Reader:F
Character:Keiji Akaashi
Rating:E
Summary: “Do you remember how we met?” Akaashi asked as he laid in bed with you, his hand trailed down your arm as he kissed your nose, “Do you even think about how one moment changed the course of our lives.”
Warning:Smut, Fluff, Gentle Sex, Kissing
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 “Do you remember how we met?” Akaashi asked as he laid in bed with you, his hand trailed down your arm as he kissed your nose, “Do you even think about how one moment changed the course of our lives.” 

  “All the time.” You said as you curled up closer to him and kissed his chin.

It was your second year, you were the new transfer student at the school and were more nervous than anything. Fukurōdani Academy was unlike your old school, everything seemed much more grander. 

But all you had to do was pass your classes with minimal damage and graduate. However, that was unlikely on your first day. You were walking to go sit outside for lunch and with your head down you suddenly bumped into someone much taller.

  “Are you okay?” You heard and looked up. Big golden eyes looked down at you with worry.

  “Um, yeah I’m okay!” You chirped as you tried to back up but as the stranger tried to reach out for you, he dropped his cup fo mango juice all over the front of your uniform shirt. 

You were approached by a second person, “Oh, Bokuto-san. You got her covered in juice.” He had dark eyes and dark hair. He pulled you away from the puddle that had formed. Your eyes met for the first time and you felt heat rise to your cheeks. 

You jumped back and yelped as you slipped on the puddle of juice. You laid there sprawled out on the ground. You felt some embarrassed, you expected the boys to laugh at you but instead the boy with the dark eyes, leaned over and helped you up. 

  “Let’s get you cleaned up before Bokuto does anymore damage. I’m Keiji Akaashi, he is Kōtarō Bokuto. Let us help.” He gave you a small smile, “And don’t worry, no one else saw you fall.”

  “Promise not to tell anyone.” You said as you looked down at your interlocked fingers with Akaashi.

  “It’ll be our secret. Now, can I check if you hit your head on your fall?”

And that was how you met Keiji Akaashi, and somehow all the years later you were together. Living in Tokyo, working, loving and being together. All because of an incident with mango juice. 

  “What a day.” You chuckled. 

Akaashi continued to kiss you, he rolled you onto the bed. His hands found your breasts and rubbed them over your t-shirt, which was actually his t-shirt. He smiled down at you before he took his glasses off and continued to play with you. 

You giggled as your nipples started to poke through your t-shirt. Soon enough you got it off, “I think about that day almost every day. If it wasn’t for some mango juice and Bokuto’s butter fingers, we would’ve never met.” 

  “I’m just glad you didn’t hit your head, I would’ve hated to have to see you in the nurse’s office.” He sighed as he leaned in for another kiss as his hands roamed your thighs, “You’re too beautiful to be hurt like that.” 

You chuckled into the kiss, “Sweet talker.” You wiggled your shorts off as then brought your hands up to his cheeks and held them as you made out, your bodies pressed together as you laid there in nothing but panties. 

You knew where this was going. You kisses were sweet and tender, just like the love you often made. While kink was fun, sometimes it was nice to be gentle with one another. 

You combed your fingers through his hair as he continued to feel up your bare body while you made out. The kisses were sweet, soft, but hungry for more. Especially since you were bare under him.

When he pulled away, he pulled off his shirts and slipped off his boxers. Then he went to your panties. He licked his lips as he ran his hands down your thighs as he leaned back over you. 

He placed your legs around his waist as he soon guided his cock inside of you. He groaned into the kiss as he slipped inside of you, his cock stretched you open as he inched his cock further inside of you. He started to rut against you, his hands on your hips as he moved you up and down on his cock in time with his thrusts. 

You continued to kiss you, your kisses became make outs. Sloppy and wet between you two. You groaned into the kiss and he shuddered against you as pleasure traced up his spine.

  “Fuck, I love you.” He groaned, “You’re perfect.” And then cupped your face for a moment with one hand while his other was on your hips. He was still fucking into you with warmth and passion but not in rough in the slightest. 

He pushed hair out of your eyes and smiled down at you, “You’re so gorgeous, I don’t know what to do half the time. You’re just too good to be true. I’m a better man every day because I met you.”

  “Oh, Akaashi.” You smiled, “I love you.”

  “And I love you. You make me feel so good, you’re perfect.” He groaned as he put both hands back on your hips and leaned back. His pace went quicker, his hard cock brushed up against you as he moved against you. 

You two were gentle with each other as you moved. In perfect harmony after years together, it was a sight for the both of you. Truly in love and so perfect for another. That didn’t mean you never fought, but you always resolved the issue. No matter what. 

  “My beloved.” He sighed.

  “My Keiji.” You responded as you linked your fingers with his as he continued to thrust into you with just his hips. You met his pace and moved with him, you felt pleasure swirl in your gut.

It wasn’t long before you tightened your legs around his waist, your thighs squeezed around his toned body as he continued to thrust inside of you. Your hands linked together as you moved. 

  “Fuck.” He groaned, “Perfect.” 

You both came in unison, you panting breaths mixed together. He let out a sharp groan through his teeth as he finished inside of you, your pussy tight around him. You let out a whimper of a noise, your legs tight around him. 

When he finished, he exhaled deeply and carefully took your legs off around him. He got tissues to clean up his mess and carefully gave you aftercare. Even if it was gentle, soft sex. When he was done, he laid beside you and captured you in his arms.

He kissed you on the crook of your neck and smiled against your heated skin. He chuckled, “To mango juice.” And gave you another kiss on your warmed skin.

You chuckled, “To mango juice.” You flipped over to face him, you cupped his face, still warmed from sex, “And our love. My favourite person in the entire world.” Then kissed him on the lips. 

got a thing about you… (and it won’t go away)

akaashi keiji x reader, 17.3k

SUMMARY: At the beginning of each summer, when school finally let up, they would all meet up in a beach house at Hamamatsu for a week. It didn’t matter if you had a bad year. It didn’t matter what side of the country you were on. All that mattered was that the five of them promised to find their way back to each other, even if it was only for a while.

Akaashi looked forward to it every year.

Except this year, he dreaded it. And it was all because of you.

WARNINGS: suggestive themes (fwb to lovers) but nothing explicit.

“Keiji,” you murmured sleepily against his bare shoulder, the place where you’d been pressing kisses all morning.

“Y/N,” Akaashi tried to say in warning, but all that came out was a sigh, feeling the growth of your smile on his skin.

Akaashi tried to arch away, but he couldn’t move when he felt you pressing more kisses. “Y/N,” he breathed out, trying again, “we have to get ready soon or we’re going to be caught up in traffic.”

And there were other things he needed to do. Like discuss what they’re doing right now and what they will notbe doing once they get to the beach house. He closed his eyes to gather all his strength, before cupping your cheek and gently pushing away. “Okay, come on,” he stressed, “we have to be responsible now.”

You only kissed his thumb in response, but allowed him to push you away slightly. “You always want to be responsible.”

Akaashi finally rose from the bed, ignoring you to put on a shirt. He felt like that was the proper thing to do before having the conversation he wants to have. He shouldn’t be naked, you know? When he turned around, he saw you cuddling his pillow.

“I have to be.” is how he started it. “And speaking of responsible, we should talk about this.”

You bit your lip, holding back a smile, “What about us?”

You bit your lip, holding back a smile, “What about us?”

You bit your lip, holding back a smile, “What about us?”

He pursed his mouth, and annoyingly enough, you copied him too, puckering your mouth like you were asking for a kiss. He glared at you, “Be serious.”

“I am serious,” you rolled your eyes, “you’re the one who can’t even say it.”

Akaashi’s known you far too long to miss the challenge in your tone. “I’m trying to be delicate. But I should have known that it’s better to be direct when it comes to you—”

“It’s only been eight years, Keiji,” you added with a smirk.

“What I’m trying to say is,” Akaashi cleared his throat, “is that considering how annoying our friends are, I think we should stop doing this. They’re going to catch on and then god knows what I’ll have to do when they start teasing us.”

You laughed, “We can be subtle.” your laugh settled into a smile. “We can keep a secret.”

“You are the opposite of subtle.” Akaashi replied, thinking about all the times they sneaked out to go for midnight walks back in high school and how terrible of a liar you were whenever your parents would catch you sneaking back in. He tried to be stern, “We need to stop.”

You groaned, turning your face to bury it into a pillow.

Akaashi focused on being understanding, instead of the other things his brain was filing for further investigation.

(Like the way his bed smelled completely of you. How right that felt. How good you looked in his bed. How much you both avoided this conversation of stopping. Why he didn’t really want to stop—)

His brain settled on what was safe, simple and true: hooking up with each other felt too good. Who would want to stop?

If not for the impending beach house trip, Akaashi wouldn’t think to put a stop to it either; so he let you have your moment, before going to you and sitting beside you on the bed.

“You’re silly,” he said, letting himself give in to impulse and pull you closer. “You like my body that much? I’m thisgood in bed?”

From this close, he can see you roll your eyes. “You wish. As if you could keep your hands to yourself. Why stop when we both know we can’t? Why set ourselves up?”

“It shouldn’t be that hard.” he retorted in response.

And it shouldn’t be. You’ve known each other for eight years, and have gone for almost the same amount without all of… this. Besides, you’re not even dating.

.

.

.

It just happened. At least, when Akaashi tried to think about how he ended up here, that was all he could find. It just happened. There was alcohol involved. Maybe mercury was in retrograde. Post-midterms stress was probably a factor. All in all, the circumstances were vague.

But a couple things were clear:

You, for one. He knew who he was falling into bed with. He wouldn’t be able to miss the familiar colour of your eyes. The feel of your hand, even in the dark.

The lack of regret was another. There was panic, of course, but no part of him had recoiled away in disgust or horror when he woke up wrapped around you tight. Instead, it felt right.

So much so that when you opened your eyes, all Akaashi did was fall back into you, against your mouth.

Both of you wanted it, that became clear when you kept falling into bed together with no discussion whatsoever of when to stop.

Until today— and Akaashi admits it was hardly a proper conversation at all. He meant to continue it in the car, he swears, but it was a long drive from Tokyo to Hamamatsu. And on the off chance that it went south, he didn’t want to be stuck in the car with you for that long. But then you fell asleep, and by the time you had woken up, they had already arrived.

Akaashi had missed his timing, and now, as they rolled in through the paved driveway of the beach house, he could only pray for mercy.

No, not from god. But from the bastards he calls his friends.

They spoke for themselves:

The windows of his car are rolled down, so he can hear them loud and clear.

“There he is!” came the teasing voice of Bokuto, “Akaaashiiiiiiii!”

Beside him, you stuck your head out of the window, “Hey, what about me? Are you guys not excited to see me?”

He saw Kuroo and Kenma immediately school their faces into something bored, “No, not at all.”

You didn’t even wait for Akaashi to put the brakes on. The car was still moving when you took off your seatbelt and stepped out of the car. You marched over with the most debilitating pout, and Kuroo and Kenma only managed to hold out for another second or two, before they both broke out into a grin.

You tackled them into a hug, “I missed you guys!”

You squeezed them hard before letting go and launching yourself at Bokuto. Akaashi didn’t know how it was possible, but Bokuto only seemed to have gotten broader over the past few months they didn’t see each other. He smiled when he saw how small you looked in his arms.

You were always going to be smaller. A constant that Akaashi loved.

He finally got out of the car too and called out, “Y/N, don’t forget to grab your bag!”

But all he got was a wave of your hand, “I’ll grab it later.”

Akaashi grabbed it now, because he already knew how the future was going to unfold. You were going to lie down on the couch, forget, and then somehow needle him into getting it for you. He shuts the trunk of his car and locks it.

As he pocketed his keys though, he immediately made eye contact with Kuroo’s shit-eating grin and already, already, he knew what was coming. “Shut up,” he said preemptively. Even swings his bag to hit Kuroo for good measure.

Kuroo just laughed, grabbing one bag from him, “You know, this is exactly why you get made fun of.”

“Shut up,” Akaashi said again and escaped him by entering the house. He took his shoes off, replacing it with one of the pairs of house slippers by the door.

A cool breeze greeted him at the door. He breathed in and some of the tension, left over from the school year, started leaking out of him.

This house and its familiar bones. Its walls and their constant shades of beige and blue. The summer house welcomed him, and something in him settled.

He was at the beach house with his old friends. All else aside, he felt at peace.

.

.

.

The peace obviously didn’t last long. It was expected, considering how well Akaashi knew his friends and their meddling ways (yes, like some Scooby doo villains).

The moment you stepped out of their sights to use the bathroom, Akaashi immediately got pulled into an impromptu meeting in the kitchen.

“Akaashi Keiji,” Kuroo began, voice low and eyes monitoring the bathroom door, “I see there has been no progress on the sad state of your love life. I knew this would happen. We can’t keep letting this go on. It’s pathetic.”

“Hey,” Akaashi said, insulted, “Who says my love life is sad?”

Bokuto carefully reached out to pat his hand, “Oh, Akaashi. If you were dating someone, we’d know. If you were dating our beloved friend, we would definitely know.”

“It’s getting sad, Akaashi,” Kuroo said, putting his hand on top of Bokuto’s that was still on top of Akaashi’s. Kenma, feeling a little left out, also joined in by setting his hand on top of Kuroo’s. “We’re staging an intervention. You need help.”

Akaashi took his hand out of this weird hand sandwich it ended up in, “I don’t need help.”

Kuroo sniffed, “We’re not doing this for you. We’re doing this for ourselves. I’m tired of having to see you guys act all gross and then say you’re just friends. Just kiss already. It’s sick.”

Kenma added on, “Don’t you get tired of being Y/N’s ‘yes’ man without getting benefits?”

He stopped himself from mindlessly blurting out that he was currently receiving some benefits, which wasn’t that difficult considering the annoyance that rose in him at Kenma’s statement. “Um?” he raised a brow, “What do you mean ‘yes’ man? I am not a yes man. What does that even mean? I say no to her all the time.”

His statement was met with blank stares and raised brows.

“Akaashi, please. We’re all yes men when it comes to her,” Kuroo eventually snorts, looking right through him, “Who do you think can say no to her here?”

Akaashi took a look at his friend’s faces, Kenma’s exasperation, Kuroo’s resignation, and Bokuto’s sheepishness standing out.

“I’m sure there are people in this world who can say no to her,” Kuroo continued, “but not us. And certainly, not you.”

Akaashi’s mouth moved through a handful of words. None of them ever got a voice.

Kuroo smugly leaned back as you came back, oblivious to the smackdown he just delivered.

You patted your drying hands on your shorts and looked straight at Akaashi first, “Keiji, why do you look so stressed?”

Kenma, the only one of them with a mouth that worked as fast his brain, immediately bounded to you with a smirk, “Don’t worry, we just told him he’s cooking dinner tonight.”

You gasped and then started lecturing with a frown, “Stop making him cook every time. We had a long drive from Tokyo. Let him rest.”

Akaashi bit his lip. That was cute. It was really cute of you to say that. But whatever smile that threatened to come up died when Bokuto put his arm around his shoulders. They watched you try to smack Kuroo, but was held back by Kenma’s arm on your waist.

“Aww,” Bokuto whispered to him, “Look at her defending you. That’s good girlfriend material right there. For you. Don’t worry, Akaashi. We are not letting you come out of this vacation single. We’ll be the best wingmen ever. You’ll see.”

Akaashi meant it wholeheartedly when he said, “Bokuto-san. That is the single most terrifying thing you’ve ever told me.”

.

.

.

Akaashi didn’t even have to spend that much time thinking about what exactly Bokuto meant about being wingmen. He doesn’t even make it to dinner before the wingman-ning began.

You had managed to save him from being in charge of dinner, but Akaashi didn’t completely escape it.

Kuroo made a ridiculous show of looking at the fridge and then proceeded to gasp so loud, you jumped in your seat beside Akaashi. “I cannot believe we forgot tomatoes. Somebody needs to go to the store and buy them,” and then pointedly looks at Akaashi.

Akaashi’s brow furrowed as he shrugged, “I mean, sure, I can go get them. There’s still that small shop down the street, right?” He made a move to stand up and grabbed a light jacket, but before he could even leave the vicinity of the living room, Bokuto stopped him, “Woah, woah, woah, you’re going alone?”

God, Akaashi already knew what was coming. At the risk of alerting you, Akaashi played along, “Yeah?”

“Dude, it’s late. It’s dangerous out there,” Bokuto said, putting on his big watery puppy dog eyes and directed it to the person weakest to it; you. “You should go with him.”

This is some weak wingman-ning, Akaashi decides. Hamamatsu is arguably one of the safest cities. Akaashi was more likely to suffer from gifted kid burn out syndrome than getting hurt, walking alone at night.

But you clearly didn’t care that Bokuto just gave the flimsiest rationale on why you should go get tomatoes together. You only threw your head back with a laugh, before standing up with a salute, “Yeah, I’ll make sure our old man gets to and from the grocery all safe.”

As you both walked out, he was absolutely certain he could hear those gremlins giggling, behind their hands. They think they’re so slick. They’re so lucky you were oblivious. Actually, Akaashi’s the one who’s lucky, because if you knew, he would never, ever, be able to live it down.

The moment you’re out on the main road, you casually slipped your arm around his and looked up with a cheeky smile. “This is okay, right?” you asked with an exaggerated shiver. The ocean breeze didn’t even reach here. “I’m just doing this because it’s a bit cold.”

“Yeah,” Akaashi said with a sigh, “It’s fine.”

“It’s not like they can see,” you reasoned, “It’s fine as long as they don’t, because we can just carry on, right?”

“Y/N.” He warned.

“It’s still a secret,” you said, pressing your cheek against his shoulder, “I don’t see why we should stop. It’s nobody’s business but ours. I don’t understand why we have to stop because of what other people might say.”

Akaashi couldn’t exactly say anything because, well… you’re not wrong. It’s just every part of him shudders at the thought of everybody knowing. Especially, their friends knowing. He hasn’t settled on the answer to why exactly that is. But he does mention what he knows you guys have been suffering through together over the years, “It’s just a hassle. You know the jokes our friends already make about us. Think of how much worse it will be when they find out what we’ve been doing.”

You don’t say anything, only making a soft vague noise. He couldn’t tell if it was made in agreement or in protest. With the weight of the day pressing down on him, he dropped the convo and opted to change the topic, “Is it just me or did Bokuto get really big?”

And that set you off, “Right! Not only that, but he’s sturdy. A little thick, you know what I’m saying?”

The phrasing made Akaashi laugh, “Never thought I’d hear that coming from your mouth. Remember back in high school?”

The conversation took them down memory lane and carried them all the way to the grocery store, where they didn’t even bother getting a shopping cart. Akaashi didn’t expect you guys to be there for that long.

They get to the fresh produce section where the refrigerator blasts cold air on the color vegetables. He scans among the greens to find where the tomatoes were, when he accidentally bumps you beside him. “Sorry,” he said, touching the small of your back absentmindedly.

“It’s fine,” you said, shivering. “Let’s hurry. I’m freezing here.”

“Want my jacket?” Akaashi offered, but he’s already taking it off before you could protest.

“It’ll be big on me,” you muttered, but already halfway through putting it on. “This is why I should start going to the gym. I need to get thicker too.”

It is big on you;. it looks like you’re swimming in it, hands hidden by the sleeves. “I thought you wanted to go to get prettier,” Akaash reached over and fixed the collar of his jacket, pinching your nose in the process before he wrapped an arm around your shoulder, “Come on. You can pick which tomato we get to eat tonight.”

“I hate tomatoes!”

“I know.”

.

.

.

When they got back and you settled back on the couch, he was immediately pulled towards the kitchen.

“You need to monitor,” Kenma said as he washed the tomatoes they bought. Bokuto joined in, and Akaashi half-expected Kuroo to join in. He didn’t. His job was clearly to keep you occupied by trashing you at Wii Sports.

“So,” Bokuto started, “Give us an update I see you made a move.”

“What move?” Akaashi sighed. These gremlins have watched too many romcoms, it’s starting to poison their minds.

Kenma looked at him like he was stupid, “The jacket. That’s a classic boyfriend move.”

“Yeah, weren’t you wearing that jacket when you left?” Bokuto added.

Akaashi frowned, fighting the urge to look at where you were still wrapped up in his jacket, “She was cold. Was I supposed to let her freeze?”

Kenma shook his head, “You’re so hopeless. What’s annoying is you’re doing everything right without even trying. Go sit on the couch. Perform some self-reflection.”

Akaashi pouted, even as Bokuto patted him like a stray dog in the park, and stalked all the way to the living room. He walked past the television, and he ended up getting yelled at by you and Kuroo too for blocking their view. It only worsened his mood.

“Akaashi!” Kuroo complained, falling to the floor in defeat, while you cheered, “Suck it, loser.”

Akaashi settled grumpily on the couch and wished dinner would come soon. You burrowed at his side, “Are you hangry?”

He shrugged.You reached over to fiddle with a piece of hair behind his ear and murmured, “You must be.”

You took on Kuroo’s challenge for a rematch and funnily enough, Akaashi missed your presence immediately.

His frown deepened. Maybe he should self-reflect.

.

.

.

He performed zero self-reflection, but he did eat dinner. As always, food solved everything. Well, not everything, but he figured sleep would take care of the rest.

It’s only when he began brushing his teeth that he felt the weight of the day fully hit him. There was the four hour drive. The excitement from reuniting with his friends. And then the stress of having to deal with his friends’ matchmaking schemes.

All he wants to do now is lie down, twist to the side to hear his back crack, and maybe scroll through his phone until he passes out. Just like any other self-respecting young adult under late stage capitalism. No thinking. Just vibes.

It’s his main thought as he brushed his teeth.

He heard a knock on the bathroom door and when he opened it, he saw you standing there in pyjamas, a toothbrush in hand.

“Wait your turn,” he said, the words coming out garbled because of the toothbrush in his mouth.

You only smiled sheepishly, coming into the bathroom and lightly kicking the door closed. Akaashi raises a brow when he hears you lock the door.

In response, you only shrugged, “Can I borrow some toothpaste?”

Akaashi spat in the sink and washed his mouth. He gestured at the sink, “Go ahead then. Did you intentionally forget?”

“I knew at least one of you guys wouldn’t forget. If not you, then Bo would for sure have it. You boy scouts,” you shrug, grabbing the toothpaste and squeezing it out.

Akaashi knew he should leave. That he should stop standing there stupidly, watching you wet your stupid toothbrush. What was he waiting for?

He moves, but all he does is lean against the door, his hands behind him—clutching at the door knob but not turning it. What was he waiting for?

He should say goodbye, but all he said was, “It’s because he had braces too. You would never understand.”

“It’s not my fault I was born with perfect teeth,” you smirked at him through the mirror. Thrill ran through him.

Akaashi ignored it, “Perfect, my ass. I remember when you got all your wisdom teeth taken out. You were crying so much.”

You raised a brow before turning on your electric toothbrush. It buzzes noisily, as if to say, what’s your point? Akaashi shook his head. Unlike Bokuto, he felt like you would never change. There’s a certain softness in your cheeks that’s still there. A certain spark that’s never dimmed despite what life’s thrown your way.

He knew you too well, has known you for so long. A part of him, one that’s fearful and anxious at the future he’s hurtling towards, hopes that whatever happens, this never changes.

He’s too caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t even notice you’ve caught him staring. He’s startled when your mouth curls into something bright. It has him looking away, his hand coming up to rub his neck.

Akaashi heard you hum. It sounded annoyingly pleased.

A hand comes up to cup his cheek, forcing his gaze back.

“Now,” you said, suddenly a breath away, dragging his attention down to your mouth. Voice coming down to a low whisper, you ask, “It’s time to see how serious you really are. You really don’t want to sleep with me tonight?”

Akaashi bit his lip. “We shouldn’t,” he said, in a voice he hoped was firm.

You pouted. A debilitating thing that has his hand curling at your hip to push you away. But he’s not quick enough, because you go to hold his wrist. He tries again, “Y/N, we shouldn’t do—“

His voice cracked when you brushed your nose against his. Embarrassment floods him. He’s seen you through your puberty phase. You shouldn’t have this much of an effect on him.

“Baby, come on,” you whispered, guiding his hand under your shirt. Desire burned through him, especially as he felt the heat of your skin. As warm as he remembered it. As smooth as he remembered it. He’s lost, and you know it.

“Don’t baby me,” he said, cursing up a useless storm. In the end, it didn’t matter. He’s already leaning down to capture your lips with his.

You whimpered against his mouth, which only set him off further. He wrapped an arm around your waist, pressing you close as he kissed you hard. All thought left his brain. It was just you, you, you,consuming him.

You ended up pressed against the bathroom counter, hands tangled in his hair. When Akaashi nipped at your bottom lip, you tugged at it. He groaned, pulling away.

“Okay,” You panted, leaning back against the counter, “Baby me instead.”

“I baby you enough,” Akaashi rolled his eyes. “Some might say too much.”

You laughed, wrapping your arms around his shoulders, “Forget them. I like it when you take care of me. It’s not overbearing. You don’t do it, because I’m helpless. I don’t see the problem.”

But the more Akaashi thought about it, the more it felt like there was a problem.

“Come here,” You said, dragging him between your legs. Akaashi’s hands came to rest on the bare skin of your thighs, where your sleep shorts have ridden up.

“Y/N,” Akaashi whispered, his hand inching further up. “Are you trying to prove a point?”

You giggled, “Is it working?”

It’s working too well. Akaashi couldn’t find it in himself to mind. Here it was again. The lack of regret. Just desire hitting him over and over again.

Everything about this reminded Akaashi of the first time they ever did this. At this random party, in some stranger’s bathroom. Judgement clouded by alcohol. Lack of judgement intensifying want.

Now, under the soft yellow light of this bathroom, they are in the same position. But this time, he doesn’t have the excuse of alcohol.

He hasn’t had that excuse every time in between since then.

And he hasn’t had the time to think about that. Too distracted by your perfect mouth, perfect hands, perfect body to think about when he started thinking of his best friend like this. It should be wrong. This was you.

You with your moon face and round eyes, wide with innocence.

Something between you has changed, and it’s quite possibly irreversible.

He blinked when he felt a kiss pressed against his forehead. “You look worried. Wanna talk about it—“

A knock interrupted them. You’re already rolling your eyes, “What!”

“What do you mean what?” came an annoyed voice. It was Kuroo. “You’ve been there for ages. Some people want to get ready for bed too.”

“I’m taking a shit!” You yelled back, and Akaashi had to cover his mouth to keep himself from laughing out loud.

He heard a thump against the door. “Fine! You better fucking spray after. I don’t want to brush my teeth in that stench.”

“Yeah, yeah,” You said dismissively.

Akaashi waited until he heard footsteps recede before detangling himself from you. Reality literally knocked on the door and said, is this reason enough?

He wanted to hit his head. He was such a hypocrite. He really should’ve left the moment you stepped into the bathroom.

You pouted hard and tried to reach for him again, “We should go to bed.”

Akaashi was better at avoiding this time. “I agree,” He said, before specifying, “Separately.”

“You’re so lame.”

.

.

.

He woke up the next day, feeling like he didn’t sleep at all. It’s because he didn’t. He slept piss poor the whole night, a punishment he thought he didn’t deserve. Not that he thought refusing to sleep with his best friend should be rewarded, but—you know what he means.

He was so goddamn tired, he couldn’t even speak a single word during breakfast until he finished his first cup of coffee.

And to make matters worse, you looked completely okay. Refreshed even. You came trampling through the backdoor; the sand, the sun, Bokuto and Kenma following behind. The sound of your bright laughter irritated his sleep deprived brain.

“Akaashi, you’re awake!” Bokuto said, bounding up to him.

If it were anyone else, he would have grumpily responded. But it was Bokuto, who even at his most annoying was hard to be mad at. He gave him a small smile, “You guys had fun all by yourselves?”

Kenma, on his way to the bathroom, chimed in, “We tried waking you up, but you were dead to the world.”

Bokuto laughed, “You were lying face up, but your pillow wasn’t under your head. It was over. Y/N thought somebody murdered you in your sleep.”

“I was the only one concerned,” You shook your head, grabbing a pitcher of water from the fridge, “Remember that when you’re choosing which one of us is your favourite.”

Bokuto wasn’t concerned, “Do you remember when we used to pass out at his house after a party and he would somehow wake up out of his blankets, legs in the weirdest positions? I still think we should record him sleeping, just to see something.”

You visibly gulped down water and wiped your mouth, “He just needs to be held down. He sleeps very peacefully when he’s being held.”

Akaashi wished you were joking, but he literally stopped breathing. There’s this brief moment of silence where he’s pretty sure Bokuto was wondering if he heard that right. He’s never been so grateful that two of his friends weren’t in the room. They would never let him live it down.

“Hey,” Bokuto coughed, but his smile was so cheeky Akaashi knew whatever was coming next could not be good, “How do you know this? Have you tried it? Is this first hand experience?”

Akaashi does him better and pretends he has phlegm stuck in his throat. Anything to avoid being part of this conversation. He hacked it up so good, it didn’t feel like pretend anymore. You worriedly came up to him and smacked his back, “Keiji! Drink some water.”

It’s enough to distract everyone.

And then, Kuroo unintentionally did him a solid by walking out wearing the ugliest outfit known to man. (Okay, it’s not that ugly. He just looked like he’s dressed like a middle schooler. Like, come on. A sweater vest and yellow shorts?) By then, everyone’s too concerned about missing out on delivering sick burns.

Akaashi internally cheered. Sometimes, bad bitches (masculine) won.

For now, at least.

Hours later, life tried him again.

Peace never truly lasted. Ws always eventually turned to Ls. He’s been truly put on this earth to suffer.

And of course, the loss was personally hand-delivered by those most beloved to him.

After a huge lunch, they all had food-induced comas and decided that the best way to recover from this was to spend the rest of their day watching movies. (Actually, Bokuto suggested taking a walk by the beach, but he was immediately vetoed by Kuroo, Kenma, and you—who all claimed they needed to be rolled out of the restaurant and back to the beach house.)

Here was the kicker though: after diagnosing himself with onset food coma, all his defenses were low. He went to the restroom to relieve himself a little, change into sweatpants so he didn’t feel like he couldn’t breathe, and when he came back, he found that all the seats in the living room were taken. Even the floor, where Kuroo was sprawled out like an overheated dog, had no space.

There was really only one spot open, and that was the one right next to you.

With a sinking feeling, Akaashi thought, he’s been bamboozled.

None of the rats he called friends would meet his eyes, but they all looked a shade of smug as he walked on over to his seat of honor for the day. Of course, Akaashi thought. You’d both wound up sitting together on a loveseat.

He willed himself to act natural. He can sit next to his friend, all casual. No big deal. He would not give his friends the reaction they wanted. He cleared his throat, “So what are we watching?”

“I think,” Kenma suggested, “we should watch that new show on Netflix? Alice in Borderland or something.”

Kuroo grunted from the floor, “I don’t want to watch that. Let’s watch Midsommar instead.”

At that, Akaashi protested, “I’ve already seen Midsommar. You’ve seen Midsommar.” Akaashi knew that for a fact, because he was the one who bullied Kuroo into watching it.

“Don’t be selfish,” Kuroo retorted, “Bokuto, Y/N, and Kenma haven’t seen it yet.”

“Ugh,” Kenma groaned, “I’m going to have trouble sleeping tonight if we do. And if that happens, I’ll make it your problem.”

Kuroo rolled to his side, his head propped up by his hand, a stupid grin on his face, “Don’t worry, you can come sleep with me if you get scared tonight, Kenma.”

“You—“ Kenma bit out, and then Akaashi got the glorious privilege of watching him turn red. He felt like he should shake Kuroo’s hand or something. Rarely does anyone get to do that to Kenma, and for Kuroo of all people—well. Akaashi was simply impressed. Just for that, Akaashi was willing to rewatch Midsommar.

Bokuto, as always, came between the two as peacemaker, “Why don’t we just vote?”

“Okay,” Kuroo raised his other hand, “Who wants to watch Midsommar?”

Akaashi raised his hand, and you casually did too, “I don’t care either way.”

Kenma snarled, “Then fucking put your hand down.” Bokuto held his hand, laughing, “It’s okay, Kenma, I’ll cover your eyes for you during the scary scenes.”

Kenma softened, “Fine.”

Kuroo cheered, pulling himself up to fit himself onto the couch beside Kenma who looked at him with wariness. “Don’t look at me like that. It’s a good movie.”

“You just like it when I’m scared,” Kenma grumbled, and then Bokuto cut in again, “Do I have to sit in between you guys?”

You snorted, “Just get it set up, guys,” and even though Kuroo started navigating to the movie on screen, the three of them continued arguing.

Akaashi heard you sigh and lean your head against the couch cushions. If they were back in his dorm, you would have leaned against Akaashi’s shoulder instead. Akaashi was glad that you finally stopped making this hard for him. He glanced towards the tangled mess that was Kenma, Bokuto, and Kuroo and frowned. How come they got to cuddle in peace? Meanwhile, if Akaashi put an arm around you, he would never hear the end of it. What kind of double standard is this? This is so…sexist? Akaashi-phobic? Whatever it is, it sucked. Cuddling can be platonic.

Some sick voice in Akaashi’s head snidely added: kissing and sleeping with someone can be platonic too. But is platonic what you feel when you do all that with your best friend?

Akaashi shook his head and got comfortable instead. He put his head on your shoulder and thought nothing of it. It’s summer; there was no room for complicated things.

“Don’t fall asleep on me,” You said, resting his head gently on Akaashi’s head.

“I won’t,” Akaashi said, though the mention of sleep made him yawn.

You hummed, “You looked pretty tired though, this morning.”

“I was,” Akaashi said and left it at that.

You didn’t say anything for a while, and Akaashi thought that was the end of it too, right as the movie opening sequence launched, You said, “I couldn’t sleep either.”

“Is that why you were so loud this morning?” Akaashi chuckled lowly.

“That was the coffee I drank this morning. I couldn’t even sleep in,” He couldn’t see it, but he could definitely hear the pout in your voice. A tiny part of him rejoiced at hearing it, the one who never got tired of teasing you. And another part of him relaxed at the thought that it wasn’t only him that couldn’t sleep well.

Good thing the movie finally started. “Be quiet,” He finally said, “You have to pay attention, so you don’t end up confused later on.”

“Mean,” You muttered, but did as he said.

There’s something fun about rewatching movies, especially with people who have never seen it before. You catch a lot of things you didn’t notice before, foreshadowing, easter eggs, plot twists. You understand things a lot better the second go around, especially for these psychological horror type movies. Even better, the scares aren’t as scary as they were the first watch.

Of course, for the first time watchers…

It’s quite fun watching their reactions. He could tell Kuroo felt the exact same way by the way he kept glancing over at Kenma’s and Bokuto’s reactions (more Kenma’s really, he’d been watching some scenes with his hands covering his eyes). Meanwhile, you just looked intrigued. Grossed out at worst.

Akaashi rubbed his face against your shoulder. “Hey,” he whispered, “What are you thinking?”

“They’re so nice to her, comforting her, telling her things she wants to hear,” You said, “Everything her boyfriend is not. She’s going to end up killing him at the end, doesn’t he?”

“Hmm,” Akaashi teased, “I don’t know, you’ll just have to wait and see.”

You huffed, “That means I’m right.”

“You’re so impatient,” Akaashi laughed softly.

You sighed, like you were putting down a heavy weight. After a moment, he felt your hand on top of his. Fingers absently playing with his. “I’m more patient than you’ll ever know,” You said quietly, the words almost drowned by the movie.

He didn’t know what to say. Maybe he shouldn’t say anything. Maybe he wasn’t even meant to hear.

The movie neared its end.

On screen, there’s a pire burning. There’s a girl dressed up in flowers, a breathless content smile on her face. “Good for her,” you said, happy to get it right. “What a happy ending,” Akaashi laughed.

Akaashi has seen this all before. Had the same conclusion you uttered. And yet, this time around…he’s filled with this weird sense of dread. Something’s not right.

Everything is cathartic-induced bright. The credits played.

Everybody stretched their arms up to the sky, legs outward. Akaashi stretched too, neck to the right, to the left. Eyes out to the beautiful summer sky. It’s bright. It’s so bright.

He glanced back at you and swallowed the awful feeling.

Just a remnant of the movie.

.

.

.

He’s cornered again. This time, by Kuroo as the two of them washed dishes together.

“So,” Kuroo started, and Akaashi didn’t even hesitate to flick soap suds at him. Kuroo swipes his wet hand against Akaashi’s hair and he shivered in disgust. He immediately covered his head and glared, “How could you—“

“You literally started it!” Kuroo retorted. “Anyway, I saw you and a little someone cuddling on the couch earlier.”

“Oh, shut up,” Akaashi said, rolling his eyes. Bold of Kuroo to say, considering how handsy he was with both Kenma and Bokuto. Akaashi didn’t even bother calling him out. Kuroo was a different breed of shameless. “Don’t make it weird.”

Kuroo raised a brow, “I don’t need to make it weird. You guys make it weird. Like the vibes… you guys are giving off.”

Akaashi frowned, “You’re not making any sense.”

“I’m not explaining it right,” Kuroo said, drying a plate, “I mean, the vibes, right? You guys have always been closer than any of us—no, don’t give me that look. You guys have. I always chalked it up to the repressed feelings you guys have for each other. But this time, it’s different. I just can’t tell if it’s good or bad.”

Akaashi froze. It’s that noticeable? What did weirder than usual mean? Fuck, could he tell they were hooking up?

He forced himself to act cool, shrugging his shoulders, “I literally do not know what you’re talking about, dude.”

“Don’t worry,” Kuroo smirked, “I’ll point it out the next time I see it. I promise I’ll be subtle.”

Spoiler alert: he was not fucking subtle.

Akaashi swore there was absolutely no weird vibes when the group of them were enjoying dessert in the middle of the night. Some ice cream cake they bought to celebrate their reunion. They were laughing about something stupid. Half of them were lounging on their side on the floor, the other half was leaning against the couch. You were the only one left with the fork, taking turns to feed Bokuto, Kuroo, and yourself.

The ice cream-cake enthusiast triangulation.

You usually ate in such small bites. Maybe it was because you were feeding two big-mouthed eaters, but you actually ended up eating such large bites of the cake. Cream on the edges of your mouth while you continued talking and laughing without wiping it away.

Listen, it didn’t mean anything. You looked messy. Akaashi hated messy. Friends helped out friends. Akaashi was also a friend.

He didn’t think much of it, when he reached over and swiped the cream with his thumb. Thought nothing of how it might look when his other hand steadied your chin. “You look like a fool,” He had even laughed as he leaned back, absentmindedly sucking the cream off his thumb.

You look wide-eyed and red-cheeked in his hands.

It wasn’t until Kuroo had taken Bokuto’s chin and loudly exclaimed, “Oh, Bokuto, let me gently wipe your mouth too,” that Akaashi felt extremely self-conscious of his actions. The situation only got worse when Bokuto puckered his lips, which had Kuroo literally laughing on the floor. Kenma, thankfully, only rolled his eyes.

Akaashi couldn’t even look at you after that. He didn’t think it was weird. But now, because of everyone’s eyes, it felt weird.

You ended up standing up and putting the cake away, sounding annoyed, “I think you’ve had enough cake. Go to bed.”

Kuroo made eye contact with him and smirked, as if to say, now, do you see what I mean?

.

.

.

Akaashi wanted to be alone after that. He felt somewhat transparent and unreadable at the exact time. Like everybody was seeing something that he himself couldn’t see inside of him.

Well. That wasn’t completely true. He knew there was something different…he just didn’t want any of their friends to know. He wanted to figure it out himself, before they started doing what they did earlier. It made him feel weird and ashamed. Like what was going on between you two had morphed into something wrong.

Which didn’t even make sense, considering all the stupid pushing his friends were doing to ‘set them up.’

The best thing to clearly do next is to sleep it off. But as he laid in bed, he found that he couldn’t sleep again. He was uncomfortable in this bed, and it didn’t matter how much he twisted and turned, he couldn’t make himself feel right. But he couldn’t stay awake either, not with his head all jumbled up.

He was tempted to suffocate himself when his phone buzzed beside him. He frowned, he was so messed up over this that he didn’t even put his phone on silent.

He sighed and reached over. A text message from you.

Sleep with me tonight, the text said.

Akaashi places his phone face down on his own bed and holds back a scream. This was the last thing he needed tonight. Sense told him that he should stick to his rule. Sneaking into your bed wasn’t a good idea. Maybe if you were sharing a room, he could manage it, but they all got their own rooms. It would be hard to sneak back to his own bed without getting caught. It would be tougher to have to explain if he got caught.

His phone buzzed again and when he looked at the notification, he immediately groaned, rolling in bed so that he could bury his face in his pillow. After taking a moment to compose himself, he opened his phone to the message.

It’s a dark picture of you, blanket pulled up to your chin, pouting at the camera. It came with a simple message— I’m cold.

And then another message, I sleep better with you.

His chest ached. He bit his lip, running a hand through his hair. He shouldn’t do this. But Akaashi was struggling too. Sleep-deprived and confused, all he wanted was to rest. And the last time he slept well was when he was with you.

Akaashi sighed, slowly getting up. He never did figure out how to properly say no to you.

He carefully opened his door and crept out quietly when he saw the hallways were clear. Your room was thankfully close; he reached it with only a couple steps.

He turned the knob and saw you mid-rise. He expected some teasing and a smug smile, but there was only relief on your face.

As he climbed onto your bed, you welcomed him with open arms.

“Thank you,” you whispered against him, pulling him down. Akaashi’s face almost crashed against the headboard. “Easy, easy—”

You both adjusted to each—smooth and natural to them now—until you were comfortable. “Thought you weren’t going to come,” you said, tightening your hold around his waist. “I was going to come to you instead.”

“How are you cold?” Akaashi asked instead. His hand ran through the strands of your hair, “It’s the height of summer.”

“Always am,” You said. “Too used to sleeping with you. You’re always warm and I’m always cold…” you trailed off and into a mumble, “Even back when I slept over at your dorm.”

Akaashi hummed, “Didn’t matter if we had a pillow between us. You’d always find your way over.”

You huffed a little laugh, “You just gotta get used to it at this point. It’s the way we work.”

Akaashi snorted, “The way we work…”

You hummed sleepily, “So perfect…”

His hand paused mid-stroke in your hair. Perfect. It’s not the first time that word’s been said between you, but never like this. Usually it’s panted, thrown heatedly against skin, mid-fuck. Never quite as innocent as this. Resonating bone deep.

He didn’t know what to do with this. This feeling that sits in him, beautiful and aching, until seen by somebody else. He could hold onto this as long as nobody else knows. It’s theirs. Inexplicable, uncomplicated; it’s his.

With that he forced himself to relax. He closed his eyes.

He heard the sound of the waves, crashing against the shore. He could smell the salt in the air. Your breaths evening out, the scent of your shampoo against his nose.

He exhaled, finally letting himself relax against the soft comfort of the pillow under him. It’s the kind of sigh that felt less like giving up but giving in.

To this. To them. To whatever you can both call this.

.

.

.

Akaashi woke up late.

Dangerously late.

The sun woke him up, filtering through the thin curtains of the window. It was the kind of sleep most people yearn for. The type where you feel absolutely well-rested, where you wake up naturally. No alarms. No nothing. It’s beautiful, Disney princess-like.

It’s sleep he wanted to stay cocooned in forever.

And that’s when he remembered where he was. Whose body he was wrapped around. Whose scent, whose warmth had lulled him to sleep.

He pulled away—abruptly enough that it woke you up too.

“Keiji…” You mumbled, one foot still in a dream. You reached over, hand searching for the heat of his body. “What’s wrong—“

Akaashi shushed you softly. Better to let you sleep. He leaned down, brushing the hair from your forehead, “There’s nothing wrong. I’ll see you at breakfast.”

You made a noise of protest, hands tightening around Akaashi’s shirt, “Stay with me.”

Akaashi kissed your temple in apology, “I can’t. We’re going to get caught if I stay.”

He pulled your hand from his shirt and set it on the bed. This time, when he stood up, you let him go.

When he reaches the door, he’s as careful as he was the night before. Except this time, he looked back. And he lingered at the sight of you curling into the space he left.

God.God.

He softly closed the door, unable to bear the sight.

He turned and nearly died from shock. “God,” He said, clutching his chest, “What are you doing here?”

“Uh,” Bokuto raised a brow, before glancing at the door Akaashi just exited. “What are you doing here?”

His eyes narrowed, and Akaashi immediately knew he was fucked. “It’s not what you think,” He said, putting a hand up.

“Oh my god,” Bokuto said, eyes widening, “Are you guys—“

“No, no,” Akaashi yell-whispered, going up to Bokuto and covering his mouth. “We can’t talk about it here.”

Akaashi looked around and was relieved to find nobody else. He dragged Bokuto towards his room, before anybody else could see.

Bokuto crossed his arms over his chest and pouted, “Okay, explain. Are you guys dating? Is this why Kuroo was saying you guys have been acting weird—“

“First of all, Kuroo does not know what he’s talking about. Let’s get one thing straight,” Akaashi clarified. His heart was pumping hard in his chest. Heat was creeping up his neck. “We’re not dating,” He said.

Bokuto’s brows furrowed, “So you guys are just…sleeping together?” Bokuto scratched his chin, shrugging, “I guess it could happen. I’ve slept in the same bed as Kenma several times, and it wasn’t weird.”

“Yeah, yeah!” Akaashi enthusiastically agreed, giving him a bright smile, “You got it—“

“It’s not like you guys are doing anything further than that,” Bokuto added, nodding. “It would only be weird if you guys were actually sleeping together,” Bokuto said, his hands gesturing quotation marks.

Akaashi’s smile froze, “Totally not.”

Bokuto paused, “Akaashi…you didn’t….”

See, Akaashi thought with pain, this was the worst part about hanging out with your old friends. They can read you, just with one look. There was never a possibility he was going to get through this vacation without getting caught. He was fucked from the moment he parked in the driveway.

“God,” Bokuto said with disgust, which has Akaashi steeling himself for the worst. He hated disappointing people in general, but disappointing someone as good as Bokuto? It made everything feel much worse. But then he said something unexpected, “I can’t believe you guys are having sex under our shared roof—“

And of all the things Akaashi could say, his stupid brain said this, “We’re all in different rooms.”

Bokuto looked at him with horror, “Dude. Not the point.”

Akaashi corrected himself, “I’m sorry, I mean, we weren’t doing that. At least…” Akaashi scratched his head, “Not here.”

“Akaashi,” Bokuto sighed, his hands going up to his temples. God, he was causing Bokuto stress. “Can we talk about this? This feels like something we should talk about. Unless you’re talking to somebody about this already? Your therapist?”

“Dude, I’m not sharing this with my therapist,” Akaashi said firmly.

“Why not?” Bokuto put his hands on his hips. It reminds Akaashi of Bokuto’s mother. “You already talk to them about the trauma of growing up with divorced parents.”

Akaashi raised his hand, “I don’t talk to them about that.”

“Then what do you talk to them about?” Bokuto said, confused. “I didn’t know you had other traumas.”

“I can’t talk to them about that,” Akaashi said, “She can only handle my perfectionism issues. Anyway, the point is I don’t want to talk about it.”

Bokuto frowned, “Listen, I know you still think I’m immature and maybe that’s why you don’t want to talk about your sex life—“ Akaashi opened his mouth to argue, but Bokuto raised his hand to stop him, “I’m not naive, okay? I know people do that kind of thing without strings attached all the time, but it’s you two.” Bokuto said it straight, “There’s too many years between the two of you. It’s too much just for casual sex.”

Akaashi sighed, his gaze falling to the ground. His hands clenched at his side, “I know exactly what’s at stake.”

“Then why this?” Bokuto asked.

“Because,” Akaashi said simply. There’s so many ways he could follow it up, all of it damning. Because I’m selfish. Because I like it. Because you want it too. “Listen, we’re handling it. It’s between us, and I’d really appreciate it, if you don’t tell the others.”

Bokuto looked like he had more things to say.

Akaashi shook his head, “Please. It’ll be okay.”

It has to be.

.

.

.

Bokuto thankfully kept quiet. Though their conversation that morning had him feeling on edge the whole day.

He’s been too relaxed this whole time, clearly. First, Kuroo had mentioned something. And now, Bokuto knew there was something going on between them. It was only a matter of time before Kenma descended on them, and he didn’t know if he had the strength for it.

The best thing to do, he was certain, was to lay low.

And that meant, staying away from you.

It would be easier if they stayed home that day, but it was too nice to stay holed up in their rooms, the group decided. They wanted to explore town today, despite the fact that they’ve been going here for years now.

There were only five of them. Akaashi knew it was going to be difficult to avoid you, but for the sake of your relationship, he had to try.

It wasn’t too bad in the beginning. Whenever they walked together, Kuroo, for all the length of his legs, walked the slowest, and you always ended up walking with him. So he doesn’t get lonely, Akaashi remembered you saying once. Though if you asked Akaashi, he thought it was because you couldn’t keep up with Kenma’s brisk pace. No matter what the real reason was, Akaashi was grateful.

But then, they’d stop by at places to shop around, and that proved to be a problem. You would quietly follow him around the store, saying things like, that looks good on you, when Akaashi was inspecting a shirt. Things like, do you want me to buy it for you, when Akaashi said it was too expensive. No, no, it’s okay, Akaashi said to no avail, watching as you swiped it off his hands to pay for it at the register.

He knew how it looked. Only couples did that. He avoided Bokuto’s gaze, though he couldn’t avoid Kenma and Kuroo’s whispering from pricking his ears.

He felt monitored, and he hated it. It made him absolutely irritable, sensitive to touch. The glare of the sun on his back made him worse. And unfortunately, you got the brunt of it.

It wasn’t your fault, Akaashi knew. Kuroo was right, you guys were always touchy. You had this habit of clinging onto his arm, an old habit you never outgrew. Akaashi didn’t mind it; in fact, most of the time, he liked it. Liked feeling needed. But today, all it did was make him more paranoid—that his friends would see it and come tease him about it. Every time you touched him, spoke to him, looked at him, his entire body tensed, preparing himself to be called out for it.

The first time he stiffened you gave him a confused glance. The next couple times raised concern. It got to the point where you pulled him aside, a pocket of a moment while their friends were in the restroom, and asked, Keiji, what is up with you?

But Akaashi couldn’t give you a straight answer. You pushed, Akaashi pulled. He insisted it was nothing. And eventually, you left him alone.

You didn’t try to touch him at all after that.

.

.

.

His mood only worsened after dinner. The day’s events had built up on him, and the only thing that he wanted to do was sleep.

His friends had other plans though, and his stomach churned when he saw Kuroo walk out of the kitchen with several bottles of sake, coke, and iced tea. Dear god, alcohol was the last thing he needed tonight.

“Kuroo,” He said, flatly.

“What,” Kuroo said, putting the drinks on the floor where everyone had begun to gather around. “You don’t have to drink if you don’t want to. But I think it would relax you.”

Kenma grabbed a bottle and started shaking it, “Somebody grab some ice too. The coke isn’t even cold.”

“I got it!” Bokuto said, standing up. He patted Kenma’s head as he went. Meanwhile, Kenma pulled Akaashi down by the hand, “Sit down. Even if you don’t want to drink, you can still help make it.”

“Fine,” Akaashi said with a sigh, “Who’s drinking?”

“Me!” Came Bokuto’s answer from the kitchen. Akaashi didn’t really have to ask Kuroo and Kenma, which really only left…you, who had quietly sat in front of him.

Akaashi busied himself with opening the bottle of iced tea, “You drinking, Y/N?”

“Yeah,” You said, a heaviness in your voice. When Akaashi glanced at you, he saw you fiddling with a fraying thread on your shorts, “It’s been a long day.”

The response sent waves of guilt through him.

“Don’t worry, Y/N,” Kuroo said, wrapping a comforting arm around your shoulders, “Nothing a little drink won’t solve.”

You laughed, “It worries me. You’re saying that when you’re planning to be someone’s boss someday.”

“Oh,” Kenma teased, “He has more pressing things to worry about. Like passing calculus.”

Akaashi tuned them out, focusing on making the drinks. Bokuto came back with the ice, and Akaashi took the ice trays, cracked the ice out of the moulds, and placed them in all the drinks.

Against his judgement, he ended up making himself a drink too. Something he was immediately grateful for whenever he felt your eyes on him. It was good to have something to do, even if it was to sip his drink to avoid your gaze.

The alcohol did its job too. He felt tension leak out of him with each sip. His thoughts became muddled too, which was the blessing he needed. All day, he prayed his brain would shut up. To stop giving a fuck for just a moment, so he could catch his breath.

On his way to tipsy, he finished his drink and decided—another one. He got teased for it too. “Look at him,” Kuroo said, highly amused, “The only person who said they weren’t drinking is the first person to get another drink.”

Akaashi snorted, but said nothing. See, he told himself. If this was an hour ago, you would have been absolutely irritated at that. Aren’t you glad you started drinking?

“Me too,” You said, cutting through his internal monologue. Akaashi turned to you and saw a glass pushed towards him, “Make me another one too.”

“Sure,” Akaashi said, taking the glass. Your fingers briefly touched, and he hurried to pull away. He swallowed, determined not to think anything of it, even though his fingers felt the heat of contact as he mixed drinks.

When he handed you the finished drink, he was careful to avoid your touch. He wasn’t as careful avoiding your gaze though, which was a mistake. Your eyes were narrowed, and Akaashi felt arrested by your gaze.

“Thanks,” You said as he finally looked away. He cleared his throat, “Should we play a drinking game? You guys are taking so long to drink.”

“Don’t worry,” Kenma said, “We’re all lightweights here. Except Bokuto. We just need to force Kuroo to take a shot or two and he’ll be there.”

Bokuto shrugged, “A game could be fun. We could watch a movie and take a shot every time somebody did or said something.”

Kenma shook his head, “I don’t want to get alcohol poisoning. And at least one of us will fall asleep halfway.”

“Hmm,” Bokuto thought out loud, “I mean, the only other games I know are Never Have I Ever, Spin the Bottle, and Truth or Dare—“

Akaashi laughed, “What kind of parties have you been going to?”

Bokuto laughed too, but Kenma defended his friend’s choices, “To be fair, those are the easiest ones to play. I’m too lazy to set up beer pong or even King’s Cup.”

“Never Have I Ever…is going to be boring,” Kuroo piped up, “We all know each other. If we did anything, we’d know it by now.”

“That’s not true,” You said, amused, “I could say, never have I ever puked in a public pool, and only you would have to drink.”

Kuroo gave you a sharp look, “That’s a traumatic memory, Y/N. I would appreciate it if you didn’t bring that up.”

You mocked him by copying his words. Kenma cut in before the conversation could devolve into outright smacking each other, “So I guess Truth or Dare, it is—“

“Wow, you’re not even going to entertain Spin the Bottle,” Kuroo said. He puckered up, “You don’t want to kiss me, Kenma?”

Akaashi watched as Kenma didn’t even act like he heard Kuroo, and immediately wished he could be as cool. Kenma smiled, turning to Bokuto who sat between him and Akaashi, “I’ll start. Bokuto, truth or dare.”

Bokuto shrugged, “Dare.”

“Excellent,” Kenma grinned, “Knew you would say that. Go out into the water and stand there for thirty seconds before going out.”

Bokuto gaped at him, “Why, you—“

Meanwhile, everybody laughed. Kenma added, “If it helps, you could go in naked—“

“Thanks for the great idea, Kenma,” Bokuto said, standing up. “I’ll remember it when it’s your turn.” To his credit, Bokuto didn’t even try to get out of it. He just put his hand on his hips and asked, “Is anyone going to time me?”

You raised his hand, “I can do it.”

The two of them went outside, while the rest watched from the back porch.

“You’re so evil,” Kuroo said, but he was chuckling as Bokuto bravely walked into the water. They could hear you loudly counting down from thirty. It was a bit evil, but all of them laughed when Bokuto shivered, and even more, when Bokuto immediately raced out of the water when the count ended and hugged you.

Your shriek was loud and you looked disgruntled walking back, meanwhile, Bokuto was laughing so brightly.

They let Bokuto get changed into something warm before restarting the game. “I feel so alive,” Bokuto said, good-natured. He gave Kenma a playful glare, before turning to Akaashi. “Your turn, Akaashi. Truth or dare.”

“Uh,” Akaashi scratched his head, unsure, “I’ll choose dare too.”

Bokuto smiled, “Great, go outside and stand in the water for a minute.”

“Jesus,” Akaashi said, grabbing his drink and chugging it down. When he finished, he shook his head, “I’m good.”

Kuroo coughed, saying something that suspiciously sounded like, coward. Akaashi gave him the sweetest smile, “Well, Kuroo. It’s your turn. Truth or dare.”

“Dare,” Kuroo said, taking up the challenge.

Kenma laughed, “Get into the water—“

“Unoriginal,” Kuroo said, but Akaashi didn’t care. He just wanted to see Kuroo suffer, “No, he’s right. Get into the water and stand in there for a minute and a half.”

Kuroo briefly looked at his drink, before standing up. “No big deal. Kenma, can you time me?”

Akaashi had a feeling all of them were going to end up in the cold water by the end of the night. Kuroo’s turn in the water was even funnier though. For a bastard so afraid of the water, he didn’t even complain that much going in. Though, Akaashi guessed, it wasn’t so much about fear. It was more about pride, which is something he could understand.

Kuroo stubbornly shivered in the water as Kenma counted down and just like Bokuto, he got out fast as soon as the timer was done. However, unlike Bokuto, instead of simply hugging Kenma, he grabbed the phone in Kenma’s hand and tossed it in

word count: 4k

warnings: angst and ending is fluff, fading love

– – – – – – 

Things weren’t the same anymore. Waking up next to him didn’t give you a thrill, didn’t make your heart race like it used to. Bringing him coffee in the morning, kissing his cheek… his fingers never lingered where your lips pressed against his heated skin. Your laughter didn’t make his heartbeat skip, it just stayed still now. You both felt it, you both knew that things were different now… but never had the words been spoken out loud. They were there though, despite never being acknowledged. They were there when the two of you fell asleep alone, your bodies just mere inches from one another. Together but undeniably alone. 

“Hey baby,” Kuroo spoke from behind you, jolting you back into reality. You turned to the man you once loved, the one you wish you still felt the same for. You smiled up at him, a sad smile… but a smile nonetheless. 

“Hey,” you replied softly, holding back a small cringe at the feeling of his lips pressing against your forehead. A pang of numbness swirled in your stomach at the attempted affection. Pushing the feeling down your throat, you quickly changed the topic, “Do you have volleyball today?”

He nodded, stepping back from you. A rush of oxygen invaded your lungs, the suffocating feeling leaving you as the distance between your body and his grew, “Yeah we’re going to go practice with Fukurodani today. You want to come? Your bestie will be there.” 

You chuckled at his teasing tone, rolling your eyes, “Akaashi isn’t my bestie, he’s just a friend.” 

He reciprocated your eye roll jokingly, “Sometimes I think you like him more than you like me.” 

You knew he was meaning it in a joking manner, but you could read it all over his face. He actually thought that. He saw the way you and Akaashi spoke, how Akaashi smiles at you and you smile back. The two of you had grown very close over the years, but you never thought of it to the extent that your boyfriend did. 

“Don’t be silly,” you chuckled, your tone guarded. He was wrong, but not by much. You loved your boyfriend, you really did. But things were so different now… every movement, every kiss… they all seemed so forced now. The relationship you have with Akaashi is so easy. There is no questioning between the two of you. You could talk to Akaashi for hours and never once feel bored or like a burden. That’s not how it is with Kuroo anymore… honestly you’d never felt that way with Kuroo. 

“Sure,” he spoke numbly, taking in the way your body stiffened at his words, “So are you coming?” 

“Yeah, just let me go get dressed real quick,” you said sweetly, turning to head to his room to find some clothes. He went to reach for you, but you were already so far out of his grasp. In more ways than one. 

-

“Y/N!” Bokuto yelled as you and Kuroo walked in. Normally he would be holding your hand, walking in step with you… but today you trailed slowly behind him. He had his hands in his pockets today. 

“Bo!” you squealed happily, running into the energetic boys arms. He swung you around, nearly knocking Akaashi over but he was used to this. He ducked just in time, narrowly avoiding your tattered converses. A small smile was gracing his lips as he watched you laughing loudly, begging Bokuto to put you down. 

“You’re going to make Y/N sick, Bokuto,” Akaashi voiced, his usual monotone voice causing small butterflies to swarm your stomach. 

“Listen to ‘Kaashi,” you laughed, clinging onto Bokuto for dear life, “Pleaseee!” 

The boy grumpily placed your feet on the ground, but the constant spinning had caused your mind to go a little fuzzy. You stepped forward in an attempt to ground yourself, but you could feel your body tipping over. Steady hands gripped your waist, holding you in place so you wouldn’t faceplant. You assumed it was Kuroo for a millisecond, but then you felt the twist in your stomach. You felt your heart racing slightly faster than it should. You felt your skin set on fire underneath their touch. 

“Thanks Akaashi,” you mumbled, placing a hand on your forehead as the world slowly stopped spinning.

“Yeah,” he spoke, the words coming out slightly warbled. Confused, you turned to look at him. His cheeks were dusted over with pink, his eyes never once leaving the sight of his hands gripping your waist. 

“‘Kaashi?” he looked up at your eyes at the sound of your concerned tone and for a moment you thought time stopped. His lips parted slightly at the sight of your reddened face, but you knew better than this. You knew that Kuroo was watching and you felt sick because of it, so you spoke up, “You can let go now. I’m not dizzy anymore.” 

“Sorry,” he whispered, stepping away from you.
That felt different. 

When Kuroo stepped away from you, sudden rushes of air plagued your lungs… but when it was Akaashi distancing himself. It was as if all the air in your lungs left with him. Ashamed of the feeling, you pointed towards the bench, “I’m gonna go sit down, have fun guys.” 

Akaashi watched you as you walked away, his hands curling into fists at their sides. He wanted to reach out to you, he wanted to hold you… but you weren’t his to hold. You were with Kuroo and of course he knew that. He just hated it. 

“Kuroo doesn’t look too happy with you,” Bokuto whispered to his best friend, breaking him from his trance. Akaashi looked over to Kuroo to see him glaring him down. Akaashi’s face remained stoic, but he felt irritation begging to express itself on his gentle features. 

“Let it go,” he whispered to himself, causing Bokuto to look at him with a small smirk. Of course Bokuto knew all about Akaashi’s feelings for you. He was also aware of the lack of feelings between you and Kuroo. 

“You two would be a cu-”

“Finish that sentence and I won’t set for you for the rest of the season,” Akaashi threatened as he walked away. Bokuto watched him with a knowing smirk, loving the sight of his normally stoic best friend starting to crumble over a girl. But he understood, you were one hell of a girl. 

“Let’s play!” Bokuto yelled as he chased after his best friend.
-

For a practice match, it seemed a little serious. Normally the boys would be cutting up, but that was not the energy today. You could feel the brewing emotions between Kuroo, Akaashi, and even Bokuto. It only got worse whenever Nekoma won the first match, causing Kuroo to spin you around and kiss you. Surprised, you barely had time to to register what happened to kiss him back. Kuroo felt it, he felt you hesitating to kiss him back. He wanted to say he didn’t know why, it wasn’t like you were shy. The two of you used to do this all the time, but he knew the reason. What hurt the most is that he knew it wasn’t just because Akaashi was there… you just didn’t want to kiss him. 

Akaashi watched the moment between the two of you, but from his view he couldn’t see your hesitation. His fist curled once more, anger taking over his body in a fiery motion. The second set. That’s when he was going to kick Kuroo’s ass.
“Calm down, Akaashi,” Bokuto said to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Akaashi didn’t mean to, but his body reacted before his brain did. He shoved the boys hand off of his shoulder in a huff. 

“Shut up,” he nearly growled, “I am calm.” 

“We’ll win the second set,” Bokuto said to him with a smile, giving him room to seethe. 

“I know we will.” 

True to his word, Fukurodani won the second set. He smirked at Kuroo as he finished the set with a setter’s dump. Kuroo glowered at him, using every bit of restraint in his body to not jump the boy right there. But Akaashi wasn’t done. He turned to you, giving you a thumbs up. You, unaware of the brewing battle between the two boys, gave him a giant smile and returned the gesture. 

“That’s it!” Kuroo yelled, pushing the net out of the way to get to Akaashi. Bokuto ran between the two boys, panic set in his features. 

“Calm down, Kuroo!” Bokuto said, his tone matching Kuroo’s. He spread his arms out, protecting the smirking setter behind him. 

“No,” Akaashi spoke with amusement in his tone, “Let him hit me. I promise to return the favor.” 

Bokuto looked at him in surprise, “YOU’RE NOT HELPING!” 

Now you understood. Silently, you marched over to the boys. Angry words spewed from each of their mouths like daggers being propelled across a battlefield. The teams were attempting to separate the two boys, but when they saw you walking over with a black aura radiating off of your body they all froze and stepped back. They knew you could handle this, and frankly they didn’t want to be in the mix while you did it. 

Kuroo continued to scream at Akaashi, who of course just stared at him with that snotty smirk on his lips. But that all changed when he saw your approaching figure behind Kuroo. His expression dropped, showing the slightest bit of guilt. Kuroo never stopped, his words echoing through the now silent gym. 

“Kuroo,” you said to him, your expression void of any feeling. He stopped mid sentence, his eyes widening in surprise. Everyone watched curiously as the tall boy seemed to shrink in shame as he turned to face the angered girl. Seeing that everyone’s attention was on you, you sighed, “Get your stuff. We’re leaving.” 

Without another word, you spun on your heels and headed out of the door. Kuroo winced, realizing what was about to come. He silently packed his belongings and followed you out of the building, his movements unbearably slow. 

“I guess it’s a tie?” Bokuto voiced, causing the entire room to stare at him in disbelief. 

-

The ride was silent. Kuroo didn’t even attempt to speak to you. There was nothing that he could say. He thought of apologizing, but he promised you that he would never lie to you. He wasn’t sorry and he wasn’t going to pretend that he was.
It was the front door. The front door when it slammed behind you. When you shoved your shoes off of your feet. It was at the front door that the night really began. 

“What was that?” you practically spat at the boy while he struggled to undo the knot in his shoes. 

“I was protecting what is mine,” he mumbled, his fingers shaking around the skinny fabric. 

“Excuse me?” his hands paused, immediately realizing his mistake, “I am not your property, Kuroo. So don’t you dare start that with me, got it? I’ll give you another chance. What was that?” 

Kuroo snapped, standing to cower over you. His words came out lightning fast, he didn’t even know what he was saying until it was echoing the halls of his home, “What about you, huh? What about what’s going on with you and Akaashi? How about we talk about that? You think I didn’t see that little show the two of you put on when we got to the gym? You think that I’m an idiot? I saw it all!” 

He didn’t intend for it to come off as threatening, he was just tall. But when he saw the way you cowered slightly under his gaze and under the pressure of his words, he softened. His hand reached out to caress your chin, but you shied away from his touch, “You think I don’t know that you don’t love me anymore? I do. Trust me, I have noticed.” 

Pain. That’s all you could hear in his now gentle tone. You looked up to the boy, the one you used to love with your whole heart, “I do love you, Kuroo.” 

He shook his head, tears dripping from his beautiful eyes, “Baby, please don’t lie to me. We promised we would be honest with one another.” 

A sudden sob broke out of your chest as you clung to Kuroo. His arms instinctively wrapped around you, holding you close to him just as he did a million times. But, like most things these days, it was different. You weren’t warm anymore.

He wondered when your body stopped feeling like home to him. 

“I want to love you,” you sobbed into his chest, “I want to love you so much, Kuroo.” 

“I know, baby,” he sighed, pressing kisses onto the top of your head. He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. But instead he just held you tighter, whispering his biggest confession, “I want to love you, too.” 

There it was. Out in the open. He felt the same and he had for a while. Today was just his final attempt at keeping you in his arms, no matter how empty it made his heart feel. 

“Please don’t hate me,” you whispered to him, causing both of your hearts to scream out in pain. His grasp tightened around you as tears began to flow freely. 

“I could never hate you, Y/N.” 

-

It had been two weeks since you and the Nekoma captain had broken up. It felt so weird to you to be without him. You were kind of thankful that you didn’t attend his school, you could only imagine how much more painful that would have made things. But it definitely was just as awkward at Fukurodani than it would have been at Nekoma. 

You hadn’t spoken to Akaashi since that day. Of course, you weren’t sure if it was out of anger or confusion. The anger option was the easier excuse. But you were confused. You didn’t know how to act now. Akaashi made it painfully clear for you that day that he was interested in you and you didn’t know how to handle that. Obviously you had your suspicions beforehand, but he practically wrote it in the sky. How were you meant to act around him now? Was it too soon to talk to him? Did you feel the same way?

That one was the worst question of them all. You honestly didn’t know if you had feelings for Akaashi. 

“Talk to him,” your friend prodded, nudging you backside with her elbow. Akaashi and Bokuto were on the other side of the library. Akaashi was attempting to study while Bokuto was trying to convince him to do anything but that. You watched the boys in slight amusement, but it quickly vanished when Akaashi’s eyes met yours. He seemed hopeful for a moment, but when you turned away from him, he felt his heart tearing in his chest.

“I can’t,” you whispered to her, pain evident in your tone. You walked to the other side of the room, attempting to find a seat where Akaashi’s gaze couldn’t burn your skin. 

“You’re killing yourself over this,” Hana complained, snatching a book off of the shelf as she walked by. “It would be a lot easier to just… talk to him.” 

“I told you,” you grumbled, placing your bookbag on the ground and sitting in the uncomfortable chairs. That was the price you had to pay to keep yourself from seeing Akaashi. Your body screamed out at you in protest. It had not stopped begging for his touch since that day in the gym. When his fingertips brushed against the exposed skin of your slightly raised top, it sparked so many things inside of you. Ever since, your mind and body have been calling out his name. You wondered if his was the same, but you couldn’t think about that long. When you think about his body begging for yours just as desperately as yours cried out for his… You shook your head, “I can’t. I told you I can’t.” 

“Why not?”

“What if I don’t actually like him? What if he’s just a rebound?” 

“You liked him before the breakup,” she said in a bored tone, spreading the spine of the book. It was new, your ears perked up at the sound of the spine adjusting to its new position. 

“It’s too soon.” 

“Even Kuroo said to try, didn’t he?” 

She was right. That night, Kuroo had helped you pack your stuff (you didn’t live with him, but no one would’ve known that with as much stuff as you had at his place). He zipped up your bag and went to hand it to you. Right before you grabbed it, he spoke, “I know you don’t want to hear this just as much as I don’t want to say it, but I do like Akaashi. I think he would be good for you.”

“Kuroo,” you tried to say, but he silenced you with a pained look. 

“Please,” he whispered, dropping the straps of your bag into your hand, “Don’t avoid love because of this.” 

You said you wouldn’t. You promised him that you wouldn’t. But here you were hiding in the library from the one person who can set your skin on fire and cool it down with a simple brush of his skin on yours. 

“Maybe I’m just scared,” you shrugged, trying to rid the air of this conversation. Hana sighed, dropping the subject. But even with her mouth shut and her eyes lazily scanning the pages in front of her, you knew every single thought going off in her mind. 

-

“Are you mad at me?” Akaashi asked from behind you. Your body froze at the sound of his voice, so calm yet you could hear the panic behind it. 

“No, ‘Kaashi,” you whispered, trying to walk away from him. Akaashi wasn’t sure what took him over at that moment. Maybe it was the fear that if he let you walk away now, you would never come back to him. His hand reached out, taking hold of your arm. His grasp wasn’t harsh, but it spread pain through your entire body. Longing. It sparked inside of you, causing tears to form in your eyes. 

“Please,” he whispered, letting his frozen facade crumble as he stared at the floor underneath him, “Please don’t leave me.” 

You turned to look at the boy, seeing a single tear drop from his eyes. Your fear was swallowed up by sadness, realizing it wasn’t just you who was breaking down. He needed you just as much as you did him. He just couldn’t ignore it any longer, “‘Kaashi…”

“I am so sorry for how I acted that day,” he struggled to speak, trying to force down a sob. He couldn’t let you walk away. His entire body trembled in fear that he would lose you before he even got to experience loving you. 

“I’m not mad at you,” you whispered, but your words meant nothing to him. Not when you’d been avoiding him for so long. 

“Then why won’t you talk to me?” he croaked, looking you in the eyes. Time froze around the two of you once more. You couldn’t help but notice how warm his gaze was on you, how inviting it made his body feel to you.  

“I can’t.”

“Why not?” his voice grew louder in the abandoned hallways. You had never heard him sound so desperate before and suddenly you were thankful school had ended. Akaashi’s grip softened to the point it completely vanished from your body, causing your stomach to twist. You already missed the feeling of his skin on yours. But what broke you even further was seeing Akaashi’s body sink to the floor, barely able to hold himself up on his knees. 

“I know that you and Kuroo broke up because of what I did,” he whispered, his fists clenched in his lap, “And I get it if you don’t feel the same about me. You don’t have to. But I cannot stand another day without you beside me. It’s killing me, Y/N.” 

The emotion in his voice was raw and painful. You couldn’t stand hearing him like this, and it was tearing you apart that it was your fault he was acting this way. So you finally broke, falling to your knees in front of him. Your hands, so desperate to feel his warm skin beneath your fingertips, reached out in front of you and held onto his face, forcing him to look at you. 

“I do feel the same way, Akaashi,” you admitted, your cheeks burning red at the confession, “That’s why I’m so scared. That’s why I’ve been hiding away from you. You were my only thought after I left Kuroo’s house that night. You have been the only thing I have thought about for the last two weeks. Every morning I wake up and look at the place Kuroo once laid and I imagine you there. I imagine your hands wrapped around my waist…” 

“I-”

“And it’s wrong,” you sobbed, causing his eyes to widen as your hands fell from his face. He wanted to question you, but instead he stayed silent, “I shouldn’t crave you this much.” 

Words were never Akaashi’s strong subject. So instead he threaded his fingers through your hair, gentle and loving fingertips brushing across your scalp. You looked at him, into his gunmetal blue eyes and suddenly you were no longer in the hallway of your school. You weren’t crumpled to the ground in despair, no longer fighting every ounce of your body to not fall in love with him. Suddenly you were in a field of cherry blossom trees, their soft petals gently cascading down from the sky and flowing down the soft edges of your skin. 

“Couldn’t we just try?”

And then you were flying. You were in the sky as fireworks bloomed around you. You were soaring above all of the hurt and pain you had been feeling for so long. That numb feeling in your stomach morphing into something so bright and beautiful that you were sure those butterflies people speak of were more than just an expression. Desperation took over your body as you flung yourself forward, wrapping your arms around Akaashi’s neck and pressing your lips to his in a valiant declaration of love. His response was immediate, pulling you closer to him with the hand in your hair. His spare hand wrapped around your waist, tugging you into his lap. He was tired of the space between your bodies. 

“Aka-” Bokuto went to yell as he turned onto the hallway. He stopped, seeing the sight in front of him. The two of you broke your lips apart, but remained together. He rested his forehead against yours, gazing up into your eyes with pure love. You couldn’t look away from them, they were intoxicating. Bokuto nodded approvingly before turning away, headed back to the gym to tell the team that Akaashi would be late to practice. 

“You know he’s going to tell the entire team, right?” you asked feebly, your voice barely over a whisper. 

A small smile fell onto his lips at your words, “That’s fine with me.” 

He didn’t give you another moment to respond before his lips found yours once more. This time much gentler than the last. He poured every unspoken thought he had trapped in his mind into the kiss, and you heard every last word. Every single confession of his love. Every single cry of longing he had felt. Every night he laid in bed restless, wishing it was you beside him and not an empty space. 

How your body was home to him. 

“I love you,” he whispered against your lips as they separated. You looked into his eyes, as if searching for any sign of doubt. Doubt. That’s what you were used to now. But when you saw his unbreaking gaze and felt the vulnerability of his skin… you knew he was void of any doubt. 

“I love you… I’m so sorry I made you wait.” 

He smiled at you, his body relaxing at the words, “I don’t mind, just don’t run away from me again.”

You shook your head softly, “I would never.”

Short little blurb I thought of tonight! Hope you love it 

Sometimes Akaashi has bad days. Sometimes he just lays in bed before school, a slight frown on his lips. Another day of babysitting Bokuto. Another day full of making sure that his captain is at his best. And while he appreciates the bond between the two of them, sometimes he just wants to rest. Sometimes he wants to not have to worry about Bokuto. He just wanted to worry about himself. 

“Oh no,” you said in a playful sigh when you entered the boys room, “Did I walk into Emo Akaashi?” 

“You’re lucky you’re cute, Y/N,” Akaashi chuckled, raising the blanket so you could join him in the bed. You happily took your place, snuggling into his chest and resting your top leg across his legs. He sighed contently, pulling you closer to his body and placing a small kiss on your forehead.

“You understand, don’t you?” he asked quietly, almost ashamed of feeling this way. You looked up at the beautiful boy with a sweet loving smile and nod. You understood how he felt. Everyone gets tired, even the strongest people. 

“I get it,” you vocalized, cupping his cheek with your hand and forcing him to look to you, “Everyone gets tired and that’s understandable. People have limits, Keiji,” you whispered, stroking his cheek with your thumb, “Don’t be ashamed for being human, you can only act supernatural for so long.” 

“You think I act supernatural?” he questioned with a quirked brow. 

You nodded, “You have to be if you love me.” 

“I think that’s what makes me supernatural.” 

With pink dusted cheeks, your lips met his. His strong arms wrapped around your waist and hoisted you onto his lap. The kiss was passionate. It felt like snow days in elementary school, but with warm fuzzy skies. You couldn’t really explain the feelings that bubbled in you when Akaashi kisses you. All you knew is that they made youfeel supernatural. 

Our love made us supernatural.

ꜰᴜᴋᴜʀᴏᴅᴀɴɪ

[ — ɴꜱꜰᴡ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ] [ — ꜱᴜɢɢᴇꜱᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ]

ˑ༄ؘ ۪۫۫ ▹ ʙᴏᴋᴜᴛᴏ ᴋᴏᴜᴛᴀʀᴏᴜ ◃ ۪۫۫ ༄ؘ ˑ

— headcanons:

nothing yet…

ˑ༄ؘ ۪۫۫ ▹ ᴀᴋᴀᴀꜱʜɪ ᴋᴇɪᴊɪ ◃ ۪۫۫ ༄ؘ ˑ

— headcanons:

nothing yet…

baby blues 

pairing: akaashi keiji x f! reader 
genre: parenthood fluff 
warnings:nah, none. or well, bokuto is his own warning HA. 
wc:1.4k
author’s note: for @tyga-lily. makes references to the storm chaser universe, but can be read as a standalone. 

Akaashi’s calm demeanour cannot hide the fact that he is at heart, an anxiety ridden bean. It’s something he’s always struggled with since his boyhood days, worrying about Bokuto’s antics and the ace’s general well being, spiralling with stress when it comes to exams and job interviews, and even though he masks it well with doses of coffee, it’s starting to flare up in full force now that you’re growing his child in your belly. 

Having a baby was planned, as most things in his life are. You and he have been married for two years now, your careers are settled into a comfortable groove, so having a child just seemed like the logical next step. But it’s different planning on paper to actually seeing your plans blossom into fruition, especially when presented in the form of an ultrasound, the black and white squiggles indicating the new life he’ll hold in his hands in less than six months’ time. 

“Is that - ?” he’s barely able to form a coherent sentence. 

The ultrasound tech and you share a smile. “That’s our baby, Keiji”, you say, taking his trembling hand in yours. 

Even though your belly is barely a bump and the baby is but a tiny bean sprout in monochrome, there are so many things to prepare in advance. 

Like cradles and prams - he spends his free time perusing parenting magazines about the best, safest models. Like the difference between diapers - until you step in and gently insist that you very much doubt either of you will have the time to maintain the use of cloth diapers. Like the type of laundry detergent is best for babies’ clothing - or - or - or the type of food that he should slowly be introducing the baby to as the months progress while being careful not to accidentally trigger any allergies- 

“Keiji”, you say, catching his face in the warm cradle of your hands. “You’re overthinking again.” 

“I am, aren’t I”, he laughs wryly, arms circling around your waist, ever so careful not to crush you. “I just want to make sure everything’s perfect and we have it all figured out before the baby arrives.” 

“Everything’s already going to be perfect”, you reply, nuzzling up to him. “We’re going to be parents, Keiji. Imagine that!” 

He knows. Oh gods, he knows and he’s terrified. 

What if he screws up? What if he gets something wrong? What if he accidentally suffocates his precious baby, or messes up by overlooking something small and banal? He’ll never forgive himself, and worse he’ll disappoint you - 

“How do you keep your kids alive?” He blurts his fear out to Bokuto when the older man visits with his trio of sons in tow. 

Bokuto isn’t even fazed by the question, despite it coming out of left field. He lifts the teething Kousuke into his lap so he doesn’t chew up the furniture before turning to gaze at Akaashi. “There are three cardinal rules to fatherhood, Akaaashi”, Bokuto says solemnly. 

Akaashi leans forward, eager to listen to whatever pearls of wisdom his former senpai might have for him. He must have some good advice - he’s raising three boys and they’re all alive and healthy, if a little feral. 

“First”, Bokuto raises a finger, though the effect is rather lost from Kousuke promptly chomping on it. “Feed your kids. If they’re full, it’s all good. And keep sugar to a minimum, unless you want them to bounce off the walls.”

“Fair enough”, Akaashi nods, mentally filing the first rule away in his head. “What’s next?”  

“Second, you gotta check that they don’t pee or poop on themselves. If they have, just clean it up. When kiddos are dry, then it’s all good!”

That’s also fairly obvious.

“Third”, Bokuto nods as if in approval of his wisdom. “Don’t let your kid bite anyone, or your other kids -”

Akaashi blinks. And then he blinks again. 

“What?!” 

“It’s true! Kousuke has a nasty habit cos the little kiddo can’t talk yet, so he chomps down when he’s pleased or isn’t pleased, like when he has to defend his toys from being taken by his older brothers - ”

“Bokuto–san”, Akaashi massages the space between his brows. “These can’t be the only rules to fatherhood? I mean - what about - what about figuring out what’s the best pram to use? Whether to use the Montessori method in teaching your kid - or, I don’t know - shouldn’t I be referring to some parenting bible or something?”

A heavy hand lands on his shoulder, instantly grounding him. 

“Kids are pretty resilient, Akaashi!” Bokuto booms. “You could drop them - okay, maybe don’t try that, and don’t ever tell my wife I said that - but they’re hardy little things, as long as they’re fed and kept clean and aren’t attacking each other, it’s all good.” 

“It can’t be that easy”, he says, head in hands. Because it feels life changing, bringing a new life into the world, and he has to get it right, he has to make sure everything’s perfect, right? 

“I mean, I’m not saying it’s easy”, Bokuto replies, frowning. “You won’t be getting much sleep ‘specially when your kid’s just born cos babies don’t seem to know how to sleep through the night, so you gotta get up and cuddle them and soothe them so they’re happy enough to go back to sleep. But then when they grow up, the challenge is really teaching them to be good kiddos, y’know?” 

“You mean teaching them to be kind?” 

Bokuto grins, bouncing Kousuke on his lap. “Got that in one! That’s more important than worrying about what pram you’re gonna get - just strap them to your chest, it’s easy enough and it’s a good workout too!”

His former teammate’s enthusiasm is infectious, but Akaashi no longer has the stamina from his high school days, so he thinks a pram might still be very necessary. Still, he sees the wisdom in Bokuto’s words. 

So he surprises you when he drops his obsession with parenting magazines and books and lectures and podcasts, pulling your feet into his lap instead to give you a gentle massage and whispering seriously to your bump. 

“You don’t have to worry cos I’ll make sure you’re fed and I’ll change your diapers, and I promise I’ll never drop you on your head, and we’ll get you a pram cos I don’t think I can carry you around all day, especially when you get older - ”

“Keiji, you’re worrying too much again” you interrupt him, smiling indulgently down at your husband. 

He presses a kiss to your bump before meeting your smile. “I was talking to Bokuto-san this afternoon.”

“Ah”, you reply. “And what advice did he give to you?” 

“This and that”, your husband says. “But he reminded me not to worry overmuch.” 

“His advice doesn’t seem to have worked too well then”, you answer archly. 

Akaashi sighs through his nose. “I just want to be a good dad.” 

“Oh Keiji”, you card through his hair, let him slump into your side. “You will be a fantastic dad, I know it. The fact that you’re worrying so much shows that you care for our little bean sprout.”

“Of course I care”, he murmurs. “I want our kid to grow up safe and healthy and happy and kind - ”

“And after listening to yourself say that, don’t you think you’ll be a good dad?” 

He scrunches up his nose, a tell-tale sign to you that while he sees the logic in your words, he can’t bring himself to believe in them just yet. 

“This is going to be cliched and something right out of your shounen mangas that you edit - ”

He closes his eyes as if he’s in pain. “Believe in me, who believes in you?” 

You tug at his ear gently. “That’s pretty apt in our case, is it not?” 

“Fine”, he mumbles, defeated. “You have a point.” 

“Stop worrying, Keiji. You’re going to be a good dad.” 

“Okay”, he breathes. “I - I hope so.” 

The smile you bestow upon him, full of trust and love goes much, much further in soothing his fears, in taming his unbridled worries. “You don’t have to hope - I know it. Now c’mon! Let’s discuss baby names, and before you even think of mentioning it - no we are not naming our kid after Bokuto - ”

“I mean, he already has three kids practically named after himself -” 

“Nor are we allowing Kuroo any suggestions - ”

“Agreed. His daughters only have normal names because his wife put her foot down - ”

Somewhere in greater Tokyo, both Kuroo and Bokuto sneeze in perfect harmony. 

a/n: heh. yes! i am alive and still writing ><

“ hands ”

akaashi x reader

genre: fluff.

it didn’t matter that you were at the mall, crowds of people rushing back and forth to get their holiday shopping done, all that mattered was the boy in front of you. the two of you tucked away in the booth at the far end of the food court, warm drinks in front of you.

this was only your fourth date, but you already knew you loved him. his black hair with curly tips and bangs that almost draped over his eyebrows. his blue eyes looked like the water in a hidden magic garden. his beautiful brain, that always found such unique ways to compliment you.

“keiji?” you got his attention, his head peering up from what he was reading; the back cover of a book he’d just bought on your mall date. his hands began fidgeting under the table, reminding you of why you bothered to break the silence. he hummed, waiting for you to continue.

“why do you play with your hands?” you asked like a young child, curious on why the sky was blue. akaashi paused for a second, bringing his hands onto the cool surface of the table and laying them out, palms facing the ceiling.

his eyebrows frowned, lines creasing into his forehead. not even he knew how to answer. he looked back up to you, your eyes wide with curiosity.

“well,” he sighed, tilting his gaze back down so he could watch his fingers curl in and out. “i think it’s just because i get anxious about…things.” you watched him press his lips together, deep in thought.

“just things?” your tone became softer, slightly biting your lip and analyzing his response, “but it’s okay if you don’t want to tell me.” although he shook his head, meeting your eyes once more. seeing you gave him confidence.

“no it’s okay. it is a bit weird but i guess i just get insecure about them.” your lips pressed together, a small pout forming on your face while akaashi waited for you to reply.

leaning forward, you placed his hands into yours, cupping them despite his being bigger and you gently jolted him forward in order to bring his hands close to you.

“i don’t think it’s weird.” his mouth was open just the slightest bit, taken a back from your sudden movement, his eyebrows raised with surprise as he anticipated what you were trying to do.

you kept eye contact until the moment your soft lips touched the back of his hand. your eyelids fluttered shut, resting lightly. his hands heated up, it was cute you could feel his fluster all the way to his finger tips.

sitting back up, your beaming expression was contagious as a smile rested naturally on his face. “you’re amazing, you know that?” you reminded him, trying to keep any self deprecating thoughts from his mind.

“i always feel amazing when we’re together.” he managed to connect your hands, giving them a loving squeeze. you could feel the tips of your nose heating up at his remark, nodding in agreement.

you were quick to break out into a giggle, feeling the happiest you had in awhile. love had a tricky way of slipping into every situation with him.