Akaashi's 18th (and the events that followed...)

2. The Party

(Italic = flashback)

It seemed - to Akaashi's eyes anyway - that the celebrations had already started. Two bottles of alcohol had already been cracked open, and a group of the second and third years - Hinata, Lev, Kageyama and Kenma - had already started to eat the snacks at the table. Akaashi laughed under his breath, before looking around for Bokuto. Funny, he had disappeared almost immediately after Akaashi had thanked everyone.

Then Akaashi spotted him.

Bokuto had evidently put way more thought and planning into this party than, well... anything else he had done in his life - aside from volleyball - Akaashi realised. He cleared the lump in his throat with a brief cough. "Kou..."

The man had probably left his clothes at Kuroo's apartment the previous day, as there was no way he could have carried them there without the other man noticing. Bokuto's glinting golden eyes matched the analogue wristwatch Akaashi had given him for his eighteenth birthday, after saving up for a month in his part-time job. Black jeans accentuated his muscled thighs, causing Akaashi to cover his burning face with his forearm, and that was before he noticed Bokuto's white button-down shirt - which was definitely missing three too many buttons at the top.

Akaashi closed his mouth, which had been hanging slightly open. He had to get a hold of himself.

"'Kaashi?" Bokuto cocked his head to the side, eyes curiously exploring his expression.

"I'm fine," Akaashi mumbled. "Should I have brought anything else to wear?"

"No! You look perfect 'Kaashi." Bokuto stood there expectantly. Akaashi stared at him blankly. "Eto... Akaashi-kun..."

"Yeah?"

"Do I look good?" Akaashi sighed to cover the fact that he was squirming inside. Bokuto had recently been asking Akaashi's approval on many things other than just volleyball, such as cooking, organisation, and even his apartment...

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Bokuto burst open the front door to the apartment. It swung dangerously on its hinge for a 'dramatic entrance'. He made Akaashi check the kitchen and dining space, the bathroom, and even the bedroom. "The bed's so comfy, right 'Kaashi?" Bokuto had exclaimed from midair.

"It won't be if you keep jumping on it, Bokuto-san," Akaashi had commented. Just like that, the other boy wilted in front of him.

"I have to make sure it's perfect, just in case you ever stay over," Bokuto had said, looking at the floor - at which point Akaashi had choked on his water, and the moment was forgotten.
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.
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"You look... brilliant as always."

"AKAASHI!" Bokuto's eyes widened for a second, before he grinned, hands on his hips. He led the reluctant boy over to where Hinata and Kageyama were standing, talking animatedly with Nishinoya.

"BOKUTO-SAN!!!!!!!" Hinata jumped, evidently forgetting that the ceiling was only just tall enough for Tsukishima and Lev to stand up in. "Itai~" he grumbled, rubbing his head.

"Hinata!" Bokuto yelled back, and the not-so-small-anymore boy shook off his injury, his eyes alight with admiration. Akaashi shared a tired glance with Kageyama, before the setter huffed and turned to his spiker.

"Boke! Don't jump when you'll just get a concussion!"

"Aw Kageyama-kun, it almost sounds like you're worried about me." Akaashi caught a glimpse of Hinata's hidden smirk. That kid might have been an idiot when it came to maths, but he certainly wasn't when it came to manipulating his setter's emotions.

Before Kageyama could bite back, however, Bokuto chimed in. "So, Hinata, I hear you're checking out early auditions for MSBY! Come to join your favourite ace, huh?"

"WHOAA!" Hinata exclaimed. "Bokuto-san, you're so amazing!" Akaashi marvelled as Bokuto's hair seemed to stand up an extra inch taller. "But I'm going to be the ace of MSBY!!"

"Hey hey hey!! You'll have to watch the amazing Bokuto in action first before you get any thoughts of being the ace!"

"GWAAA!" Hinata's eyes began to water slightly, and Akaashi noticed Kageyama's scoff, before he bonked Hinata on the head.

"Nani boke? The Schweiden Adlers are clearly the better team!"

"You're auditioning for them?" Bokuto looked surprised.

"Kageyama-kun's practically already gotten in!" Hinata interjected before Kageyama could even open his mouth. "He's just been chosen for the next olympics, and the Adlers have asked for him to try out for them!"

"Hinata-boke! D-don't just say things like that!" Kageyama blushed profusely, and the two fell bickering into the distance.

"Where's that pain in the ass Kuroo?" Bokuto pointed over to the table of food, where the man himself was attempting to persuade Kenma to go out and talk to the rest of the party.

"Hey, Kuroo," Akaashi called as they walked over. The man looked up. As soon as his gaze moved, Kenma pulled out his phone and hid behind the screen. "Thanks for hosting the party, it's great, really."

"No problem Akaashi, it was all Bokuto's idea. Or, should I say, Kou?" He grinned manically, and Kenma rolled his eyes.

"Don't embarrass Akaashi on his birthday, Kuroo. Oh yeah, happy birthday by the way," he gave Akaashi a small smile, and handed Kuroo a wrapped gift with Akaashi's name on it, leaving the birthday boy feeling especially honoured.

"Kenma?" Kuroo leaned against the wall so he was at face height to his best friend. "You need to go to my room for a while?"

Kenma glanced up, eyes widened. For a moment, Akaashi thought he saw a slight blush on his cheeks, before the boy pulled his hood over his head and walked into the darkness of Kuroo's bedroom. "Sorry about that Akaashi, but he needs a break; he's been talking to Hinata and Lev to stop them from eating everything, so he's a little drained, emotionally speaking."

Akaashi nodded in sympathy for Kenma, knowing all too well what it was like to want to step back from hyperactive volleyball players after a while. "Kenma and I gotcha something," Kuroo threw a small package up in the air, and Akaashi caught it in one hand, opening it.

Assassin's Creed: The Rebel Collection. "No way."

Kuroo grinned. "Well now that I have a part time job and since I'm your senpai, I thought I should buy you something you wanted."

"How did you know?" Akaashi stared open-mouthed at the new game for his Switch.

"Bo told me," Kuroo grinned, thumping Bokuto on the back. "He's really grown up."

"I'll go get you some food," Bokuto ruffled Akaashi's hair. Akaashi frowned, batting his hand away.

"So are you guys a thing?" Kuroo smiled manically, dragging Akaashi towards his room. He opened the door to reveal Kenma lying on the bed in a foetal position, staring at his phone screen.

"N.. No? I don't think so..." In truth, he wasn't entirely sure.

"Kenma?" The boy glanced up at Kuroo. "I put your toothbrush in my bathroom - I knew the other bathroom would be used at the party so you don't have to leave my room unless you feel like it." Akaashi watched as Kuroo shook Kenma lightly by the shoulders with a fondness only accumulated through years of friendship. "You can borrow my pyjamas as well."

Kenma stood, dragging himself to the drawers, opening the top one and selecting an unmatching pair. As he began to remove his shirt, Akaashi edged towards the door, not wanting to intrude on this seemingly intimate moment. Kuroo followed him out.
"Have a good rest of your birthday, if I don't see you before you leave."

"Thanks for hosting," Akaashi smiled. "I'll make sure everyone's out by eleven."

(Word count: 1268)
(Total word count: 2533)

Author's Note:
Hi, if you are reading this then thank you! I hope you are enjoying the story because this is my first fanfic and I was very nervous before posting.

As for a schedule, I am trying out posting every Friday but if that doesn't work and it's too much then I will try every other Friday.

Please, if you have any constructive feedback then I'd love to hear it!