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Dust motes float through the sunlight, dancing to the rhythm of the soft music playing in the background turned down low despite the fact that the man napping with his head in his lap could basically sleep through an entire earthquake and not wake up unless the roof fell on him - and maybe not even then. Akaashi runs his hands through soft black hair and watches as a tiny smile twitches into place before fading back into the neutral almost scowl that often graced Kageyama’s lips. The expression was quiet, subtle in a way that would have been missed had he not been used to looking for it. His fingers trace the curve of Kageyama’s cheek and brush his lips with the lightest of touches. Kageyama sighs and turns his head a little more towards Akaashi.
He had been surprised to run into Tsukishima at the University library where he worked. Pleasantly surprised but surprised nonetheless. He and Tsukishima had always gotten along fairly well in the past so the two of them continuing to do so in University wasn’t much of a surprise. Neither was finding out that Tsukishima had a boyfriend. Akaashi himself didn’t really care about who dated what gender and all that as long as the people involved were happy. What did surprise him was finding out just who Tsukishima was dating. Not that there was anything wrong with Kageyama but those two had always seemed so… indifferent to each other on a personal basis.
But there was no doubt in his mind that Tsukishima cared a lot for Kageyama. From the moment he told him, chin high and eyes practically daring him to say something about Kageyama, Akaashi had known they had something special. A tiny part of him had been jealous because he wondered what it was like to have something that fierce growing in your chest for another person.
What had surprised him most about their relationship was discovering how quiet they were. Sure Kageyama and Tsukishima could bicker and snap and insult each other with the best of them but most of the time they were content to just be together. Akaashi would stop over and find Kageyama watching a volleyball match with Tsukishima curled up beside him reading or napping. Or he’d get a text from Tsukishima with a picture attached of Kageyama attempting to cook dinner, face scrunched in concentration, while Tsukishima had his homework spread out across the table. He’d spent entire afternoons with them where they all barely said a word to each other, each of them engrossed in what they were doing, yet it never felt awkward. Those two were soft touches and warm hands and elbows to the ribs in jest.
What surprised him the most about it all wasn’t the warm bubble of affection that grew in his heart for Tsukishima, he had always suspected it was there from that very first training camp together, no what surprised him was the bubble of affection there that was for Kageyama as well. For this sullen looking scowling teen with his obsession with milk and volleyball and making Tsukishima smile. At some point during his time hanging out with Tsukishima he had come to care for Kageyama as well, had come to look forward to stopping by the apartment even when he knew Tsukishima had classes, had come to be just as comfortable in his presence alone as he was with both of them there.
Tsukishima stumbles into the apartment and frowns at the quiet music. Music this quiet usually meant that Kageyama had fallen asleep which most likely meant that his fever had come back at some point last night and he didn’t sleep well. He toes off his shoes and peeks into the living room to find, sure enough, Akaashi on the couch and Kageyama asleep with his head on Akaashi’s lap. He tosses his jacket and sweater over the chair in the corner and squats down next to the couch with a frown.
“I thought he was better?” Akaashi’s cool hand cups his cheek and he leans into the touch for a moment.
“He’s fine. Just tired and trying to catch up on his sleep from the last few days.” Tsukishima huffs and then crawls up onto the couch as well, carefully wedging himself between Kageyama and the back of the couch so his head was cushioned on Kageyama’s shoulder. Akaashi smiles and reaches down to pull off his glasses and set them carefully on the end table. “He’ll probably think you’re coddling him when he wakes up with you like that.” Tsukishima hums but doesn’t say anything, even when Akaashi tugs down the blanket from the back of the couch and tosses it over them.
When he finally does speak Akaashi has to drag his eyes open and focus in on the soft words, having nearly fallen asleep himself.
“Thank you for looking after him.”
“Of course. I care about him. A lot.” Akaashi’s fingers thread through Tsukishima’s curlier hair and scratch lightly at his scalp. “Just like I care about you.”
“I care a lot about you guys too. Both of you.”
“We know,” Kageyama’s sleep rough voice startles them both and Tsukishima tenses under Akaashi’s fingers like he’s waiting to be told to move. “You don’t have to say it for us to know, Kei.” He yawns and slips his arms around Tsukishima before blinking his eyes open and giving Akaashi a twitch of a smile. “Just like Keiji doesn’t say it all the time and I don’t either. S’metimes it’s actions and not words.” He yawns again, eyes fluttering shut as he jostles Tsukishima lightly. “You showed me that.”
That bubble of affection grows and shifts in the afternoon light, dust motes dancing along without even knowing what’s happening around them, and Akaashi knows now what it’s like to feel so fiercely about someone that he could burst out of his own skin from it. It’s doubly fierce because it’s two someones he cares for, two someones he loves and who he knows love him in return no matter how quietly they all show it.