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

32. Big Mistake

    "Bo- oh. Akaashi-kun?" Kuroo's surprise turned into glee when he saw Akaashi standing in the doorway, one of Bokuto's jumpers pulled over his torso, wearing no other clothes besides boxers. "Oya? What have we he-"

    "Oh just get the fuck inside, Kuroo, I can't stand at the door like this forever." Akaashi rolled his eyes, turning back to call Bokuto. "Bokuto-san. You have a pain-in-the-ass visitor."

    "Huh?" Kuroo heard Bokuto from the bedroom. "Why's Kuroo here?"

    "Dunno," Akaashi yawned, turning back to him. "Why are you here?"

    "Just wanted to chat." Kuroo replied innocently, striding past Bokuto's boyfriend and plonking himself down on Akaashi's reading armchair. Wait. Akaashi's reading chair? 

    Akaashi raised an eyebrow, before sighing. "Fine. But there's going to be a new rule about knocking on the door at five-thirty in the morning. I was up late last night doing-"

    "-doing Bokkun?" Kuroo smirked.

    "No." Akaashi glared. "My manuscript needs to be checked and proofread today before the deadline tomorrow. I came to Bokuto partly for the free dinner, and also because most of my things are now here." Akaashi gestured in the vague direction of the apartment behind him. "I may as well just move in at this point. With the amount I spend on rent for my own place, it's hardly worth it if I'm only there about twenty percent of the time."

    "Well, you seem to be quite comfortable at Bokkun's place," Kuroo replied, after gesturing to the reading chair underneath him, and eyeing Akaashi's - or rather Bokuto's - clothing.

"Again - what are you doing here?" Akaashi asked, his eyes subconsciously following Bokuto's movements as the latter emerged from his bedroom, ruffling his hair, which had fallen down in fluffy curls around his head.

"Kenma came back at midnight again - no food in the fridge so I cooked for him. Then he stayed overnight."

"Seriously man," Bokuto shook his head, coming to rest on the small futon opposite Kuroo, reclining on the cushions and beckoning to Akaashi, who sat with his head rested on Bokuto's lap, picking up a book from the coffee table. "You can't keep giving him everything or he'll never find a way to get by on his own."

"I don't intend to ever force him to 'get by on his own'. If he wants independence then let him have it, but I'll always be someone he can fall back on."

"That's what he wants. But it's not what you want, is it?" Akaashi asked, with a pointed glance at him from over his book.

"'Course not - but that's for me to worry about, not you." Kuroo sighed, observing Bokuto's fingers as they ran gently through Akaashi's thick, glossy black locks.

"How is he?" Akaashi asked, his lips curling up involuntarily as Bokuto's finger traced the shell of his ear.

"Still incapable of washing his own clothes, yet is somehow one of the leading buyers in the stock market and an internet sensation at the age of nineteen." Kuroo's mouth turned up slightly at the corners. "He's quite incredible."

"So incredible that he needs you to cook for him." Kuroo glared at Akaashi as he received a raised eyebrow.

"Hey! He can cook, he just gets tired. I remember when..." he trailed off, grappling at some distant childhood memory to recount.

"I'll go grab some tea." Akaashi stood up. "We may be here a while," he whispered to Bokuto, which Kuroo overheard, huffing in response. He watched as Akaashi stood up, brushing Bokuto's hair from his eyes and placing a small kiss on the ace's forehead before walking into the kitchen. For a split second, he imagined Kenma sitting in Bokuto's place, picturing himself as Akaashi, fondly gazing down at his would-be boyfriend.

Kuroo rolled his eyes at Bokuto's expression, dreamy-eyed and soppy. "Yagh-ha-ha-ha!" He cackled.

"What?!" Bokuto asked, folding his arms defensively.

"You're so crazy for Akaashi bro, it's painfully obvious." Kuroo rolled his eyes.

"Yeah?" Bokuto smirked. "Why shouldn't I be?"

"It's just funny. You're now the ace of MSBY and one of the most popular players with your booming personality, but nobody knows you're secretly soft for a kuudere boy who edits manga!" Kuroo broke into fresh peals of cackling.

"When I was your age..." Bokuto started, and Kuroo coughed in irritation. It was common for Bokuto to speak to him as if he were ten years his elder despite the mere two month's difference in their ages. "When I was your age, I used to think that love was funny too."

"And now?" Kuroo asked, humouring the ace.

"And now," Bokuto stared at him solemnly, and Kuroo desperately tried to sober himself. "Now I am a mature adult, who is deeply in love-"

Clang! Kuroo jumped and turned around, only to find Akaashi staring at Bokuto, a metal spoon dropped at his feet.

"Kou..." Akashi began. He looks like a spooked owl, Kuroo thought, laughing internally at himself.

"Ah! Keji-" Bokuto's face started to flush at being caught in the middle of this private confession. "I didn't mean... well, I did - but I wanted to tell you differently!" Kuroo sighed internally as Bokuto's head hung, and he began to fall into his signature Emo-Mode.

"Koutaro." Akaashi spoke firmly, picking up the spoon and setting it down on the coffee table with the drinks. He then sat beside Bokuto, resting a hand on the ace's shoulder. "It's fine," he said, slipping a finger under Bokuto's chin so their eyes met. "I love you too."

Kuroo retched as Bokuto's mouth melted into a smile, pulling Akaashi in for a long, passionate kiss on the lips, both seemingly unaware that he was still beside them, smiling into each other's mouths in blissful ignorance of their surroundings. Ah! How lovely it would be to be able to kiss someone like that. Namely Ken- Kuroo stopped himself before his mind went any further.

"Umm... I'm still here, you know?" And, unlike you, I don't have a best friend who loves me like you two do.

"Shut up, Kuroo." Yet Akaashi pulled away, taking a sip of his tea and leaning back thoughtfully. "But yeah, back to Kenma. Have you talked to him about why he always comes over?"

"Not as if I don't already know." Kuroo stared glumly at his tea. Akaashi was a brilliant tea maker, but today he wasn't in the mood. "He just wants me to do things for him."

"Maybe there's another reason he's always coming over. One you don't know about." Bokuto spoke up suddenly.

"Like what?" Kuroo posed the question rather aggressively, and saw Akaashi raise an eyebrow at him. He quickly bowed his head towards the couple, but his teeth kept grinding against each other.

"I dunno." Bokuto shrugged. "Maybe he's permanently lost his apartment keys."

"Unlikely." Kuroo narrowed his eyes, his grinding teeth coming to a halt, setting his jaw at angles.

"Maybe he's lonely," Bokuto suggested.

"Nah." Kuroo clenched his fists. As much as Bokuto was clearly trying to assist him, he just wasn't helping at all. Seeing inside Kenma's mind was a futile game - and one that only became more frustrating to play as he went on.

"Maybe he is lonely," Akaashi turned to Kuroo with the type of patronising expression you would expect someone to wear when addressing children. "Or maybe he isn't. But there's no point in guessing. Like I said, just talk to him."

"But he doesn't talk back!" Kuroo raised his voice, and immediately the whole apartment fell still. The wide-eyed expression Kuroo registered on Akaashi's face said everything he needed to know.

"Ken...ma?" Kuroo turned around to face the short figure at the door, his heart thumping in his chest, but the door had already silently closed shut.

(Word count: 1303)
(Total word count: 38,826)