cold hands | bokuaka ✓

5。oikawa tooru

akaashi spent his whole day at a restaurant thanks to yours truly fucking up the times (thank you mj for pointing this out but i am too lazy to correct it)
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akaashi wakes up tired. he showers tired, gets dressed tired, puts on shoes tired, and goes to the nearest breakfast place tired.

"hello sir," the cashier says, also seeming tired, "what can i get for you on this fine morning?"

akaashi wearily looks at the menu plastered on the high wall. "a cappuccino, please."

"sir, we don't serve cappuccinos here," the cashier calmly says.

"huh?" he looks up at the board again and realises that it doesn't have a cappuccino listed, it has coffee beans.

"oh, my bad, i misread the board. a black coffee instead?"

the cashier nods, punching a few buttons. "swipe the card here," she says, pointing to the side of the machine.

akaashi complies, and the cashier dismisses him.

"black coffee?"

akaashi turns around to the familiar voice and face of oikawa. he wears a dramatic look of shock. "i didn't think you'd be one for black coffee. though it suits you."

"ah...thank you?" akaashi didn't exactly know how to respond to that.

oikawa looks akaashi up and down. "your clothes."

akaashi looks over himself and awkwardly shuffles his feet. he's in a regular pair of jeans and a polyester sweater with a white shirt underneath. "what about my clothes? is there something wrong with them?"

"oh, heavens no. they just seem very..." he tilts his head and waves his hand, trying to come up with the word. "very simple."

akaashi is confused now. "well yes, i'm in a coffee shop, not a wedding hall."

oikawa laughs and ends it with a long sigh. "you're a funny one akaashi. now drink your coffee and come with me."

-

"oikawa-san, what exactly are we here for?"

"what do you think? I'm taking you shopping, of course."

"i just went shopping a day or two ago."

oikawa flicks his hand forward and down. "oh, but that was for the neighbours, not yourself."

"yes, because i don't need anything right now. the moving truck is coming soon."

"shush akaashi. i'm taking you shopping and that's that."

they walk through the mall, oikawa checking the map and akaashi trying to avoid eye contact. it must be a close-knit town that he moved to because everyone seems to know everyone. random groups of people will run to the other side of the hall to greet another group. cashiers will say, "oh, i've seen you before!" to the customer, who'll reply that they know them too. it seems that nobody has an issue making conversation.

"oh! found it," oikawa says. "the store is right over here."

he takes akaashi's hand and drags him down the hall and to the left.

a staff member greets them at the door. "good morning sir, how can we help you?"

"i'd like to get a new set of clothes for the lovely young man right here," oikawa replies smoothly, as if he's done this before.

the employee nods and directs akaashi to a door in the back. "step in there and we can get you measured."

akaashi nervously heads into the room. it's small, clearly meant for only one person.

another employee enters the room with measuring tape. "now step right here..."

akaashi follows all of their orders, back stiff the entire time. the staff keep dashing in and out of the room with more supplies.

"thank you for your patience. your section of the store is to the left of the entrance, i'm sure you'll find something of your liking there."

akaashi steps out of the room and walks back over to oikawa. "do i not know my own proper size?"

"they're just very specific about the measurements is all. now which side did they say?"

"left."

oikawa's eyes light up. "ah, the best section! i'm so excited. come here."

akaashi is again dragged by oikawa. "the cool colours on this side are quite the look," oikawa thinks out loud. "i think you'll find blue to be your type."

akaashi roams around the section. it's all very fancy, a majority of formal suits. the shirts alone have a soft texture with thick fabric, meant to keep you warm at any place. they all have a small sewn-in pattern at the sleeves, such as a few stars or a purple tulip. some are gradient, some solid. each shirt with a pattern has one identical to itself in either a lighter shade or with an adjacent colour. a magenta shirt with a pattern of falling leaves had its identical in a soft light pink, and a gradient green had its identical with a lime one.

"you find something that catches your eye and i'll go to my section," oikawa says. he skips off to the opposite end of the store.

"that doesn't seem like his fit size at all," akaashi mumbles to himself. he shrugs it off. oikawa was probably buying something for iwaizumi.

a few more minutes pass and akaashi takes his chosen shirt over to the cashier. oikawa rushes over next to him. "what'd you get?" he asks.

akaashi has to take a second to collect himself. oikawa's too fast, especially during conversation, for his liking.

he hands the shirt over to the woman behind the register, letting oikawa get a clear view. "oh! very nice pick. yes, i was thinking you'd get something like that."

akaashi doesn't know what oikawa's planning, but he doesn't like it one bit.

they leave the shop with their bags, oikawa's obviously heavier than the other's.

oikawa takes akaashi all around the mall for the next few hours, getting sweets and admiring the phone cases on sale. around 2, they stop for a late lunch.

the two leave the food court after oikawa gets a call from iwaizumi. he drives akaashi home and then they separate with a warm goodbye.

as soon as akaashi steps inside his room, he collapses. don't go anywhere with oikawa again, he tells himself. that shit's life draining.

-

during his weekly dose of chipotle, his phone starts ringing. he answers it without a second thought.

"hey hey hey akaashi! recognise my voice? yeah?"

"yes, i do recognise it. hello bokuto."

"hey! how was your day with oikawa?"

"fairly nice, he dragged me to the m--wait, how did you know i spent the day with oikawa?"

he can practically see bokuto panicking over the phone. "o-oh! i just saw his car and the windows were rolled down so i could see you!"

akaashi doesn't remember the windows ever being rolled down, but he shrugs that off too.

"well, he took me all around the mall. how about you?"

"i went to the park and the library for the first time in a while! i think maybe...2 months? i don't know, but it was refreshing!" 

i can't imagine someone as energetic as bokuto going to somewhere as quiet as a library. "that sounds very nice. did you find a book you like to read?"

"yeah! i'll show you tomorrow!"

why not just tell me now? "i have work tomorrow."

"well then i'll show you when your shift's over!"

how would he even know when my shift is--whatever, this guy is unpredictable.

"alright, i'll see you then. bye."

"yeah! oh, wait aka--"

akaashi hangs up and turns on the news.

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