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If there was one thing Ennoshita was most proud of doing so far, it would be becoming a great captain for the Karasuno men's volleyball team. Daichi had showed him the ropes before he graduated and he took all his advice, which included keeping friendly rivalry between other teams, so practice matches and training camps could be organised. He even told Ennoshita that the captains had met up on their own accord sometimes, and ended up becoming good friends. And as traditions apparently stick around, the new high school captains had organised monthly meals out to discuss volleyball and living up to the high expectations from last years success.
Ennoshita and the rest of the Miyagi lot (which consisted of Yahaba from Aoba Johsai and Futakuchi from Dateko) had arrived slightly earlier than expected, and were currently waiting outside the sushi restaurant that the Nekoma and Fukurodani captains had both suggested; only, the two in question had not turned up yet.
Ennoshita glanced at his surroundings, taking in the greatness of the tall buildings on the other side of the street. In his line of sight, he caught two figures crossing the road and heading towards them: one with a ridiculous blonde mohawk, and one with dark messy hair that belonged to someone who made the wing spiker feel giddy and nervous, just by the sight of him.
“sorry we’re late,” Akaashi said as he acknowledged the three from Miyagi. “Yamamoto dropped all his change at the shop when the girl at the checkout spoke to him.”
“Gah! Don’t tell them!” Yamamoto argued, “It’s not my fault she was so pretty!”
Only the Fukurodani setter was no longer listening as he said his hellos to each of them, also sharing brief hugs. Ennoshita was last and patiently waited till Akaashi turned to him to say hi. Ennoshita had to remind himself he was only giving the other boy a hug because Yahaba had started it, and he was pretty sure Akaashi wasn’t the hugging type anyway, so he made sure to not linger in the touch. Only, Akaashi didn’t seem to show any signs of making a quick retreat; either that, or time had stood still around the wing spiker.
However it didn't, and he Knew this because he could hear the steady breathing coming from the Fukurodani captain, and the loud greetings to the others from Yamamoto. Then Akaashi let go and Ennoshita wondered if they had been hugging for as long as he thought they had.
The five of them entered the restaurant and were given a table right beside the window. (they had to restrain the Nekoma captain from taking the window seat, otherwise he’d spend the evening making faces at passers by.)
Once they had settled down and made their orders, Ennoshita launched straight into conversation with Akaashi beside him about a film he watched the other night. The two of them had become really close over the past five or so months, bonding over a mutual appreciation for cinema, books and photography, as well as the sport they played.
“Seriously though, Akaashi-kun! You need to see this film. I bet you’d love the cinematography- it looks stunning.”
Akaashi smiled at him after politely thanking the waiter who brought their food to the table.
“I think we know each other well enough to use first names, don't you, Chikara?”
The Karasuno captain looked into the dark eyes that were currently staring back at him. Those eyes were the first thing Ennoshita noted about the setter when he first saw him during training camp, last year. He had an aura of confidence and patience that Ennoshita could see, just by looking at how the setter played- not to mention, he looked incredibly beautiful. Especially his face, framed underneath hair that looked so soft! He just wanted to run his hands through it and oh no his mind was wandering again!
He’d given up trying to deny how he felt about Akaashi; after numerous practice matches, texts and late-night phone calls, it was pretty evident he had developed a crush.
“Um, okay… Keiji.” He tested the name on his lips and found it to fit there perfectly, but left him with a tingling feeling through his whole body, right to the tips of his fingers. However, Akaashi must have mistaken his hesitance for something else, like disgust, as he was frowning and averted his gaze.
“If you're not comfortable with using first names then it’s okay,” said Akaashi as picked up another chunk of sushi. “It was rude of me to suggest it.”
Ennoshita instantly starts shaking his head in protest and placed a reassuring hand on Akaashi’s shoulder, while the Fukurodani captain finished chewing the sushi in his mouth.
“No, it wasn’t rude. I would have probably suggested it as well, to be honest.” Ennoshita said bashfully.
Akaashi gave him another slightly lopsided smile, then they continued to make casual discussion while eating their food, not noticing how quickly the time flies when they talk to each other.
“Hey! Why don't you two stop flirting and pay your share of the bill.”
Yamamoto proceeded to laugh rather obnoxiously, but stopped immediately when Ennoshita and Akaashi gave him their no-nonsense look. After dealing with Karasuno’s duo -Tanaka and Nishinoya- as well as Furokodani’s former ace Bokuto, Yamamoto was no match for the two of them…. If it weren't for the words that Nekoma’s ace had just said.
Ennoshita could feel his face getting redder and tried to keep a passive expression on his face. Akaashi however, looked as cool and unfazed as ever.
“You should maybe start taking notes, Yamamoto-kun. From what I saw earlier at the store, you could do with some lessons in flirting.”
Ennoshita snorted a little at Yamamoto’s reaction -pretending he’d been shot in the chest and was crawling on the ground- and he started to feel better. Akaashi usually handled the teasing from the rest of the captains really well, brushing it off with some dry humour and some exasperated sighs. It gave Ennoshita the confidence to do the same and stopped things from becoming awkward between the two of them.
But whenever he told his fellow second years that he was meeting up with Akaashi or texting him to talk about “captain stuff” (which usually ended up with them talking about films or music), Tanaka and Nishinoya would tease him to no end. It was his weakness; the only thing that the wing spiker and libero could do to get him flustered.
(Sometimes, they even shouted things over the phone when Akaashi called during the study session with the duo. They would yell about Ennoshita's nonexistent "girlfriend" and he would always scold them, saying it was rude to talk over people, but Akaashi usually said he had to go when this happened.)
Nevertheless, when he teamed up with Akaashi, the two of them were a mix of sarcasm and sass that no one could even be on par with.
The setting sun cast long shadows behind the tall volleyball players as they said their farewells for this month’s meetup. Yahaba and Futakuchi were both staying with family in Tokyo, since it was too late to get the train. Also, Yamamoto had to quickly dash, because he apparently had plucked up the courage to try and flirt with the girl from the shop, after “seeing how the professionals did it.”
Akaashi just rolled his eyes at that comment while Ennoshita sighed, wishing the boy good luck as he waved goodbye.
"So," addressed Akaashi, "I take it you have relatives near by to stay with as well, Chikara?"
"Yeah, only its my grandmother... Don't get me wrong, she's lovely! It's just that her house stinks of cigarettes.” He pulled a face at the thought, “When I was younger, I would pitch a tent in the garden because it smelled that bad. Sometimes I still do, if I’m brave enough to face the cold."
"Well if you feel like sparing your lungs for one night, you could always stay the night at mine? I don't think my parents will mind."
“Yeah, sure! Only if it’s not any trouble... I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“Like I said, they won’t mind,” Akaashi said reassuringly and started walking, guiding Ennoshita in the direction to his house, “You’re not too loud and don’t make a mess wherever you go; that makes you their instant favourite. I once invited Bokuto and Kuroo over… Biggest mistake of my life.”
Ennoshita laughed, knowing exactly what Akaashi meant by that.
They eventually reached Akaashi’s home. It looked cosy; the sort of place Ennoshita imagined him living and growing up in.
“I’m back!” Akaashi called out as he opened the front door to the living room and started walking through the house, Ennoshita following behind, “I brought a friend to stay over, is that okay?”
They were met only with silence as Akaashi walked into the kitchen and switched on the light. Akaashi picked up the note that had been left on the kitchen table and read out loud.
“Gone out with friends for the night. Hope you don’t mind. Mum and dad… smiley face, lots of Xs.”
He put the note to the side, a slight blush was forming on his cheeks.
“God, that’s embarrassing,” Akaashi muttered to himself as he ran a hand through his permanently disheveled hair. Ennoshita stared in wonder at the boy in front of him Wait, was Keiji…. Nervous? On the rare occasion when he’d been alone with the setter, he seemed to lose his usual air of confidence in his actions, which only returned once they settled on a casual topic about school, a film or volleyball. Ennoshita sometimes wondered how many people saw the calm and collected setter like this…
He opened his mouth to speak.
“Keiji, I--”
“do you wa--"
They both looked at each other, a little startled, and Ennoshita nervously chuckled and gestured to the other boy, while leaning against the kitchen counter, trying to look more casual.
“You go first.”
“Oh. It wasn’t important,” said Akaashi as he picked up the piece of paper again and absentmindedly folded it once and twice over, “I was just going to ask if you wanted me to set up a futon in my bedroom now or…”
“Um, now? Yeah, now would be fine.”
“Alright... What did you want to say there?”
The arm that Ennoshita had been leaning against on the counter slipped off the shiny surface and he stumbled over, almost losing his balance and narrowly missing an embarrassing face plant to the kitchen floor. (What did he want to say? that was a good question; one he didn't actually know!)
"Errm," he stammered over his words thinking of something (anything!) he could say, "I... I was wondering if I could... Borrow a change of clothes? Because I don't want to sleep in this, you know?" He gestured to his clothes (a smart dress shirt and jeans) and Akaashi nodded in agreement.
“Of course. We’re probably the same size anyway.”
Akaashi then started to leave the kitchen so Ennoshita assumed they were going upstairs. While he followed, he took a mental note to not be weird and smell the other boys clothes when he was given them.
When he walked into Akaashi’s room he found he wasn't really surprised to find the setter had a pretty normal bedroom; similar to his own, actually.
Ennoshita stood at the door patiently as Akaashi opened his drawers and rummaged around for some pyjamas. He tossed them in Ennoshita’s direction and he caught them easily.
“Nice receive.” Akaashi said quietly, smirking a little and looking in the drawer again, probably for his own pyjamas.
Now what? thought Ennoshita. He couldn’t get changed in a room, alone with Akaashi Keiji, the boy he had the biggest crush on. He had no idea what to say, or what to do if the setter suddenly started stripping, so he just edged closer to the door.
“I’m just gonna… Yeah.”
He thought he sounded ridiculous -and should have asked him where the bathroom was to get changed- but he hoped Akaashi didn’t think too much of it.
When he returned, he was glad to see Akaashi already changed and a futon put down for Ennoshita to sleep on. Akaashi gave him a small smile.
"Do you want to watch a film?"
Ennoshita thought about what would happen if he stayed up and watched a film with his crush. They’d probably sit together on akaashi’s bed; the light from the tv would probably cast beautiful shadows on Akaashi’s cheekbones and reflect in his half-lidded eyes; Ennoshita would not be able to stop himself from tracing the line along the setters jaw where the highlights and shadows met and he would move his lips closer to Akaashi’s… But what if he moved away from his touch? He decided it was best not to let his imagination run wild. Yes- Sleep was his best option right now.
"... Sure!"
Damn it! he thought This is not what I wanted!
But, the thing was, Ennoshita did want this. Not watching a film, (although that was still a bonus) but maybe doing something with this silly crush; and from the way Akaashi had been acting since they were alone, he thought -just maybe- the setter wanted this too.
Akaashi showed Ennoshita the DVD stack in the corner of his room and told him to “chose whatever.” While he tried to find a film with no romance for minimal awkwardness, Akaashi took the blanket he originally put down on Ennoshita’s futon, sat on his own bed and made some space for the wing spiker. Ennoshita gulped and grabbed the first action film he laid eyes on.
Once Ennoshita placed the DVD in, switched off the light and sat down on the bed, Akaashi held the remote and flicked through the trailers, eventually getting to the menu options where the title of the film flashed across the screen, accompanied by the sound of explosions and gunshots.
“Wow, Chikara. I thought you would've had better taste than this.”
He did, and he seriously regretted choosing such a cheap and badly made film, but the film he wanted to choose had a few romantic scenes in it and he just couldn't bring himself to choose it, no matter how much he loved it.
“Well, um, I was in the mood for action and car chases.” He replied -though not very believably- as he brought his half of the blanket up to his chin. Akaashi just shrugged and started the film, doing the same as Ennoshita had and getting comfortable under the blanket.
After about ten to fifteen minutes into the film, Ennoshita realised the film was so bad, there was no point even paying attention to it. He turned his head to see if Akaashi was actually watching the film, or had fallen asleep- he guessed the latter. However, he found out he was completely wrong as his eyes locked with dark irises and widely blown pupils. He could see the bright reds and oranges from the explosion illuminate the side of Akaashi's face and strands of his hair, which made the dark brown locks look like they were glowing; it reminded Ennoshita of fire on coals and his breath hitched in his throat.
If they included what I’m seeing right now into this film, it would have been a cinematic masterpiece.
“Sorry for staring... But, the films pretty boring, don’t you think?”
Ennoshita could only nod as he was rendered utterly speechless. Then even more so when he felt something glide over his hand gently. He just hoped it was Akaashi’s and not a spider, because if he wasn't mistaken, they were having a moment and the last thing he wanted was to try and hold hands with a bug.
He reached out and held the other boy’s hand without breaking eye contact. He couldn't look away now; not when Akaashi's eyes were practically sparkling, despite the limited light source. Ennoshita could feel Akaashi’s thumb ghost over his knuckles and he shivered, as though all the temperature in the room had left, yet he was still warm. Akaashi’s eyelids seemed to lower a little more as his gaze moved away from Ennoshita’s chocolate-brown eyes and lingered on his mouth.
“... Can I kiss you?”
Ennoshita finally managed to find his voice; only because he worried nothing would happen if he stayed silent.
“Yes,” he breathed, sitting up a little bit, “oh my god, I've wanted to do that since I met you!"
Akaashi laughed fondly at that and moved his head a little closer, anticipation radiating off him in sparks. It burned Ennoshita's skin and caused his heart to beat so fast, he worried it would combust at any moment.
He lifted his other hand and brought it to Akaashi’s cheek, closing in the rest of the distance, and as if on cue, another explosion boomed out of the television as their lips collided.
The kiss was gentle, and Ennoshita was reminded of cups of coffee and moonlit nights. It fitted Akaashi so well and he wondered what the boy in question felt then their lips moved together so carefully, but with so much passion and emotion. He hoped it was at least half of what he was feeling right now, because the sensation of akaashi’s soft lips gave him goosebumps, and sparks were flying more than ever. They eventually parted and Ennoshita opened his eyes to watch akaashi’s flutter open too.
Ennoshita could feel the small dimple on Alaashi's cheek form as the setter smiled, lips still brushing against his slightly. Ennoshita could only smile back, bring the hand intertwined with Akaashi's to his beating chest.
"Do you feel that?" He murmured as he splayed the fingers of his crush right where his heart was beating, "This is what you do to me, Keiji."
“I could say the same about you,” hummed Akaashi and pulled Ennoshita a little closer so they could kiss again. Ennoshita then understood what he meant when the hand on Akaashi’s cheek slowly glided downwards and he could feel the pulse from Akaashi’s neck.
He deepened the kiss, knowing what to do now and couldn’t help but run his fingers through Akaashi’s hair. He gasped into the kiss because holy shit his hair was so fluffy and soft- the softest thing on the planet!
Akaashi sighed peacefully and leaned into Ennoshita’s touch.
“That feels nice,” Akaashi whispered and Ennoshita was enveloped in a warm embrace, “So I take it we’re--”
“Boyfriends?” Ennoshita felt bold saying it, except he didn’t need to worry, not when akaashi had his arms wrapped around him so affectionately.
“Yeah… I like the sound of that.”
He switched off the television, and thought about how great the silence was, instead of the stupid explosions and carnage from the film. But the sparks that were still igniting from inside them still settled around them, only it didn’t burn- it was a pleasant feeling; one Ennoshita hoped would never go away.