Haikyuu Imagines

Braving the Storm (Akaashi)

BOOM!  Lightning lit up the sky, and a rumble of thunder was soon to follow.  You gripped your flashlight tighter, flicking it on and off nervously.  To put it simply, you absolutely hated big storms.  Rain was fine–soothing even!  You loved taking naps hearing the pitter patter on your apartment's roof, but storms like this always made you nervous. 

Knock knock!  You eagerly ran to the door, knowing who was waiting behind it.  

"Akaashi!" you grinned, pulling him in.  "Oh?  And Bokuto!"

Akaashi had been your next door neighbor for the past five years, which gave you plenty of time to get to know each other.  You both relished in the fact that you liked listening more than talking.  And whenever either of you spoke, it was never awkward or forced.  Conversation was always perfectly balanced.  The blue-eyed boy eventually suggested a cooking schedule so that you could save on groceries and meal prep.  For his first meal, Akaashi had prepared ratatouille with a side of spicy noodles.  You weren't sure why he wasn't a cooking major because his skills were exquisite.

Eventually, he opened up about his best friend Bokuto–the owl-like man perched before you now.  He was Akaashi's literal opposite with a flamboyant personality that lit up the room more than the lightning did.  

"I brought Bokuto over because I knew he'd be a good distraction from the storm," Akaashi patted his friend's beefy shoulder.   

Bokuto grinned and held up a tote bag packed with board games.  It wasn't long before you were in stitches on the floor because of the duo in front of you.  Surprisingly, Bokuto was good at board games.  His strategies were intricate and well thought out–something neither you nor Akaashi expected.

"You're telling me you've been plotting to move your piece here and take me down since the beginning?" Akaashi raked his hands through his hair.  

You laughed at your usually calm neighbor losing his mind over Bokuto's scheme.  The golden-eyed boy smirked and moved his piece forward, eliminating Akaashi from the game.

Next, Akaashi set up three small canvases with paint and pulled up a Bob Ross tutorial.  It looked fairly simple on screen, but you quickly realized you lacked technique.  Glancing over at the two boys' paintings, you let out a chuckle.

Akaashi's was probably the closest to the tutorial while Bokuto's looked like it had been through an apocalypse.

"So you're telling me you can predict a board game seventy moves in advance but you can't follow directions?" Akaashi pinched the bridge of his nose.

Bokuto wagged his brush in his friend's face.  "Hey hey hey!  Calm down, Picasso!"

An hour later, things did calm down, though.  Bokuto had to leave for evening training, which left you and your neighbor together to brave the storm.  Slowly, your anxiety crept back up now that things were quiet again.  An arc of lightning shot across the sky, and you nearly threw yourself into Akaashi's arms.  

"Do you want to do something fun?  I know something that'll take your mind off the storm," the blue-eyed boy suggested.  Wordlessly, you nodded, and he immediately began grabbing blankets and nearby pillows.

You understood his plan right away, and you knelt down to help him.  

"Can you finish this side up?  I'll make us some hot chocolate," Akaashi patted your head.  

A light blush dusted your cheeks as you nodded.  Minutes later, he was settled beside you in your blanket fort.  He leaned forward on a pillow and chose a movie to watch, making sure to pick the funniest one he could find.  Hopefully, it'd be enough to take your mind off the storm.

And he was right.  You sipped your hot chocolate in between laughs.  Without realizing it, you had inched closer to Akaashi during the course of the movie.  Now, you were almost pressed against him.

"Sorry," you began to scoot away, but Akaashi wrapped an arm around you and held you in place.

"I don't mind this," he smiled warmly.  He studied your eyes, catching that hopeful flicker he knew was burning in his.  Slowly, he began to lean in for a kiss, but was cut short when the lights flickered and went out.

Instead, his head landed on your shoulder and all his body weight fell onto you.  You hastily propped him up, and he laughed awkwardly.

"Sorry about that," he hummed against your shoulder but made no attempt to move.  Instead, he reached behind you and grabbed your flashlight.  Switching it on, Akaashi aimed the beam upwards so that it lit up the blanket fort's interior.  His other hand found its way around your waist, pulling you closer.

"Look," he whispered.  He positioned the flashlight on a pillow and held his hand in front.

"It's a bunny!" you piped up, mesmerized by his hand puppet.  

Akaashi studied your delightful expression, pressing a quick kiss to your cheek.  Taking one of your hands, he showed you how to make a dog, then a butterfly, then a frog.  Each time you successfully made a hand puppet, he rewarded you with a peck.  

"This is so sudden," you murmured.

To that, Akaashi took your hand in his and patted it gently.  His steel-blue eyes locked with yours, and you found yourself unable to look away.  To think your crush on your neighbor was finally becoming something more.  Honestly speaking, you never saw this coming–him making a move and reciprocating your subtle feelings.

"It may feel sudden, but I think we both know it's been brewing for a while," the boy smiled.  "Do you want to go on a date tomorrow?"

"YES!" you answered right away.  "Do you want to go to that cooking class you've been talking about?"

"Sure–"

BOOM!  Akaashi and you clung to each other as a particularly loud bout of thunder shook the building.  He laughed and pulled you into his arms.  It was a good reminder to live right now in the moment and worry about tomorrow tomorrow.  Right now, you let yourself soak in the warmth of Akaashi's embrace and his comforting scent, holding him close like an umbrella as you braved the storm.

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A/N: It stormed recently, and as I was hiding under my blankets, I was hit with this idea.  I think Akaashi would be amazing at comforting someone when they're stressed, like he always knows what to do XD Hope you enjoyed this one!!

Question of the imagine: What do you do during a storm?  I always keep a flashlight with me and a good book to distract myself :)