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"Bokuto-san."
"Yeah, Akaashi?"
"Remember what I told you about the upcoming training camp?"
"That it's soon?"
"No, that we can't tell anyone we're dating."
Bokuto rolls over from where he is splayed out on the floor, propping his head in his hands as he looks up at Akaashi. He has never been good with hiding emotion and it shows in the gold of his eyes as he catches Akaashi's gaze and holds him there.
Akaashi has always been weak to Bokuto, ever since the first day he stepped into the gym and saw him leap into the air, his body arched like a bow, pulled tight, lethal and ready to kill. Then Bokuto had turned towards Akaashi, a complete stranger at that time, brimming with excitement as he said, "Did you see that? Did you see me?"
He had, and he has never been able to look away from Bokuto ever since then. It was why he had been so quick to say "Yes." when Bokuto dragged him around to the back of the gym early this year, the words stuttering out of his mouth as he asked, "Will you go out with me?"
It has been months since then and a year since he saw Bokuto for the first time, and Akaashi still feels his hold on him as he gazes down at Bokuto, with the late afternoon sun spilling over him through the open window. There is something about seeing Bokuto sprawled out carelessly on his bedroom floor like he belongs there that knocks him off kilter, detracting him from the matter at hand.
Akaashi swallows down emotion, keeping firm as he says, "I'm serious about this, Bokuto-san."
"Eh, but why?"
Akaashi thinks about them. He thinks about the implications of a boy dating another boy and Bokuto's reputation and Fukurodani's reputation. His mother always said that he thought too much for his own good, but in all his sixteen years he found that there was nothing wrong with that. It prepared him for the unexpected, or at least allowed him to deal with the unexpected with less stress, which was of utmost necessary when Bokuto was involved.
These are all the things Akaashi thinks about and he thinks that Bokuto should know them too, but what comes out of his mouth instead is, "They might get jealous."
Bokuto furrows his brows. He reaches up and wraps his fingers around Akaashi's wrist, keeping his eyes trained on his fingertips as they drum against Akaashi's skin. When he looks back up, his mouth is curved down, not quite a fully formed sulk, as he says, "Okay."
---
The first day starts off well enough. Bokuto is a pure force of nature as he barrels through the gym, buzzing with energy as he descends upon the various teams gathered there. Akaashi follows with more caution, noting how the captains detach themselves from their teams before Bokuto can wreak too much havoc and gather into a small, slightly more manageable circle to contain Bokuto.
Bokuto is talking up a storm when Akaashi gets there, his excitement lancing right through the air like electricity. It is infectious and the captains grin at him and each other as they trade greetings, friendly rivalries crackling in the air above them.
"Who's this?" The Nekoma captain smirks at Akaashi as he stops by Bokuto's shoulder, only meaning to observe and not get involved.
He remembers Kuroo from last year—a second year then, now third year, middle blocker, razorblade sharp, and definitely someone to be careful around. At Kuroo's question Bokuto turns around and he lights up when he sees Akaashi standing there, smiling so brightly it makes Akaashi want to throw caution to the wind right there and then. Across from him, Kuroo's smirk quirks to the side, his eyes flickering between Bokuto and him like he is trying to figure something out.
"This is Akaashi!" Bokuto pulls at Akaashi's arm until he stands right beside him. "He's my vice-captain and my setter."
"And?" Kuroo asks casually, his gaze landing on Akaashi. Akaashi keeps his eyes forward, staring blandly into the open space like if he ignores Kuroo for long enough he will stop smirking and go away.
"And he's great." Bokuto puffs up, the hidden implications behind Kuroo's question completely flying over his head. Sometimes, Akaashi is thankful that Bokuto has never learnt to pick up on certain subtleties of life.
"So you're the regular setter now, huh?" The Ubugawa captain offers him a hand and Akaashi takes it gratefully. "I remember that your batch doesn't have a setter, Bokuto."
Akaashi shakes the Shinzen captain's hand in turn and braces himself before facing Kuroo. He doesn't quite know what he is expecting. An interrogation? A threat? How close had Kuroo been to Bokuto when he had seen them interact last year? He had been too busy trying to survive his first year at camp to pay attention then.
But what he gets instead is a smile, a startlingly genuine one, as Kuroo clasps his hand. "We're counting on you to keep Bokuto in check, Akaashi-kun."
"I will," he replies, shaking Kuroo's hand firmly, although all he really wants is to be out of his all-seeing sight now.
Kuroo's smile sharpens back into a smirk like he knows that. Then he lets go of Akaashi's hand to throw an arm over Bokuto's shoulders, ruffling his hair enthusiastically.
"What the hell, Kuroo?" Bokuto yells, trying to struggle out of the sudden headlock Kuroo has him in.
"I'm just really proud of you, bro. Captain, can you imagine it."
"Cut it out, you've known that for ages! Anyway, you're a captain too, aren't you? So are Goura and Ogano. Go mess their hair up." Bokuto whines and Kuroo finally lets go of him.
His spikes are in disarray, the black and white tufts sticking out at all angles, and Bokuto prods at them tentatively with a scowl. Kuroo has turned his attention onto the other two captains, which gives Akaashi the chance to step close to Bokuto.
Akaashi takes Bokuto's hands away from his hair, tilting his head down so that he can fix the damage Kuroo caused. It isn't anything he hasn't done before in the locker room after trainings or in Bokuto's room some mornings. His hands are deft but gentle as he smooths the spikes back into place with ease. To his credit, Bokuto stays quiet as he works, peeking up at him occasionally to see if he is done. He smiles when Akaashi steps back, his thank you's blinding as always, and Akaashi feels the corners of his lips lift in response.
Over Bokuto's shoulder, Kuroo grins at him and Akaashi presses his lips back in a thin line, his face defaulting back to a neutral expression. Bokuto looks quizzical but he doesn't press the question as he turns back to the other captains.
---
"I think Kuroo knows," Akaashi tells Bokuto at the first chance he gets, which happens to be during lunch break. Kuroo is gone, having left school along with his vice-captain to pick up the new team from Miyagi.
Bokuto blinks back at him, startled by his sudden appearance, but he swallows his food down before asking, "Knows what?"
"About us." It is a worry that has been plaguing him since morning. It is only the first day but their plan already seems to be failing. He needs to know how Kuroo found out, if the problem lies with Bokuto or him, and the appropriate course of action to take from there.
"Kuroo won't mind. We're friends."
"But—"
"You're thinking too much again, Akaashi." Bokuto knocks his forehead against Akaashi's. The impact momentarily dislodges all the thoughts in Akaashi's head and he reels, looking back into Bokuto's eyes to ground himself. Up close, the gold in them is even more startling, glittering bright as Bokuto grins. "Hey, if you're that worried about Kuroo knowing I'll tell you a secret of his. So that you'll be even."
That is definitely some dodgy moral code on Bokuto's part but Akaashi isn't above taking advantage of information when he needs to. "Sure. Go ahead."
Bokuto leans in conspicuously, glancing right and left and left and right before whispering as softly as he can, "Kuroo likes Sawamura."
"Who's Sawamura?" Akaashi asks in a real whisper, not the Bokuto-level whisper that carries across to the next table, which is thankfully unoccupied.
"You know, the captain of Karasuno."
"The team from Miyagi."
"Yeah, that's the one!" Bokuto carries on, all attempts at whispering forgotten. "Man, Kuroo has it so bad, I can't bear to watch."
If Akaashi recalls correctly, Nekoma has only met Karasuno exactly once. Logically, he doesn't think that is enough to fall for someone else. But when he stops thinking about it, he finds that he understands. After all, the same thing happened to him with Bokuto.
"I don't even know what he looks like," Bokuto says contemplatively. "Do you think Kuroo will send me a picture if I ask?"
"You'll get to see him once Karasuno arrives anyway," Akaashi points out.
Bokuto shrugs, turning his attention back to lunch. "Aren't you going to eat, Akaashi?"
He holds up a piece of karaage to Akaashi's lips and Akaashi bites into it before he realises that they are in the canteen and that there are people around, even if they are not in the immediate vicinity. He glances around sharply, checking the nearest tables for anyone who might be looking their way. A hand touches his arm and he turns his attention back at Bokuto, who pops the rest of the karaage into Akaashi's mouth.
"Get your lunch and sit with me, Akaashi," he says and his words are like honey, dragging Akaashi down into his pace before he can even begin to fight it.
---
Later that night, Bokuto sets his futon right next to Akaashi, the gap between them suspiciously small as the lights go out in the classroom. For a moment, there is nothing but faint breathing as everyone drifts off into sleep. Akaashi stares up at the ceiling above him, blinking one, two, three times and then there it is: the sound of rustling.
There is movement from Bokuto's side and he really is not all that surprised when Bokuto slings a leg over him and pauses for a moment to check Akaashi's reaction before the rest of him follows. Bokuto wraps his arms tight around Akaashi's middle, his chest pressed close to Akaashi's back, and it really is too hot in the classroom for this sort of close contact.
"Bokuto-san," Akaashi says, just loud enough for Bokuto to hear, "go back to your futon."
"Don't wanna," Bokuto mumbles against the side of his head, nosing at his hair affectionately and tightening his grip on him.
"Bokuto-san," Akaashi repeats, exasperated. Bokuto tenses at his back, but he does not budge.
There is a slight quiver in Bokuto's voice as he whispers, "Everyone here knows anyway."
Akaashi turns in Bokuto's arms, his eyes flashing in the dark. Bokuto's mouth is stubbornly set as he faces him, but he isn't quite meeting Akaashi's eyes. He is drooping, looking like he has just been chastised even though Akaashi hasn't even said anything yet.
At night, Bokuto's hair lays flat against the futon, the usual black and white spikes losing their shape and framing his face in soft layers. Some of it falls into his eyes and Akaashi brushes at it, distracted by the way Bokuto glances up at him, his gaze golden even in the dark.
Akaashi has never had the heart to get angry at Bokuto—properly angry, with a loud voice and cutting words—and he exhales deeply, letting go of all the frustration he had in that one long breath.
"How?" he says instead, dropping his hand down to Bokuto's hip, his fingers brushing against the strip of bare skin between his shirt and shorts.
"Well, you know how I confessed to you right behind the gym?" Bokuto starts, valiantly trying to keep his voice as low as Akaashi's. It is still too loud in the stillness of the night and Akaashi finds himself listening for the others around them, for the even breathing and quiet snores that meant that they were still asleep.
"Yeah," Akaashi says softly.
"Apparently, they heard everything then," Bokuto continues in a rush of words. His face heats up and Akaashi feels it warm against his skin.
"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"
"I thought you would get mad. Since you wanted to keep this" —Bokuto gestures slightly, his hands moving against Akaashi's back— "us a secret."
It is not much of a secret if the rest of Fukurodani already knows, but Akaashi chooses not to point that out. "So what do they think about it? Us?"
Akaashi sees Bokuto smile, even though it is too dark for him to make out his features. He knows it is there, bright as always, and Akaashi thinks that he would do anything to keep Bokuto smiling like that.
"They're cool with it. Although they said they feel sorry for you, being stuck with me." Now he is pouting and Akaashi kisses the corner of his mouth tenderly.
"Then there's no problem. I'm not mad about it, don't worry."
Bokuto's hand finds his, tangling their fingers together. "I'll do my best to keep it a secret from everyone else."
"I know you will."
---
The next morning, more than half the team is shooting Akaashi The Look. He steadily ignores it until Konoha sits next to him at breakfast and props his head up on his hand with a smirk on his face. Sarukui puts his tray down on the table serenely and sits in the seat facing Akaashi. The circle is complete when Komi drops into place next to Sarukui and directs The Look at Akaashi. At the next table, Washio looks over at their table, perfectly in range to catch every word that comes out of the circle.
For once, Bokuto is not with him and Akaashi sees him at the same table as Kuroo, talking animatedly as Kuroo shoves food into his mouth with his eyes half shut.
"So," Konoha starts. "You and Bokuto."
"Bokuto-san told me that you overheard us at the gym." Akaashi cuts to the chase, trying not to prolong his suffering.
"That we did," Sarukui says. "Bokuto isn't exactly the most subtle of people."
"And we found him sleeping in your futon this morning," Komi adds. "So that would have been a dead giveaway even if we hadn't known."
"Do you have any problems with it?" Akaashi asks, trying not be curt, keeping his tone polite and reminding himself that they were not only his teammates but also his seniors.
The three of them look surprised.
Then Sarukui says, "No, of course not. It's kind of sweet actually. I've seen the way he looks at you."
"And the way you look at him." Konoha jumps in. "You were a goner from the start, weren't you?"
Akaashi has no idea how to answer that. Konoha is right, but he doesn't want to know how he knows. Maybe Bokuto has rubbed off on him and he has been losing his grip on subtlety because everyone seems to be able to tell how much he feels for Bokuto just by looking at him.
Komi sits back in his chair. "I don't envy you one bit though. Bokuto, seriously?"
Akaashi is beginning to feel outnumbered here and he glances over at Bokuto, who is still talking at Kuroo.
"We're counting on you to take care of him," Sarukui tells him.
"I will," Akaashi says and it feels like the only thing he has control over in this group interrogation.
"So what do you think of Karasuno?" Konoha changes the subject abruptly and Akaashi suddenly feels like a weight has been lifted from him.
"Hey!" A flash of white and gold appears right at the edge of Akaashi's vision and everyone turns to face Bokuto as he slams his hands down on the table. "Everyone ready for practice?"
The food on their trays jumps at the shockwave and everyone immediately turns their attention back to breakfast. Akaashi eats at double time, trying to figure out if he had enough time to go for seconds now that Bokuto is here to drag them all off to practice.
Bokuto takes a seat next to him and peers down at his tray. "You sure that's enough for you? Don't you usually eat more than that?"
Akaashi nods and Bokuto looks doubtful. "You sure? I can go get you more food if you want."
"No, it's fine." Now that he thinks about it, it isn't such a good idea to eat so much right before practice. Especially since his stomach still feels constricted from their previous conversation.
Akaashi can feel the rest of the table watching them, even though every time he glances up they are looking away. It makes him jump when he feels a tug at his shorts and looks down to see Bokuto hook a thumb into his pocket, letting his hand rest against the side of his thigh. Bokuto is looking away, his elbow resting on the table as he chatters to Komi, but he looks pleased with himself. It is probably the most subtle thing Bokuto has ever done, even though other have caught on to him, going by how they are shooting Akaashi The Look again.
But Akaashi can't bring himself to pull away and Bokuto's hand stays there until they leave for breakfast.
---
There is a sort of deja vu about this when Bokuto drags him over to the gym by the hand, their fingers tightly woven together as Bokuto chatters away about what happened that day. It is night so Akaashi doesn't really mind, nodding and making all the appropriate responses in between sentences. They step into the gym and Akaashi directs Bokuto around as he throws on all the lights. The nets are still up and the volleyballs still out, ready for another round.
Bokuto is still talking, switching between topics as easily as changing channels, going from lunch to Karasuno's player number 10 to how much he liked Akaashi's setting today. He is so animated, wearing all his different emotions on his face, a whole range of colours showing in his eyes, and Akaashi finds himself gravitating towards him.
"Akaashi?" Bokuto breaks off from his last sentence, sounding surprised and slightly breathless, and Akaashi realises that he is barely a centimetre away from him.
Bokuto's hand is tense in his, as if in anticipation of something, and Akaashi obliges, leaning in and watching in fascination as Bokuto shuts his eyes, his eyelashes strangely delicate now that he is so close to him.
"Why are the both of you holding hands?"
Immediately, Akaashi takes a wide step back, but he forgets to let go of Bokuto's hand and it jerks him forward into Bokuto again. Bokuto braces him with his other hand and the both of them whip around to look at the entrance of the gym.
Hinata pauses in the doorway, tugging at his shoe as he looks curiously at them. Akaashi drops Bokuto's hand as he sees Kuroo, Tsukishima, and Lev follow behind him. Kuroo is grinning at him again, with the same annoying look he had on his face on the first day. He definitely knows. Bokuto's friend or not, there is just something about it that unsettles Akaashi.
"It's like our buddy system," Bokuto breaks into the most unconvincing lie next to him, taking the initiative while Akaashi had been distracted. "You know, travel with a partner at all times so that you don't get lost. It's part of the Fukurodani school rules."
Akaashi looks at him in alarm.
Hinata glances over at Tsukishima doubtfully. "So does that mean I have to hold his hand while moving around in school? I don't really want to."
The look of disgust on Tsukishima's face answers that question.
"The buddy system, huh?" Kuroo smirks. "Hey, Tsukishima-kun, if not the shrimp, why don't you use the buddy system on your number 12?"
"I'll use the buddy system when you can finally talk to our captain without embarrassing yourself," Tsukishima mutters, but it carries through the gym well enough.
Bokuto hoots, nudging Akaashi in the ribs.
The colour rises in Kuroo's face even though he doesn't lose the smirk. "Oh, it bites."
"Kuroo-san, are you scared of our captain?" Hinata asks, the whole exchange flying right over his head. "I mean he can be pretty scary at times."
"No way, Kuroo-san's not scared of anyone." Lev defends him loyally. "Not even of Kenma-san when he confiscates his games during the exam period and Kenma-san can get really scary then."
"If we don't start practice now, we won't make it in time for dinner," Kuroo cuts in and that gets Hinata and Lev running into place on either side of the net.
"Nailed it," Bokuto whispers into Akaashi's ear.
Akaashi is sure that excuse had only worked on two people and even then that was because Kuroo had been used as a sacrifice. But it had still worked in its own bizarre way and he leans in to return Bokuto's whisper, "Good job, Bokuto-san."
---
It is their last day and last match and Bokuto is sulking at him from the back of the court. Akaashi doesn't quite have eyes at the back of his head but he doesn't need them when he can feel Bokuto staring a hole in him. He makes his next toss to Konoha and watches it ricochet off the solid three-man block that Karasuno forms. Komi dives for it and Akaashi figures that it is probably time.
"Bokuto-san," Akaashi calls quickly as the ball heads in his direction, launching off the tips of his fingers and into the air.
No matter how many times Akaashi has seen him, Bokuto is still beautiful in motion as he shakes himself out of his slump and comes to life. There is power in every fluid line of his body as he strides across the court eagerly and meets Akaashi's toss perfectly, cracking the palm of his hand down on the ball and sending it spiralling into the floor like a bullet.
The whistle blows, marking the end of the match, and Bokuto whips around to look at his team, his eyes locking onto Akaashi immediately.
"Did you see that? Did you see me?" Bokuto asks, tripping over his words in excitement.
"Yes, Bokuto-san. I did," Akaashi answers and the smile on Bokuto's face gets wider, brighter, and then Bokuto is rushing towards him, his body poised to jump.
Akaashi's eyes go wide as he realises that Bokuto intends to leap on him. He doesn't think his strength will hold out, going by the speed and enthusiasm Bokuto is coming at him, but he opens his arms nevertheless to catch him.
Bokuto barrels straight into him and Akaashi has resigned himself to his fate of falling backwards and getting crushed under Bokuto when he feels a pressure at his back, keeping him upright. He turns his head to see Washio remove a steadying hand from his back. Akaashi nods gratefully, adjusting his grip on Bokuto so that he doesn't drop him after all.
Bokuto clings to him like an octopus, all arms and legs hooked around Akaashi as he throws his head back and crows, "I really am the best!"
All of Karasuno is staring at them from across the net and so is Nekoma and Shinzen and Ubugawa, but with Bokuto here in his arms now, glowing with victory, Akaashi finds that he doesn't really care anymore.
---
Akaashi sits with Bokuto at the foot of a hill, a plate of food in his hand as he watches the people around him idly.
A short distance away, he sees Kuroo standing with Sawamura, leaning down into Sawamura's space as he talks to him. Sawamura stands straight, like he is trying hard not to give in to Kuroo, meeting Kuroo's gaze with a furrow between his eyebrows. Kuroo is smirking, and Akaashi sympathises with Sawamura, knowing full well how annoying that is. But there is also something fond about the way Kuroo looks at Sawamura, his eyes and smirk soft around the edges, that strikes Akaashi with acute secondhand embarrassment even from this distance away. Kuroo is so smitten, as Bokuto had said at the start of camp, and Akaashi wonders if Kuroo had ever managed to progress things further than petty teasing and bad pick-up lines.
Then Kuroo's hand brushes against Sawamura's, fleetingly, too quick for anyone else to catch, and Sawamura deflates a bit. He touches his fingers against the inside of Kuroo's wrist just as quickly and Kuroo's eyes widen fractionally, his smirk dissolving into a proper smile. The furrow between Sawamura's eyebrows is still there, but there is something of a smile on his lips as he finishes talking to Kuroo and steps away.
With a grin wide on his face, Kuroo saunters in Tsukishima's direction. "Hey, I managed to hold up my end so why don't you go ahead?" He jerks his head towards Yamaguchi—Karasuno's number 12—meaningfully.
"Shut up. I didn't agree to anything." Tsukishima colours faintly before he stalks away—in Yamaguchi's direction, Akaashi notes.
Somewhere around Kuroo's shoulder, Hinata tiptoes and attempts a whisper that carries clear across the open space. "Sometimes, I see Tsukishima use the buddy system with Yamaguchi when they walk home from practice."
Kuroo ruffles Hinata's hair, looking even more delighted if possible.
The plate in his hand suddenly gets heavier and Akaashi turns to see Bokuto stacking meat onto it with a concentration he usually reserves for volleyball. There is probably more meat on his plate than the average person has gotten from the barbecue today, testament to how useful Bokuto's skills are even off court. Subtlety still isn't one of them, but Akaashi is learning to deal with that.
In retrospect, trying to keep their relationship a secret wouldn't have worked in the first place. Bokuto shows affection as easy as breathing and Akaashi has absolutely no defences against Bokuto.
Bokuto finishes off the stack of meat proudly and declares, "That's all for you, Akaashi." before dropping back against the grass and stretching his arms out above his head.
"Thank you, Bokuto-san." Akaashi surveys the very impressive stack on his plate before picking off the top piece carefully.
"Hey hey, Akaashi." Bokuto beckons to him from the grass, his eyes darting side to side shiftily as he whispers, "Do you think we did it? Do you think we kept it a secret?
"Yes, Bokuto-san. We did," Akaashi answers without hesitation, working his way through the pile of meat steadily. He fully intends to finish all of it.
Bokuto beams back at him, his smile blinding like a stray sunbeam. "We're the best at keeping secrets, aren't we?"
"We are."