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Being in charge of a class full of children under the age of six can be a daunting task. They never truly listened to anything, picking silly arguments about which Pokémon was the best, and not to forget the sticky fingers. Akaashi had wet wipes on hand and stashed almost everywhere around in his classroom just for that reason alone.
For the most part, they all got along well. Children were ones to be open-minded after all, unlike adults. They forget what they were arguing about by the time pick up time came around. Hinata and Kageyama were the primary examples of that, at recess they fought over the volleyball but once they were leaving, they were talking excitedly about the match happening that weekend.
He sat at his desk when they were at lunch, eating with a fellow teacher. Sugawara was the other elementary teacher, their classes often combined while they played outside or did their exercises. It gave them ample time to gossip about their fellow co-workers or talk about whatever was on their mind, usually when and where their next hangout outside of work would be.
Sugawara propped his elbow on Akaashi’s desk, eyes focused on the bento, stirring the rice before he let out a wistful sigh. He flickered his gaze up and met Akaashi’s, his brows raised, almost disappearing beneath black curls. The image was amusing, to say the least. A grown man silently egging another to ask what was going on in his mind. But that was how Sugawara acted, someone who was light hearted. It was refreshing to have someone like that in his life.
“Yes, Koushi?” Akaashi slowly asked after swallowing the bite of onigiri. His friend perked up, chocolate eyes shimmering when Akaashi paid attention. Placing the bento down, he rolled his chair, the wheels scraping against the linoleum. Their arms brushed as Akaashi placed the half eaten onigiri on the wrapper it came in, pushing his glasses up.
“Did you hear about the firefighters coming in?” Akaashi nodded. Everyone heard about the fire unit making an appearance. It was all the teachers could talk about since nothing was more interesting to grown adults. Not that he could talk, he fell right into the pool with those said people.
“I did, who hasn’t at this rate?” Suga chuckled at that, shaking his head before he placed his phone down, showing Akaashi a picture of the platoon.
His eyes widened.
“...Are you sure this isn’t some firefighter calendar thing you found? There’s no way those are the guys coming in.” Suga nodded adamantly, his little cowlick following his movements before he zoomed in on a man with brown eyes and short brown hair. Tanned skin and his biceps were about to rip the shirt at the seams.
“No they are! But look, I want this one to come into my class, look at those thighs.” Akaashi rolled his eyes, pushing their food to the side and hovered over the screen, hiding it in case someone walked in and saw.
His gaze roamed over the picture, his eyes caught by the man with multicolored hair, a striking silver and ink black spiked up, oh god, he had the biggest chest out of them all. Which was saying a lot because the majority of them were built like brick houses, layered in thick muscle except for one or two, more lean but still sturdy.
The said man leaned up against the truck, veins beneath his skin at his forearms and biceps popped up deliciously. Not to mention, he had the brightest and charming smile Akaashi had ever seen in his life. Heat spread across his cheeks, roasting his ears before he slumped back in his chair.
“Which one do you want? Is it the tall one? Well, they’re all tall but this one? With the bed hair look? Ooh, or the one with the deep green eyes and brooding face? He’s really handsome—”
“The one with grey and black hair,” Akaashi groaned beneath his breath and Suga hummed, swiping his finger across the screen and landed on the man. He let out a low whistle beneath his breath, tapping his finger against his cracked screen protector. Working with kids was great until they broke phones and destroyed keys.
“His name is Lieutenant Bokuto.” Bokuto. Akaashi bit down on his tongue before he rubbed his eyes, pushing his glasses up into his hair. He rolled his neck before opening his eyes, staring at the water spotting in their ceiling.
“Where did you even find this picture?”
“It’s their header for their Facebook page!”
Flicking his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose, Akaashi took a second look at all the men. He tried to read names but a lot of them were blurred due to them zooming in too far to see. Akaashi released a sigh he was holding before he leaned forward, elbows on his desk. He picked some grains of rice off his onigiri before picking it up.
“You have way too much free time on your hands, do you know that?” He took a bite, watching Sugawara’s grin spread across his face.
“What else am I supposed to do with all this free time?” Suga replied, his tone teasing before he stood up, placing the lid on his bento. “Well, I’m off now. Need to fix up their messy cubbies before they come in from lunch!”
Akaashi watched his friend walk away, a bit of pep in his step. A noise, a mixture between amusement and bewilderment slipped from his lips. Sugawara knew what he was doing, he knew Akaashi was on the lookout. Dating wasn’t really a strong suit of Akaashi’s, not that he was picky. No one just…caught his eye or fit with his personality well. He knew he wasn’t the most interesting person but he wasn’t entirely boring either.
Hearing his students' excited voices filter in through the door, he pushed back the thought of the attractive two-toned haired firefighter. But he would still hold onto it, he’d be a fool to completely forget.
⭒
The week flew by in a flash and Akaashi, in typical fashion, did actually forget about the firefighter visit. His cat got sick so he had to visit the vet and then he had parent-teacher conferences that when the day came by, he almost cried out of relief. All he had to do was sit there and let the firefighters engage with the kids.
“I want to see the gear!”
“Ooh, I want to see the truck!”
“What if we do one of those house things, where you act like it’s on fire but it’s not?”
Akaashi smiled softly, oddly these moments like these were the ones that made him realize why he was a teacher. The endless curiosity and the want for new knowledge. Seeing their eyes shine when they finally get the concept after a few fails. Suga mentioned the same thing to him when Akaashi asked and it made him glad that someone understood him.
He sat at his desk, watching how everyone was almost bouncing in their seats when they heard the sound of heavy boots against the old linoleum floor. The man who had the bed hair in the picture poked his head through, eyes flitting across the rows of children that fell silent at his entrance. Kuroo was his name, he learned since he was informed that would be the one coming to his class. Not Bokuto, he was assigned to go to Sugawara’s class with Chief Ukai. He learned that from Sugawara’s down trodden expression from not getting the cute brown haired one, which he figured out the name was Sawamura.
A small smirk quirked up on his lips before he waved the other man in and Akaashi didn’t know if he wanted to thank the gods or ask them if he was being cursed by them. Familiar two-toned hair, then that same award winning smile plastered on that handsome face Akaashi vaguely thought about. He was taller in person, Bokuto, he recalled. They wore their uniform pants with their work shoes but instead of using their fireproof jackets, they came in with t-shirts with their firehouse emblem on it.
“Welcome!” Akaashi’s students rang out, eyes shimmering wide and bright. Both of the men chuckle, glancing around before Akaashi stood up, one hand on the desk. He wasn’t sure if he could stand on his two legs after the shit week he had, or at the sight of the attractive man in front of him. They made quick eye contact before Akaashi turned his head quickly, trying to push down the heat that threatened to show on his face. If someone were to question, he could easily sweep it beneath the rug saying the school’s old air conditioner was failing to keep him cool.
“Thank you two for coming in, Kuroo-san and Bokuto-san. We are very eager to learn about fire safety,” he replied, eyes focused on the students, hand out to gesture at them. They all were on their knees, leaning forward to see the taller men better. Akaashi could only imagine what they looked like from their point of view, larger than life figures that were standing before them in their little classroom.
Kuroo’s smirk turned into a smile, lips tight but genuine. Akaashi knew that glow in his eyes because he felt the same way when he was about to tell the kids something new. Bokuto, on the other hand, his eyes never left Akaashi. Butterflies jittered in his stomach, a sensation he hasn’t gotten since he was in high school. Nothing was more nerve wracking than trying to wrangle his excited students and dealing with a silly little…crush? No, he didn’t know Bokuto like that. Was it just physical attraction? He had been single for a while now and he had a treat practically dangling before him on an imaginary reel.
“Thank you for having us, Akaashi-san. We’re more than happy to be here, let me just grab our stuff and we can get started,” Kuroo replied, his arms uncrossing while he walked out. Akaashi, back turned, did not see the little wink Kuroo threw to his friend. Because at the moment, Hinata and Kageyama were struggling to sit in the front, a shoving match in the works.
“Boys, let’s not—Hinata sit beside Yachi and Kageyama sit with Tsukishima, perfect,” Akaashi sighed, guiding the boys across on the play mat they sat at. Yachi was a quiet girl in his class, rarely ever spoke and got anxious a lot. Whenever she was around Hinata, she was all smiles and talked about anything and everything, showing her drawings. But that was just an effect Hinata had on people, even Kageyama. Today was not one of those days since there was a guest and both wanted to be front and center to see.
“Now, let’s be on our best behavior for these two, okay? They took time out of their busy schedules to come in today,” he murmured to the students, nodding at his soft words. He was kneeled before them, speaking on their level. Kuroo was taking too long to grab some materials but Akaashi was good at distracting his class. “How about you all play a game of I Spy while we wait on Kuroo-san?” An eager Tsukishima was the one to start off, the others falling easily along with him.
“You’re really good with them.” The words were rushed and clearly caught both Bokuto and Akaashi off guard. He snapped his head around to see a slight flush on the firefighter’s cheeks, his hands shoved in his pockets. Forearms flexed deliciously as he removed a hand from his pocket to scrub nervously at the back of his neck. All that did was stretch the navy cotton tight around his chest, not hiding the firm build that resided beneath his shirt.
Okay, maybe Akaashi had a bit of a crush on Bokuto.
Akaashi stood up, brushing off the imaginary dust off his jeans before walking off toward the front of the class again, near Bokuto. “Thank you...I try my best.” Thank you, I try my best? If a hole could swallow Akaashi up and forget this ever happened—
“I’m serious! A lot of teachers can be rude but you’re not, I’m just impressed, really. When I was a kid, I was a lot like that red-haired kid,” Bokuto mumbled, jerking his head to Hinata, currently laughing when he guessed Tsukki’s item correctly. Bokuto crossed his arms, a small smile as he watched on. Amber eyes were soft, flickering around the bright faces of each student. “I was pretty energetic and a lot to handle but you treat them all kindly. I’m sure they appreciate it, I know I would have if I was in their shoes.”
Not only was Bokuto attractive in a physical sense but he was empathetic, he had a good sense of his environment and he looked really cute with pink dusting his cheeks. Akaashi gave him a shy half smile in return, his head bowed slightly before lifting his gaze to meet soft amber. Bokuto’s gaze wasn’t searing or unwanting. He was watching carefully, as if he wasn’t sure if his words were wanted.
“That’s very kind of you, Bokuto-san.”
“Please just—” Before the rest of Bokuto’s sentence could leave his lips, Kuroo stalked back into the room with a shit-eating grin to his fellow firefighter, who shot back a glare enough to wipe the smirk but not the playful gaze in those golden eyes. Butterflies in Akaashi’s stomach flared up again, clearly Kuroo’s suspicious long disappearance was for a specific reason.
Akaashi enjoyed how his heart leaped at the thought.
“Alright, kiddos,” Bokuto announced and grabbed their attention by clapping his hands once and they all fell silent. All eyes were drawn to him, an amused expression flickered across Kuroo’s face. While Bokuto spoke, Akaashi went behind his desk, legs crossed while he leaned back in his chair.
“Never fails.” Akaashi heard Kuroo murmur beneath his breath before he leaned against the desk, legs crossed over the other. Bags filled with plastic badges, stickers, and plastic fire helmets resided at his feet.
“Today, we will be learning about fire hazards and what to do if a fire happens in your school or home. It’s important on how to handle one and either put it out or evacuate safely and effectively.” Bokuto’s hands were clasped together, thick fingers grasping rough palms. Akaashi wondered how those palms would feel on his own. He imagined he’d enjoy the contrast, not minding the hard working hands cupping his soft ones. “Raise of hands, who has seen a real fire? Whether it be like a bonfire or an actual house fire?”
Kuroo raised his hand alongside Bokuto, a few giggles escaping from the class. Hinata shot his hand up, waving it excitedly. Bokuto pointed to him, a tiny smile on his lips as he did so. Akaashi remembered how Bokuto could relate to Hinata, and he could already see it in the matching smiles that blinded people.
“My mom caught some steak on fire! Apparently, she used too much of…well, I don’t remember what she called it but yeah! It was right in my kitchen and me and my baby sis had to run out the door but my mom took care of it all by herself,” Hinata rambled, using his little hands, waving everywhere as he sat up on his knees.
He was enthusiastic in his storytelling and Bokuto was just as or even more so in his listening. His lips quirked up at the corners with Hinata’s story, nodding while he shook his head and laughed. Hinata plopped back down, rocking gently back and forth, eyes on Bokuto.
“Well, your mom did the right thing by making you and your little sister leave the house. And not to mention, impressive that she took it out herself. Any more stories?”
⭒
After a blond little girl had stumbled over her words about the story where she was at a restaurant where a tiny grease fire started, Kuroo took over and began to speak about fire safety. He was more down to earth, very informative but managed to keep the kids engaged by making them laugh every now and then. Kuroo was much better at teaching than Bokuto was, he was better at story times and doing the drills.
“They like you a lot,” Akaashi whispered, jerking his head inconspicuously towards the class. Pen resided in his hand, currently marking papers that they must have done recently.
That had got Bokuto’s attention, the softness of Akaashi’s voice. It matched his face, sharp yet beautiful. Bokuto almost fell flat on his ass seeing Akaashi. He wasn’t supposed to come into this class but he and Kuroo did all of these presentations together. When he had laid his sights on the man before him, he was shocked. He didn’t know someone could have been so ethereal, might have been cliché to think but it was the truth. Striking ocean blue eyes were framed with square black rims that matched his angular face. His lips were drawn thin but when he smiled, their plushness was exposed, a soft pink that made Bokuto’s stomach curl with butterflies.
Standing there, he noticed the little red-haired kid that told the story about the house fire he saw. Bokuto wasn’t wrong when he said that he and that kid were alike, he acted the same way at that age. He kept flickering his eyes toward Bokuto, shimmering in interest before looking back at Kuroo. “Especially Hinata.” But Bokuto wasn’t gazing at the students like Akaashi was, whose expression was filled with fondness at their keenness of Kuroo’s presentation.
No, Bokuto was focused on Akaashi. Eyes roamed his side profile, lingering on the soft slope of his nose, how his glasses rested on the thin bridge. His lashes framed his almond shaped eyes perfectly, black hair swooped and curled against his cheek. Bokuto wondered how it would feel between his fingers, was it as silky as it looked? Or would it be a bit crusty like his own from the hair product, Bokuto can tell Akaashi used a bit of hairspray—
“Bokuto?” Both of their eyes widened when he finally realized what Bokuto was doing. He subconsciously leaned forward, palm flat on Akaashi’s desk, enthralled with the man sitting beside him. He wanted to understand, to comprehend what was so interesting about Akaashi because his mind certainly knew. It was more than the shallow concept of his attractiveness, he felt a tug in his gut each time Akaashi looked at him and he barely knew the guy. He was too in his head.
“S-Sorry, I was, uhm…” Wracking his brain, he shot his hand out and placed the scissors that laid on the desk back in the sticker covered cup holder. “Dangerous to have these lying around.” Lame excuse but in response, Akaashi’s cheeks lit up. Pink dusted the apples of his cheeks, layering the tips of his ears.
Why was he so cute?
Akaashi nodded curtly, fingers brushing the loose black strands that fell behind his glasses. Bokuto bit back a noise, his fingers twitched before he balled them onto a fist on the desk. He knew it would be best to keep his attention on Kuroo, in case he needed help but he was a natural. Charisma was his strong suit, never failing to keep those engaged around him with a few quips and smiles.
“You know, your class is very well behaved,” Bokuto hummed, quickly switching gears as he crossed his arms and stood up straight. This angle gave him a perfect view of each student but kept Akaashi in his peripheral vision. He caught the gentle smile that formed on Akaashi’s lips, the pink turning red at this point, clearly flustered with Bokuto’s compliment.
“Now you’re just trying to flatter me.” His tone didn’t match the joy on his face, the words falling flat between them.
“I’m serious, this school has been loads much more fun to teach at then the others. Either the kids are miserable or the teacher is. Or both, like I get fire safety isn’t all that fun but at least act like you care, y’know?” One of Bokuto’s hands came free from his crossed arms, waving while he spoke. His sisters poked fun at him for it, saying he was like a cartoon character that came to life and was stuck inside him.
But Akaashi didn’t seem to mind, no. In fact, he was immersed in the conversation, ocean blues flickering between Bokuto’s fingers that flicked occasionally and his own gaze. Akaashi’s legs were crossed, hands pliant in his lap. A spitting image of prim and proper, clearly taught from a young age due to how natural Akaashi was in this stance.
“Our program focuses more on the enjoyment of the students while giving them proper education. If you let them have a bit of fun, they are more willing to listen up and learn, but it all depends on the child.”
“It looks like your crew likes your approach. I do too.” Akaashi’s sharp eyes widened, softening around the edges before he raised one thin brow, disappearing behind thick black curls.
“You seem to like a lot of things I do, is there a reason for it?”
Uh oh.
Bokuto could feel his heart drop, lips parting to spew some bullshit excuse. He was nervous, he didn’t want Akaashi to think he was some weirdo, no he just appreciated how good of a teacher he was. And how he was really pretty and it didn’t help his frazzled brain. That was until he saw the indistinct smirk on Akaashi’s lips.
“That was mean,” Bokuto mumbled, brows furrowed, arms crossed his chest again. He tucked his hands, a smile threatening to break out on his lips but he couldn’t stop it. Not when one of Akaashi’s hands came up and covered his lips, slender and pale fingers hiding his smile.
“I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help it.”
Bokuto knew it could be moving too fast but at the same time, he wasn’t going to see Akaashi again after this. He had a gut feeling that Akaashi was realizing their little banter was easy, those hauntingly beautiful eyes were partially hidden by ink black locks. But the sliver of them that were visible, they had a soft gleam, his interest clear.
“Well…maybe we can discuss a proper apology over some—”
“Now, if we all understand, we can move onto the simulation of a house fire we have outside. Listen to your sensei and we’ll meet you all out there,” Kuroo interrupted, clapping his hands together after passing out all the merchandise for the kids. Many of his students had black or red plastic fire hats on, pointing to them or the shimmering stickers that resided on their chest.
Bokuto wanted to strangle Kuroo right then and there.
Jaw clenched, Bokuto sauntered away from Akaashi’s desk, shooting a small glare toward his friend before he went to line up the students. Nothing sucked more than the one shot within fingertips was snagged right before his eyes.
Kuroo was going to hear about this all the way through today and their shift tomorrow, whether he wanted to or not.
⭒
Once the students were silent, Akaashi walked at the end of the line while Bokuto and Kuroo guided them to the front. Arms rested in front of him, hands clasped together as he watched the two men up front talk in low tones. Difficult to hear anything so Akaashi decided to let it go, but he could see the frown on Bokuto’s face and the shrug of Kuroo’s broad shoulders.
He hoped it wasn’t about their little interaction before Kuroo told them they needed to do the house fire simulation. Akaashi thought things were going well, Bokuto matched his teasing and he could have sworn that he was about to be asked out. Sighing, Akaashi thanked Tsukki for holding the door open.
Warm sun rays splayed across the grass and cement, making Akaashi’s feet in his shoes grow hot in his thick dress socks. He watched as Bokuto was instructing them, thick hands pointing to the firefighter, lifting the kids out of the window. After squinting his eyes, he recognized the boyish haircut and soft brown eyes. They waited for the next class to be done, so Akaashi wandered where he saw other teachers standing.
Akaashi was greeted with Sugawara’s cheerful expression, eyes fixated on the familiar man. His smile was beaming, a worthy contender of the sun that shone down on them. An amused sigh emitted from his lips, hands still clasped in front of him.
“I can only wonder about the cause for the joy you are experiencing,” Akaashi pondered, brows raised high, Sugawara chuckling under his breath.
“Guilty as charged, I finally saw him! But you’re not any better, I can see that smile.” Akaashi was smiling? He couldn’t even feel it until he did . Cheeks burned from the constant stretching, eyes crinkled before he managed to will it away.
“I’m not smiling.”
“You just were! Can’t even deny it because you still are,” Sugawara huffed, an accusatory finger directed at Akaashi’s nose. He looked down the bridge of his nose to see it, a smear of Expo marker residue on his fingertip.
“Guilty as charged.”
Akaashi noticed the class gravitating toward Sugawara, along with the handsome firefighter. They both watched for a few moments before Akaashi lowered his friend’s hand, brow quirked. He parted his lips to say something but he shut them quickly after the playful glare he received.
Now he was all alone because his class was the last one to do the drill, he saw the fake smoke filter out the windows of the small house and the noises of shuffling. Kuroo was nowhere in sight but Akaashi had the delightful pleasure to witness Bokuto lifting and carefully placing his students on the asphalt.
He understood where Sugawara was coming from, he got to see in perfect detail how Bokuto’s muscular body moved. Biceps curling beneath the tight seam of the sleeve, back rippling when he turned to look up and grab another student. Some clung to him in fear, little hands grasping at his shirt.
Yet, he managed to soothe them quickly, patting their heads when they touched the ground with a beaming smile. They all surrounded him as if he were the center of a solar system, their own personal sun. Akaashi’s eyes widened at the thought, they all radiated to him, his smile and comforting words having them all captivated.
That was the Bokuto effect, it seemed.
Kuroo poked his head out the window when the last student shakily got out, Bokuto’s grip unwavering as he held Yamaguchi on his hip. The little boy held onto the firefighter as if he were his lifeline, eyes squeezed shut.
“Okay, my turn,” Kuroo cackled when he stuck his foot out, acting as if he was going to plop right on Bokuto. He received a displeased noise from Bokuto, yet it got a watery laugh from Yamaguchi. Bokuto carefully placed the boy down before Kuroo hopped out of the window, a loud thump following.
Akaashi made his way back to the group of students, Kageyama holding his hand out for him to take. A common occurrence for these two, the little boy enjoyed Akaashi’s calming presence. Or, that was what the boy’s grandfather had told him during the parent teacher conference. While he did that, Akaashi cleared his throat, the students falling silent.
“Let’s all thank Bokuto-san and Kuroo-san for coming out here and teaching us the importance of fire safety and for the gifts as well.” A synced ‘thank you’ echoed around them, all the students bowing, Akaashi in suit.
He flickered his gaze up to see Bokuto staring at him, he couldn’t help but to smile up at the man. Patting Kageyama’s back with his free hand, the boy released it and went to talk to Hinata, both of them leaning against each other.
Kuroo’s attention was grabbed by one of his kids, her voice quiet but it gave Akaashi the perfect window.
“Bokuto—”
“Akaashi—”
A huff of laughter slipped from Akaashi before he continued to speak. “Bokuto, I’d like to see if maybe you were free soon? I understand being busy and all, I am as well. But if you’d give it some consideration?” Akaashi took the post-it note that he had folded in the palm of his hand, placing it in Bokuto’s loose palm.
Just as he suspected, calloused palms which radiated a nice warmth. Akaashi wanted to hold onto them for a bit longer but he couldn’t. Not without his students or Kuroo getting suspicious, he made a mental note to hold his hand during their first date.
Cocky of him to assume there was going to be a date in the first place, yet Bokuto’s shy half smile and eager nodding was all the answer he needed. “Have a safe trip back.”
He turned around, guiding his students back into the building, sure of his decision. If there was anything that Akaashi was sure of, he had confidence that Bokuto was going to be in contact with his phone within the hour.
Ten minutes later, his phone buzzed in his pocket, Bokuto asking to meet for coffee on Saturday.