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The stretching sound of masking tape echoed in the genkan of the high-rise apartment as Akaashi pressed the strip onto the last box of his favorite light novels. Finally, content that the long process of packing was done, he sighed and faced the eerily empty hallway to reward himself with a much-deserved, late-afternoon nap.
As he walked towards the bedroom, he traced the wall with his fingertips, and the memories that once adorned it flashed through his mind. With Bokuto's help, they thoroughly dusted, wiped, and even repainted the spots where precious memories of their 15-year relationship hung. Of course, they felt a little sad they they were going to leave behind the first place they called their own. After all, the road to get to where they were wasn't easy.
Throughout college, it was shinkansen rides every other weekend if Bokuto's game schedule allowed for extra free time. Even after securing the editorial job when he graduated, Akaashi was still stuck in Tokyo while the season never stopped for his world-class athlete of a husband. It was years of careful, shared long-distance, full of video calls in different time zones, postcards, flower deliveries, and many surprise visits to the stadium or Shonen Jump building.
Yet, a small smile, full of mirth, curled across Akasshi's lips when he recognized the very subtle indent of where his husband's gold medals used to hang. Surrounding it would've been the frames of the match-point victory at their last Nationals game, the shikishi board that had the autograph of Akaashi's favorite poet, their sweeping first dance at their wedding, and finally, the first night they had their home-cooked meal in this apartment.
The longer Akaashi lingered to glance at each empty room, he couldn't help but feel the thrum of excitement in his chest when he saw his soon-to-be old keys on the kitchen counter. He could compare the feeling every time he looked at the gold band on his ring finger, or when he got approval for the long-awaited transfer to the Osaka branch of his office. But the fact that they would move into their new house on his 30th birthday still felt so… surreal.
When the realtor told them that Friday was the best move-in date, Akaashi couldn't help but chuckle at the look of absolute despair on his husband's face, plus the subsequent garbled surprised noise he made.
"I'm so sorry, Keiji," he said, muffled into Akaashi's shoulder that night as he held him closer to his chest.
"I know it's not ideal but…" Bokuto grumbled in frustration while a warm hand soothed his silvery strands.
"Darling, I promise it's okay," Akaashi brushed his bangs to the side and gave his forehead a soft peck.
"It's not often that I get to move in with you again, right?" He moved lower to his husband's eye level and cupped his cheeks as Bokuto's pout slowly faded.
"And… We'll finally be together to bring in the new decade."
At those words, Akaashi could've sworn that Bokuto's eyes twinkled like starlight; the same golden ones that captivated him since he was 14 and the very ones he wanted to gaze into right now. But instead of nestling into his husband's arms, he settled onto the semi-double futon on the floor of their empty bedroom and suppressed that annoying pang of persistent loneliness.
He'll be back soon, Akaashi thought as he picked up the latest fantasy novel he had been reading.
It's just a few errands, get a grip. He flipped through the pages, ignored all his annotations, until he found his bookmark of Bokuto's signed player trading card, and finally rested his head on the pillow, ready to immerse himself in the last few chapters of this book.
It was an exciting, magical tale of a doomed romance between a king and his most-trusted royal advisor, torn apart by war and societal expectation, and Akaashi's would've devoured it in one sitting. But before he knew it, sleep overtook his senses, and the open hardcover book lay across his chest.
Dreams don't always come easy on most nights, but he could see the scenery laid out as clear as day. As he approached closer, Akaashi recognized the tall palace windows of the novel, the stone frames adorned with thick branches covered with fragrant white roses. It was from one of his favorite chapters- the one where the advisor realized he was in love with the king as he watched his triumphant return from war through the winding path of the lush forest below.
But instead of a fluttering golden cape atop a galloping steed, he saw someone that not even a king can compare to; he saw his Bokuto, in his JNT uniform, gold medals swaying around his neck as the sweet scent of choco-vanilla filled Akaashi's senses.
And like an abrupt needle scratch on a record, he paused in confusion. There's no way that roses smelled like that. Sure, there were times when his dreams felt so vivid, but it had to be impossible to catch the very real scent of… cake?
He blinked and raised his hands to rub the drowsiness away, only to be annoyed that he slept in his glasses again. But as he sat up, book sliding off to the side, his eyes widened in astonishment at the sight before him. Instead of their bare bedroom wall, it was the palace windows from the novel, from his dream, as if they were plucked right out of his mind's eye.
Akaashi watched, completely captivated by the swaying forest trees below and the rose petals scattering in the wind. It was already a sight to behold, one that made him question if he somehow fell asleep again in a weird inception-like loop. But the one detail that wasn't in the chapter was the appearance of two owls, one with silver feathers and the other with brown, flying across the sky and landing on the window's ledge. As a rush of warmth rose in Akaashi's cheeks, he felt an arm drape around his shoulders just as the pair of owls nestled next to each other atop the flowers.
"Surprise, sweetheart," Bokuto smiled at his beloved right as Akaashi turned to face him, and his sapphire-colored eyes glossed over when his lips kissed the tip of his nose.
"I hope it's exactly as you imagined it, though I feel a little bad for reading your notes." Bokuto nervously glanced at the discarded novel and the scattered multicolored notes sticking out in between the pages.
"Anyway, isn’t it great?” He gestured towards the scene of the palace windows on the wall.
“Later, I can show you how to switch it to different scenes and-" Before he could finish, Akaashi grabbed his cheeks, and left fleeting trails of kisses all across it, and Bokuto eagerly returned the favor.
"You have quite the talent for surprises," Akaashi smiled as he let his husband embrace him in his big, strong arms, right where he belongs.
"Is that the only 'errand' you were running?" He said with a chuckle as he pointed to the small, cylinder-shaped projector sticking out from the delivery box on the opposite side of the bedroom.
"Well, one of them. You wouldn't believe the U-turn I made once I realized it got delivered to the new house." Bokuto said that last part with a groan as Akaashi stifled another laugh.
"But…" He reached behind him and held up a cakebox with a flower crown made out of white roses resting on top.
"All that running around was worth it to make our last night here special."
After he placed the crown of roses on his husband's curls, he fished out one more gift from his pocket, and Akaashi's sapphire-blue eyes widened once more.
"Oh, Kou…" He sighed as his thumb brushed against the engraving of his name on the leather case. He bit inwardly on his lip in a futile attempt to suppress the hiccups in his throat, only for stray tears to spill once he read the inside of the case.
"'For my one and only, my whole world: Keiji.'"
As his heart thumped with rejuvenating warmth in his chest, a wide, brightening smile lit up Akaashi's face when he put on the new glasses, highlighted with a small, silver star near both of the outer hinges.
"They're perfect." He spoke quietly, almost breathless, while Bokuto brushed away the tears before they fell from his jawline.
"It's never too early to celebrate you," Bokuto couldn't help but plant a chaste kiss. "I always want to."
He tugged at the ribbon on the cakebox, and the flap opened to the choco-vanilla scent that invaded Akaashi's dream.
"Oops," Bokuto made an apologetic face, an old habit of his for getting caught up in the moment.
"We don't have to eat your cake now, not until after dinner, if you want."
"Actually…" Akaashi felt behind for the discarded novel and brought it back to his lap. "There's one thing I'd like to do first."
"Anything," Bokuto's answer came as naturally as the match point to his hand. "Anything you want."
"Can we finish reading the last chapter?" Akaashi patted the spot next to him on the futon with a smile, and his husband excitedly dove in.
As Bokuto lay his head on his husband's lap, arms instantly wrapping around his smaller waist, he looked up with adoring eyes of gold when Akaashi cupped his cheek.
"You know what that means, Keiji?"
"Hmm? What is it, darling?"
"It means we get to start a whole new chapter tomorrow."
As the owls from the projector scene of the palace flew to the horizon, Akaashi beamed brighter than any star in the sky, and stray rose petals fell when he brought his lips to Bokuto's again.