Archive of Our Own ^omega

-1-

The first time he really tries to keep a secret from Akaashi—because as much as he jests about keeping secrets, Koutarou has never once before this moment actually, truly , kept a secret from Akaashi—its hard. It is ridiculously hard. And it's not that Koutarou doesn't want to surprise Akaashi with this, he does, he really does. 

He just also has gotten in the habit of sharing everything with Akaashi. So it makes it increasingly hard to just, not. To withhold a very important and very exciting piece of information from Akaashi. 

It'd been when he was walking into the gym, meandering and taking his time walking alongside a quiet Akaashi, rambling on about who knows what when he had a hand grabbing his arm and tugging him right back out of the gym and around the corner. Looking at the small—but very mighty—force tugging his arm, he makes eye contact with Komi who looks determined to pull Koutarou all the way to the group that he sees sitting in a circle behind their gym. "Whoa, what kind of intervention am I being brought to?"

He sees all of his fellow second years and the one third year all sprawled out, leaning back into their wrists, looking up at Koutarou with looks of pure exhaustion. And then Konoha is piping in with a "Your secret keeping abilities, Bokuto-san." And in his true nature, Koutarou gasps, insulted before shouting out to his own defense. 

"I'll have you know I keep a plenty of secrets all of the time!"

"Yeah, sure. Anyway, this one is really important for you to listen to and to keep, Bo." The third year, Hayate chimes in, a serious note to both his words and his expression. Entranced by the significance of something so important that Tamura-senpai isn't even cracking jokes at, makes Koutarou fall to the ground, crossing his legs, attention enrapt. 

He watches as all of the teammates surrounding him look at one another and then nod simultaneously. 

"We want to all vote for Akaashi as the vice-captain for the next term." This makes Koutarou fly up into a cheer, all of his previous poutiness from being told he was a bad secret keeper flying right out of the window and into the hands of his new found happiness. 

Of course, Akaashi should be Vice! Hell, he should even be Captain! He's good at volleyball and he's really good at getting people to listen and most importantly, he's able to handle Koutarou!

Koutarou finds himself nodding along excitedly, face split out into a huge grin. His teammates stare, but he can see the excitement slowly spreading. Konoha's eyes shimmer slightly and a very small smile spreads on Washio's face. He can tell his hype is hyping those around him and ultimately, he knows this is going to be great!

Tamura-senpai just chuckles and Koutarou looks at him, excitement causing him to bound over to the captain. His smile widens and the freckled captain just nods before reaching up to ruffle Koutarou's hair. "This has to be kept a secret, Bo, remember that. No telling Akaashi before the vote happens." Koutarou nods again before hopping to his feet again to cheer some more. 

By the time they head back into the building, Koutarou is practically vibrating. He almost forgets that he needs to change into the right clothes before pleading for Akaashi to set for him. He can't let go of the thought of the secret, finding moments that he wants to just blurt it out during practice. 

He doesn't, though it is very hard to control his words so much. He tries to ignore the thought of the secret. Of how good of a vice captain he would be. And he does for approximately 10 minutes in the middle of practice when he is trying to beat Sarakui in floor dives, loudly yelling to Akaashi that it wasn't fair when Sarakui ends up winning. 

But then Akaashi quickly and easily bringing his mood back around to excited makes him think about everything again, and suddenly, it’s like he'd had an ice cube put down the back of his jersey, but instead of sliding wetly all the way down, it just sticks to the middle of his back where he can't reach, but it is right there . 

Akaashi is right there . He can hear every word of the random ramble Koutarou goes on as they walk home, meaning he would definitely hear it if Koutarou randomly mumbled it really quietly.

He tries not to say anything about it, but then Akaashi is giving him a curious look and suddenly as soon as Akaashi asks, "Bokuto-san, you seem very excited about something." So it's not a question, but there is one nestled in his words and Koutarou has to stop, glaring at the ground before the words find themselves tumbling out. 

Koutarou feels a hand pat on his head and lifts it to see Akaashi looking at him. But not with his usual tired pout that Koutarou works so hard to turn into a smile. Akaashi wears a small smile that makes Koutarou stare up at him in awe, his entire mood shifting before he's practically tackling Akaashi on the sidewalk. "Akaaashiiiii" he yells before pulling away to start walking again. And without realizing, his next ramble about his day is of when he got pulled away from Akaashi.

And he doesn't really realize it until Akaashi stops walking next to him. Koutarou looks back and seeing the usual look that sits on Akaashi's face when he's overthinking, Koutarou curses at himself and literally punches his own shoulder. 

"Akaaaashiiiii, what's wrong?" 

Akaashi looks at him, a small smile, something that shows that what he'd been thinking about hadn't been the most positive. Akaashi shakes his head. "Nothing, Bokuto-san, nothing." 

Relief washes over Koutarou and he hoots and hollers before going to hug Akaashi. 

When it comes to announcing the next year's captains, Koutarou is practically vibrating in the spot that he sits in on the floor of the gymnasium. Akaashi sits next to him with his typical tired look, but Koutarou can see the anticipation that shines in Akaashi's bright blue eyes. 

Votes are counted, unceremoniously, the team's hands coming up into the air when the nominated name is called. The only tell that the vice captain had been voted on is Yamiji-sensei's soft chuckle when they get to Akaashi's name on the list.

When Koutarou opens his eyes, it's to his best friend's name written on the board right underneath "Vice Captain". 

And Koutarou yells, he shouts and cheers and hugs Alaashi like his entire world is lighting up. He almost misses the shocked look that Akaashi wears. He would've totally missed it had Akaashi not turned all of his attention to Koutarou's celebrating form. 

He just smiles wider and hugs Akaashi tighter. When he pulls away again, Akaashi has light tears crawling down his cheeks and Boukto feels the world around them slow down to the crawling speed, feeling concern creep from his mind and lodge itself into his throat. 

“Bokuto-san…" Akaashi's voice breaks and Koutarou feels himself crash again, his heart pounding in his chest. "I… You… You were serious." Akaashi's own face crumbles and Koutarou moves before he thinks, taking Akaashi into his arms. 

Around them, Koutarou hears the murmurs of their teammates, curious as to what's going on, wanting to see if their new vice captain is okay. Then a palm is being set on both of their shoulders, Tamura-senpai stands above them and Koutarou feels a strange intimidating fear crawl down his spine as a knowing look crosses Tamura-senpai's face. 

"I thought I told you not to tell him, Bo." Koutarou looks at his lap before shock courses through him when Tamura-senpai's deep laugh echoes around the gym. 

From next to him, with humor spilled like honey within his voice, Akaashi speaks. "It's Weakness #5: Bokuto can't keep a secret." And the rest of the team is laughing, filling the room with a sweetness that Koutarou can't help soaking up and taking as his own. 

He meets Akaashi's blue, blue eyes and feels himself float with happiness as a smile arrives on Akaashi's face like it's a long awaited relative coming home. 

Koutarou can't help himself and tackles Akaashi onto the gym floor out of pure happiness. 

Eventually, Coach has to settle the celebration down in order for the Captain for next year to be announced. And Koutarou is reduced to another yelled exclamation of excitement when it's revealed that he was voted for. 

Their walk home is filled with Koutarou running and jumping around happily with Akaashi walking behind him, smiling fondly. 

When Koutarou meets his eyes, the raging sea that Koutarou usually sees  is calm and soft and filled with a degree of love that Koutarou never would think would be directed at him.

-2-

It is snowing. 

Fairly lightly, though, and Koutarou can see the city lights glint off of the gently soaked sidewalks. He should be focusing on the video of the match they'd had that day that was playing on the TV in front of his teammates, but all he could do was watch as tiny flakes of ice drift to the ground, touching the surface before melting into it. 

When he looks back at his teammates, he is met with Konoha's face squinting at him. He's not met with a gaze that reminds him of a walk on a beach. "Where's Kaashi?" He tilts his head in confusion before seeing Komi roll his eyes, before turning to the TV again. 

"You know he's not gonna be able to stay quiet if you tell him. Might as well surprise both of them." Komi mumbles between the sticks of Pocky that poke out of his mouth. 

Washio sighs from his position on the couch and looks at Koutarou. "Akaashi-san went to get a few drinks from the machine in the hall." Koutarou makes a pouty look that he thinks Washio takes as a complaint at Akaashi leaving, seeing as he levels out a look at Koutarou. "Don't worry, he's getting your drink too. We have a secret you need to keep. And this time you have to keep it. It's a huge surprise."

One of the first years, Anahori, chimes in, his face lighting up with excitement. "He does so much for the team. He's taught me a lot and I know it doesn't just end with me, so it'd be fun to make his birthday exciting!"

Koutarou's eyes are stuck to the determination that shines in Anahori's face. Then the words register and he feels excitement course through his veins. "A surprise party for Akaashi!" He cheers, obviously hyped about doing something for his… Akaashi. "I'll keep this one, I swear! Akaashi won't know a thing!" 

They travel back to the school the next day, the surprise party forgotten from Koutarou's mind, and the dread of having to go back to doing academics hits the team full force. There are groans of loathing coming from the bus as they arrive on the campus. 

As much as Koutarou doesn't want to go back to doing classes, going back means study dates with Akaashi and that thrills him to the core!

And it’s on their walk back to Akaashi’s house when he remembers the surprise birthday party the team wanted to have on Akashi's birthday the next week. He gasps and turns to Akaashi, his eyes wide before he remembers that Akaashi is the one that he has to keep the secret from and he instantly deflates at his thoughts; stuck in a cycle of wanting to tell Akaashi the secret and then remembering that he’d promised that he wouldn't. 

He sees how Akaashi looks over at him with a look of confusion before it fades and he just shakes his head before encouraging Koutarou to keep walking so they could get to the math homework that sits untouched in Koutarou’s bag.

All Koutarou’s mind can think about is the birthday party and how he almost spilled the entirety of the plans that he was told about. His focus is not on how Akaashi is leaning close to him, trying to teach him how the problem works. He definitely doesn't pay attention when he ends up writing the wrong answer only for Akaashi to sigh and gently put a hand on Koutarou’s shoulder. 

Koutarou jumps and Akaashi just gently sits back on his heels and gives Koutarou a look that asks all of the right questions to get Koutarou to start talking. And it's like a floodgate, once its open, he doesn't close and once he gets past the surprise party, he realizes that it's far too late to go back on it because Akaashi’s heard and oh man, the rest of the team is going to be pissed. 

All Akaashi does is sigh before gently hitting the back of Koutarou’s head.

“Hey! What was that for?” He brings a hand up, rubbing at the spot that Akaashi definitely didn't hit that hard. His face is in a pout directed right at Akaashi’s heart and he sees it hit his target for a second as the look of slight frustration that had been on it fizzles into one of fondness before going back.

“You're supposed to keep secrets like that, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi crosses his arms. “And you interrupted me trying to help you so that you don't get put on academic probation again. Pay attention.” Koutarou feels the pout fade from his face as he starts to think about the work he has to get done. He inflates and suddenly he’s ready to pay attention to Akaashi’s teaching. 

Akaashi’s birthday comes sooner than anybody on their team had anticipated, and in the plans that Konoha and Komi won’t let Koutarou see, it's apparently his task to keep Akaashi busy until they have Akaashi’s place sorted out and ready to start the party. 

Which will never not be alright with Koutarou. He would spend every second of every day with AKaashi if he was allowed.

So he takes Akaashi on a date, they go on a walk through a slow part of town that has occasional street vendors. Koutarou takes Akaashi’s hand and buys him food and drinks and smiles and tells Akaashi happy birthday more times than he can count. 

When a text from Komi comes through, Koutarou pouts, not wanting his date with Akaashi to be over. But he gently tugs Akaashi back to the way they go to get to Akaashi’s home. 

And Akaashi follows him with a bright smile, something that makes Koutarou’s heart soar further than it does when Akaashi sets for him. His mood lifts and suddenly they are both running to the door. Koutarou starts to open the door slowly, letting the guys and Akaashi's parents in the house prepare themselves. 

"HEY! HEY! HEY!" Koutarou shouts the moment that everybody else in the room pops out of their hiding spots and the lights are flicked on to show all of the work the team had put into decorating Akaashi's home for his birthday. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, 'KAASHI!" 

And just like that, Koutarou is wrapping Akaashi in a hug and swinging him around with a huge smile on his face. 

Later while everybody is just chatting together, Akaashi talks with another third year, his hand being held tightly in Koutarou's hand as he excitedly talks to one of the first years. 

Koutarou listens, multitasking terribly in trying to have his own conversation and wanting to be wrapped up in anything and everything Akaashi is. 

"Were you surprised, Akaashi-san?" 

"You told Bokuto-san to keep a secret from me, do you think it was actually going to be a surprise still?"

Koutarou feels a pang of hurt at Akaashi's words, slightly sinking into himself and his conversation becoming the last thing he can pay attention to. Instead he squeezes Akaashi's hand gently before letting it fall from his and he heads to Akaashi's room to get away from all the sounds that started to surround him way too much, overwhelming his mind. 

He plays with the blanket that covers Akaashi's bed and he tries to think of their next game and not the way that Akaashi doubts his abilities. 

There's a creak and Koutarou looks up from the thread he'd been messing with to look right at Akaashi. "Bokuto-san."

He looks away and at his legs that are tucked underneath him. 

"Bokuto-san."

He won't look at Akaashi because he knows if he does there's no way he will still be upset at the way it hurt to hear his best friend say that stuff. 

" Koutarou ," the inflection on his words makes Koutarou look right up, a shocked expression as he meets storm-filled sea eyes and he feels the upsetedness immediately start to fade from view. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I meant it in a sweet way. You don't keep secrets from me very well when it's something you're excited about. It's like your emotions. You wear them on your sleeves with pride and excitement. Like something you have to tell everybody." 

Koutarou feels his heart swell and he reaches out for Akaashi's hands. 

"And I'm glad you told me because I definitely would have hit you had you kept it from me." 

Koutarou chuckles and nods as if it were common knowledge. "Me too, in that case!" 

-3-

Keiji is looking at universities near Koutarou. 

He mentions this off hand, months before he graduates from Fukurodani Academy. And Koutarou thinks Keiji means for him to forget, like he does with everything else. 

But Koutarou doesn't. Instead, like every other secret he has tried to keep from Keiji, it ends up festering in his mind until he just looks at places. He looks at apartments nestled on strange, hidden streets of Osaka. 

But then it shifts and the thoughts of what kind of places Keiji would like is scratching at his brain and suddenly in the midst of this late night search on his laptop, he has his phone open and is dialing his boyfriend's number. 

"Hi, Koutarou." Keiji's voice is sleepy and for a moment Koutarou is struck with a panic that he'd woken Keiji up. 

"Hey, hey, hey, 'Kaashi!" The panic is gone the instant he remembers what he is asking about. "What kinda view do you like?" He hears something shuffle on the other side and hears Keiji mutter something sounding like he was excusing himself. 

Keiji clears his throat before answering with a question of his own, "What kind of view?" 

All Koutarou can do is just chuckle lightly at the confusion in Keiji's voice, it's unlike him to not understand something. So all Koutarou does to confirm Keiji's repeated question is to excitedly hum in the affirmative. "Oh! And also carpet or hardwood floors?" 

He hears a light sigh followed by an airy chuckle that Koutarou knows is more fond than anything else. He waits for a moment before he’s hit with an edge of panic that his boyfriend has caught onto his plans already. 

“Koutarou, breath. I don’t need a view, but I would also like to be able to see more than a surrounding building. I would prefer hardwood over carpet.” HIs words are direct and enough for Koutarou to sit up closer to look at his laptop screen. “Anything else you wanted to talk about, Koutarou?”

Koutarou hums before shaking his head and then remembering they are on a call. “Nope!” He continues looking at places with more guidelines to help him look. “Love you, Keiji!”

“I love you too, Koutarou.” 

— — —

Koutarou calls him several times later with his laptop sitting open on his laptop, asking about little things that might make living in a place a whole lot better. And if Keiji has caught on about it, he hasn’t made any comments on it. 

Koutarou has narrowed it down to three different Osaka apartments that he thinks that Keiji would like, and he has tag teamed Kuroo and Kenma into doing tours with him.

“Kurrrooooo, d’ya think that Keiji will like the counters in this one more or the ones in the other one better?” He asks from the kitchen as both Kenma and Kuroo waltz around the other rooms of the last apartment tour they have to do. “I like this one.” 

Kuroo walks in with Kenma looking down at his switch attached to his hip. Kuroo looks around, a hum on the back of his throat. “I like these ones better too.”

And then in a low voice, Kenma mutters, “You both don’t have any taste. The first apartment had the best looking counters, but the layout in this place is a lot better.” He flinches when without a second of hesitation after he’s finished speaking, he’s being tackled by an excited Koutarou, who is filled to the brim with uncontainable excitement. 

Koutarou watches as Kenma sends a withered look up at Kuroo and cackles before he gets off of the shorter man. 

“It’s got a nice view too. I think Akaashi will like that the best.” Kuroo says and it sends another excited yell from Koutarou, gaining the attention of the realtor that was initially showing them around before Koutarou started running around freely. 

He looks at them with wide eyes that seems to overwhelm them. “I’ll take it!” The paperwork that follows is really boring. 

— — —

His plan to tell Keiji about the apartment is for Keiji’s graduation. He wants to run down to where Keiji is sitting before he leaves and give him the key. Koutarou sits on this idea until he goes back to Tokyo, back to Fukurodani, to visit, popping into the volleyball gym to watch their drills for a few moments. 

And then he meets the blue eyes of his boyfriend and all of his resolve goes away, suddenly the set of keys that sit in his pocket seem to burn into his leg. They feel heavier in his pocket as he hears the rest of the third and second years that know Koutarou start to yell in excitement. He keeps his eyes locked on his boyfriend as he jogs to the captain’s side (His Keiji is the captain!), watching as the blue eyes that never seem to stop him from thinking about a dark, turbulent ocean, widen in surprise as Koutarou picks him up off the ground.

“Koutarou!” Keiji shouts, laughter meeting Koutarou’s ears. Koutarou sets Keiji on the ground and leans into his space before pressing a key into Keiji’s hand. The laughter that had forced Keiji’s mouth into a smile seems to spread lighter when the key is held up so Keiji can see. All he does is nod which seems to be enough to get Koutarou to yell loudly and pick his boyfriend up off the ground again, swinging him though the air.

(Distantly someone yells out a “oh my god! They were roommates!” causing a chorus of laughter within the cheering and whistling that was already going on.)

-4-

Koutarou knows that Keiji doesn’t really need any actual anniversary gifts. He knows that his boyfriend would be totally happy with just a night in, with takeout on their laps, both of their work left to the side while they watch a movie and cuddle on the couch.

Koutarou knows this, but he also prides himself on the gifts he gets for Keiji. 

So he wants to top every other gift he has ever gotten for Keiji (even the year that he bought him all of those books that Keiji had on his reading list, that one had made Keiji good-cry). And this year he plans for an animal. Their apartment—the same one that Koutarou had surprised Keiji with a few years ago—is already filled with plants that Keiji has impulsively brought home from classes. So an animal is all that he can really think of that Keiji would like and also be happy to share his space with. 

He thinks that Keiji would look cute playing with a little puppy—but he also would love a cat, they’ve got similar habits—but when he goes to look at adoption sites, his eyes get caught up on the birds that they have there. 

Koutarou’s mind gets stuck on the idea of having one of those cool talking birds, one that he can teach to tell Keiji how adored he is. He tries to refocus, attempts to direct his cursor back to looking at the dogs and cats, but it's all for naught when he ends up bookmarking the page filled with birds that makes Koutarou imagine his Keiji rambling to them about whatever book he was reading that day. 

The little icon for the adoption site pops up next to another one that he briefly opens to take a singular look at the metal bands before closes the laptop and tucks it away on the coffee table. He tries to calm the excited energy that courses through his entire body at the idea of having a bird flying around their place, landing on the plants that Keiji has scattered around. 

This time he's certain he's going to be able to keep it a secret from Keiji, even as he cuddles close to his boyfriend in bed, smiling as he tucks his face into Keiji's neck.

"Why are you smiling, Kou?" Keiji's voice is soft as he turns in Koutarou's arms, meeting Koutarou's smile with squinted apprehensive eyes. 

"Can't I just smile cause I love cuddling with you, Keiji?" His smile only grows as a tired sigh escapes Keiji's lips and he cuddles into Koutarou's chest. 

"It's never just cuddling with you, Koutarou." And he can still hear the suspicion in Keiji's voice, but all Koutarou is able to do to quell that (or as much as he can without telling Keiji) is to giggle into Keiji's black, sweet-smelling hair and pull his boyfriend in closer before they both fall asleep. 

The next day, Koutarou falls into a rabbit hole. He goes on his morning run—that he never misses—and makes Keiji breakfast before he dives down into finding out as much he can about birds, the kind of habitats they need, and anything else that he is able to get before Keiji (and his alarms that were set) comes from the study to remind him about the party they are going to. 

He closes his laptop before shooting off of the couch, now fully aware of how he'd spent his entire day off. 

"Keeeeijiiii," he whines when he gets to where Keiji's head hangs out of the doorway to the study. "Come with meeeee." 

He only gets an eye roll before a small smile blooms on Keiji's face and then there's a nod before Keiji walks out of the door and walks with Koutarou to their bedroom. 

Koutarou can't help the excitement that is still drilling itself through his system, so he gets ready with a wide smile and images playing in his mind of birds and Keiji. 

Naturally, he's met with a suspicious glance from Keiji. 

Koutarou just laughs and kisses Keiji's forehead before watching with the same smile as Keiji goes through different outfit choices, providing input consisting of "Oh! Wear that! That's cute on you, Keiji-Keiji!" at everything that Keiji tries. 

Eventually all is figured out and they head to the bar that the Miya Twins are having their birthday party at, Osamu having traveled down from Tokyo so that they could spend their birthday together. 

They look around, catching sight of Hinata bouncing already in a way that suggests that he’s already had a few too many drinks. Koutarou doesn't try to hold back the laugh that tears itself from his throat as he tugs Keiji behind him running to the bar. 

— — —

Keiji knows there's a secret that Koutarou is trying his hardest to keep. He's very aware. He doesn't know what it is yet, but as long as it isn't as bad as the secret Koutaoru tried to keep about the bugs that kept crawling into the apartment, Keiji won't bother him.

Though, it doesn't seem like much of an issue when Koutarou goes to drink alcohol like he doesn't have practice in the morning, like it's going out of style. And Keiji can only smile as he sips at his own drink (water. Someone needs to get them home safely.) as Koutarou rambles about his love for Keiji.

And he doesn't worry about the secret for very long as Koutarou, hitting the part of the night where he becomes even more of a chatterbox, turns to Keiji. Keiji is pretty sure that Koutarou definitely doesn't realize that it's Keiji he's starting to ramble to. 

Keiji just smiles, listening as his boyfriend talks about just how much he adores his boyfriend and the books "with all of the words in them. Like all of the words, every one." 

Keiji's smile only seems to grow as Koutarou starts to talk in detail about their anniversary coming up, spilling every single idea that had been sitting in his mind. Even one about a bird that causes Keiji to freeze as he stares at his rambling boyfriend in surprise. He honestly hadn't been expecting for his gift to be an animal, nor that Koutarou had put that much thinking into planning for the surprise adoption of a bird .

— — — 

When Koutarou wakes up, his head hurts, a lot like when he'd accidentally headbutted the wall going for a recieve back in high school. He groans, his head finding a place in his hands, pressing his palms into his eyes to stop the light that threatens to hurt him more. 

He feels a light hand tug gently at his wrists and he moves them to see his Keiji smiling down at him, a cup of water in one hand and medicine in the other. He watches silently as Keiji creeps close and Koutarou closes his eyes, anticipating a forehead kiss, only to widen them when Keiji whispers in his ear.

"We are not getting a bird, Koutarou." The pout is forming on his face before he can control it and it takes a few moments of staring at Keiji until it finally registers in Koutarou's mind what it must mean if Keiji knows about the bird. 

He gasps loudly, the glass that Keiji had snuck into his hand, sploshing around as he tries his best to fully sit up to gape at Keiji. "No! I couldn't have! I didn't even drink that much!" He frowns at the giggles that are starting to quietly make their way from Keiji. 

"You drank enough to ramble about your 'cutie boyfriend' and how excited you were for our anniversary to surprise me with a pet. And then not even your teammates could stop you from yelling about this parrot you really wanted to get." Although Keiji's smile is something Koutarou prides himself on getting to show up, he can't help but to be upset at it. Not because Keiji's laughter and smiling is meant to be malicious, but because it meant he'd messed up. 

"A grey parrot!" He meets Keiji's blue eyes with his pout. He watches as his boyfriend moves from standing at the edge of the bed to sit and tuck himself into Koutarou's side, grabbing his hand and rubbing gentle patterns into his skin. "There's a really cute grey parrot up for adoption right now."

"No birds, Kou." 

— — — 

They end up adopting a small brown kitten—she was found on the side of the road alongside the rest of her litter. Koutarou instantly falls in love with her, insisting they name her Chocolate. 

When they get her home and she gets used to her surroundings, it becomes insanely obvious to Keiji that this cat has spunk and tells Koutarou that Cinnamon would be a much more fitting name for her. 

-5- 

The night that they hear the news is spent cuddled up next to each other, wine being drunk as they quietly celebrate the knowledge that Koutarou made it to the Olympic team, representing Japan. 

Koutarou's smile is as intense as his enjoyment for the sport and Keiji can't help but press his lips into it, stopping the excited ramblings from continuing to tumble from his boyfriend's mouth. 

They kiss for a little bit until the idea of Koutarou being up in Tokyo a lot more plants itself, bitterly, into Keiji's mind and he pulls away. He gives Koutarou a wide smile that shows how happy is, but he doesn't mention the bitter idea that sits in his mind. 

He supports Koutarou playing for the Olympics, but his heart and mind both get stuck up on the idea of his boyfriend being so far away when they've both gotten used to Koutarou's constant presence in the apartment. Even with games that Koutarou has to travel for, it's never for long enough that Keiji has to sit alone in their apartment for too long. 

With this, Koutarou will have to go to Tokyo for weeks, will have to fly to a stadium probably oceans away. 

Keiji gets far too in his mind and doesn't notice the glint that appears in Koutarou's golden eyes when he notices that Keiji is thinking. 

— — — 

Koutarou, after weeks of hiding it and holding his tongue, is on the verge of spilling a secret that he double-dog dared himself to keep. And he has to keep this one because he double-dog dared himself; it also won’t be a surprise if Koutarou caves and tells Keiji about one of his biggest secrets. 

It’s the week before he flies to a city in Spain for the Olympics. A few days before Koutarou takes the ‘Plus One’ tickets from his sock drawer—a drawer that he's so desperately been trying to keep Keiji from opening—but he is so close to caving at the way that Keiji stares down at Koutarou’s half-packed duffle bag. Like his entire soul is being packed up for the week that Koutarou is going to be gone. 

He tries his hardest, even lasts a day—half a day—before he spills.

It's the same evening that Koutarou catches Keiji staring at his bag that Keiji sets down his tea mug, half finished, and cuddles into Koutarou’s side, grasping tightly as if he’s losing him. “Keiji?”

There is a small little distressed sounding noise that comes from Keiji that causes a dash of panic to course through Koutarou at the idea of his partner being upset. So he edges himself out from under a pouting Keiji who just looks at him in confusion for a few seconds. “Just… Just stay there, Keiji. I’ll be right back and you’ll be smiling like I just hit a set of yours again.”

And Koutarou leaves Keiji sitting against the back of the couch with a confused look on his face and races to the room and to his sock drawer where the ticket sits. 

He races his heart back to where Keiji sits, once again looking down into his mug like he’s contemplating his entire existence, though, Koutarou knows that this isn't his existential crisis face—that one is less scrunched up like he’d eaten a very sour lemon, and more relaxed, more thoughtful, similar to his reading face—this is his “I’m upset and I don’t know how to tell you” face. And Koutarou doesn’t see it often and he’s fast coming up on not liking to see it at all. 

So he gently takes the mug from Keiji before he sits back down and tugs Keiji back into cuddling with him. “Keiji-Keiji,” He tries to kiss the small pout that sits on his lips before pulling away. He brings the tickets in between then and watches for when Keiji realizes what they are. 

Keiji’s eyes light up like he’s looking at the stars, like he did when they laid out in the middle of the track field at Fukuroudani and all Koutarou could stare at was the way that Keiji’s eyes looked like the paintings of the night sky that Keiji had always been so fascinated with. This time they aren’t looking at the sky of stars, but rather, Koutarou is watching as Keiji’s eyes start to fill with tears, as his face scrunches up in the way that it does when he's happy crying—the way that it had when they’d won games in high school, the way it had when Koutarou had asked him to move in.

“Kou.” It’s all that Keiji seems to be capable of right now. Or that is until he looks up at Koutarou and is swallowed in the warmth of Koutarou’s golden eyes. “I… I want to be there. I was… I was upset because I hated- hated ,” he says with an intensity that makes Koutarou want to hold him even closer. “That I couldn’t be there. That I wouldn’t be there to watch you play and hug you after the match. It’s the Olympics and I didn’t want to miss that.” And then Keiji crushes himself into Koutarou’s side. 

Koutarou just holds him close before he tries to pry Keiji away enough to look him in the eyes, however teary and red-lined they may be. “Keiji, I was gonna give it to you later in the week. I just… You looked so sad and I don’t like it when you look sad.” 

Koutarou would gladly give all—almost all—of his secrets to one Akaashi Keiji.

-+1-

Koutarou has had the ring for a long time. Technically, he's only had it for, like, six months, but that feels like a long time to keep something hidden from someone he wants so badly to tell the secret to. 

It's been so hard to keep it a secret. He bit his tongue when Shoucchan and Kageyama got married, holding back from hollering it on the roof tops. He bit his cheek when he and Keiji visited the rest of the Akaashi's and Keiji's mom hounded him about marrying her son, and he avoided meeting the sympathetic glances of Keiji's dad. 

He made sure to keep this one a secret. He ordered the ring so far in advance and hid it from even himself until he knew it was getting to the right time: Keiji's a few years into the editing business and it's the off season for Koutarou, they are able to spend as much time as possible together. 

And with that, it becomes even harder to keep it a secret from Keiji, spending hours with the man he wants to marry and not being able to tell him.

Koutarou hadn't even told Kuroo, determined for it to not reach Keiji's ears, even through a slip of the lips from Kenma who Kuroo would've told. 

It's too risky. 

Date nights always seem to pick up the moment volleyball is off season, with Koutarou dragging Keiji to a new restaurant or their favorite restaurant.

Koutarou tucks the small velvet box into every pocket for every date they go on, expecting for a moment to suddenly arise, even if he has a plan set out. 

No moments actually pop up. 

The plan he has is a walk in the park. Literally. And then they will lay out on the grass and stargaze with Keiji pointing out all of the cool shapes. And then in the moonlight, Koutarou will pull Keiji to the gazebo and propose. So, he drags Keiji out to a park, only telling him to grab a blanket and to wear a coat. 

And they start walking.

There are no hitches and Koutarou is practically bouncing with pure excitement as they walk toward the clearing with the gazebo. "C'mon, Keiji! I wanna look at the stars with you!" He urges them to go faster, tugging gently at Keiji's hand. He watches as wonderment works its way into Keiji's dark gaze as he stares at Koutarou.

He tries to slow down at some points, hoping that they can still enjoy the walk, even if Koutarou just wants to get to the gazebo. He can feel his cheeks start to ache, telling him that he’s been smiling widely the entire time. 

They get closer to the clearing and Koutarou doesn't feel Keiji's hand drop from his until he misses the warmth of his boyfriend walking beside him. He turns to look back, adoration creeping up his spine as he watches Keiji stare up at the stars with wide, astonished eyes. 

He shouts, startling Keiji to look back at him with a huge smile, "Keiji!" Koutarou jogs back to his soon-to-be fiancé, winding an arm around Keiji's waist, pulling him in close and watching as the stars that are reflected in Keiji's eyes twinkle back at him. He can help but be mesmerized by the sight, his hand squeezing Keiji's side gently. 

Koutarou beams when he realizes that he's had Keiji's full attention since he'd pulled him into his arms, and he watches as something in Keiji's eyes seems to twinkle again, this time a lot like how eyes do in one of those romance anime. 

And the urge to ask this man in his arms to marry him only seems to grow in this moment, he doesn't dare stop himself when he gently guides Keiji into the gazebo.

He watches silently as Keiji’s eyes fall back on the sky, as Keiji loses himself in the sight of millions of universes. Koutarou doesn't think there isn't a universe where he doesn't have Keiji wrapped in his arms, he thinks that in every universe he has to love and adore Akaashi Keiji more than even volleyball. 

After a few moments of Keiji staring up at constellations, Koutarou finds blue eyes on him, and he speaks softly in a way that is so very Keiji, "You never take me anywhere for no reason, Kou. And you've been sitting still for too long. What else do you have planned, Koutarou?"

Koutarou smiles widely again, humming as he gently takes the blanket Keiji has been holding since they got out of the car from his hands and sets it down before kissing Keiji's forehead and totally pulling away. 

He curses that he's wearing his tighter jeans when he has to dig too much into his pocket, his tongue sticking out as he tries to find the little box. 

Koutarou feels his gaze being stolen away from his pocket when there are giggles that seem to halt when he has the small box sitting in his hand. 

He goes back to Keiji's side and sets the box on the wooden rail of the gazebo, turning to Keiji with a big smile as he says, "Look, 'Kaashi! I finally kept a secret!" Pride shapes his smile until he catches sight of Keiji's wide eyes and the tremble in his favorite setter's hands. 

Keiji's eyes are glued to it until they aren’t and Koutarou thrives when blue eyes that warm his soul are back on him. 

"Please tell me you are serious." Keiji's voice shakes like the hand that moves to cover his mouth. 

Koutarou beams even more as he motions to the box that sits closed on the rail. "Go ahead and see what I kept a secret!" 

Keiji reaches out with the hand not hovering over his mouth, grabbing the box. Without even opening it, Keiji's head is nodding. 

No words have to be said before Koutarou rushes to his fiancé, wrapping his arms around his middle, and picking him up off the ground, swinging him in a circle. He takes in every ounce of the laughter that spills from his Keiji and the smiles that spread over both of their faces. 

So maybe Bokuto Koutarou can't keep secrets. But he'd rather give them all away to the one that's the most important to him anyway.