Chapter Text
It all started with a harmless decision to agree to Nijimura’s invitation.
Akashi was in The States to help his Father take care of overseas business. It was finished sooner than expected, and Nijimura, presumably hearing from his Father that Akashi is in town, taking advantage of the “Senpai card” and “we-haven’t-seen-each-other-in-a-long-while card” combo as per usual, invited him to a surfing weekend/reunion in his Father’s beach house in the secluded part in southern California. The older man won’t take no for an answer, given it was just an hour drive from Los Angeles, and Akashi’s flight is not until tomorrow morning, so the redhead couldn’t see why not.
Apparently, Nijimura decided that it’s best to have more company because when Akashi arrived at the location that Nijimura shared through messaging app, he did not only find him and Kiyoshi, Nijimura’s boyfriend. There was also Kuroko Tetsuya, along with the loud-mouthed, venti-sized dork that is Kagami Taiga. He also invited a long-time friend Himuro Tatsuya, who sulked in the corner about “pastry chef boyfriend in Paris”. And as if a six-person party is not crowded enough for what the black-haired man called as “mini-reunion”, Nijimura also invited a brown-haired guy, who is not as flashy as Kagami, not as pretty as Himuro, and definitely did not come to Teiko middle-high to be here in so-called “reunion”.
There was nothing special about the guy that Nijimura dubbed as his “long lost bro”; he has a regular, bordering boring brown hair, is slightly shorter than Akashi, and has zero skill to surf, even though Nijimura dubbed this as a “Surfing Weekend”. He was lurking in the corner, responding to Nijimura’s attempts to include him in the conversation but otherwise being quiet. He’s also speaking with Kuroko every now and then, indicating that they’re friends, though not as close as he is to Nijimura. And when they were busy trying to ride the waves (Kuroko included, even though he almost passed out after only fifteen minutes under California sun), the guy only sat on the towel on the dry part of the beach, beer half-buried in the sand on his right, and a novel on his hand.
The guy is modest, clearly not from Nijimura’s usual circle, but the way he carried himself around the house as if he ever lived there speaks volumes of their close friendship. Nijimura also seamlessly included him in their get-together, as if he would do a younger brother. That piqued Akashi’s curiosity, because Nijimura is awesome, sure, and Akashi looks up to him big time. But again, his senpai was too intimidating to casually make friends out of anyone, a problem that Akashi also experienced firsthand. This plain-looking brown-haired guy must have some hidden depth within him to be able to befriend his middle school senpai.
However, instead of asking Nijimura, Akashi opted to approach the guy instead.
The sun was beginning to set when he put the surfing board, tired of Kagami’s “it’s not fair” shouts every time Akashi managed to ride the good waves. He grabbed a beer from the cooler and approached the brunet.
“May I join you?” he asked politely.
The guy (Furihata, if Akashi remembered correctly) smiled, “free country,” he said lightly as he let out a smile. There’s an awkwardness in his eyes as he met Akashi’s eyes, but Akashi tossed his towel to the sand next to the guy.
He stared at the sunset, waiting for the guy to start a conversation. When it’s finally clear for him that he wouldn’t do such a thing, Akashi turns to him.
“Not a fan of surfing?”
“Nope, never learns, never try,” the guy answered, eyes only meeting Akashi’s for a bit before glancing back to his book. This guy is nervous, Akashi could tell as much. People have the tendency to be nervous around him, and Akashi has learned not to be bothered by it.
“Even though you live in California?” he asked, amused. “Seems like a waste, isn’t it?”
“Never have the energy to do it.”
“Books are more interesting, huh?”
The guy shrugged. “It’s work,” he said. “I do the translation, mostly for company documents but sometimes, a popular novel to be submitted to a website. I got to submit the chapter next week.”
“Oh,” Akashi said. “Never seen that title before. Is it interesting?”
Book talks are not supposed to be the start of something sexy, according to Nijimura. But the world is not bowing into his rule, thankfully. Thus, after spending the rest of the evening with each other, Akashi ended up driving the brunet to his hotel room, where they wrapped under the blanket, embracing each other. They both were naked and breathless by the end of the night. Furihata (that’s his name, Akashi did remember right) smiled from ear to ear, looking like he had the time of his life, which inflated Akashi’s ego and swelled his heart at the same time.
The guy sat on the edge of the bed after they spent five minutes in silence, tired from their recent activity. He looked at Akashi from his shoulder, and with the way his eyes stared at him, the way the light from the balcony illuminated his tan skin was so dazling that Akashi couldn’t resist but to eliminate the space between them and captured the brunet’s lips. It was a lazy makeout, that had no further intentions. Which was good, considering the first rays of morning light would soon break. Akashi got a morning flight to catch, and Furihata got a busy day ahead of him.
-
Furihata Kouki was just Akashi’s one-night stand, or so he thought at first. After they got on separate ways that morning, Akashi soon forgot about the brown-haired guy, and instead got distracted with work, his studies, and everything that awaits him when he arrived in Tokyo.
The redhead only reminded of Furihata Kouki when he waited at the airport lounge, waiting for his flight to America, when some teenage girl put down a novel she read. It was the same book that Furihata read back in the Surfing Weekend day at Nijimura's, and as he flew towards America, Akashi couldn’t help but to think about calling the brunet.
Perhaps it was their time together that made Akashi longed for the brunet, or perhaps because he is still so curious about what made Nijimura befriend Furihata, but what seemed like a passing thought soon turned into something that takes over Akashi’s mind during his flight to California, even all the way to the days he spent in The States. Each day, Akashi wondered if it was time to contact Furihata. However, aside from the business at hand, Akashi also had one more problem that he had to deal with.
He did not have Furihata’s number.
Akashi cursed his past self for not asking for his number last time, confident that they were nothing more than a one-night stand and will never see each other again. He was thinking to ask Nijimura, but he was pretty sure that if he got his senpai involved, he would never hear the end of it. So he did the next thing every modern person could think of; stalking Furihata’s social media.
As he thought, Furihata was Facebook friends with Nijimura, which made it easier to come up with an alibi if he asks (like, no, I absolutely do not stalk you. You just happen to pop up on my feed as one of the “Friends You May Know”, and I add familiar faces as social network friends).
With that alibi in mind, Akashi soon hit the Request Friend button, which Furihata accepted in a matter of seconds. There was a green round dot on his photo that caught Akashi’s attention before a message soon popped out.
Kouki: Akashi Seijuurou is not too busy for social media. Good to know.
Akashi smiled at that.
Seijuurou: Everyone seemed to be under the impression that I am a serious human being that does not do the things people my age do.
Seijuurou: And it’s a little bit strange that it comes from you, who saw me surf and drank like people my age do in California.
Kouki: Riiight..
Kouki: How are you, by the way?
Seijuurou: I am well, thank you for asking. How about you?
Akashi stared at his message a little bit, tapping a few more words before doubt could fill his thought.
Seijuurou: Actually, I’m in the US right now. I wonder if we could meet again.
Seijuurou: If you’re available, that is.
There was a brief pause, and the green dot turned red two minutes after Akashi sent the message. He waited patiently, staring at the screen as if it offended him.
There was no reply from Furihata.
After ten minutes of glancing back to his social media tab, Akashi gave up waiting and opened his work tabs again, trying to distract himself. His head was automatically making a few guesses on why Furihata does not want to meet him and decided to let go of the matter. However, when Akashi finally finished his work and opened the social media tab again, he saw Furihata Kouki replied to his message.
Kouki: Gah, I DID NOT NOTICE YOU HAVE REPLIED! I’m so sorry, I was in the middle of work and I guess I kind of got carried away.
Kouki: And you’re in Cali? That’s awesome! Of course, let's meet! Though, I’m in the middle of work right now. How’s 6 pm sound?
Akashi typed up a reply, saying no, it’s fine. I was at work, anyway , leaving out the part that he actually spent ten minutes staring at his screen. He then proceeded to offer to meet in a restaurant near his building instead.
Furihata Kouki gave a smiling emoji, and a short “see you soon”. Akashi found himself mirroring the emoji’s expression as the dot turned red again.
Akashi arrived at the bar thirty minutes earlier than the agreed time, only to see Furihata already there, waiting in the corner with his eyes glued on the old laptop on the table. He wore a loose shirt and a pair of trousers that was casual enough for a friendly hangout.
His skin looked a little bit tanner than Akashi remembered, probably a result of summer. And his wide brown eyes were focusing on the screen, tapping his jaw with his fingers every now and then. There was something about the brown-haired man that is endearing and sad at the same time. A mystery that Akashi is dying to find out.
He must have stared too hard, because the brown-haired man turned his head to Akashi, and soon, the sadness in his eyes masked by bright eyes and a warm smile, radiating a subtle charm that made Akashi wonder if it is what made Nijimura befriend him.
“Been here long?” Akashi asked as he approached the man.
“No, not really,” he said as he closed his laptop and got up from his seat to greet Akashi. Furihata had already ordered a cup of coffee. “You want to order something?”
Akashi ended up ordering a beer and a plate of finger food to share. He sat across Furihata, one small table separating him from the brunet that glows under California sunset.
The conversation rolled very naturally, starting with stuff they’re up to; Akashi with his work in America, and Furihata with his part-time work here and there. Furihata did not offer too much information about himself. In fact, it seemed that he deliberately avoided it, smoothly shifting the conversation to their mutual friends instead; what Nijimura is up to, Kuroko and Kagami’s relationship that already mirrors an old married couple, and more about Nijimura and Kiyoshi.
Furihata is in the middle of talking about how Kiyoshi was a high school senpai of his back when he was in Tokyo. Akashi did not miss the way Furihata’s eyes gleamed as he talked about Chiba where he apparently went to school.
“Do you miss it?” Akashi asked.
Furihata looked startled by his question. “Tokyo? Nah, I miss Orion beer more, I guess,” he said as he laughed. “Like, there’s so many beers in this continent and nothing beats Orion. My brother used to work in Okinawa and he used to bring them home to Tokyo all the time,” Furihata complained, sighing.
Akashi raised his eyebrow. “You have a brother?”
“Yes, and oh, dango,” Furihata said. It’s obvious that he tried to avert the conversation from himself again. “I missed eating them! Of course we have some around here but I don’t know, it doesn’t feel the same.”
“How about your family? You don’t miss them?”
Furihata’s smile falters. He looked almost a little sad as the light in his eyes dimmed. However, they brightened up as if it were nothing, but Akashi had seen enough to know that it was a sensitive matter.
“Them too,” he said softly. “Anyway, speaking of family, I almost forgot. Shuuzo wants to know when will you pay him a visit, or if you’re going to leave without even saying hello like a barbarian . That’s his words, by the way. Not mine. He says that as if he was an old grumpy grandpa,” Furihata chuckled.
Furihata must not like talking about himself so much, so Akashi went along with his whims. He raised his eyebrows, smiling as he heard of Nijimura's message. “You tell Nijimura-san I’m in town?”
“You didn’t?” Furihata asked, a shock clear on his face when Akashi shook his head. “Oh, sorry, I thought you called him! I didn’t know that he shouldn’t know!”
Akashi shook his head again, smiling. “I don’t mind him knowing I’m in town. But I’m afraid I do not have much time to visit him,” Akashi said. “I have a morning flight tomorrow. Besides, he could be… a little bit handful.”
At that, Furihata let out a burst of laughter. “He does, doesn’t he,” he said. “He’s like an old grumpy grandpa that makes a fuss about anything. I guess he needs a subject to project his mothering instinct. Like, you won’t believe that the first time I met him, he actually fed me as a mom would!”
There was something that resembles a kick in Akashi’s chest as he paints a mental image of Shuuzo feeding Furihata Kouki. “Oh?” he asked. “He never told me much about how you first met.”
Then, Furihata tells the funny stories he had with Shuuzo and Kiyoshi. There was something about him that warms up every time he mentioned Shuuzo, and though Akashi suspected that it was most likely a brotherly affection, he couldn’t help but feel a little bit annoyed. He did not know why the fact that Furihata is close friends with Shuuzo disturbed him so much. After all, if not for that fact, he wouldn’t have known Furihata at all.
“What do you mean you helped Nijimura figure things out before he dated Kiyoshi-san?” Akashi asked, pausing Furihata's story as to when Nijimura was panicking as he got closer with Kiyoshi. “I thought you’re on Kiyoshi-san’s side in their relationship? Since you’re high school friends and all?”
“Oh, yes, It was through me that Shuuzo knows Kiyoshi-senpai. But I met him long before Kiyoshi-senpai came here. You should see how Shuuzo was a bisexual disaster. I had to offer him my help to find out if he’s actually into guys,” Furihata said while laughing.
“Your help?” Akashi asked. He had an idea of what that might mean, and he did not like the implication at all. His mind wanders on that story Nijimura told him back in the day, about how he ended up with Kiyoshi Teppei when the entire time Akashi knows him, Nijimura seems to only interested in girls. His senpai only answered with “I had helped to figure things out”.
Furihata, realizing that he had said too much, paused as blood raised to his cheeks. “I uh…,” he scratched his jaw. “It’s uh, a small favor. Shuuzo helped me so much since I got here so… yeah.”
His sheepish answer connects the dots in Akashi’s mind. It could only mean that some time through their friendship, Nijimura had slept with Furihata, though there seemed to be no strings attached given that his senpai dated Kiyoshi Teppei, and the relationship is still going strong up until now.
Something must have shown on Akashi’s face because Furihata stared meekly at Akashi.
The redhead knows then that he has to speak. “I see,” Akashi said. He wanted to know more; how Furihata views Nijimura now, what favors Nijimura did that made Furihata decide to do that. He did not know why it mattered, or why the heck he felt a kick in his stomach as he learned about that particular fact. Nijimura might just be a one-night stand, just like Akashi was to Furihata. And yet...
The sky behind Furihata had turned blue, but the dusk had not fully fallen yet, as there was a reddish sunset reflecting on Furihata’s brown eyes. It was beautiful as if Furihata’s eyes emitted the colors on their own instead of reflecting it. And Akashi couldn't bring himself to think about anything else when Furihata looks like that.
“You’re staring,” Furihata said, a little nervous laugh follows. “Is something on my face?”
“No,” he said. “You’re just… glowing, you realize that?”
A blush was spreading to Furihata’s cheeks as if he didn’t expect it coming from Akashi. “Is that so? I wouldn’t know.”
“You do,” Akashi said, leaning closer to the brunet. Because Furihata’s subtle charm is really just hard to ignore, now that Akashi can spot it. “I almost want to kiss you.”
Furihata’s smile faltered, again. Dimming in a way similar to when Akashi talked about his family. But just like before, it was quickly wiped off in a blink of an eye.
“In that case,” he said, a confident kind smile follows. “Why don’t you?”
The redhead had to process the invitation for two more heartbeats before he leaned forward, crossing the short table between them and captured Furihata’s lips lightly, an action made completely by impulse without a thorough thinking, and is a confusing decision on his part.
Thankfully, Furihata did not push him away, but it took him a few seconds of awkwardness before the brunet kissed him back, with a little bit of hesitation that soon disappeared when Akashi did not let up.
And thus, the evening ended with Furihata in his bed, cuddling closely with his chest and neck decorated with Akashi’s kisses. He was sighing contently, breath slowly even out as silence filled the room, echoing their passion in a warm peace.
Akashi wanted to make a conversation, wanted to talk about how Furihata ended up there, about how Furihata met and befriended Shuuzo, about nothing at all. However, before he could speak anything, Furihata’s phone rang, breaking the serenity they were in. The brunet rolled over to the side of the bed, unlocking his phone.
His face painted an emotion of exhaustion before he groaned. “Ugh, I gotta work in a bit,” he said, burying his face on the pillow. “Sorry, I guess I gotta run.”
“Of course,” Akashi answered.
He watched as Furihata got up from bed, dashing back and forth to the bathroom in a hurried manner as he put his clothes back on. Akashi did not miss how Furihata put back on a necklace with a ring hanging on it, similar to what Himuro and Kagami wore back in high school days. He did not pay attention to Furihata’s accessories before, and now that it caught his attention, Akashi wanted to talk about it too.
“Thanks for your company,” Furihata said as he flashed another smile towards Akashi. “I’ll uh… be going now. Safe flight, yeah?”
“Thank you,” Akashi said. “I’ll see you later?”
“Sure, call me whenever you're in Cali,” Furihata said.
“I’m afraid I will not come to The States anytime soon. My work here is done, after all,” Akashi said. “But please, call me whenever you are back in Japan, okay?”
For a few seconds, Akashi could see that the brunet is frozen. But just like the day before, it also wiped out with a smile, as if nothing ever happened.
“I will, if I ever get back,” he said. “Sayonara then, Akashi-kun.”
The brunet grabbed his bag, before going out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Leaving Akashi wonders why of all the goodbyes that Furihata could say in Japanese, he chose that particular one that means that he did not expect to meet him again for a very long time.
-
Just like before, the thoughts of Furihata Kouki slipped Akashi’s mind as soon as he stepped foot in Tokyo. Between piles of work and other responsibilities he had to do as an Akashi, there is barely any room for someone that lives overseas.
It was only when he saw two bottles of Orion beer in a souvenir from a coworker that just got back from Okinawa, that he thought of Furihata Kouki again.
When most of his work is finished, Akashi clinked open a bottle of Orion for himself, watching as the sun sets and how the golden light reminds him of Furihata Kouki. Out of impulse, Akashi opened a tab to access his social media again in hope that he could start a conversation with the brunet.
There was a red dot on Furihata’s profile, indicating that he is offline. It is to be expected since in The States it must be morning time. Akashi clicked on Furihata’s timeline instead, scrolling through it to find a series of photos tagged by Nijimura. He paused to see each and every photo. Furihata behind a counter, preparing a coffee to which Nijimura wrote: “Employee of The Month twelve times in a row”. Furihata on a beach, with sunglasses on and one hand holding a book, wearing the same shirt he wore back when they last met. And finally, a photo of them sipping a drink in what looks like an old bowling place.
Akashi scowled. Most of the pictures only have Furihata and Nijimura, with Kiyoshi only in a few frames. He clicked on Nijimura’s profile, to confirm whether he is still dating Kiyoshi. Sure enough, his profile picture is still with Kiyoshi, validating their relationship status. Akashi even found a few more pictures where Kiyoshi is in the same places that Furihata and Nijimura visited, which means that he also tagged along in their get-together, though Akashi did not seem to find many of him in Furihata's profile. But Nijimura’s interaction with Furihata is plenty, even more than his interaction with Kiyoshi. There are some joke posts in which Nijimura tagged Furihata and vice versa.
There was the feeling in his chest again where Akashi felt as if it clutched his heart. He still did not understand why the fact that Furihata and Nijimura once slept together bugged him so much when it shouldn’t.
The redhead closed the tab of his social media, having another sip of Orion beer that Furihata missed so much. He thought of sending a few bottles of the beer to the brunet. However, shipping a few bottles of beer seems to be so strange, considering that Akashi is nothing more than Furihata’s acquaintance. It would be more reasonable to deliver them personally when Akashi goes back to America. That would be more cost-efficient.
Except of course, he does not have any business to attend to in America. Not in a foreseeable future, anyway.
Or, so he thought.
Akashi’s musings were interrupted by a knock on the door. He cleared his throat, calling his guest to come in.
Hanabi, his secretary, entered the room with a pile of paper to sign, and a list of things that Akashi needed to do next week. She ended her requests with “Have a Nice Weekend, is there anything else you needed from me, Akashi-san?”
"Actually, there is," Akashi said, making the younger girl paused on her tracks. "Say, Hana-san, do we have any pending partnership proposals from companies in The States?” he asked. “Pardon me for asking at the end of Friday. I just feel like I’m forgetting something.”
Akashi never forgets, he knows that, and Hanabi also knows that, considering that it is often Akashi who reminded her of what she missed on Akashi's schedule. That's why the girl looks so surprised (: horrified) when Akashi said the last part.
“Uh… not that I remember, no,” she said, dragging the last part as she fidgets, probably trying to rack her brain for something that Akashi might have missed. “No, I suppose there’s nothing. Oh, except that one proposal from the Nijimura company a few months ago. But you have looked over it and you dismissed it cause you thought that it’s not profitable enough?”
“Ah, yes, that one,” Akashi said. “Thank you, Hana-san. It was exactly what I was forgetting. Say, could you please resend me the email of the proposal before you go home? I wish to go through that again.”
"Of course," Hanabi said quickly, before going out of the room.
Akashi sipped the remaining content in his bottle as he re-read the proposal that he received from the Older Nijimura. after reading it the second time, he thought that some of the points in the proposal are acceptable, with a little bit of negotiation. It’s not something that could make Akashi Group make a huge profit, but Akashi thought that it could benefit them in the long run.
Akashi glanced at the To-Do List for the next week that Hanabi had prepared for him, and he added a reminder to prepare for his departure to The States.