Believer

15

Akaashi, having been seated directly across from the sour blonde, was able to quite clearly read his lips. He shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with the question. 

Bokuto had no such reservations. He did not pick up on the borderline rude tone of his blunt friend. Kuroo grinned at the anxious teen, in silent hopes of easing the teen. It didn't seem to visibly help. 

"Yep!" He said, but then decided to add on. "He said he could read lips fairly well, but I'm also going to translate if we speak too fast or he gets confused!" 

"Dope dude! You've been learning JSL?" Kuroo jumps in on the conversation. 

"Mhm! Started a bit ago!" 

"That explains why you keep fingerspelling. I would suggest actually finishing your Japanese education so you can actually spell the words correctly though." Was Tsukishima's comeback. 

Indeed, Bokuto had misspelled a couple words because of his mind working in many ways. 

Kuroo began cackling at the commentary. 

Bokuto pouted at his friends. 

Akaashi sat there, having been able to pick up bits and pieces of the conversation, yet not fully understanding. He was about to pull on Bokuto's sleeve to ask about what was happening when Tsukishima signaled for his attention. 

"How can you understand what he signs when he can hardly spell correctly?" Tsukishima signed fluently, with the actual word signs. 

Akaashi immediately lit up at the idea of being able to communicate fluently with someone else at the table. Don't get him wrong, he appreciated the attempts Bokuto was making, but knowing he could also speak with another person was exciting. Now he wouldn't have to annoy and rely solely on Bokuto. Akaashi quickly signed back. 

Bokuto gaped at the two, causing Kuroo's laughter to get ever so louder. 

Some of the diner members had even started to look over at them. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The conversation went from favorite animals to ranking the worst sports to searching who invented homework to bumblebees to favorite museums. 

Somewhere in between it all, Kuroo had begun a chemistry rant and upon noticing that Akaashi was actually understanding what he was saying, they discussed Lewis Structures for over fifteen minutes. 

Only stopping when their waiter asked if anyone wanted dessert and Bokuto cut through their nerdy rant to say he did indeed want to sate his sweet tooth. 

But somewhere in the middle of eating dessert, they had begun discussing their passions. 

Such a topic had never been thoroughly discussed by their friend group, everyone just stopping short of discussing the future. 

"Research the inhabitants of the Mesozoic Era." Was the short reply of Tsukishima.  

Akaashi nodded in understanding of the period. He too respected the era before humans. 

Bokuto and Kuroo simply stared at the blonde, brains blank and eyes blinking dumbly. They had no honest-to-goodness clue about what the heck Tsukishima was speaking about. It took mere seconds for the blonde to catch on. 

"Wow, you both really do lack functioning brain cells. At least someone else at this table is smart." Came the sarcastic reply and an eye roll. Akaashi, feeling somewhat awkward at being complimented at his friend's expense, gave a hesitant chuckle. 

"Well as you can probably tell, I love chemistry but I also dabble in music some–" 

"WAIT BRO REALLY?? WHAT DO YOU PLAY?" Bokuto jolts out of his seat, excitement filling him. 

Kuroo almost flinched backwards at the abrupt motions before realizing that Bokuto was indeed interested. 

"Woah dude!" He says, slowly matching Bokuto's excitement. "I play bass guitar! What about you?" 

Bokuto nodded eagerly and proceeded to file away that information about Kuroo. It would come in handy later. Music bros unite. 

"I play…" Suddenly Bokuto got shy. He had always kept playing piano a secret because in his mind, others would see it as an odd instrument for men to play. Bokuto realized it was a silly train of thought but didn't want to be judged either way. "...piano." He finished. 

"Wicked!" Kuroo added on. 

For a short amount of time, the two began talking about music theory. Meanwhile, Akaashi and Tsukishima continued their conversations about the Mesozoic Era. 

That was, until a sentence caught their attention. "--I've always wanted to be in a band though." 

Noticing the break in conversation, Akaashi pulled on Bokuto's nearest sleeve to garner his attention. 

"Why can't you?" He fingerspelled. 

Bokuto blanched, having been taken by utter surprise. "Er, well…" he started. "Because I don't have a band?" He said, brain glitching slightly. Thankfully, it allowed for Akaashi to be able to read his lips and understand his response. 

"You could get a band together?" He added. 

"Yeah man! If you wanna get a band together, count me in! I'm so down to be a guitarist!" Kuroo added on, a genuine excitement pulsing through his veins. He was looking Bokuto in the eyes very intently, almost begging the Pianist to agree. 

Bokuto brings his hand up to rub the back of his head, also letting out an awkward chuckle. A confused smile presses the corners of his mouth upwards. "Er--I'll have to think about it…before I decide…"