Chapter Text
The party's loud. So is your heartbeat as you're looking for a place to hide for the night. You don't drink and don't like being around drunk people either. You can't stand the crowd and the overwhelming noise of chatter mixed with the blasting music. If one more person talks to you you swear you're gonna snap. How people have this much energy is beyond you, or how they don't feel out of breath and overwhelmed by all the stimulation around.
Your breath matches your movements as you frantically push yourself through the crowd. Fast, fast ,fast you open and close any door that comes your way to find a quiet place to hide. You try your luck on the balcony first, your head dizzy and craving the fresh air, but the smokers are there. You try the kitchen next, you catch a glimpse of your friend's blonde bleached hair. He's laughing with some people you don't know and Kotaro Bokuto, if you remember correctly. You don't even know him that well. Before Atsumu has the chance to see you and pull you into the conversation you turn around, quick, and leave. Then you try your luck in the bathroom just to find somebody throwing up into the toilet. Her friends continue their gossip, unbothered by your figure at the door as you mutter a 'sorry' under your breath and leave.
There had to be an empty room in this house, right? And then you find yourself infront of it. Hidden under the staircase, the pantry. Small but big enough to squeeze in 3 people if you really tried. You don't think, just grab the handle and shut the door behind you. There are no windows in the small room and the lights don't work you realize, leaving you in the dark. But it's fine. Maybe even better that way. It's alright now. The dark is comforting, so is the silence. The music is only a far muffled sound through the thick walls, the chatter and the crowd finally gone, allowing your senses to finally calm down. You exhale deeply and slide down the wall with your back, knees bent, breathing heavy. Here no one would find you, unless someone was in desperate need for cleaning supplies or toilet paper.
You shouldn't have come. You knew this would happen. It always does in crowds. If it only weren't for the sake of your childhood friends you wouldn't have anyway but Atsumu had reassured you that not too many people would be there (he was speaking in his own standarts apparently) and that you needed to get out of your shell more. You shouldn't have listened to him. You should've gotten that damn driver's license because now you're stuck here until Atsumu decides he wants to leave and you know he won't any time soon.
You close your eyes, leaning your head against the wall, one hand on your chest, taking in deep, slow breaths. Clarity slowly starts returning to your mind just to be overcome by a momentarily panic when you hear the door handle go down and your eyes shoot open again. A head peaks in, not seeing you in the dark and sitting on the ground, and tries to turn on the light, unsuccesful as well. Should you keep quiet? You heart is hammering in your chest again. Maybe the person will leave. Instead the door opens even wider, letting a dim light in from the hallway and finally revealing your sillhouette to the stranger, upon which he jumps, clearly startled, not having expected anyone in here.
"What are you doing here?" His voice sounds familiar. You recall the beginning of the night when Atsumu had pulled you along to meet his friend Kotaro, the one who all this is for. A surprise birthday party. You'd been too distracted to listen to a single word when you saw the face of the other man standing next to Bokuto. Tall, dark hair, the most gorgeous eyes you'd ever seen on a face. He'd introduced himself as Keiji Akaashi and neither his name nor his voice had left your head since.
Just like your own face, his is also in the dark but you recognize the voice definetly belongs to him. Your heart makes a little jump upon that realization. This time it's not panic but nervousness.
"What are you doing here? Need something?" Your voice comes out tense despite your effort to sound casual and hide your overwhelm.
"I was just looking for a quiet place to hide," he admits.
"There's your answer. Me too," you answer quick and hushed, hoping he will leave. As if your night isn't an absolute disaster already, now you're emberassing yourself infront of the pretty boy from earlier too.
"Mind if I join you?" He asks, a little unsure.
You look up at his face to see his features becoming more present as he opens the door a little bit wider, letting more light into the small dark room. For a moment you think about whether your night could get any worse than this. He's probably already thinking that you're a weirdo, from the second he noticed you sitting alone on the floor in the dark here. And somehow you wouldn't mind his company you realize. Plus he's already seen you at an emberassing low like this and when else were you gonna get the chance to see him again anyway?
"Depends on how much you talk."
He blinked in surprise at your unexpected question. "Not much I think."
He seems to notice your tenseness and follows his answer with: "It's fine actually. I'm sure I'll find another quiet place." But he doesn't leaves. His hand stays glued on the doorhandle, reluctant to throw himself back into the crowded party. Tired eyes staring eagerly into the small room.
"No, it's fine," you tell him and he hesitantly walks in, leaving the door ajar behind him. Despite your bent knees you're taking up almost half the space in the room which leaves him to lean against the wall across from you, slightly hidden from the door, leading into a tiny nook. Although you can barely see each other in the dark, it is awkward to say the least. But hey, at least still better than being stuck in a crowd of partying strangers, you comfort yourself.
"So you're friends with the Miya twins?" He recalls and your heart does another flip upon realizing that he's remembered you from earlier.
"How- oh, yeah. Got dragged along in case you couldn't tell yet." You speak quiet and slow, trying to calm down your breathing again. "Already thought so," he confirms, his own tone barely abover a whisper. "Won't they look for you?"
"They might after a while but I really need a quiet place right now.. What about your friend? Kotaro was his name? The birthday kid. Won't he look for you?"
"Birthday kid?" He chuckles. "He is. That's why I'm here. He's trying to introduce me to every single person out there."
"Yikes."
"Why don't you just leave if it's too much for you here?" He wants to know.
"I can't until the twins leave, they're my ride.. although I'm not so sure that was a good idea anymore. Hopefully Osamu isn't as drunk as Atsumu that bastard." A frustrated sigh escapes your lips. That dumb blond friend of yours is the last person you want to be thinking about right now. You can't wait to give him hell once this stupid party is over.
"I see.." Keiji cuts off your stream of thought. "I'd offer to drive you home but.. I don't know if that's a bit weird since you don't know me."
"I could get to know you." You look straight at his sillhouette in the dark, not knowing whatever posessed you in that moment to say those words. Maybe it was just easier to be honest in the dark when you didn't see his face.
"Do you want to get to know me?"
"I think you're really pretty."
"I think you're gorgeous." His answer follows right after, as if he'd been waiting all night to say those words. Maybe he found it easier to talk in the dark too. You let out an amused huff through your nose.
A sudden thud sound from outside the door makes both of you jump and turn your heads towards the door. You shuffle to your feet, ready to hide if someone barges in, only to realize there's nowhere to hide. Nowhere but the nook where Keiji is already hidden. And when someone does push down on the door handle you freeze, staring at the door, when you suddenly feel a hand pull you by the waist into a corner. The next thing you know is how you're pressed against his chest, wide eyed and perplexed. You hold your breath and so does he while the person on the other side walks into the pantry. "Kotaro said the toilet paper is here but I can't see anything," he calls out, to which his friend at the door replies: "It's literally infront of you, are you dumb?"
Both of you exhale in relief when the door clicks into place and leaves you two in the dark again.
"Sorry about that." He whispers.
"It's fine. Thanks actually." You whisper back, still processing the situation you're in. Your heavy breathing matches his. "Would've been pretty embarassing if anyone saw us here like this."
His pretty face is so close to you, you think about leaning in a bit closer for a moment but you don't. You're not that type of person who kisses strangers in people's pantries at parties. Then why did you want to be that kind of person right now? With his hand still on your waist, both of you know there's no need for the closeness you share anymore but neither of you pull away. You feel his hot breath against your face. He feels your heartbeat against his chest. Maybe this one time you could be that person who kisses strangers in pantries at parties.