone together, since they were always with their team in high school.
Bokuto's sudden change in atmosphere was surprising, he was too quiet than his usual self. Normally, he'd brag to Akaashi how he always gets the crowd cheering for his name, how he nailed his straight spikes during his games, or just talk nonsense with him about their lives.
But this, this is so peculiar. I wonder what happened.
Akaashi looked over his left, and saw Bokuto's serious face, a hand up his chin, stroking his lips, and eyebrows raised, a frown evident on his face.
Too peculiar.
Bokuto had brought him to a restaurant not far away from where Akaashi lives. The car ride was short and quiet, one thing Akaashi found quite weird, and uncomfortable, as he's already used to the other's chaotic side.
The restaurant was simple, a few crowd occupied tables, but it had a nice atmosphere. Bokuto guided him towards the far corner, near the window.
This was somewhat nice.
A waitress came for their order, told them to kindly wait a moment, and went back to her post near the counter.
Akaashi removed his coat, and settled comfortably on his seat. He looked at the person sitting opposite him.
He really looked good, not gonna lie. His white locks still messy, and his mask down his chin.
"Is something bothering you today, Bokuto-san? You're not like your usual self today." Akaashi tried opening a conversation, setting his elbow on the table, and leaning.
"Oh, yeah. Everything's fine. I'm just glad." Bokuto flashed him a smile. And oh, it's not his usual reaching-the-eye big grin, he just smiled. Lips curling upward slightly, eyes twinkling.
Oh. He's glad. Well then, I'm glad.
Akaashi looked out the window, blurry lights reflecting back at him. It was early, and a few people would pass by him occasionally. He rested his chin on his palm, gaze unfocused outside, then shifted towards the man before him.
He was typing, or something, on his phone, and had that serious look on his face. Akaashi really thought it was odd seeing his senior like this. He never even thought he had this side of him. And his appearance, too, is distracting him. Like, jeez, he was used to Bokuto's hair always spiked up.
"Say, Akaashi."
He flinched, and quickly looked away, straightening his body, and sat properly.
"Yes?"
"Do you have work tomorrow? Or something important that you need to get home tonight?" As he said those words, Bokuto was smiling cheekily, his eyes meeting Akaashi's, and a small blush on his cheeks.
"Not really, why?" Akaashi thought for a second, and said again, "I have my day off tomorrow, so it should be fine if you wanna hang out late." Smiled.
"Great!"
At the same time, their food arrived, the waitress muttering a soft, "enjoy your meal", before retreating back again.
"Let's eat, Akaashi." It was quiet, and Bokuto was all smiles throughout the dinner.
"So, I'm wondering."
"Yes?"
"Wanna watch a movie, Akaashi?" Bokuto gleamed, with matching pointing fingers at him, clearly delighted.
For what reason, I do not know.
"Sure."
They were walking outside, Bokuto leaving his car on the parking lot nearby. It was late, but not that late late. There were passerbys, some of them due to working overtime, and others just wandering at night. They wounded up in a cinema studio which looked classic.
The next movie will be showing soon, and Bokuto ushered him inside, buying popcorns and drinks, not bothering to look at the title of the movie they're about to watch.
The cinema was not that packed, and they had the place for themselves, settling at the left corner, near the center.
The movie went on, Akaashi somewhat catching it to be a mystery-thriller. He didn't really care about the movie, let alone know what it was about. Bokuto, on the other hand, seemed focused, eyes never leaving the big screen.
The spiker would flinch occasionally, joining in with the lead character, would mutter incoherent words, and dig on his popcorn.
Akaashi is watching another movie right now, and he didn't care. He's actually loving every second of it. Bokuto is just so candid.
Akaashi reached for his drink, eyes turning to the screen, although he doesn't know what's already happening. The lead, or is he the lead character, was struggling to get up, looking worn out. He even heard Bokuto mutter a somewhat like "jesus christ, get out of there bro" and continued on. He was startled when a hand grasped his, and looked over his right.
Bokuto seemed to notice, and looked at him, then at Akaashi's wrist where his hand rests.
"Ah, I'm sorry. Thought it was mine." He had this cheeky smile on his face again.
"It's fine, Bokuto-san." Akaashi muttered, a faint smile on his lips, but Bokuto had already moved, sitting comfortably, eyes back to the screen.
Ah, what a night. I'm watching a movie with a story I don't know with my captain-spiker from my high school club.
Akaashi flinched again, a hand making it's way on his own, intertwining, this time, intentionally. He looked over at Bokuto, still focused on the movie. But he swear he could see the latter smiling. And the former setter wondered why, when the lead character is actually at gunpoint.
Ah, I guess this is fine.
"How was it, Akaashi?" Bokuto excitedly muttered as they exited the building, walking along the quiet streets.
"It's okay, I guess." Akaashi mumbled absentmindedly.
"It was so mysterious at first, right? And then action kicked in, and guns were everywhere, and men-in-black, too, wasn't it, and then..." Bokuto babbled on animatedly, arms moving everywhere.
The sidewalk was almost deserted, mostly all of the shops closed, except for some occasional 24/7 open stores. They were in the suburbs. Yellow lights were emitted by lamp posts as they walk by, completely unaware of the world. Side by side, they go, Akaashi not knowing where.
"Where are we going now, Bokuto-san?" Akaashi cuts him off, as he was still narrating everything that happened in the movie.
"Oh, right, right. Sorry." The taller male led on, walking ahead of him. "Just follow me. You're not tired yet, are you?"
"No. It's okay."
Take me anywhere you want.
Wait. That sounded bad. Good thing I didn't say it out loud.
It's just Bokuto, calm down.
Bokuto beamed at him and moved on. The stars are quite visible here, maybe because there isn't an abundant source of light to hinder them. Akaashi suddenly had the feeling that he wanted to see this every night.
"Oh, I remember." Bokuto lets out a small chuckle, looking up at nothing in particular. "Back when Kuroo and I were in college."
"Yeah?" Akaashi gave him a side glance, arms clutching his coat.
"I broke out of campus at midnight." A light-hearted laugh came from him, clearly enjoying the memories.
"That's bad." Typical Bokuto-san.
"I went to their campus, broke in, just so we could watch a movie." He's shaking his head now, arms inside his jacket pocket. "Mind you, that Kuroo picked out a horror movie out of all movies he had."
"Pfft. I could see the two of you covering your eyes and squeezing against the wall."
Bokuto looked at him, pointing a finger. "That's exactly what happened. Are you a psychic or something, Akaashi?"
Akaashi lets out a chuckle, eyes squinting to look at Bokuto, who's clearly pleased at something.
"Wait here. I'll buy us something." Bokuto said as they passed by a still opened shop, devoid of customers.
A few minutes passed and he was trudging towards Akaashi, a small plastic bag on his left hand.
"What are those?"
"Just drinks. Let's go."
Bokuto caught Akaashi's wrist, holding him gently, and started walking towards nowhere. Akaashi could feel his breath hitched, his heart skipping a beat due to surprise.
"Where?"
"You sure have a lot of questions for me tonight, Akaashi." Bokuto looked back, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Akaashi looked away, still embarrassed for reasons he doesn't know.
"It's an abandoned building Kuroo and I used to go to. I'm telling you, the view is super nice."
It was so serene, two guys walking in the middle of the night, hand in hand, under the light of the stars. It was quiet too, just the distant sound of cars can be heard.
A moment later, they arrived in front of a three story building. It was old, but it looked pretty sturdy. Bokuto dragged him inside, hand still in his wrist, as they started climbing the stairs.
As they reached the rooftop, Bokuto lets go, and faced him. Akaashi, on the other hand, turned around, absorbing in the atmosphere. It felt nice, the cold wind hitting his face, brushing his hair away from his forehead, the flickering of lights around and above him, sending an unknown fluttering to his heart, somewhat feeling ecstatic.
He then turned to the one who made him feel like this. He was just smiling, a few feet away from Akaashi. He had this warm look in his eyes, and a hint of adoration.
"I told you it's nice here, right?" Bokuto smiled some more, walking towards Akaashi. "You like it?"
The latter just nodded, unable to speak at the moment. He just took everything in, the view, the feelings, and the man before him.
"Here." The taller handed him a canned drink from the bag, and walked towards the railings, setting his elbows, crouching a little. Akaashi followed suit.
They just stood there, against the railings of the rooftop, side by side, while sipping their drink. No one spoke a word, a comfortable silence engulfing them.
This is nice. So nice.
"Akaashi." He heard Bokuto say, although the other isn't looking at him.
"Yes?" Akaashi looked at him, innocent face waiting for an answer.
"I—" Bokuto, turning to him, stopped for a second, looking mesmerized. "I- I forgot what I wanted to say."
Akaashi can't hold it any longer and bursted out laughing, his soft voice echoing around them.
Bokuto couldn't help chuckling in either, still mesmerized by the way Akaashi did everything.
"You're so pretty."
Akaashi stopped, frozen on the spot. He didn't know if he was hallucinating or he just heard Bokuto wrong.
What. What?
He looked up, face flushed red, looking at the other guy, who he now noticed, also looked as red as him.
They were both frozen on the spot.
Suddenly, he was walking away. Akaashi was about to ask when Bokuto laid the plastic bag down, along with his can, and started walking towards him.
The latter still had a red face, his ears also having the same color. Akaashi can't help but stare.
"Can I, can I do this?"
"What?" Still disoriented, Akaashi had managed to let that out.
Before the answer came, he was embraced by two arms, slowly making it's way around his waist, as Bokuto's face, nuzzled his neck.
"B-Bokuto-san?"
"Lemme stay like this... for a lil more." Slurred voices came from Bokuto, hugging Akaashi closer.
"But—"
"Hm?" Bokuto peeked at his face, eyebrows furrowed, an evident pout on his face.
Akaashi couldn't argue more when Bokuto went back to nuzzling his neck, arms gently circling his waist.
What is happening. What are we doing. And my heart. I think I'm sick, oh my god, it just won't slow down. What the hell. What are you doing to me, Bokuto Koutarou ?