Work Text:
"How long have you been dating Bokuto?" Udai asked.
Akaashi stared at the manga artist as he tried to understand where the question came from. "I'm not dating Bokuto-san."
Udai's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait.. Seriously?"
"I don't know where you got the idea we were in a relationship, Udai-san," Akaashi said with a sigh. He had buried his feelings for his former teammate years ago. He didn't need them being brought to the surface again.
"Is it supposed to be a secret?" Udai whispered even though it was only the two of them in the office. He hadn't meant to out their relationship, but in his defence, they did a terrible job of hiding it.
"There is no secret. I'm not dating Bokuto-san," Akaashi stated. He hoped the disappointment wasn't noticeable in his voice. He wanted nothing more than to be in a relationship with Bokuto, but that would never happen, and he came to terms with that when Bokuto graduated from high school.
Udai chuckled awkwardly. "Oh… A lot of people think you are." He even overheard two interns gushing about how they want to find someone who treated Akaashi the way Bokuto does.
Akaashi didn't say anything but rolled his eyes at how ridiculous that sounded. He and Bokuto were just close friends. No matter how Akaashi wished there was something more between them.
Udai hardly made any progress with the chapter he was working on, as he couldn't comprehend that Akaashi wasn't dating Bokuto. He had seen married couples with less chemistry than those two.
Akaashi didn't think much of what Udai had said after that until he started to pick up on little things that suggested that people did, in fact, believe he was dating Bokuto.
The thing that caught Akaashi off guard the most was that whenever their friends wanted to meet up, they always messaged him rather than Bokuto. 'Do you and Bokuto want to meet up for drinks later?' 'I'm having a party next weekend. You and Bokuto should totally come.' Akaashi even went back on old messages, and people would always invite Bokuto through him. There was even one message from Kaori asking him if he and Bokuto would make it home okay. Which made no sense because he couldn't comprehend how Kaori thought they lived together since Bokuto lived in Osaka. Unless he misunderstood, because Bokuto did stay with him when he visited Tokyo, which was often.
The realisation broke Akaashi's heart because it would only be a matter of time before Bokuto picked up on it, and he didn't think he could bear to hear Bokuto laugh at how ridiculous it would be for them to be in a relationship.
So, to try to do some damage control for his heart, he started limiting the time he spent around Bokuto.
That turned out to be easier said than done since no matter how hard Akaashi tried to put some distance between him and the volleyball player, Bokuto seemed to show up even more like he had a sense that something was wrong.
So, when Akaashi had pulled out of going to the reunion dinner with his old teammates, he shouldn't have been surprised to see Bokuto turn up at his apartment.
"Can I come in, Akaashi?" Bokuto asked. His voice was quiet, and the spark that was usually present in his eyes was nowhere to be found.
Akaashi didn't say a word as he stepped aside to allow Bokuto to enter his home. He wasn't looking forward to the conversation they were about to have because he didn't think Bokuto was going to leave without getting answers as to why their nightly phone calls had turned into bi-weekly calls and never lasted more than ten minutes before Akaashi came up with an excuse to end them. Akaashi really didn't want to lose his best friend over catching feelings.
Bokuto took a seat on the couch and pulled Akaashi down next to him. Afraid that if he didn't, Akaashi would disappear from his sight. "You know you can talk to me about anything, Keiji?"
Akaashi felt his heart flutter. Bokuto had never called him by his first name before. He tried to keep any emotion off his face as he said, "I know that, Bokuto-san, but nothing is wrong."
Bokuto clearly didn't believe it and felt that if he didn't find out the reason, the distance between him and Akaashi would only grow. "Did I do something wrong?" He didn't want to believe he did something to upset Akaashi, but he couldn't think of any other reason for him to pull away from him.
Akaashi clenched his fists. He could clearly hear the hurt in the man's voice. "You didn't do anything wrong, Bokuto-san."
"Then why do you feel so distant? I miss you."
Akaashi couldn't stop himself from tearing up. "I miss you, too," he whispered. He couldn't even sleep properly at night. He had become so used to talking to Bokuto before going to sleep. Akaashi had lost count of how many times he had fallen asleep listening to his voice.
Bokuto took Akaashi's hands and pleaded, "Then talk to me, Keiji." He needed to find out why he felt like he was losing Akaashi. It hurt more than any physical injury he ever received.
"It's stupid, really." Akaashi tried to laugh it off because once it was said out loud, he would look pathetic. What would Bokuto think about him then? Since it would then be obvious that he acted the way he did because he was in love with the volleyball player.
Bokuto squeezed Akaashi's hand gently. "It's not stupid if it upsets you."
Akaashi took a deep breath before he answered in the hope it would stop his voice from cracking. "People think we're dating, Bokuto-san."
"Oh."
Akaashi pulled his hands out of Bokuto's grip. "Like you'd ever see me more as a friend." He cringed. He hadn't meant to sound so bitter about it, but he couldn't help it. Bokuto meant so much to him, and the thought of never being more than friends devastated him, as he could never imagine himself in a relationship with anyone else. Akaashi cursed Udai for bringing his attention to what everyone around him assumed about his relationship with Bokuto.
Bokuto's eyes widened in shock. Of all things, he thought Akaashi would say that didn't even cross his mind. "Wait…. Are you upset because you think I don't have feelings for you?" He asked hesitatingly. Bokuto's mind was reeling. He didn't want to get his hopes up, but it hadn't sounded like Akaashi was annoyed by people thinking they were together.
"It's fine, Bokuto-san. Just give me a few days, and we can forget all about this." Akaashi then stood up. He needed to put some space between the two of them, but he hadn't gone far before Bokuto hugged him from behind.
"But, Keiji, how can I forget about it when I've been wanting to date you since forever?" Bokuto whined. He didn't understand where people got the idea they were dating, but it made him feel like he was on cloud nine. He lost count of how many times he nearly blurted out his feelings for Akaashi when they were together. There was just something about Akaashi that made him so easy to love. Oh, how Bokuto wished he could go back in time and tell his younger self to confess.
"You w-what?" Akaashi stuttered.
"I honestly thought you knew. You always seemed to know what I'm thinking ever since high school." Their friends even used to joke that Akaashi knew more about Bokuto than he knew about himself. Which, in fairness, was probably true.
"No. If I had known…" Akaashi always thought he had been good at reading Bokuto and never once suspected he had any feelings for him. He couldn't suppress the laugh that escaped his lips. Were they both really that blind to what was in front of them? They were idiots, but that didn't matter anymore because Akaashi would be able to call Bokuto his. He turned around so he could return the hug. He sighed softly. It was hardly the first time they've hugged. Bokuto was a hugger after all, but this was the first time it made Akaashi feel like he was finally home.
Bokuto beamed. "So, we're dating now, right, Keiji?"
Akaashi answered with a kiss.
When they had told their friends that they were dating, it was met with confusion because they all thought they had been together since high school.
Even when Bokuto went official with Akaashi on social media months later, his fans thought it was an engagement announcement because they also believed the two had been dating for years, since Bokuto would always post photos of Akaashi. And there was rarely a Black Jackals game where Akaashi wasn't spotted wearing a number twelve jersey.
Looking back at everything, Akaashi and Bokuto came to the conclusion that they had been dating before they even realised it.