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Bokuto slumps into the chair closest to the door and lets out a deep sigh. The chair is rather comfortable and he lets his body sink into it, trying to relax as much as possible, telling himself that no one's looking, no one cares. He feels out of place here, and he curses inside his head for styling his hair today and even applying some glitter around his eyes, just a slightly bit, so that no one even realises it's there, but it makes his eyes look more magical and he simply loves people staring in confusion. But not here, not in the orchestra where everyone is wearing dark suits and dresses, looking smart and elegant, and serious. And boring, Bokuto finishes the list in his head and sighs, trying to keep his eyes open. It's quite difficult, after pulling some all-nighters with Kuroo, but a bet is a bet, and he can't simply leave now.
"Is everything alright?" he hears a soft voice to his right and meets dark eyes when he turns his head.
"Yeah," he mutters with a weak smile on his face when the man's eyes travel to his hair, and looks around. There're just a few more people scattered in guests lounge, everyone's eyes on the stage. They're all older people, just like all the players in the orchestra, too, but the man sitting next to Bokuto seems to be in his twenties, his pale face framed by dark hair, his eyes still focused on Bokuto. "Sorry," Bokuto says, straightening up. The man on his right nods, then turns to look at the stage as he hears the first notes.
The melody is nice, Bokuto has to agree, but it just makes him feel even more sleepy while the dark haired man seems to come to life with every sound of it. His lips corners turn upwards just a slightly bit, not really a smile yet, but it brings some grace to his features. He's wearing a black suit, black tie nicely pressed against his neck, his hair a bit dishevelled, but not in a messy way. He looks smart and elegant, and serious. But not boring, not him. There's something mesmerizing about the man, and Bokuto decides to watch him from the corner of his eye instead of paying his full attention to the orchestra. He's still going to hear the same pieces over and over again, therefore, there's no problem if he keeps himself interested with other things for now.
-
Maybe it wasn't interesting enough, after all, and Bokuto yawns when he wakes up as someone is patting his arm so carefully it brings a smile on Bokuto's face.
"Excuse me, everyone's leaving," he hears that soft voice again and snaps his eyes open, looking around. All the lights are on, and he needs to blink a few times for the vision to come back. "You fell asleep," the same dark haired man says, but there's no smile on his face.
"Oh, right," Bokuto stands up too fast and groans when everything spins around.
"Is everything really alright?" the man draws his eyebrows together, his hand carefully holding Bokuto's arm. He looks Bokuto into the eyes, but doesn't look surprised at all, and Bokuto wonders for a moment if he put too little glitter this time. The man quirks an eyebrow at him and it makes Bokuto snap out from his thoughts.
"Totally fine," he laughs when he regains his composure and takes a deep breath, "Staying up for a few nights takes its' toll, you know."
"It figures," the man nods, taking his hand away, "Are you new to the orchestra, too?" he asks, then lazily adds, "I'm Akaashi Keiji. I'm sorry, I don't have my card at the moment."
"Bokuto Koutarou," he smiles, repeating Akaashi's name in his head to remember it, and slightly shakes his head, "No worries. I'm kind of stylist for the orchestra, so we'll meet again," he shrugs and Akaashi frowns slightly.
"I didn't know we have one, sorry. Nice to meet you."
"It's more of a title, anyway. I'll be here for these couple of weeks full of concerts just to add little touches here and there if needed," he shrugs again. "It kind of slipped off my tongue, that I could totally do it as I have free time anyway. Kind of like a bet. When we were talking with Tetsu. I mean, Kuroo. Like, son of the Kuroo that's like the main guy here or whatever," he waves his hands and rolls his eyes for the show.
Akaashi smiles at him and walks through the door, "You're an interesting person, Bokuto-san," he says, turning his head to look at Bokuto, "You can join me for coffee, if you want, maybe it'll make you feel better," he offers after a moment of hesitation and Bokuto grins.
"Sounds good."
-
In ten minutes before Akaashi needs to go back, Bokuto gets to know that the man is a violinist, a bit younger than himself and most probably addicted to coffee even though he's denying it. Akaashi learns a lot more about Bokuto even without asking and on his way home Bokuto wonders if he was talking too much.
-
"I bet Kenma's new game that you wouldn't last two weeks with the orchestra," Kuroo grins and Bokuto knows he's making a mistake, but he can't stop himself.
"Watch me," he laughs and shakes Kuroo's hand. Kenma sighs from the coach, sipping at his tea, "I'm not giving my game to anyone."
"No worries, Kenma, 's fine, he's not gonna make it," Kuroo chuckles and gives Bokuto a look, "Have fun with grandpas, I'm sure they'll like you," he gives Bokuto thumbs up and breaks into laughter.
"I'm friends with you, so I'm pretty sure I can go through anything at this point," Bokuto shrugs and gets a pillow thrown at his face.
"Why do they even need a stylist there?" Kenma looks up at Bokuto, then his eyes settle on Kuroo, "And you could've gone, too."
"Beats me, dad thought it'd be useful," Kuroo shrugs and his smirk is back in its' place, "And I'm too lazy to do it, plus Oikawa brat's got some concerts, too, so I'll have to work there."
Bokuto groans at his own stupidity when everything gets to the right places in his head, "You've used me again," he slaps his forehead with his palm and slumps next to Kuroo. "You're the worst, you know that?" he adds, but he's laughing, and Kuroo slightly bumps their shoulders.
"Wouldn't expect less from me, right?"
-
Bokuto sighs when he leaves the room. Kuroo's dad thinks of him as of his own son, but Bokuto still doesn't want to disappoint him. There's nothing much he'll have to do, though. Mostly just keep an eye on elders and take care if anyone has dark circles under eyes or could do with a bit healthier look. In short, make sure everyone looks decent enough as they're having more concerts than usual during these couple of weeks.
"Bokuto-san? Good morning."
Bokuto lifts his eyes to see Akaashi walking past him with violin case in his hand. They'll have a concert at six, and he was told that everyone starts gathering around three to make last adjustments, rehearse some things and warm up without any hurry. That's when Bokuto is supposed to come, too, but he was asked to show up in the morning as Tetsu's dad wanted to have a word with him but had some things to do later.
"Morning. What brings you here so early?"
"It's my first concert here, I want to practise a bit more," Akaashi stops and turns around to face Bokuto. "What about you?"
"Got some stuff to do in there," he points to the doors, then frowns at Akaashi. Talk about dark circles under eyes, he sighs, coming closer to look at the dark haired man.
"Is anything a problem?" Akaashi asks, bringing his eyebrows together in confusion.
"Nothing, just looking at my first job here," Bokuto lets out a laugh at Akaashi's bewildered face, "I'm gonna get rid of these later," he gently touches Akaashi's cheek right under bags, and his hand freezes at the contact.
Bokuto remembers reading it in one of his manga books, most probably it was a quote by someone famous, maybe Jung, Bokuto's not sure, he's never been good with putting names to words. It said that human relationships are like chemical reactions. If there's a reaction, you can never go back to previous state of being. Chemistry has never been Bokuto's strong point and he has dropped those classes as soon as the chance came, so he doesn't know how much of the truth it is, but it sounds interesting. Not really good, not in all cases, but somehow he finds himself applying this rule more often than not. It explains things, it makes you feel less responsible for your actions, and sometimes that's all Bokuto needs.
He blames chemical reactions when something burns at the tips of his fingers and goes through his body in a second, maybe even less; Akaashi's eyelashes flutter before he blinks and the feeling is gone. Not entirely gone, Bokuto pulls his hand away and hides it in his pocket. It makes him feel some sort of void inside, as if he discovered a new place somewhere in his inner self that is empty of something, he doesn't know what. It reminds him of that feeling when you have to do something important, but you don't want to, so you end up turning on your laptop and something is happening in you, something doesn't let you calm down, some guilt and at the same time excitement is mixing inside you, and all you can do is wait until black screen colours itself and soon the feeling is gone, or maybe just forgotten.
Akaashi is looking at him questionably. His expression doesn't really change, but there's something in his eyes that conveys his confusion, and Bokuto desperately tries to remember how to speak.
"See you later, Akaashi," finally he gives a man a wide smile, then adds, "Good luck."
"Thank you," Akaashi nods, then opens his mouth to say something more, but changes his mind and closes it, simply turning around and walking away.
Bokuto takes a deep breath and goes downstairs. There's something unusual with this dark haired man. Bokuto searches for the word that would explain exactly what's so unusual about him, but the only thing that comes to his head is "inviting". Akaashi's presence is inviting, as if telling Bokuto that he needs to stay here, that he belongs here. In a way it reminds him of meeting Kuroo. He knew he had to call out for a boy with ridiculous hair and the moment they grinned at each other Bokuto knew that his life just got better.
There's no grinning this time, but Bokuto knows that Akaashi has just become something else than simply a person he'll have to work with. He feels how his inner world rearranges itself, making a new clear spot with a tag that has Akaashi's name written in a bit messy letters pinned on it.
-
Bokuto takes a one-hour nap, then styles his hair once again and adds some glitter around his eyes without thinking, afterwards spending ten minutes wondering if he should leave it or clean it instead. It somehow makes him feel better, and he's the stylist anyway - a bit of more interesting touch wouldn't hurt anyone, even in the orchestra - so he leaves it and smiles at his own reflection in the mirror before going out.
He gets a message from Kuroo that says he's ditching their plans for tonight as he just got back home after stupid afterparty that Oikawa insisted on having. He texts back saying he got that and they can go see the film some other day. He thinks for a moment, then sends another one, telling his dumbass to go and sleep for as long as he can. He laughs to himself when his phone screen lights up with Kuroo's "screw you :p", then puts it in his bag and stretches. It's just a bit after noon, so he decides to walk all the way instead of getting on the train.
He buys ice cream and chocolate and moves from the main street to smaller ones where are few to none people. He can enjoy his sweets without anyone glaring at him that he's eating while walking, and he doesn't feel like he's bothering others when he takes step after step at a slow pace, without any hurry.
He stops by a shrine on his way, petting a few cats that are yawning on the stairs, their backs turned to the sun. One of them is looking at Bokuto with lazy eyes, black fur pointing to all sides, so he takes a photo and sends it to Kuroo's email under subject "found your lost twin brother".
Even with little detours walking doesn't take him too long, and he's standing at the entrance some minutes before two o'clock, holding two coffees from a little cafe round the corner, the one that Akaashi brought him to yesterday. The man said he could drink that coffee ten times per day, the taste was just that good, so Bokuto couldn't leave without buying second cup in case Akaashi was still practising. And if not, he can always drink two cups himself.
He doesn't get to, though, as he finds Akaashi sitting at the table with some papers in front of him.
"Hey," Bokuto says and Akaashi mutters "Hello" in response without looking up. Bokuto places coffee on the table and sits down, occupying one extra chair with his bag, "Got some coffee for you too," he takes a cup and opens the lid instead of using only the small hole in it, his eyes resting on Akaashi. The man has glasses on, carefully checking some notes, his fingers playing with a pencil.
"Thank you, though you didn't have..." he turns to Bokuto and trails off, "Oh," he closes his eyes for a moment, then blinks a few times, "Your...eyes."
Bokuto laughs.
"Pretty cool, right?" he grins and Akaashi smiles at him.
"I don't know if that's the most suitable word, but yes, I guess," he takes his coffee and with the first sip closes his eyes in content. Bokuto watches him in silence, little details about the man in front of him getting stored in the place made for him somewhere in Bokuto's inner world. The way his hand moves when he's writing, biting on his bottom lip when he's thinking, slow shaking of his leg if he sits with his legs crossed. It's kind of endearing and Bokuto doesn't find the will in himself to say anything until Akaashi puts all the papers into a neat pile and takes a deep breath.
"I was wondering," Bokuto says when Akaashi takes off his glasses, "How do you get to play with everyone in concerts if you're new here?"
Akaashi gives him a shadow of the smile, "My father used to play here, and I often came with him to practise together. Sooner or later I was going to take his place, and now they've decided that it's a good time for it."
"So like a family business," Bokuto sums up and Akaashi lets out a short silent laugh.
"You could say so, I suppose," he stands up, then asks, "Did you eat yet, Bokuto-san?"
-
It's strange how he sticks with Bokuto as if they've known each other for years, Akaashi tilts his head back, closing his eyes. A little smile makes its' way to his face when he hears elders making fun of Bokuto's hair, saying that they can't believe someone lets him and Tetsurou touch anyone else's hair when they can't take care of their own. Bokuto's laughing too and Akaashi wonders what kind of power he has, making it so easy to be with him.
He gets into more comfortable position and lazily watches everyone fussing around. Irihata mumbles under his nose when Bokuto says he shouldn't frown than much and tries to use hairspray for whatever reasons. Ukai complains that some youngster is not even needed here, making Nekomata laugh and pat Bokuto's shoulder after adding a silent "good luck, kid".
Everything seems a bit more lively than usual and even though Bokuto comes with a pout on his face, Akaashi thinks that it's worth it. Usually everyone gets more on the edge when it comes to many concerts and Akaashi thinks that maybe getting Bokuto here wasn't just for appearance issues.
"I think they're bullying me," he says in whisper and Akaashi can't help himself but chuckle, covering his mouth with a hand.
"They're not, Bokuto-san. I'm sure they like you."
"Right," he rolls his eyes, but the pout is gone and Akaashi can see how Bokuto's trying to withhold a smile. He gives up after a moment, a wide smile on his face when he claps his hands, "You're the last one. Give me a second," he grins and runs off just to come back with a little bag.
"Is it really necessary?" Akaashi sighs and Bokuto nods.
"Any allergies?" he asks and when Akaashi shakes his head, Bokuto gets a tiny bottle from the bag and squeezes a little drop on the back of his hand. He gets a brush and carefully touches Akaashi's skin. He's so close and Akaashi ends up looking at his eyes that are fixed on his skin. They seem sparkling again, but when Bokuto looks down Akaashi can see some glitter on his eyelids, carefully applied close to his eyelashes, so that somehow it looks like a part of his iris. He bites on his lip, thinking if he should bring it up later or just leave as it is. Bokuto looks up again, and smiles to himself, a few soft touches later gently brushing his fingers around Akaashi's eye, then doing the same with other one.
"Okay, done! You're good to go," Bokuto gives him a wink and laughs, "Good luck!"
Akaashi keeps his eyes on Bokuto, but somehow completely forgets to ask about glitter.
-
Akaashi can still feel Bokuto's touch on his skin under eyes and it's not going anywhere, making a little beam rest on his face while he's playing with the orchestra.
-
Bokuto said he had some plans with Kuroo tonight, so he had to leave right after the closing of the curtains. Akaashi bites his lip, looking at the little pack of make-up removal tissues and a note scribbled in a bit messy writing, saying it's for Akaashi to clean his eyes and not go to bed without doing so, with "not" being underlined a few times. He smiles at it, putting both a note and tissues into his pocket.
He stops outside, scolding himself inside his head when he realises what's going on. He takes out the note, crushes it and throws it away, then takes a deep breath and shakes his head.
He thinks about Bokuto anyway, remembering how he invited him for a coffee moments after getting to know his name and how he never invites anyone. Bokuto is an interesting person, and Akaashi doesn't know if he wants to have him around more or to get away from him and save himself from any trouble.
-
Next morning Akaashi finds himself going to cosmetics shop, looking through the shelves, searching for the same cream Bokuto has used so he could apply it by himself. It takes him good fifteen minutes to find it, but when he's holding a little bottle, something inside Akaashi makes him let out a deep sigh, and he puts the bottle back, leaving the shop.
He couldn't apply it correctly anyway, he's telling himself even though he knows that's a lie. It's easy and he's done that countless times before when his mom was getting worried he's not sleeping enough. But somehow, he finds himself not wanting to be able to do it. Because Bokuto's still better at this.
Because Bokuto's fingers felt so nice on his skin that he wants to experience it again.
-
Akaashi's always preferred being alone than with other people, he's never really let anyone get past his inner wall, or maybe just no one was patient enough for that, walking away after second time Akaashi didn't start laughing at their lame remark. It's not that he doesn't like being with people, he just hasn't found anyone relatively close to his image of a person you'd hold dear.
It's been a week and after a few failed attempts Akaashi has stopped trying to not look at Bokuto. His eyes travel to spiked up hair and for a second lock with a pair of nearly golden irises, getting a wide smile before Bokuto turns away and runs off to help someone again. Bokuto's doing much more than he's here for, and as far as Akaashi knows he's not even getting paid as he's coming here instead of Tetsurou and wouldn't accept money from Kuroo. Bokuto's silly and too energetic and Akaashi doesn't know if he even gets him half of the time, but somehow Bokuto doesn't leave him, doesn't give up on climbing over that wall, and Akaashi realises that lately he's been enjoying being with Bokuto far more than being alone.
Bokuto comes to Akaashi last, as he always does, using only his fingers instead of the brush as Akaashi has said before that he doesn't mind.
"I think Nekomata-san has stopped brushing his hair at home and makes me do it for him," he mumbles and Akaashi lets out a puff.
"No one's really that talkative here, so I think he uses the opportunity to exchange some words with you," he gives Bokuto a weak smile and Bokuto's finger freezes on Akaashi's cheek for a moment when he laughs.
"No way, everyone looks really friendly here," he shakes his head, smiling. Akaashi gives him a look and takes a deep breath.
"I'm not saying they're not. It's just that," he stops for a moment, thinking how to phrase it, "Nevermind. They're all really nice."
"No, no, Akaashi, that's not fair, you have to tell me now!" Bokuto pouts, looking Akaashi right into the eyes. Akaashi stays silent for a while, then sighs and lowers his eyes.
"It's just that you make everything more fun," he nearly whispers and when he lifts up his eyes again Bokuto's smiling so wide that, even though just a slightly bit, but it makes Akaashi's heart melt.
"Hey, Akaashi," Bokuto pulls his fingers back and gives Akaashi a peace sign, "Impress everyone tonight."
Akaashi stands up, and rolls his eyes, "I'm afraid that's your job." He smiles to himself when Bokuto lets out a groan, then adds a silent "thank you" before going to check his violin. He hears how Bokuto walks to the opposite direction where the guest lounge is, and reminds himself to keep his eyes away from the white haired man during the concert, even though he knows he'll still look there. He always does, and he's been watching how during first days Bokuto hasn't paid much attention to any of the pieces, but with every day he looks more and more interested, letting every note reach his ears and make him understand what is it that makes people like orchestras. Akaashi's not sure if Bokuto is smiling during concerts, but something is changing in him and that brings a smile to Akaashi's lips.
-
"Why did you start playing in orchestra?" Bokuto asks and Akaashi looks up from his coffee. It's first time someone asked him about orchestra and not violin in general, and for a second he gets lost in his thoughts, searching for a reason.
"It makes me feel whole," he says after a while and takes a deep breath, "Have you heard about that jar where you put golf balls in it, then add pebbles and sand?" he asks and waits for Bokuto to nod before continuing, "It's a bit similar with music. For me playing violin is those golf balls. And orchestra is like pebbles, the sound it creates becoming the sand."
"Doesn't that mean orchestra's not that important to you?" Bokuto draws his eyebrows together, watching Akaashi take a few sips and shake his head slightly.
"No, I'm just saying that even though you think your life is full, something comes and proves you wrong, making it even fuller. Making it better. Don't get too deep into this, Bokuto-san," Akaashi says, then frowns a bit, "I'm sorry for making it complicated, that was a bad comparison, I guess."
Bokuto looks at Akaashi in silence, then bursts out laughing, "You're amazing, Akaashi, you know that?" he says and smiles widely, "Thanks for sharing this. I actually thought you were gonna say something like "No reason" or whatever," he takes a deep breath and leans back into the chair, letting out an amused puff. And he's right, that's what Akaashi would say, just to save himself from explaining things for a person he doesn't even know that well. But it's different with Bokuto. He wants to tell him things, he wants to share and wants to be understood.
"You don't really like orchestra, do you?"
Bokuto gives him a grin as if he did something bad, but it was so funny that it was worth it, "I'm not into that, I guess. Maybe. I don't know, it's like... No one's singing and I'm not sure I understand it," he laughs, gesturing with his hands, "Like, um, it seems that it's not made for me, you know? It's kind of calm and serious, and, and, I don't know, elegant. Smart," he stops for a moment, looking serious himself, but then a bit guilty smile twirls at his lips corners, "Boring. Kind of," he scratches his head and shrugs.
"Why are you always staying for the concert then?"
"Because I want to see what's in there that makes you come to life," he says, his eyes locked on Akaashi, who screws up his eyes in confusion. Bokuto laughs, then adds in that amused tone of his, "When we first met, you smiled while listening and looked so happy. I want to experience that, too."
Akaashi feels his cheeks start burning and brings a cup up again, muttering a silent "Thank you" before taking a long sip. Bokuto doesn't say anything, and in a few minutes he starts looking at people in the cafe, his eyes lingering on their faces and hairstyles when he's sure they won't notice.
"So, why did you become a stylist?" Akaashi asks after a while when a woman Bokuto was eyeing leaves, and Bokuto starts laughing again.
"Because I thought that's cool," he brings his eyes back to Akaashi and shrugs, "And I'm telling you, I have some crazy instinct or so, it was the best choice in my life," he sits straight in his chair, resting his elbows on the table, grinning, "I met Tetsu there! And look at me now. I wouldn't be sitting here with you if I hadn't thought becoming a stylist would be cool, right? Isn't that awesome?" his lips curve into another smile and Akaashi can feel himself mirroring Bokuto's expression.
"That's..." he lets himself chuckle, "That's impressive, Bokuto-san."
The words don't fit well here and Akaashi bites his lip as he ended up talking without thinking again. But Bokuto's smiling at him as if he's just heard the best thing ever, and Akaashi sighs in relief. Bokuto himself is impressive and Akaashi feels like he could repeat that over and over again.
-
"Dad says Akaashi got a lot more lively after you ended up there," Kuroo teases, bringing his arm around Bokuto's shoulders, "Care to tell me more?"
"How would I know, he seemed okay to me all along," he shrugs and turns his eyes from TV to look at Kuroo, "Stop grinning like an idiot," he throws a popcorn at Kuroo and laughs when his friend rolls his eyes. "Probably I'm just that awesome, huh?"
"Right, sure," Kuroo mocks and gets elbowed in the ribs, "Okay, okay, Mr. Awesome," Kuroo giggles, then sighs heavily, "As long as this plan's worked out, 's fine by me," he shrugs and Bokuto stops eating his popcorn. Kenma looks up from his game and lets out a disappointed sigh himself, "Well done, Kuroo," he mutters when Bokuto jumps up from the coach, pointing at Kuroo.
"You did not!" he groans and Kuroo takes a deep breath when a pout appears on Bokuto's face.
"Come on," Kuroo shrugs, then tilts his head back, looking at the ceiling, "Okay, whatever. Dad kind of asked this," he mutters, but doesn't get anything in reply. When he looks at Bokuto again, he's standing with his arms crossed, his narrowed eyes focused on Kuroo. "Stop sulking. I'm sorry?" he adds and Bokuto snorts.
"As hell you are," he mutters, then lets out another groan and sits down again, this time next to Kenma, "So?"
Kuroo looks at Bokuto, then at Kenma who's glaring back at him.
"This sucks," he takes a bowl with popcorn and gets a handful of them, "Dad thought it'd be nice to have someone younger around for Akaashi," he carefully looks at Bokuto, "and you were the first thing that came to my mind."
"Seriously?!" Bokuto gets a pillow and buries his face in it, "You're an asshole," he mumbles and lets out a wail, "I can't believe it."
"Sorry, okay?" Kuroo shrugs and Kenma lets out a snort. "You are not," he says silently and Kuroo starts laughing.
"You're right, I'm not. I mean, look at yourself, Bokuto," he waits until Bokuto lifts his head, then smirks at him, "You enjoy it, so what's the big deal."
"I hate you so much," he mutters, but starts laughing when Kuroo makes a face at him. "You're paying in game centers for a month," he adds, and Kuroo rolls his eyes, but doesn't argue.
"Have you seen Akaashi laughing?" he asks instead and Bokuto raises his eyebrows.
"Yeah, a few times, why?"
"I haven't," Kuroo says with a little smile on his face, "Even though I meet him every now and then."
Bokuto lets out a snort, but his lips are turning into a smile and when Kuroo looks at Kenma, he gets a little nod of approval.
-
"It's getting a bit more serious," Kenma says when he gets up and comes to sit next to Kuroo, leaning close to him. Bokuto has gone to the kitchen to cook something easy, complaining that he's hungry and no one's taking care of guests in this house.
"You think he likes Akaashi?" Kuroo asks in whisper, his eyes travelling to Bokuto checking the contents of the fridge while humming some melody. He feels a bit guilty about this whole bet thing, about telling his dad that maybe it'd be nice to have someone younger around for Akaashi to make the first concerts week easier on him. And his dad said it was a good idea, asking if he had someone in mind, a slightly sly smile on his face telling Tetsurou that after all there's truth in saying that apple doesn't fall far from the tree. He knew that his dad saw through him from the very beginning, but didn't ask for any details, simply playing along and agreeing that having Bokuto around would be useful. It feels a bit bad now, but it's worth it for saving Bokuto from his dejected mode. Kuroo knows that Bokuto has declined all job offers, even the one from Oikawa that Kuroo took himself, saying he's not in the mood, and Kuroo's not sure if Bokuto realises it himself, but it always leads to staying behind closed doors for days, repeating that he's a failure. And Kuroo's not about to watch it happen again.
There's a little smile resting on Kenma's lips when Kuroo looks back at him.
"I'm sure of it," he says and Kuroo chuckles silently before leaning over to give him a soft kiss.
"Great."
-
Bokuto ends up telling everything to Akaashi as the guilt is suffocating him. They're eating yakiniku, and Akaashi simply nods when Bokuto's done talking.
"I thought it might be something like this. I've been asked is it nice having you around and similar things a bit too often. I suppose I should apologize," Akaashi puts his chopsticks down and cleans his fingers on a hand towel. "I'm so-"
"No, wait," Bokuto mumbles, shaking his head with full mouth and holding his finger up until he swallows everything, "Okay. Don't apologize," he sighs and Akaashi raises an eyebrow at him. Bokuto rolls his eyes, holding a smile, "Better tell me if it is."
"If what is?"
"Being with me," Bokuto's smile stretches into a full grin, "Is it nice?"
Akaashi takes his chopsticks again and eats a little piece of meat before saying, nearly in a whisper, "Of course, Bokuto-san."
Bokuto blames chemistry again, when his cheeks start feeling a bit hot and it takes far more effort to stop staring at Akaashi's face, his eyes, nose, his lips. They're inviting, again the same word comes to Bokuto's mind and it's echoing in his ears like a chant.
He wants to be invited. He wants to accept the invitation, he wants to go there and be accepted himself.
"Don't ever tell this to Kuroo - neither of them, actually - but I'm kind of happy for what they did," Bokuto lets out a content sigh and his eyes follow the little moving of Akaashi's lips, the way they barely curl at the corners before he parts them just enough for a silent "Me too" to leave his mouth.
Bokuto shoots him one of his wide grins, then excuses himself to fill up his glass.
The chemistry makes him yearn for a kiss on Akaashi's lips, and Bokuto's quite sure he should have seen it coming with the first half smiles that seemed a bit brighter than anyone else's, first touches that left a feeling of burning, first coffees that were sweet enough even when he forgot to add sugar, and dinner, the one after a concert when he's decided to wait for Akaashi for thirty-seven minutes to enjoy a bowl of ramen, finishing of which took only fourteen. It's how things have started between Kuroo and Kenma, or at least that's what Kuroo's been telling, but Bokuto has never noticed, has never tried mixing everything together to see what kind of reaction it'll create, skipping right to the result.
And when the result is right in front of his eyes, now he's sure, there's no coming back.
-
"You really should sleep more. And hi," Bokuto mutters under his nose after taking a look at Akaashi who has just walked in.
"Good evening, Bokuto-san. I am, it just doesn't go away," he lets out a sigh and leans against the windowsill, a cup of coffee in his hand, looking outside, "What took you so long today? Usually you're here before three o'clock," he turns his head to Bokuto and frowns slightly. Bokuto's wearing simple jeans and T-shirt, his hair is not spiked up and even though Akaashi can't see it, he's sure there's no trace of glitter around his eyes. He looks younger like this, more carefree and a bit cute, Akaashi has to admit it, but that's not the Bokuto he knows and he can't make himself smile. He clears his throat, then carefully asks, "Is everything alright?"
"I'm fine," Bokuto waves his hand, going around to take a look at everyone, "I had to go check on Kenma and ended up staying there, sorry. He's caught a cold, laying in bed with fever, and Tetsu's in Kansai with Oikawa's tour. Hey, can you get me hairspray? On your left," he holds his hands palms up, ready for a catch, but Akaashi walks to him instead and hands it in.
"Have you slept?" he says, not letting the hold of the hairspray. Bokuto lets out a short laugh.
"Sleep is for the weak," he whispers and gives Akaashi half a smile. Akaashi rolls his eyes and pulls his hand back. "I'll get to you later," Bokuto adds, his hands working on Yachi's hair while the woman asks if he could take a look at her daughter's hairstyle one day, too, to which Bokuto agrees enthusiastically.
"I'll do it myself," Akaashi sighs, "You should get some rest," he raises the cup to his mouth, then looks at Bokuto and sighs again, putting the coffee down on the closest table. "You'll need this more than I do," he adds and Bokuto lets out a snort, his lips curling into another weak smile.
"Okay."
He doesn't say he'd still get to Akaashi. He doesn't argue that he doesn't need rest. He doesn't say that there's no need to leave that coffee.
He just accepts and even though Akaashi has wanted him to accept, the tired "Thanks" coming from Bokuto's mouth somehow stings. In the end Akaashi thinks he doesn't know much about Bokuto. He knows things from his life, but he doesn't know true Bokuto and the realisation hurts. He hasn't known of that note of, Akaashi dares to think so, annoyance in Bokuto's voice. He hasn't known Bokuto with his hair down, he hasn't known Bokuto who's not jumping around, not smiling for everything and nothing. He's been feeling like walking in the garden of the grand palace of Bokuto, getting to know every little corner, every curve and line of the exterior, stopping at the front door and trying to peek through the windows with closed curtains, but not getting inside. Because how could he get inside if the door is locked and he doesn't have a key.
But it seems that today someone has forgotten to close the door and Akaashi has slipped in. And he lets a silent gasp, as the palace in even bigger than he's imagined.
-
Bokuto yawns when he wakes up as someone is patting his arm so carefully it brings a smile on his face.
"Everyone's left," he hears a soft voice and snaps his eyes open, looking around. The scene is somehow familiar, but now most of the lights are off, and he needs to blink a few times to get used to the dark. "You fell asleep," Akaashi says, but there's no smile on his face.
"Oh, right," Bokuto stands up, his brain deciding that it's too fast, and he groans when everything spins around.
"Is everything really alright?" Akaashi draws his eyebrows together, his hand carefully taking Bokuto's arm. He looks Bokuto into the eyes, and all Bokuto can see is his pale face that is beautiful even with dark circles under the eyes; Bokuto knows it, he's seen it more than once and the image comes to his mind even when Akaashi has done a good job on hiding them. The man quirks an eyebrow at Bokuto and it makes him snap out from his thoughts.
"Totally fine," he laughs when he regains his composure and takes a deep breath, "Staying here wasn't the best choice."
"It figures," Akaashi sighs and his grip gets loose. "You should have gone home," he mutters and lets go, turning around.
"I wanted to watch you play, even if only for a little while," Bokuto says and takes a deep breath when Akaashi stops to turn back, questioning look in his eyes. "You look beautiful when you play," he shrugs, too tired to think of what he's saying, his eyes resting on the man in front of him, wearing a dark suit just like on their first meeting, just like on any other day here. His eyes casted down, his lips in a tight line after an almost inaudible "Thank you". Bokuto smiles to himself when he realises he's never seen him in casual clothes and he feels like missing out, like his picture of Akaashi isn't completed yet. "Hey, Akaashi?"
"What is it, Bokuto-san?"
"There's no concert tomorrow, right?"
Akaashi nods and Bokuto's smile widens.
"Any free time?"
-
Kenma's still staying in bed and Akaashi would feel bad if Bokuto left him alone, so after a bit of complaining from Bokuto's side they decide that Akaashi will come over, too, just for some snacks and a film or a couple of them.
He's wearing dark grey jeans with a little bit loose 3/4 sleeves shirt of a slightly different shade. It suits him, and Bokuto's eyes stay on him far more than on a TV screen.
"Hey, Akaashi," Bokuto waits until the man turns to look at him, then takes a deep breath and whispers, "You're beautiful."
Akaashi bites his lip, then looks back at the TV, "You'll miss the last scene," he says almost inaudibly, even though he knows that Bokuto has hardly watched any of the film. He feels like starting to slowly walk in that palace of Bokuto, taking a peek here and there until he hears the doors close behind him and is greeted with Bokuto's smiling face when he turns around.
He's not stupid, he knows that Bokuto has willingly let him inside and is offering a guidance, the first stop being a room with a huge mirror where Akaashi sees a reflection of himself, with smiling Bokuto by his side. But Bokuto's not looking at the mirror, his eyes are fixed on Akaashi. And it makes Akaashi let out a sigh, because Bokuto himself probably doesn't even realise that Akaashi's becoming part of him faster than he'd thought.
-
Akaashi has never believed in love at first sight, or at second, not even third. He's never been easy to start loving someone either, everything starting too fast for his liking or too late for other person's, eventually making Akaashi not interested in relationships that existed only to exist.
"You can stay if you want."
Akaashi lifts his eyes from Bokuto's sleeping face to look at Kenma.
"Thank you, but I'll be leaving," he gives Kenma a weak smile and the blond simply shrugs, sitting in the armchair, a blanket over his shoulders. It seems as if Kenma knows everything, he's got that aura around him, and Akaashi has the feeling that his walls don't work on Kenma, though it's not the same as with Bokuto who has made his way through. Kenma's just watching from outside, as if he's got binoculars that see right through everything.
"You fit together," Kenma pulls his knees to his chest and hugs them, a little smile on his face. Akaashi lets out a sigh as Kenma's words confirm his guesses.
"I've never considered him to be my type," he stands up and lets out a short laugh as there's no way he could hide it now, "Until it just... happened."
Kenma rolls his eyes, then mutters, "Give him some time."
Akaashi takes a deep breath, then nods.
Usually it'd take more than a month for Akaashi to realise if he liked someone more than a friend and he's always been the one making others wait. But with Bokuto it takes less than ten days and Akaashi nods once more to encourage himself, as he thinks that now he's ended up on the other side himself.
Kenma promises to wake Bokuto up tomorrow and when Akaashi says it's not necessary for him to come, Kenma just gives him one of his mysterious smiles, followed by a shrug.
-
Bokuto does come and Akaashi can't withhold a small smile when Bokuto lowers his eyes and his eyelids shine even brighter when the glitter catches sun rays.
-
"You should cut your hair," Bokuto says and Akaashi looks up from his notes.
"They're fine," he shrugs, but Bokuto's giving him a look, his eyebrows furrowed and a little pout appearing on his face. Akaashi takes off his glasses and closes his eyes, rubbing them slowly. "I see no need to cut them," he adds when Bokuto's not saying anything, and leans back in the chair, looking at Bokuto.
"They're a bit too long here," he comes closer, his fingers reaching for Akaashi's hair, "Those half curls are getting too straight. They suit you," he smiles, not pulling his hand away. Instead, he runs it slowly through Akaashi's hair, and when Bokuto's fingertips ghost over Akaashi's neck, he can't help himself, letting a pleasant hum escape his lips.
Akaashi's hair is soft and he's sensitive to the touch, Bokuto adds to the list. That place inside him, the one reserved for Akaashi, is getting bigger and even though he knows it's worth it, Bokuto just needs to get over his fear and prove himself that he's not letting it expand for nothing.
"Hey, Akaashi," he says in whisper and he's glad that for once Akaashi doesn't have dark circles under his eyes. There's no way he could calmly touch his skin there, looking at his eyes, at every flutter of his eyelashes after leaning over and pressing his lips against Akaashi's temple in a chaste kiss. He knows he's being selfish, he knows he's making things harder for Akaashi who has to perform on stage in less than half an hour, but the slight blush on Akaashi's cheeks is so beautiful that Bokuto forgets it all, savouring the moment instead.
"That's not fair, Bokuto-san," Akaashi mutters when Bokuto pulls back and smiles. It sounds so Akaashi like, it's just how it's supposed to be and he'd like to kiss Akaashi again, kiss his eyebrows and nose, his cheeks and his lips, kiss him senseless until Akaashi puts a palm on Bokuto's lips, saying in a bit hushed tone that's he's got a concert, that they should stop.
"Good luck tonight," Bokuto says instead and there's no second kiss, just a deep breath that Akaashi takes when Bokuto turns to leave.
He waits until Bokuto closes the doors, then lets himself smile at the thought of Bokuto's lips at his skin. It burns hotter than the touch of his fingers, it feels better, it reminds him of the first time he tried playing the violin. It's not good yet, he doesn't know how everything will change after pressing each of the strings, after every move of the bow, but it feels like his stomach is full of those candies he liked to eat when he was a kid, the ones that start popping in your mouth like little fireworks, a bit sour but leaving the sweet aftertaste. It's a good feeling, even though it's making him a bit more distracted and Akaashi puts on his glasses, taking a few extra notes that he might need to look at during the concert.
-
The guest lounge looks empty without Bokuto there, and Akaashi sighs to himself, a little smile curling at his lips when he thinks of Bokuto's behaviour.
-
Kuroo inserts two coins in taiko drums machine and grabs one pair of drumsticks, choosing an outfit for the character he plays for and then waiting until Bokuto does the same.
"So you lost the bet," Kuroo grins, hitting the side of the drum until he gets to anime category and chooses an opening song from the volleyball anime they've started watching recently. "And on last days, what a pity," he giggles, then hits once more for medium level, but Bokuto hits his drum twice for the experienced one, and Kuroo sighs, then does the same.
"Got nothing to win anyway," Bokuto winks at his friend and starts laughing when Kuroo misses the first few notes.
"You- Kenma!" he groans, but his eyes don't leave the screen. "Don't let him play games that I betted. God, just leave you two for a few days and look what I come back to," he sighs when Kenma says that the bet was a lie anyways, his voice muffled by drums and the game he's playing. Kuroo shakes his head, then bumps Bokuto's shoulder.
"So?" he asks and a sly smirk is back on his face.
"So?"
Kuroo lets out a groan, "So why we're here? You're supposed to be there."
"You're supposed to be helping Oikawa think of his style for new album," Bokuto shots back and Kuroo giggles.
"I'm working now. You know, thinking of ideas on my own," he laughs and Bokuto gives him a look.
"Bullshit, you're slacking off," Bokuto's laughter mixes with Kuroo's and they miss more notes, ending with a failure.
"So?" Kuroo repeats again, searching for more coins in his pockets, "Stop grinning like an idiot."
Bokuto takes a deep breath, then shrugs his shoulders.
"So I kind of gave Akaashi a kiss," he says, then starts waving his hands in front of himself when Kuroo's smirk widens, "Not on the lips!" he sighs and brushes his hand through his hair, "I mean. Yeah."
"And?" Kuroo inserts the coins and looks back at Bokuto.
"And," Bokuto smiles again, then chuckles, choosing the same outfit again, "He didn't mind. I think. But yeah. Enough flustering for one time, so I left him alone for tonight, you know."
Kuroo boos, "C'mon."
"C'mon yourself," Bokuto rolls his eyes, "Took you more than a year with Kenma so shut up," he laughs and Kuroo pouts.
"You're the worst."
Bokuto laughs again, then slightly punches Kuroo's shoulder, "Learnt from the best."
Kuroo lets out a laugh himself, then takes a deep breath. It seems that Kenma was right and the plan is working out even better than he's expected. It makes some guilt disappear and when he looks at Bokuto's happy face, he feels a bit happier himself.
"Just go for it," he says with a little shrug and Bokuto nods.
"Yeah."
-
Irihata's smiling the next day when he says it's the last concert and finally they'll have some more rest, and even though Akaashi raises his lips corners just a bit in response, he feels like these two weeks have passed far too quickly.
Bokuto ends up in the centre of attention as usual, his laugh making its' way to Akaashi's ears even though he can't even see his spiked hair. He does see it when he closes his eyes, though, and he takes a deep breath because it's so silly. It's been only two weeks, but Akaashi feels that stupid fluttering in his stomach that makes him want to go and tell Bokuto what's on his mind but at the same time makes him do nothing, makes him wait even though he's already gotten the confirmation.
It's simple fear; he can't say exactly what he's afraid of, but he can't make this fear go away and deep inside he hopes that Bokuto is stronger than him, that he doesn't know of fear or no, he does, but he chooses to fight it instead.
He stands up and leaves the room, going to the stage. He looks at all the seats, realising for the first time just how big the hall is. It makes him let out a puff, an amused one, when his eyes find the place where Bokuto's always sitting. It's in the guest lounge, a small one, not even making one tenth of the whole seating area, but that's the place where his glare lingered the most.
He doesn't believe in starting to love someone in a matter of minutes or even hours, but then again, he'd never say he loves Bokuto, not even now.
It's not love, it's something else, but Akaashi feels like no one has thought of the word to describe the feeling. It's yearning and longing for something that's been missing all this time, it's fear that you're getting dependant on person you're not even sure you know, but it still makes you smile, it's a feeling Akaashi can't describe in words, a feeling he doesn't quite grasp himself, not yet. Maybe he's just playing around, not wanting to accept the fact that it's love; he's never liked the word, it doesn't sound like it'd involve everything he wants it to, it sounds too short and too easy to say. Maybe it's overused and he just wants this feeling to hold a more unique meaning, so he refuses to call it like this.
Akaashi doesn't have dark circles under his eyes again and he bites his lip, thinking that it must be the pay back for being greedy and wanting to enjoy Bokuto's fingers on his skin day after day.
-
Bokuto comes a bit late, after a few notes already played, but just in time before Akaashi has to start playing, too. He gets to his usual seat and Akaashi smiles to himself before moving his wrist for the sound of his violin to join the orchestra.
It makes him feel alive, and he's never enjoyed playing this much.
-
"Akaashi, you alone are like the whole orchestra," Bokuto says and lets out a laugh. They're sitting in the cafe, Akaashi's violin case and Bokuto's bag resting on the floor after two weeks of constant use.
"I'm afraid one violinist doesn't make up the whole orchestra," Akaashi smiles, covering his mouth with a hand. Bokuto just shakes his head, bringing finger to his temple.
"In here," he takes a deep breath, then looks Akaashi right into eyes, "You're like orchestra in my head."
Akaashi falls silent and bites his lip, the moving of his leg stopping. He can feel his cheeks getting warmer but he can't avert his glare from Bokuto's sparkling eyes that this time don't have anything to do with glitter.
"Did you hear it from elders?" eventually a short giggle escapes Akaashi's mouth, "Bokuto-san, you're wondrous," he adds, and the giggle is long gone, a content smile resting on his pale face. Bokuto hasn't used the word "love", and Akaashi's fear finally disappears.
"I think it came to me yesterday, you know those moment right before you fall asleep? The most genius ideas always come then," he laughs and Akaashi takes a sip of his coffee to hide his own smile.
"Does it mean I'm just boring?"
Bokuto rolls his eyes, "You're doing it on purpose, seriously," his lips turn into a beam, "You know what I mean." Bokuto came to enjoy the orchestra, too, and it makes him smile, as he finally understands why Akaashi likes it so much.
"Sorry," Akaashi doesn't hide his smile when he looks away for a moment before bringing his eyes on Bokuto again, "I really admire you, Bokuto-san."
"But?" Bokuto frowns and Akaashi laughs silently.
"There's no 'but', I just do," he shrugs and Bokuto narrows his eyes.
"Not just like a friend or anything?"
"Not just like a friend or anything, Bokuto-san," Akaashi sighs.
"Couldn't you choose a more specific word?" Bokuto pouts and Akaashi averts his gaze, biting his lip again.
"Love?" he says silently, a frown appearing on his face at the sound of the word. Bokuto shakes his head.
"No, that doesn't feel right. Something more like 'I yearn for you' sounds to be more of your style," he grins and this time Akaashi rolls his eyes, trying to withhold another smile.
"Usually you yearn for things you can't easily get," he says, and Bokuto chuckles.
"Oh, really? Do I hear confidence here?" he raises his eyebrows and Akaashi breaks into that silent laugh of his.
"I don't know, Bokuto-san, you tell me," he says, taking a sip of his coffee.
Bokuto falls silent for a while, his eyes fixed on Akaashi, a pleased beam never leaving his face.
"Let's go to the orchestra together," he says eventually, taking a deep breath. "Like when we met. Except I won't fall asleep this time," he chuckles again and Akaashi lets his own smile show.
"There's a really nice concert next Wednesday, a friend of mine is playing, so we might still get the tickets."
Bokuto's smile stretches even wider, "Sounds perfect."
-
There's that content smile on Akaashi's face when the orchestra starts playing and Bokuto thinks that Akaashi is even more beautiful now when he knows him.
He lets himself enjoy watching Akaashi for a little bit longer before turning his eyes to the orchestra, letting the music flow to his ears. It feels good, it goes through his whole body and it reminds him of the feeling he got when he touched Akaashi's face more than two weeks ago.
When the orchestra stops briefly before starting the new piece, Bokuto finds Akaashi's eyes on him, the same pleased, warm and gentle smile on his face making it all the way to his eyes. But it's not for the orchestra, not this time. It's for him only, Bokuto knows it, and when Akaashi leans a bit closer, pressing a short kiss on the corner of his lips, Bokuto hopes that the thing about relationships and chemical reactions is true.
-
Akaashi lets be kissed by Bokuto on his lips only after almost a week. It's not that he didn't let him before, just that there was no hurrying, no desperation to get everything they can at once. And it feels better this way, a bit of longing mixed in their kiss, a little smile on Bokuto's lips when he pulls back, his arms falling loose around Akaashi, but not letting go of him, not yet. They're standing near the stairs, Akaashi leaning against the handrail. They can hear people up the stairs, just behind the gates, but no one is around them and Bokuto closes the gap between them once again, slowly rubbing his nose against Akaashi's.
It feels natural and Akaashi thinks that Bokuto must be the orchestra in his head, too, making his life more full, making it complete even though he
already thought it to be whole.
"Hey, Akaashi," Bokuto whispers as if knowing that he's drifting away in thoughts again and Akaashi hums in reply, locking their eyes when Bokuto pulls
away. "I think you were right," he lets go of Akaashi, then crosses his arms, pouting on purpose.
"About what?" Akaashi asks and a short silent laugh easily escapes through his lips. He's been smiling and laughing a lot more after meeting Bokuto, it just comes to him naturally, like most of the things with Bokuto around, and he doesn't try to hide it, not anymore.
"That you can get me easily," Bokuto grumbles and Akaashi rolls his eyes, letting out a sigh. Bokuto laughs and takes Akaashi's hand, leading him up the stairs to the shrine with a black cat for a little festival they have during weekend.
It's nice and it makes Akaashi's heart melt a bit, again.
"I still feel the yearning, though," he says when they are sitting on the bench, eating caramelized strawberries. It's barely a whisper and for a moment Akaashi thinks that Bokuto has missed it, but he hears Bokuto take a deep breath and is greeted with a wide smile when he turns to him.
"You've got me right here," Bokuto gently bumps his shoulder against Akaashi's, his warm gaze caressing Akaashi's face.
"Not like this," Akaashi chuckles, then takes a deep breath and looks down, biting on his lips. "I'm talking about compassion. Yearning towards you," he puts a wooden stick from strawberry on the bench and locks his fingers, a little smile settling on his face.
Bokuto leans back, bringing his hands behind his head, and lets out a pleased hum.
"I guess then I'll have to ask you to never stop doing that," he shrugs and Akaashi looks up at him, letting out an exaggerated sigh before leaning back next to him, too.
"I guess then I'll have to comply," he says and Bokuto breaks into laughter, bringing his arm around Akaashi's shoulders.
"Great," he whispers and Akaashi lets his head fall onto Bokuto's shoulder and closes his eyes, inhaling the scent he's gotten so familiar with. It feels nice, it feels like home, and after getting to know every corner of the palace of Bokuto, Akaashi's sure he wants to stay.
And after all, he's the orchestra there anyway, so there's no way he could leave when the concert has just begun.